Questions about China’s role in Africa

Yesterday there was this mischievous article by AGENCIES in the Today paper on Africa. It quoted Botswana’s Ian Khama and Nigerian Central Bank chief Lamido Sanusi ‘questioning whether the trade relationship with China has benefitted Africa as much as it has China’. China’s trade with Africa doubled since 2007 to more than US$200 billion and with a US$20 billion investment by China in the continent.

It is amazing that these stupid African leaders could know how to question the trades benefit to each country and who benefits more. How is this measured is a matter of great science and art. Both parties may be making a dollar each, but one could save 70c while another could squander the whole dollar. So who is benefitting more?

But that is not the main issue. China went to Africa to invest and trade and both parties negotiating their terms of trades apparently must be doing it in favour of themselves before signing on the dotted lines. China did not bring in the armies and the fire power or to put a knife at the neck of these African leaders? So what is there to question who benefitted more or less?

Looking back to the colonial days, the silly and daft African leaders could not even negotiate or question what they were going to benefit from the White men’s presence. The White men came, put a gun on their heads, and took everything, including their women, pride and dignity. Many were hunted down as slaves for the Americans and Europeans. Everything overnight became White men’s property, whole countries and continent. Were the African leaders in a position to ask for a penny? Where were all the western media to report on what happened when the White colonialists invaded Africa and robbed the continent of everything?

And now with China going there as businessmen, investors and even philanthropists, donating generously to Africa, and treating the African states and leaders as equals, what question is there to trouble these thinking or unthinking African leaders?

May I suggest that China skip Botswana and Nigeria since they are so unhappy with their trades with China? Or should these two countries return to the fold of their former colonial masters to get a fairer deal? With China they could negotiate for a better deal as equals. They could sell their raw material to anyone that offers them the best price. Or they would rather let their ex colonial masters have them for free?

There are many such mischievous reports coming from western media painting China as the bad guy without carrying a knife, and the colonialists as the good guys that robbed and raped countries, every country in Africa, took what they wanted without paying a cent. And there are many jokers reading such articles without understanding the history and background of African nations and will jump at China for cheating the Africans as if the Africans are still illiterate and ignorant fools.