Ideo-colonialism: The new approach toward re-colonization of Africa
11 min readBy Longar Mathiec Wol, Nairobi, Kenya
December 24, 2016 (SSB) — Colonization has appeared in different forms especially in some of African countries. Since our masters left we still have their memories up to today. In Africa today countries classified themselves either Franco-countries; these are countries colonized by France or common wealth the countries colonized by Britain. That means regardless of how hard we try to claim our sovereignty it fall in deaf hears from our former master because they know the still own Africa whether directly or indirectly. So what it means for ideo-colonial. Well it is a simple word that can take only two to three sentences to explain and understand what it means.
Since African countries become independence up to now they are not yet ideologically independence they still rely heavily on the ideas of their masters who left Africa almost century ago. Now some of you already have clue what I mean by the word ideo-colonialism. To be precise the word is coined from two word, ideology and colonialism. That means you are already home now. Ideology simply reflect to the word ideas and many interpretation you might give.
When it comes to the word colonialism, in Africa it does not need someone to go to school to know the word colonialism. May be some can make confirmation in term of spelling not to ask meaning. But for clarity, the word colonialism according to Merriam-Webster dictionary means “the control by one country over another area and it people”. So what are we talking here, if we say Ideo-colonialism? It simply mean to colonize people ideologically or simply mean ideological colonization. When you want people to use what you think is correct not what they think is correct. If they refused you interfere into their affairs in other ways around.
So why ideological colonization, since I mentioned above about some or all African countries still followed the ideas of the former colony therefore, Africa is still under colonization ideologically which I referred to as Ideo-colonialism which is the new approach toward re-colonizing Africa. When some of us (Africans) stay in the countries where they don’t have a say then where is Africa? Completely there is none. We only own the land or the country or countries in that matter that is being rule thousands or million miles away from Africa.
When we see some of African countries that speak in their own language or do their own things as they wish, western ideology interfered with their smooth running and bring them to their knees. African believe when you speak English or French or any western languages then you are educated. If you have none then you are illiterate regardless of your level of understand and how fluent you are in your language. If we don’t change our minds and start doing thing they way they appear then we will be left behind. Some of the countries who teach their languages and use them as official are far much better than Africa. For example China, it fought colonization like any of African countries, but the only different we gave up our languages and China insist in teaching its language. It gave them advantages to make their own things in their own way and that is why we run to China to buy everything there.
Some might argue that west interfere in our affairs because those countries are run or rule by dictators but that is not the case, the case is whether it is run by dictator or elected leader still they don’t believe in Africans sovereignty. First of all the word dictator is an English word if there was no dictatorship in the west at some point they could not have given it a name. I am not advocating for dictatorship but what I need is a space to sort ourselves like they did in the past.
But thanks to some Africans countries to stand up for African even if it is costing them dearly, they will be remember as countries with their leaders who fought the second war of ideo-colonization liberation. When you see countries like Libya and Zimbabwe which spoke openly against western supremacy over Africa you will see some of them are either destroyed or at the brink of economic collapses but it seems to be non if our business.
But the question remain what are Africans saying about this? Well many analyst will give you different angle of what it means but personally I put it in one word or one term “failure” they failed to open their mouth whether you will argue or not that is the case. If it was not a failure which country in African that had ever intervene in Western countries affairs? If none, then why they intervene in Africa, doing atrocities and go away unjudged or we think they are angels they can’t do a mistake. That is a big lie.
It would sound like I am blaming western countries but what I am doing is to bring attention to my fellow Africans. The west is not a problem we are the problem. There is a story about what happened between crocodile and Nile perch, at that time crocodile used to fear Nile perch when it sees Nile perch with those big eyes it thoughts Nile perch can eat it.
Nile perch told Mr. Crocodile that why do you fear me? Mr. Crocodile respond because you might eat me. The fool Nile perch told crocodile but do you know I am toothless, crocodile said sure, it says yes then clever crocodile says then let me touch to confirm that you are toothless so that I won’t fear you again. Mr. Confidence Nile perch open it big mouth and the crocodile touch and found out that it true that it is toothless. At that moment crocodile jump on the next of Nile perch and do away with it, till now Nile perch is a crocodile prey because of it foolishness.
What I am driving at here is that Africans are strong but they have open their big mouths to show the west that they are toothless, even if some of us are making noise here that change we wish would be a dream. If Africans work together then the chances of defeating this ideas of colonizing Africa would come to an end sooner than later.
The Africans had always been threatens by the avenues this powerful masterminded of this 21st century colonizers. These colonizers had divided their strategists of threatening African and others countries from the world that don’t believe in their ideology. I will classify the ideo-colonialism stages into three main stages and by the way you can still add what you think I left out.
The below are the phase/stages of Ideo-colonialism on Africa.
- Convincing stage.
When those self-anointed countries from the west have a problem with an individual head of state in Africa, the first thing they do they tried to convince you to belief in their ideology when you refused they send you some of Africans whom they belief to be a faithful servant to convince you.
When you totally refused the grouping will start from either some African with their white friend or white alone will gang up against you. In that process you will be black listed and secretly isolated without your knowledge or with your knowledge since you have no choice but to accept and converse with your heart whether you choose to change or remain in isolation.
But some of those Africans don’t realize that the lion which eat your brother if it find you next time it will also eat you mercilessly. Don’t think what is happening in other African countries if you have idea about it and you don’t want to speak out against it, it will come to you one day one time.
Some African are agents of other world, they only do interest relate to that place not the African’s people interest. But those atrocities we are committing against ourselves we will regret one time when we come to realize that we were head-locked against our selves.
Our problem as Africans we are reactive not proactive. But it is time now to look back at our strategists what we have been doing since the colonies left Africa and see what is it that we are doing wrong and take the measures to correct those mistakes and work together as Africans than we shall overcome them. If we continue to do a lot of errors then we are inviting them back in Africa to come and re-colonize us again, which would not be their problem.
- The stage of sanction.
Sanctions has been used as tools of war for very long time to investigate the interest of western countries. But the fact some Africans don’t know about sanction is that, it is not HIV/AID which has no cure. How many countries in this world that had been sanctioned for very long time but they still survive one an example is Cuba it has been under sanction for fifty plus and it still remain strong, why not if some African countries? I am not denying the fact that many African countries are sanctioned and they still run their governments and do their own daily affairs. What make us to shiver about it? Business is business when you go to international market which is the target of sanction you go with something to sell you don’t just go and take money and come back to Africa. If some refuses you to sell to him/her than sell to someone who need that commodities. I know the people with mind set about the west will say it is only the west which bought oil in Africa. But you can also sell your oil in Africa if Africans unite or we want to say there are no African countries which buy oil in international market.
Most of the countries that stays under sanction for long most of them emerge strong compare to some of those who think they are wise and they don’t want sanction. If you look at Iran, North Korea and Cuba they had been under sanction for many years but now they are among strongest countries on this planet earth, what is wrong with you being sanction if you know what you are doing?
This tool called sanction is a propaganda that had been advance by the coward people in the world. I belief in the world where every human being has a right regardless of continent, color and faith. They more we fear to speak out they more most of generations will come and go without knowing the reality about this world, you only know the true color of your friend when you have a problem with him/her. We will not know them till we speak out against their action in Africa.
- Organize internal coups and funds rebellion.
When sanction failed they collide brother against brother by spying and planning coups for them. When those coups fails most likely it lead to rebellion and they will continue to fund that rebellion till they succeed to topple the government or paralyze the government to the extent that it won’t be capable of executing it constitutional mandate.
It is up to us to adopt the culture of dialogue resolve our own issues without interference from outside. Our problems will not finish if we don’t come to our senses and know that we have responsibility as Africans to take the lead. What the superpower or whatever the call themselves don’t know is that imposing regime change on the people without their concern is like convincing Americans that gayism and lesbianism is bad without thinking for themselves. Example are many wars fought in Africa including that of south Sudan.
- The military intervention.
That would be my last phase for the sake of this discussion. When those two mentioned above stages failed the only option would be what the so called military intervention. In that military intervention they invade the country do atrocities and they go back to where ever they came from without accountability.
The same people they kill without accountability are the same people who they had set up the international criminal court (ICC) to trial the remnant without reflecting back about what they did. Anyway, for them they don’t do mistake they are angels that is how some of us belief.
But one question that linger in my mind is that whether there is no military in African or we don’t trust ourselves and that why we go to call our masters to come and do a job for us. I know we will say our military is weak; than what is wrong with weak person fighting weak person? But what we don’t know is that when you have a problem with your brother you don’t go and call stranger to come and fight your brother on your behalf. You fight and remain brothers than calling someone to kill him.
Now when they are aware they cannot be able to wage war against terrorism in Somalia and Nigeria they refrain themselves since they know it is not an easy war now Africans are dying there. Any way it seems like we don’t learn. Also, others will say they assist financially, but to tell you money has never gone to frontline to fight any enemy. There is a say in military science that what is importance is not a gun but a man behind that gun. If money fights why they didn’t send it to go and fight in those countries they had intervened militarily. We should forget those fake ideas and know the truth we are grown up people.
To conclude, ideo-colonialism will remain dominant as long as African don’t come to their sense and know that every human being is doing his/her own interest. We should wake up speak out and act independently and avoid this reactive manner and be proactive. The stages of this ideo-colonialism can only be wipe out if we come to our sense act independently as sovereign states of Africa handle our issues without interference from outside world. We need to resist this mental colonization in it totality, and start thinking what we can do best to ourselves.
The author, Longar Mathiec Wol, is a Student at United states International University- Africa, Nairobi where he is studying Bachelor degree of Science in International Business Administration and Minoring in International Relation. He can be reached through email address: longarmaxiech@gmail.com
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