My Beloved Africa

Not very long ago a very contentious question was asked on the BBC’s African Service breakfast program; “Network Africa.” That question was “Are Africans lazy compared to other races?” Apparently a Ugandan investor based in China had said in a BBC interview that Africans are lazy. His statement drew outrage from various listeners of the BBC program across the continent. However some seemed to agree with the Ugandan investor that Africans are generally lazy. To a certain extent I am attempted to believe that we Africans area lazy people, for we like the easy way out.
Recently I asked a distant relative to spray my orange trees at a fee of two thousand Ugandan shillings and he hastily said he would do it shortly. However after a few hours his cousin showed up with pump in hand delegated to do the spraying.
I asked the young man if he was not going to school that day which he answered in the affirmative. Therefore I asked the boy to leave the work and go to school. Not very long after leaving for school, though, I saw the boy loitering around their home.
When I met him the next day I asked why he seemed not to have been to school after I had preferred him to go rather than spray my oranges. He told me that he had been sent away from school for one thousand five hundred shillings which he was required to pay – whatever for. I hastened to ask him why the he did not come back to work for me if he needed the money rather than loiter around the village, riding here and there with not particular aim. I also asked him if he had now got the money the school authorities wanted from him and he did not answer either of my questions.
This young man’s actions and attitude reminded me of a number of things the recently concluded “Africa’s” Football World Cup fest in South Africa and other past World Cup tournaments.
When Ghana missed the penalty awarded after the Uruguayan handball in extra time it seemed to me from the way the players that took the penalty kicks apart from Asamoa Jian did their thing that they had already lost all hope of victory against Uruguay.
With all due honor, the Ghanaians played hard and deserved victory that they were denied by the Uruguayan handball but the spot kicks were so clumsy that I just cried and was sick for the rest of the night and the next day.
Days on my mind went back to that match between Ghana and Uruguay and the debate on Network Africa some years ago whether Africans are lazy. I wondered if I was too harsh in my judgment of Ghana but common sense tells me that the harder you kick the faster moves the ball making it harder for the keeper to catch. Apart from Asamoa, did the boys believe and take their spot kicks seriously? At least the Uruguayan who kicked out hit the ball very hard that it flew into the heavens over the bar.
Well, recently a friend was in the US for a two week’s visit and when he returned he wondered why why why we are so backward and underdeveloped? Are we really that poor and can we still honestly blame the colonialist for our economic woes and sundry? Is not there anything we can positively change about our country? Do we need to be very rich to afford neatness and orderliness in our communities? So many questions without clear cut answers. Of course we can bring positive change if believe in ourselves and will.
Like the young man in this story that did try to find a solution to his problem and go back to school; there are many youth in my community who have zero ambition and worthwhile hobbies except watch TV and balance their buggy trousers mid their flat buttocks. They wobble to school as though the day has forty eight hours rather than twenty four.
Recently my wife and kids took a two week’s holiday out of town, leaving behind a niece and a nanny to take care of the home in Entebbe. When they returned the dogs were starving, the potted plants were drying and clothes that were washed two weeks ago were still waiting to be ironed.
Sometimes I wonder if some people living around me have any interests apart from eat, drink, sleep and wake up. Thirteen years ago a man asked why I worked so hard at my job as though the company that I worked for belonged to my father.
2011 is on the way and it is election time here in Uganda. I have already seen many young and old politicians who used not attend church regularly suddenly become regular church goers, shaking and waving hands here and there – they call greeting the people. Many of these local council and parliamentary aspirants have little of nothing to show for their leadership skills or community development except the fact that they are just looking for a job.
Some of these people are former civil servants who never planned well for their retirement and are now greater debaters at drinking places. Some are people whose businesses have collapsed and are trying to find a way forward for revival. The list goes on for the easy way out. May be we are not that lazy but only cunning and fun loving.