Thank you for writing about this! I read a comparable essay not too long ago that talks about how Europe will keep bringing African immigrants because they need a tax base to pay for pensions and health care for the elderly. I feel like this piece is a great addition in also understanding some of the problems in Africa as a whole.
Would you be able to write about why these governments allow ethnic tensions to escalate? Or is that not the proper framing? I just have the feeling that many governments within Africa are corrupt, and more interesting in lauding power than actually advocating for their citizens.
I am also interested in this idea that Europe doesn't want Africa to industralize because our global resources are dwindling + their own pseudo-commitments to renewables within their own countries.
In hindsight I should have said more about corruption – it's a really big problem that affects pretty much the entire continent. It prevents African societies from developing but it's also made worse by the lack of development. If there are few ways of becoming wealthy, people will try to control those that do exist, which in Africa means government revenues and natural resources. As for the ethnic tensions, I don't think governments allow them to escalate, I think the state is genuinely too weak (and again, corrupt) to prevent rival power bases from forming, and these will often appeal to ethnic differences.
Wow! Excellent essay. Food for thought in big chunks.
Thanks very much (and apologies for my slow reply)!
Thank you for writing about this! I read a comparable essay not too long ago that talks about how Europe will keep bringing African immigrants because they need a tax base to pay for pensions and health care for the elderly. I feel like this piece is a great addition in also understanding some of the problems in Africa as a whole.
Would you be able to write about why these governments allow ethnic tensions to escalate? Or is that not the proper framing? I just have the feeling that many governments within Africa are corrupt, and more interesting in lauding power than actually advocating for their citizens.
I am also interested in this idea that Europe doesn't want Africa to industralize because our global resources are dwindling + their own pseudo-commitments to renewables within their own countries.
In hindsight I should have said more about corruption – it's a really big problem that affects pretty much the entire continent. It prevents African societies from developing but it's also made worse by the lack of development. If there are few ways of becoming wealthy, people will try to control those that do exist, which in Africa means government revenues and natural resources. As for the ethnic tensions, I don't think governments allow them to escalate, I think the state is genuinely too weak (and again, corrupt) to prevent rival power bases from forming, and these will often appeal to ethnic differences.