OT: Africa

[Holman]

What a marvelous thread to have arisen on a WW2 wargame board! I'm sure we're unlikely to come to any final consensus, but it's nice to see so many respectful and articulate (as well as informed) comments here.

Perhaps it's only because I've just had a couple of beers (it was a hard day), but I'm intrigued by the multi-continental exchange that's taking place in this very discussion. We've moved from the double-edged sword of colonialism to bemoaning the minority status of classic intellectual texts and education. And one of the chief examples appears to be Saint Augustine, an African subject of the Roman colonial order who allied himself with a religious movement that would eventually come to dominate the central and northern European provinces of the Roman empire (a larger Europe which would itself inherit and transform the Roman traditions that once impinged so violently upon it).

As a more-or-less confirmed atheist who nevertheless has a great deal of respect for Augustine and his tradition, I'm rather impressed. I'll bet they're not talking about this sort of thing over on Quake-warez-Dude.com.

[Johan Brittz]

Hi Agamemnon,

Obviously I'm generalising. There are countries in Africa that is doing very well. Botswana & Mauritius comes to mind - both with +7% growth in GDP kept up for many years. Botswana is a great example where the theft of a handbag is virtually front page news, but... those are the exceptions.

The fact is that Africa as a continent is at the bottom of the ladder - does'nt matter what criteria you use and there is a reason for it. I stuck my neck out by stating what I see as the reason for this and I would dearly like someone to come up with another explanation for our backwardness, but...

I also believe it's esential for Africans to look to themselves for the reason and to stop pointing the finger elsewhere - while we put the blame on others we will never confront our own shortcommings and start addressing them.