This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
On December 18, 2019, at least 62 Gambians lost their lives when their makeshift vessel capsized off the coast of Mauritania while attempting to reach Europe. The tragic incident highlights the growing trend of Africans seeking to flee their continent in search of a better life.
According to a quote attributed to the late Robert Mugabe, Africans are running away from a continent that everyone else, including Europeans and Chinese, are running to. This paradox raises important questions about the state of Africa and the reasons behind its youth's desire to leave.
Survivors of the boat accident spoke of investments made in formal education without employment opportunities and governments failing to create conditions for income generation. This sentiment is echoed by many young Africans who feel that their continent has lost its way.
Young people are increasingly born into an age where traditional ways of life are seen as primitive. Cultural practices, such as dances, are depicted as fit only for tourist entertainment. Traditional African medicine is often dismissed as witchcraft, despite its effectiveness in treating common ailments.
Education systems in Africa often focus on the achievements of Western inventors, ignoring the contributions of African innovators like William Kamkwamba, who built electricity-producing windmills from scrap metal. This lack of representation can lead to a negative self-image among African children, who are taught to believe that everything in the West is better than Africa.
Many Africans who manage to reach Europe struggle to make ends meet, working multiple menial jobs despite having skills and qualifications. They often fail to speak out against the daily humiliations of racism and the never-ending rat race to make more money.
They also miss the African communal life they left behind, where social and economic needs are met through communal structures of fundraising for the sick, education, and burial expenses. In contrast, the West prioritizes individualism over community, leading to a sense of isolation and disconnection.
As African children are taught about Prof Wangari Maathai's Nobel Peace Prize for conserving the environment, they are not given a nuanced understanding of Africa as a rich continent with vast natural, cultural, and human resources. This lack of context can lead to a distorted view of Africa as a never-ending disaster.
Have corporations and our leadership created an Africa that Africans have to run away from and others are running to?
