By Kilemi Mwiria
The Triton Oil rip off is yet another reminder of how often Africans in positions of authority are easily duped by young Asian and European conmen. We saw 23-year-old Kamlesh Pattni manipulate top government officials with his fake gold and diamond exports. Then there was Ketan Somaia, the mamlukis, the French with Turkwel Dam and more.
Many African economies are being looted by Western crooks in Angola, Liberia and Southern Sudan. Some foreigners own large tracks of land for farming and game parks where African workers are subjected to inhuman treatment. Of course, we have our share of Kenyan slave owners. In Malindi, unscrupulous Italians are converting low-density estates into crowded child prostitution brothels without being deterred by the local authority. Foreigners with money can get away with crimes in many African countries.
Foreigners from Asia, the Middle East and the West come to Africa and get more established in trade than our indigenous business community. Many enjoy cooperation and protection from Africans in authority than would our own hard working entrepreneurs. Even more, locals are the first to be subjected to the rule of law while some foreigners get away with horrible crimes. It is rare that we see wazungus arrested for drug trafficking even when they may be the biggest culprits. Traffic police rarely stop Asian and European motorists.
We have time and again witnessed disrespectful treatment of African leaders by Western diplomats and junior government officials.
Some Western leaders assume that they can command African leaders here and abroad. Often African leaders are subjected to humiliating treatment as they seek visas and enter Western countries. In return, we offer junior western officials red carpet treatment and our bureaucrats have more respect for Western consultants than our own sometimes more qualified experts. Thus, Western officials have easier access to top African leaders. Some permanent secretaries will open their doors so easily to a mzungu and will discriminate against more reputable fellow Africans. All over Africa we hear many stories of unqualified Asians and Westerners being given work permits even when we have more qualified locals. In Africa, white mercenaries are priced commodities.
Inferiority complex
Of course many crooked deals happen because those Africans who sanction them enjoy a share of the loot. Remember how many politicians got handouts from Pattni’s national rip off? And how many others have we seen dining with these international crooks who they ask to support harambee projects in their constituencies with stolen national resources?
They gladly accept gifts of jewellery and travel tickets from young suave foreign fortune seekers.
There those who associate this worship of the foreigner with our colonial past which stripped Africans of self-confidence while strengthening a belief in the superiority of the lighter skinned. I was once told a story of a gathering called by a chief in Kisii immediately after independence when an Asian showed up unexpectedly. Some of the locals at the meeting quickly removed their hats and stood up as they would during the colonial days at the appearance of a mzungu. The chief who clearly knew the difference quickly asked those standing to resume their seats.
Some African leaders have not outgrown this inferiority complex. This is why some of us have more attraction to Western culture, clothing, food and sports than to what is African. This complex has enslaved even the average person some of whom will feel greatly privileged to socialise with a mzungu or Asian. In some cases white missionaries are more acceptable than local ones.
It is up to the African leadership to demystify the superiority of the foreigner by rejecting disrespectful and unscrupulous foreign business interests, while promoting that which is local more than we have done in the past. More importantly we must stop begging from the West to convince our people that we can do without them in order to build confidence amongst our people.
—The writer (Kilemimwiria@africaonline.co.ke) is an Assistant Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology and MP for Tigania West.
