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How do you give power to poor people? African Voices Question Time

By ucyow3c, on 11 February 2016

Written by Greg Tinker.

The history and the future of Africa, problems and threats facing African people and inspiring stories that go unreported were among the subjects discussed by prominent African academics in fields as diverse as medicine, politics, archaeology and architecture at African Question Time, the centrepiece of UCL’s Africa Voices series of events and discussions launched last month, which was chaired by Martin Plaut, former Africa Editor of the BBC World Service.

The discussions were a fascinating insight into ongoing debates around Africa, but was any consensus reached?

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(left to right): Dr Peter Waiswa, Dr Caroline Wnjiku-Kihato, Martin Plaut (chair), Prof Adam Habib and Dr Ibrahima Thiaw © 2016 UCL / Jacqueline Lau

Africa’s challenges come from both within and without

When talking about the issues facing the continent, the panel agreed that it is not as simple as ascribing them to external forces, or saying they are entirely of Africa’s own making. According to Dr Caroline Wanjiko-Kihato, an urbanist based in South Africa, the lack of agency is the biggest problem. As Africa’s people don’t have control over a large extent of their economies, there are blurred lines between what they can and can’t change. Corruption, she said, is not just an African problem: it exists all over the world and needs to be tackled wherever it is found.

Dr Ibrahima Thiaw, a Senegalese archaeologist and expert on the heritage of Africa, spoke about the legacy of slavery on Africa today: “The global structure…and international corporations are only benefiting the elites. Only 20% of Africa’s resources stay in the continent, while the rest are exported.”

Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, pinpointed the real issue as one of accountability. If there is no accountability of the elites or major corporations working in Africa, how are people going to feel empowered to make decisions about their lives? Professor Habib described this as the fundamental problem of development: “How do you give power to poor people?”

 

Africa has positive stories to tell

Prof Ijeoma Uchegbu, UCL’s new Pro-Vice-Provost for Africa and the Middle East, asked about the standard negative ‘narrative’ on Africa in the media. How do we change this and focus on positives?

Dr Wanjiko-Kihato mentioned mobile money, now to be rolled out in Sweden, which was invented in Nairobi. She also said it’s up to Africans to change the narrative around the continent, but as Martin Plaut reminded the audience, the number one rule in journalism is, “If it bleeds, it leads.”

South Africa: friend or foe of the continent?

Emile Sunjo from Cameroon asked via video whether South Africa had been a positive influence on the continent or whether its interventions had been patronising or even a form of imperialism.

Dr Ibrahima Thiaw described South Africa as a country “still in transition”. South Africa should not just sit and watch when there are atrocities on the continent – it should use its power and resources to help people. Africa needs a local power, but is South Africa ready to take on that role?

Dr Peter Waiswa, a doctor and researcher from Uganda, spoke of the frustration he felt upon visiting South Africa for the first time, 20 years ago. He expected South Africa to be doing more and to be more developed than the rest of the continent. He also spoke about the huge costs of South African goods in Uganda and other countries further away.

Professor Adam Habib said that South Africa’s future lies at the heart of Africa; if Africa works, South Africa will do really well.

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© 2016 UCL / Jacqueline Lau

Africa: a mix of modernity and tradition

The panel were asked if traditional practices are a positive force or a hindrance. Dr Ibrahima Thiaw said tradition is modernity, not a remote past. In reality, many chiefs and chiefly structures were created during the colonial period. According to Professor Habib, there is a charm to some traditional authority but it must not be unconstrained. Power that undermines accountability is detrimental to the development of societies across the continent.

The African Voices Question Time, supported by UCL Grand Challenges, is part of a series of events to mark the launch of its African Studies Research Centre, a place where academics from a range of disciplines will come together to share the latest thinking about the continent. The Research Centre will also be home for a new MA and a new MSc in African Studies. As part of this, UCL invited several prominent African academics to speak and share their knowledge in our Africa Voices series.


 

A new series on the BBC World Service aims to correct the negative narrative bias affecting Africa’s portrayal in the media. Professor Henrietta Moore, Director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, is helping the BBC to look at ideas which have helped solve common problems in countries around the world and look at whether they can be adopted elsewhere. One example considered is a grassroots approach to law and order in Uganda, which is saving lives. The series started on 4 February 2016 on the BBC World Service.

 

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