Is Namibia destined to forever keep experimenting before her wretched of the earth eventually start to test the fruits of her independence?
Yours Truly Ideologically cannot but pose this pertinent question and muse about it. In view of the latest experiment in Green Hydrogen. Which for now, more than anything else, is just another experiment like many others before it. Most of which till this day have proven nothing but experiments, if not products of the wishful thinking of their presumed masterminds. From the beginning with the independence of the country, there are hardly, if any projects intended to meaningfully put the country on a meaningful socio-economic transformation, that if such ever been a serious resolve and intent of the rulers, have materialised. With many if not most and/or all of them falling, not surprisingly, by the wayside and/or evaporating in thin air. That is if ever they were meant to be effectively implemented and not what they actually were, objects of trial and error. Which in fact is the trail and experience of many an independent African countries. Where 60 years after independence, few if any at all, can point to an
y meaningful and tangible industrialisation let alone any trajectory thereof.
It is not surprising that this has been the case. Because for most of the industrialised countries, helping their former colonies industrialise has never been an honest intent and endevour. But whatever post-colonial initiatives have been toyed with, have been exactly what they have been. Toying with the still non-decolonised minds of the former decolonisation agent provacateurs, the presumed liberators, by equally ever verkrampte minds of the former colonial masters, today’s presumed and pretentious believers in the free world. A free world of hunger, poverty, you name them, of most if not all of the African countries, the former colonies. While the former colonising countries of imperial powers and their people, have been and continue, just like during the good old days of colonialism, to wallop in opulence and decadence. But for the African countries it has never been Uhuru, and only Havens knows when it shall ever be Uhuru.
The colonial initiatives, and their neo-colonial versions with all their glamourous names and labels like globalisation, in the first place were, have been, are and shall never ever be created, as long as they continue for that matter to be unilateral designs by and of the former colonising powers, with no noble intent, imposed at worst even at gunpoint through the many coup d’états and regime changes independent African countries have been subjected to. With the so-called development projects being no more than constructs and objects of the continued exploitation, oppression and subjugation, politically, economically and otherwise, of the former colonial countries and their peoples. By the presumed democratic governments but which for all intents and purposes are and have been and shall for a long time continue to proxies of the former colonisers. These days’ benevolent and philanthropic so-called developed countries. This development being nothing but the masterful continued pillaging of Africa’s natural r
esources. With the African people and their so-called leaders in a lumber of the falls sense of equal and significant global players. Thus consciously and/or unconsciously agreeing to their own continued exploitation. With of the former colonising countries continuing their influence and hold on their former colonies.
Not only this but even those African countries who were never colonies of one or the other European country, have been clamouring to have relationships with one or the other former colonising country, conveniently falling onto the lap of neo-colonialism. As a result many an African countries today find themselves entrapped in many one-sided agreements all designed to serve the best interests of none other than the former colonisers. Agreements which the former colonies most of the time gladly fall for as if they are the Biblical Mannas from Haven. For yes in the eye of most of Africa’s political but non-ideological leaders, the very former colonising European countries, which have plundered and pillaged the African continent’s natural resources, and are still continuing to do so, ironically still represents their saviours. Oblivious to the fact that they are still the most potent factors of the economic, social and even cultural miseries of Africa.
Every year, thousands of Africans embark on economic refugees expeditions to Europe on the boats-of-death. To escape the harsh economic conditions in their own countries. Not that their native countries are not richly endowed with natural resources. But these resources are no longer theirs but through fraudulent agreements, just like during colonialism, continues to be siphoned off by the so-called friendly European former colonisers acting and pretending today as Africa’s equal partners. Namibia, that expectedly given the fact that she obtained her independence comparatively lately, after many other African countries, must and may have learnt or taken a leaf or two from the other African experiences does not seem to be doing so. African countries for whom despite promises of industrialization, for which the former colonising countries were to believably help them crawl towards, industrialisation, more than 60 years, remains for most nothing but a pipedream. With little signs for most that a serious beginni
ng has been made. With all that has been made and continues to be made being only empty declarations of intent.
Despite this Namibia today is loudly trumpeting its avowed “Growth at Home”, policy whereby raw materials must be processed in the country. Indeed a laudable intent if only one day, and sooner rather than later, it shall be made a reality. But given that the capitalist world and their countries, on which most of the African countries, for better or worse, seem to be attached like and umbilical cord, have never shown any serious intent to help, let alone see African countries’ economies grow, this needs serious resolve and determination on the part of the African nations, Namibia no exception. Especially given her latest endeavour on green energy. For which she has been boasting about being a world focus lately, especially from European countries. World centre of attention for what sake? Other than for the European countries at their usual self again, recolonizing Namibia, among others, through the back door. That is if Namibia has been and is in essence decolonised.
