Africa, the dying continent.
Did you know that according numbers released by the BBC, 4886 people fleeing Africa into Europe have died at sea this year alone.
We may cite wars and all other issues as the 'becauses' but that would be running away from the basic truth.
African's tend to be more inclined to choosing and supporting bad leaders into power. Leaders who tend to value their own agendas than those the people they must help enrich, protect and inspire.
There are many examples of these sort of leaders, I need only to mention a country and the ugly head will just show itself.
The main reason Africans choose run away is war. It has left entire villages empty. The second one, often cause for the first, is poor economic inclusion policies. Many of the farm lands taken off European hands now belong to government linked families who fail to make them produce. The companies left by the Europeans have died down and the infrastructure is broken. Communication between those governing the continet's countries and the people within the boarders is just one sided in favour of the state but as is evident in Eritrea, it is brutal.
Countries such as Swaziland are stable. But their stability is too dependent on the leader's character than any thing else. The institutions that look out for the people and protect them from abusive, often heartless powerful individuals are lacking. In Swaziland, a chief has power to not only tax a perceived wrong doer in cattle but he can even demolish your home(the kaShali demolitions). Living in Swaziland's rural area's, termed Swazi nation land, means you are bound by Swazi law to participate in kuhlehla, a form of taxation that involves working for your local chief. That is keeping the traditional aspects of his homestead, umphakatsi, up to standard. Those who have money to spare let their money do the work. Those of us who can not afford losing money this way are forced to work.
In this, Swaziland and Kwazulu, in South Africa are the same. We cough out money for all sorts of things even those which traditionally, the chief sees to himself. A Sibiya chief solicited public funds just so he may pay the pride price of some unknown lady. Zimbabwe's long time president-elected by Zimbabweans- all on his own destroyed Zim's economy and forced many a brilliant Zimbabweans into being domestic workers and criminals in South Africa while Swaziland is all too happy Swazis can run to nowhere since South Africa has locked its doors to even us who have South African blood.
The migrant crises being felt by Europe is far from relaxing. The waves upon waves of Africans leaving for better life in a well managed peaceful and nurturing country in Europe will go on ever increasing. South Africa's leaving the ICC will not help in any way because corrupt leaders on the continent will exit ICC and go on doing evils without accountability. Unlike South Africa, many of my people do not have South Africa's chapter nine institutions protecting them. Instead, countries such as Swaziland possess a constitution that is biased in favour of protecting those in power rather than the people. We the ants are left being trampled over by the very folks who must protect us in principle.
As mentioned, the main reason 4886 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe is war. But in truth war is only a symptom. The primary root is wealth distribution failure. If Africans go on electing bad people into power, we Africans will continue dying on our way to Europe.
I'm going too...Dark or blue I'm going.
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