Zimpapers Logo

The glaring reality is that Western interests on the African continent are as strong as ever and have mutated and are now deviously insulated in the human rights discourse. In this article we want to unpack the Western countries hypocrisy especially when it comes to African Affairs. The blatant truth is that Western countries use the human rights discourse because they want to control and maintain their strangle-hold on the African continent. It is not a secret that neo-imperialism continues to rear its ugly head under the so-called human rights and the neo-liberal democracy drive and yet on the other hand the purported neo-liberal drive is simply a smoke-screen to maintain their strangle-hold on the African continent and at the same time leave behind large holes all over Africa as they syphon off Africa’s valuable mineral resources to satisfy the rapacious and gluttonous appetites of their industries.

Brave African sons like Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, and Thomas Sankara were sacrificed on the imperialist altar because of their unwavering stance on how Africa had to develop.

It must be pointed out that Sankara became an avowed Western enemy because he had launched a well-intentioned radical socio-economic program that would completely change the lives of the Burkinabe people. His wish was for Africa to be a land of upright people, people who could only develop because of their God-given natural resources. Lumumba, Sankara and others like them wanted Africans who are not adulterated by western cultures and education that in the end they seized thinking like Africa’s true sons and daughters. This explains why Che Guevara who was considered by revolutionaries as the citizen of the world time and again reminded the first generation of African revolutionaries that Africans must have confidence in themselves, confidence in their abilities and a strong conviction that they must struggle to be determiners of their own political and economic destinies and be citizens of Africa.  It must be pointed out that despite African countries having become independent, the exploitation of African resources and its people has continued unabated. Notably the West has continued to disrespect the African people’s political and economic rights.
Western interference in internal affairs of independent African countries has in many instances resulted in barbarous acts were a lot of innocent people lose their precious lives like what happened in Libya, a disregard and contempt of human rights that they purport to be defending. Africans need to determine their own development and not be carbon copies of the West because if the African becomes his own man; that becomes the bedrock of freedom, justice and development.

The question that arises is whether the West is sincere in their human rights talk?
Why are they very much interested in getting involved and have a say in everything that takes place on the African continent?  This exploitation has become apparent in the Western human rights talk that has been embraced by Western sponsored opposition parties like a long lost prodigal lover. The human rights talk that is intended to see Uhuru Kenyatta being mud slung, hauled and dragged, to go and stand trial at the International Criminal Court. It is beyond dispute that the ICC is the glaring fangs of the ICC that ‘‘terrorise’’ any African leaders who want to better the lives of the common man and women in the streets.

The truth is that the West has allied with some of our own who are blinded by their own selfish interests and are intoxicated by the desire to be in power that they do not see that the West through the human rights talk are perpetuating a circle that started during the slave trade and grew roots during colonialism, the culture of domination.  It also raises another question as to what are the manifestations and new forms of the human rights ideology and democracy drive as proposed by the West?

African leaders and its people must re-awaken to the reality that the human rights ideology is a weapon for continued exploitation and domination being used by the West so that they ‘‘continue to bestride the Third world like the Shakespearean colossus.”

The international financial institutions are also part of the game as they use their financial muscle by refusing to give African countries their due so that their economies scream.  What then should Africans do?

All progressive Zimbabweans are not blind to what happened in Zambia and what has recently happened in Kenya. The coming of Michael Sata to power and the ascendance of Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya is a beacon of hope and heralds a new dawn on the African continent. This is the clarion call that Zimbabweans must take heed now that the adoption of the new constitution has opened avenues for a watershed forth-coming harmonised election. As Zimbabweans we are not against the human rights ideology.

The inclusive government ruling elite has called on all their supporters to respect one another, respect each other’s political affiliation and respect their political differences. The ruling elite have therefore demonstrated their commitment to a peaceful election, respect of the rule of law and democracy.  Professor G. Shivji advises that “the rights ideology must critique the imperialist human rights ideology and at the same time use it as an ideology of mobilisation and legitimisation of the struggles of ‘the disadvantaged African general populace’.’’ He goes further to argue that the rights-struggles and rights-ideology must be seen as a new component of new democratic struggles in the process of a New Democratic Revolution.

What then is this New Democratic Revolution?
It entails rejecting neo-imperialism and this can- not be done half-heartedly and ceases to be a revolution. Neo-imperialism is a social and political characterisation of a system of production under the domination of monopoly capital in alliance with local ruling elites were there continues to be super-exploitation of the workers and the masses. Zimbabwe has been and is on the fore-front to change this neo-imperial set up.

It commenced with the historic land reform exercise and has advanced into another level of indigenisation and empowerment, a programme that is continuing unabated. This is a revolution, a Chimurenga that is practically, historically and politically constituted. It is an ideology of mobilisation that Zimbabweans must develop with our own resources.
What then is Zimbabwe’s position in the Sadc region and on the African Continent? Why is Zimbabwe being demonised and yet at the same time has silent admirers? Arguably the answer is that Zimbabwe is a dress-rehearsal of the way that Africa will develop.

The winds of change have started blowing again on the African continent and will not stop.
This is a clarion call that is reverberating on the whole African continent if not in all Third World countries.
It is a call for Africans to call their shadows their own and not to be deceived into believing that their shadows are ghosts.

The time is ripe for Africans to dance to the rhythm of their own music. What all Africans must realise is that when you look squarely into the eyes of a predator it will appear as if the predator is communicating well with you and understands you  but the reality is that a predator is a predator and will remain like that and will devour you at the slightest opportunity.

Arguably this is the same with America, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and other powerful countries especially when it involves what they regard as national interests. If they consider them to be at stake they are prepared to do anything be it naked military intervention like what happened in Iraq and Libya and Cote d’ Ivoire. This brings in a very important aspect of our own survival as a people and a nation, the Security Sector, those whom the people have given the mandate to defend the country, our heritage.
In our next instalment we unpack the role that must be played by the Security Sector to ensure that development takes place without any neo-imperialist impediments.

• Darlington N. Mahuku & Bowden B.C. Mbanje are lecturers in international relations, and peace and governance with Bindura University of Science Education.