By Ismail Ali Ismail (Geeldoon)
Introduction
The French Agronomist, Professor Rene Dumont, published his famous book, L’Afrique Noire est Mal Partie, in1962 – so soon after the start of what was later termed as ‘The African Decade”. The book was translated into English under the title, “False Start in Africa” and I read its 1969 edition when it first came out. The book took the Continent by the storm when it first appeared, and it was thought that the author’s observations and advice, being so factual and relevant, would be heeded. More than half a century has since passed and yet there is no evidence that the Continent has learnt anything from them. As is clear from the French (original) title of the book the author was addressing himself to Black Africa, particularly the Phrancophone countries, and a chapter on the Anglophones was added to the English translation. But,
North Africa (Tunis, Libya, Egypt- Algeria has had its bouts of the malaise before) has, of late, joined the confusion too.
Africa has gone through many new beginnings or – to put it in the language of to-day’s dominant technology – many ‘resets’ and ‘reboots’. As a result, there have been many false starts since Independence. Again, in computer terms, the false starts have represented ‘garbage-in’, and resulted in ‘garbage-out’. In Somalia, the last reboot – the last false start – was in September 2012 when several steps were taken to ensure that the country would effectively step out of a prolonged and contentious transition to a period of constitutional and stable government. The new Ship of State with its brand new components (A bicameral Parliament, President, Cabinet Government headed by Prime Minister, Independent Judiciary, other institutional machineries, the ship’s blueprint – an ‘Operation’s Manual’ – in the form of a ‘Constitution’, and so on) was supposed to steer through, methodically and skillfully from a rough and turbulent sea, to a land of peace, stability, unity and prosperity – a Promised Land.
Problems and Prospects
I should like to reflect on the status of the problems causing the Ship of State to swerve from its direct and shortest course to the Promised Land, and I will take them one after the other.
Read the full article :WHITHER GOEST THOU SOMALIA
Ismail A. Ismail (Geeldoon)
Email:geeldoonia@gmail.com
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