HOW THE WEST FROZE AFRICA IN TIME

Africans who were hailed as revolutionaries after independence were really just sensible men with a clear understanding of Africa’s needs, but they struck many as ‘ahead of their time’ because our continent was still being held back by neo-colonial exploiters and their puppets.

That’s the verdict of geopolitical analyst @ShahidkBolsen (X), who says our continent was ‘frozen’ in time, not allowed to progress and develop beyond the colonial era. He argues that the West’s relationship with Africa has historically been one of subjugation and extraction, keeping our continent in a state of stagnation through violence, coups and exploitative economic policies. He says, ‘For Lumumba or Nkrumah, it was the 1960s, but for the West, it was still the 1860s, the 1760s, the 1660s.’

Pan-African leaders such as Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Congo’s Patrice Lumumba were eliminated or removed from power by imperialists because their progressive policies were on course to stop the pillaging of our continent and unleash its massive potential for the benefit of its people.

Following in their footsteps, Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso is emerging as a transformative leader spearheading a break from Western dominance. His efforts to regain control of his country’s resources and build alliances beyond the West are seen as acts of dignity and self-determination by many Africans. Alongside Assimi Goïta from Mali and Abdourahmane Tchiani from Niger, Traoré is advocating for African unity and sovereignty, gaining respect and support from anti-imperialists worldwide.

Video credit: Shahid Bolsen/Middle Nation

Sources

https://roape.net/2023/11/02/revolutionary-movements-in-africa-an-untold-story/

https://historycollection.com/10-african-revolutionaries-changed-world/

https://www.dw.com/en/130-years-ago-carving-up-africa-in-berlin/a-18278894

https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/studies-in-intelligence/studies-in-intelligence-68-no-1-extracts-march-2024/review-the-lumumba-plot-the-secret-history-of-the-cia-and-a-cold-war-assassination/

https://actionaid.org/publications/2023/fifty-years-failure-imf-debt-and-austerity-africa