Africans must stop blaming colonialism

Rev Kenneth Meshoe, MP


On this day, Africa day, Africans must speak more about how we can be more productive and less about blaming others. We need to move on to maturity, and like responsible grown ups, take responsibility for the development, productivity and economic growth of our continent.

We must ask the question for how long Africans are going to blame colonialists for their blunders and economies that have collapsed. We have countries on this continent like Egypt, Libya and Sudan who got their independence more than 40 years ago and they still blame colonialists for their economic woes.

Everybody knows that apartheid was a wicked and evil system that denied black people opportunities to improve themselves. After a decade of freedom, are we forever going to shift the blame rather than take responsibility for our failures?

For Africans to become more productive, they must change their attitude and start behaving and speaking like victors and not victims. Dwelling too much on apartheid and the injustices of the past will not help most Africans to rise to their fullest potential, and fulfill their God-given purpose and destiny on earth. They will always see their failures as somebody’s fault.

This statement is an extract from a speech delivered in Pariliament on Africa Day, May 25, 2005. See the 'Speeches' section of the website