Posted March 18, 2007
African Renaissance
Potential Continent Of The Future But.......
By Thomas Kai Toteh
Senior Staff Writer
tnyantk@yahoo.com
Changing growth rates and democratic reforms in some of
the countries have given rise to a new optimism about Africa’s prospects.
The term “African Renaissance” is being applied to the new focus on the
continent. The continent has the potential of becoming the continent of the
future.
Africa’s
enormous
mineral
wealth
is a
growing source
foreign trade. The continent
is blessed with nearly all
of the world’s gold, diamonds and chromites. It also possesses large
reserves of uranium, coal, copper and natural gas.
The news of sweeping democratic (free and fair
elections) across the continent is gradually overshadowing the negative news
from Africa in the Western media.
African victories in recent decades in overcoming
colonial rule, apartheid, and other Cold War era forms of dictatorship
(notably military dictatorships and one-party political systems) have marked
important progress and empowered Africa's people. (Africa Action)
While democratic advances have been made across the
continent, serious challenges still remain. Among these challenges are
poverty, diseases (HIV/AIDS), illiteracy, human rights abuses, tribalism,
nepotism and sectionalism, corruption, the lack of rule of law, and good
governance.
Also a number of obstacles to the consolidation of
democratic political systems in Africa remain. These include deep-rooted
political leaders, a lack of checks and balances, conflict, the political
dimension of economic reform, a lack of a democratic political culture, and
corruption.
However, positive trends are emerging. In the last few
years and to present, elections have led to the peaceful transfer of power
in Liberia, Nigeria, Zambia, Mali, Senegal, Madagascar, Ghana, and Kenya the
Democratic republic of Congo, Mauritania and other regions in Africa.
There is also a growing trend toward decentralization,
which devolves authority away from central control to sub-national and local
governments. And civil society organizations continue to grow in numbers and
strength, although the need to create urban-rural linkages and broaden
constituency bases exists.
However, if Africa must succeed to change its negative
image in the world-and for its people to benefit from its natural
resources-Africans must fully participate in defending their freedom.
African media must continue to be watchdogs of democratic system.
Leaders of new African democracy must allow a free
press to play a key role in sustaining and monitoring a healthy democracy,
as well as in contributing to greater accountability, good government, and
economic development.
Democracy never works when the governed or the public
have no access to public information-which gives them the opportunity to
closely monitor the action and function of their government. In the absence
of free press and freedom of expression mockery replaces democracy.
