Opinion / Blogs
Black economic empowerment not a mistake, but an advantage
29 Nov 2011 at 05:29hrs | Views
With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over even after fighting a war.
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the ones who get up and look for the circumstances they want to see, and, if they can't find them, they fight and make what they want to see!
Our ancestors were born to slavery and witnessed processes of raids, occupation, colonisation and annexation of African territory by European and western powers during the New Imperialism period, between 1881 and World War I in 1914. Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the last regions of the world largely untouched by "informal imperialism", was also attractive to Europe's ruling elites for economic and racial reasons.
During a time when Britain's balance of trade showed a growing deficit, with shrinking and increasingly protectionist continental markets due to the Long Depression (1873-1896), Africa offered Britain, Germany, France, and other countries an open market that would garner them a trade surplus: a market that bought more from the colonial power than it sold overall. Britain, like most other industrial countries, had long since begun to run an unfavourable balance of trade (which was increasingly offset, however, by the income from African investments).
As Britain developed into the world's first post-industrial nation, financial services became an increasingly important sector of its economy. Invisible financial exports, kept Britain out of the red, especially capital investments outside Europe to the developing and open markets in Southern Africa.
In addition, surplus capital was often more profitably invested here, where cheap materials, limited competition, and abundant raw materials made a greater premium possible. Another inducement for imperialism arose from the demand for raw materials unavailable in Europe, especially copper, cotton, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, diamonds, tea, and tin, to which European consumers had grown accustomed and upon which European industry had grown dependent.
This expansion of national sovereignty on overseas territories contradicted the unity of the African states which provided citizenship to its population. Thus, a tension between the universalist motivation to respect human rights of the colonised people, as they were 'citizens' of the nation state, and the imperialist drives to cynically exploit populations deemed inferior began to surface.
Some, in colonising countries, opposed what they saw as unnecessary evils of the colonial administration when left to itself. Colonial exhibitions had been instrumental in this change of popular mentalities brought about by the colonial propaganda, supported by the colonial lobby and by various scientists.
Thus, the conquest of territories were inevitably followed by public displays of the African indigenous people for scientific and leisure purposes.
Karl Hagenbeck, a German merchant in wild animals and an entrepreneur owning most Europeans zoos, thus decided in 1874 to exhibit Samoa and Sami people as "purely natural" populations. In 1876, he sent one of his collaborators to the newly conquered African states to bring back some wild beasts and Nubians. Presented in Paris, London and Berlin, these Nubians were very successful.
Such "human zoos" could be found in Hamburg, Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Milan, New York, Warsaw, etc, with 200 000 to 300 000 visitors attending each exhibition. This was our status as African colonies, an evil our ancestors had to stand against and fight.
By any means the fight was necessary to restore our status in the world and regain our freedom and pride.
Every man in the world has the right to defend his land so he can eat the fruit of it, secure the future generations, be seen as an equal human being and not surrender a heritage to strangers and foreigners. After winning the battles and struggles and independence attained by most African countries, the process of black empowerment was initiated.
Our process here in Zimbabwe was pioneered straight after independence in 1980. Black empowerment refers to the enablement of spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered people developing confidence in their capacities.
Empowerment also includes encouraging, and developing the skills for, self-sufficiency, with a focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare in the individuals of a nation. This process was a challenge to start and to implement effectively, but ultimately there have been many examples of empowerment projects which were carried out and have been successful within African nations.
Black empowerment has since enabled individuals/groups to fully access personal/collective power, authority and influence, and to employ that strength when engaging with other people, institutions or society. In other words, "Empowerment" has not given people power, people already had plenty of power, in the wealth of their knowledge and motivation, to do their jobs magnificently.
We define empowerment as letting this power out (Blanchard, K). Encouraging people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life or work environment and ultimately, help them develop within themselves or in the society.
Black Empowerment in the past years has comprised of the following:
Economic empowerment approach that focused on mobilising the self-help income generating projects, land reallocation rather than providing them with social welfare.
The ability to make decisions about personal/collective circumstances
The ability to access information, education and resources for decision-making
Ability to consider a range of options from which to choose (not just yes/no, either/or.)
Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
Having positive-thinking about the ability to make a difference.
Ability to learn and access skills for improving personal/collective circumstance.
Ability to inform others' perceptions though exchange, education and engagement.
Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated
Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma
Increasing one's ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong
Now we can confirm Black empowerment was never a mistake, but a huge advantage.
We now have a free, empowered, sovereign and liberated Africa. We may be still behind in a lot of ways but statistics, forecast and market trends tell us that Africa in the near future is fast becoming the continent with the fastest growing economy in the world.
We still have our land, minerals and vast natural resources we ought to protect and be owners. We cannot afford to give up our economic independence again, the upcoming market boom thus being predicted is for Africans only to embrace and benefit.
This decade is the best decade ever for us to own our land, houses, mines, tourist destinations, air lines, hotels, hospitals and be masters in our own continent. No longer should we allow foreigners to invade and plunder our resources whilst we watch.
Now is the time to organise ourselves and prepare for the best that's coming in our life time. Already evidenced by the current Wall Street demonstrations the American system is falling apart one grain at a time, Australia, Briton and the European Union are on each other's necks, suffering from a debt crises and an economic recession.
Asian countries are constantly being hit by natural disasters and straggling to stand on their own with China straggling with an aging population, economy almost reaching the maturity stage and running out of land. Africa is becoming an important and a key partner in the global economy.
The Middle East though endowed with vast oil deposits is suffering from never ending civil conflicts and war.
These proceedings taking place around the world leaves Africa with a great opportunity to get reed of its so called poverty and catch up with the rest of the world and this time fellow Africans we will have to be the first to benefit from the best our land has to offer so our future generations can also appreciate that Black empowerment was not a mistake, but a huge advantage!
---------
Innocent Katsande is a youth consultant.
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the ones who get up and look for the circumstances they want to see, and, if they can't find them, they fight and make what they want to see!
Our ancestors were born to slavery and witnessed processes of raids, occupation, colonisation and annexation of African territory by European and western powers during the New Imperialism period, between 1881 and World War I in 1914. Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the last regions of the world largely untouched by "informal imperialism", was also attractive to Europe's ruling elites for economic and racial reasons.
During a time when Britain's balance of trade showed a growing deficit, with shrinking and increasingly protectionist continental markets due to the Long Depression (1873-1896), Africa offered Britain, Germany, France, and other countries an open market that would garner them a trade surplus: a market that bought more from the colonial power than it sold overall. Britain, like most other industrial countries, had long since begun to run an unfavourable balance of trade (which was increasingly offset, however, by the income from African investments).
As Britain developed into the world's first post-industrial nation, financial services became an increasingly important sector of its economy. Invisible financial exports, kept Britain out of the red, especially capital investments outside Europe to the developing and open markets in Southern Africa.
In addition, surplus capital was often more profitably invested here, where cheap materials, limited competition, and abundant raw materials made a greater premium possible. Another inducement for imperialism arose from the demand for raw materials unavailable in Europe, especially copper, cotton, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, diamonds, tea, and tin, to which European consumers had grown accustomed and upon which European industry had grown dependent.
This expansion of national sovereignty on overseas territories contradicted the unity of the African states which provided citizenship to its population. Thus, a tension between the universalist motivation to respect human rights of the colonised people, as they were 'citizens' of the nation state, and the imperialist drives to cynically exploit populations deemed inferior began to surface.
Some, in colonising countries, opposed what they saw as unnecessary evils of the colonial administration when left to itself. Colonial exhibitions had been instrumental in this change of popular mentalities brought about by the colonial propaganda, supported by the colonial lobby and by various scientists.
Thus, the conquest of territories were inevitably followed by public displays of the African indigenous people for scientific and leisure purposes.
Karl Hagenbeck, a German merchant in wild animals and an entrepreneur owning most Europeans zoos, thus decided in 1874 to exhibit Samoa and Sami people as "purely natural" populations. In 1876, he sent one of his collaborators to the newly conquered African states to bring back some wild beasts and Nubians. Presented in Paris, London and Berlin, these Nubians were very successful.
Such "human zoos" could be found in Hamburg, Antwerp, Barcelona, London, Milan, New York, Warsaw, etc, with 200 000 to 300 000 visitors attending each exhibition. This was our status as African colonies, an evil our ancestors had to stand against and fight.
By any means the fight was necessary to restore our status in the world and regain our freedom and pride.
Every man in the world has the right to defend his land so he can eat the fruit of it, secure the future generations, be seen as an equal human being and not surrender a heritage to strangers and foreigners. After winning the battles and struggles and independence attained by most African countries, the process of black empowerment was initiated.
Our process here in Zimbabwe was pioneered straight after independence in 1980. Black empowerment refers to the enablement of spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered people developing confidence in their capacities.
Empowerment also includes encouraging, and developing the skills for, self-sufficiency, with a focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare in the individuals of a nation. This process was a challenge to start and to implement effectively, but ultimately there have been many examples of empowerment projects which were carried out and have been successful within African nations.
Black empowerment has since enabled individuals/groups to fully access personal/collective power, authority and influence, and to employ that strength when engaging with other people, institutions or society. In other words, "Empowerment" has not given people power, people already had plenty of power, in the wealth of their knowledge and motivation, to do their jobs magnificently.
We define empowerment as letting this power out (Blanchard, K). Encouraging people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life or work environment and ultimately, help them develop within themselves or in the society.
Black Empowerment in the past years has comprised of the following:
Economic empowerment approach that focused on mobilising the self-help income generating projects, land reallocation rather than providing them with social welfare.
The ability to make decisions about personal/collective circumstances
The ability to access information, education and resources for decision-making
Ability to consider a range of options from which to choose (not just yes/no, either/or.)
Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
Having positive-thinking about the ability to make a difference.
Ability to learn and access skills for improving personal/collective circumstance.
Ability to inform others' perceptions though exchange, education and engagement.
Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated
Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma
Increasing one's ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong
Now we can confirm Black empowerment was never a mistake, but a huge advantage.
We now have a free, empowered, sovereign and liberated Africa. We may be still behind in a lot of ways but statistics, forecast and market trends tell us that Africa in the near future is fast becoming the continent with the fastest growing economy in the world.
We still have our land, minerals and vast natural resources we ought to protect and be owners. We cannot afford to give up our economic independence again, the upcoming market boom thus being predicted is for Africans only to embrace and benefit.
This decade is the best decade ever for us to own our land, houses, mines, tourist destinations, air lines, hotels, hospitals and be masters in our own continent. No longer should we allow foreigners to invade and plunder our resources whilst we watch.
Now is the time to organise ourselves and prepare for the best that's coming in our life time. Already evidenced by the current Wall Street demonstrations the American system is falling apart one grain at a time, Australia, Briton and the European Union are on each other's necks, suffering from a debt crises and an economic recession.
Asian countries are constantly being hit by natural disasters and straggling to stand on their own with China straggling with an aging population, economy almost reaching the maturity stage and running out of land. Africa is becoming an important and a key partner in the global economy.
The Middle East though endowed with vast oil deposits is suffering from never ending civil conflicts and war.
These proceedings taking place around the world leaves Africa with a great opportunity to get reed of its so called poverty and catch up with the rest of the world and this time fellow Africans we will have to be the first to benefit from the best our land has to offer so our future generations can also appreciate that Black empowerment was not a mistake, but a huge advantage!
---------
Innocent Katsande is a youth consultant.
Source - zimpapers
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