Jean-Emmanuel Pondi is a professor of political science and international relations trained in Cameroon, UK and the US. Currently, he teaches in Cameroon, at International Relation Institute of Cameroon and he is also secretary general of the University of Yaounde One. He came to Eritrea twice to provide training on different issues. What follows is an interview conducted with him on various topics about Africa. Excerpts:  

 

Question- How do you see African situation at present?

 

Answer – Well, I think it is difficult to talk about 53 African countries as a single entity. Within the continent, there are differences and similarities too.  In some places we have progress, while in others there are conflicts and lagging economic growth. So, it is not possible to give a specific explanation. But we can say that there is progress at the global microeconomic situation in the continent at the moment.

 

The question is however, does it have an impact on the individual life of the citizen? And what kind of models do we have as Africans to propose to our people? Here, there are problems. Therefore, we need to go back and learn from the experiences of others in order to know what we should have to do in the future.

 

Question - Is it possible to blame only the western countries for continues conflict and poverty in Africa?

 

Answer – It is important not to blame others for our weaknesses. That kind of argument could have been accepted may be ten or twenty years after independence, that is around the 60s and 70s. It is necessary to evaluate our current situation 50 years after independence. What have we done with the possibilities and alternatives we had? We have to ask ourselves how we have exploited those possibilities, and how we have used the knowledge we had for our betterment.

 

We have also to remember that Africa was not the only colonized continent in the world. North America was colonized by the British; Europe was colonized by Rome and Turkey. So, we can’t say that it is colonization only. Of course colonization has a negative impact, but the issue is more than that. We haven’t done enough to develop ourselves as the Asians have.

 

Question – Africa is a rich continent, but it is portrayed in the western media as a poor and Dark Continent, what is the reason behind this negative picture?

 

Answer- It is important to listen to what others say about the continent and to look at the analyses; but it is more important to give more weight to what Africans think about our continent. I don’t agree, but I can understand why Africa has to be portrayed as the weakest link in the international system, as a sick child of the world, as a place of chaos, crisis… etc.

 

The reason for portraying Africa along those lines is to justify that Africa needs the support of the developed countries. If you portray Africa as a sick child of the world, it would be easier to accomplish your plans for pursuing your interests in Africa.

 

The well being of Africa is the responsibility of Africans themselves just like the situation in Europe is European and that in America is American concern first. So, why is it when it comes to Africa, always others speak for it? It is really an insult to African thinkers, analysts and specialists. We believe that it is not correct; it is our duty and responsibility to focus on African matters and analysis first.

 

Question – We often hear Africans are not masters of their own destiny. If so, what do you think is the solution?  

 

Answer – No, I don’t think it is correct. Again, it is difficult to think about 53 countries as a single country. We have many differences and similarities. There are countries, which are very much attached to the importance of driving their own car, being in the drivers seat; at the same time we have others who, unfortunately are more or less manipulated. So, I think we have two types of countries. Now the question is, why is it so 50 years after independence?

 

Still we are not really very assertive on our work because there is an illusion that our destiny depends on other people’s good will. If we look at the advancement in world affairs, there is no such thing as philanthropy in the international arena. If people behave in a certain way towards, you it is because they have some interest. In order to control our affairs, we need to reassess our common interests, our objective, and we have to draft clear strategy to hit our objective.

 

I am not sure if most of us spend time to think about this as the Asians have done and the Chinese are doing now. The Asians have goals and strategies and put them into action. Some African countries, including Eritrea, are doing it now. But other African countries don’t even think about it, because they are convinced that the given situation is unlikely to be changed. It is very important indeed to discuss among ourselves how to set our objective and have common continental strategy. Even if we have differences, we must always look at a common interest.

 

Questions- Africa is a continent with multi ethnicity and religious background, and this has been the potential for continues conflict; don’t you think these could be a stumbling block for Africans to act as single entity?

 

Answer – I think it is very important to see it from the mid and the long term view. It is not necessary to stop in the short term where there are many problems. Needless to say, there are many difficulties; the question is how to move beyond these problems and to have a common vision. We have to pay attention to the points that unites us rather than those that divides us.  

 

There is no problem in this regard more than that in the Middle East, but the press tends to show Africa as a land of chaos and problems despite the worse situation in the Middle East. Of course, we can’t deny that there are problems in Africa. What is necessary here is to know enough about African culture and history in order to understand how to solve them.

 

The problem with Africans is that they don’t know much about their continent and, therefore they accept any negative information. So, we are required to know the highly diversified history and culture in the continent. We should have to know how the Africans used to solve their problems in the past in order to solve our problems today and project a problem solving capacity for tomorrow.

 

A tree can only grow from its roots. In other words, he who doesn’t know where he came from surely couldn’t know where he is going to.  And I think that is our problem in Africa. Our little knowledge about our culture and history is making us rely on what others have to say about us.

 

Question- Some political analysts argue that it is premature for OAU to transform itself into AU; do you agree?

 

Answer – When one says premature, it is premature compared to what? Because we must understand that the idea of Pan Africanism, which is the basis of the philosophy of OAU and the AU today, was first articulated in 1902. The idea of Pan Europeanism in which the European Union is formed today was articulated in the 1950’s. Now, we have an ideology that was first designed in the 19 hundredth and another in the 1950s; which one is premature comparing the two?

 

Who can tell us when will be the right time for African integration?  So, I think it is important for us to decide what we are going to do according to what we feel like, according to Africa context, not according to the green light which will come God knows when.

 

 

Question- So, do you mean that it is time for African integration right now? 

 

Answer – Continental integration is a matter of political decision. If political commitment is there, you could have continental integration. The OAU was formed during the cold war era on the one hand, and, the non-alignment movement on the other. That means it had major obstacles. So, if we are to move forward, there has to be political commitment.

 

Question - What was the reaction from the western countries and their media when OAU transformed itself to AU?

 

Answer- let me also ask you a question; did any one ask what the reaction of African countries was when the Maastricht treaty was signed in 1991? So, why should we always ask the reaction of the other continent when Africans do things? We have a history; we have a will to move forward, we are not moving against anybody, we are moving for the sake of Africa and African interest. It is our right to secure a better life for our people. So, why should we ask someone for supervision? I wonder whether people go around and ask what Africans think about the establishment of the AU. Why should we care what others think about us? We have to remember that we are living in a world that pretends to be a global village; that pretends to respect everybody’s interest.

 

Question- But some people wonder if Africans have anything in common but geography, what is your opinion regarding this?

 

Answer – African countries have a lot in common, but also have differences. It is important to realize the two aspects. First, Africans have a common history of colonization and domination. The former colonizers still think that they can dictate the countries that have come out of colonization. Secondly, Africa is provider of raw materials, including cocoa, tea, timber, minerals…etc and importer of finished goods. In addition, many people still don’t know that Africa is the main source of diamond in the world and a major supplier of crude oil to America.

 

The other communality is that most of us always expect others to propose to us our programs; and unfortunately, many Africans have accepted it as a given and do not challenge it.

 

We are also different in the way that we live in a continent where there is no equal distribution of natural resources, which is now one of the main reasons for internal conflict and external intervention. Another difference is that Africa has different colonial past, and many Africans have different aspiration and see life in different ways. But in fact what is most important is that we have the same cultural background and diversity. But, if there is political commitment, diversity could help to strengthen us rather than weaken us.