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Darkest Europe and Africa's Nightmare: A Critical Observation of Neighboring Continents
Author(s): Akinyi K’Orinda-Yimbo (Author)
- Publisher: Algora Publishing
- Publication Date: October 1, 2007
- Language: English
- Print length: 254 pages
- ISBN-10: 0875865186
- ISBN-13: 9780875865188
Book Description
In Darkest Europe and Africa’s Nightmare: A Critical Observation of Neighboring Continents, Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo offers a bold, unflinching critique of the complex relationship between Africa and the West. As a London-educated Kenyan princess, she examines the political, economic, and humanitarian issues that plague the African continent and the role the West plays in perpetuating them. Through sharp analysis, humor, and provocative insights, the author sheds light on the root causes of Africa’s ongoing struggles while questioning the legitimacy of Western interventions and foreign aid.
The Hypocrisy of Western Aid:
One of the central themes of this book is the critique of Western aid to Africa. The author argues that aid often does more harm than good, as it fosters a cycle of dependency rather than genuine growth. NGOs and Western institutions like the World Bank, WTO, and IMF, in her view, serve the interests of wealthy nations, allowing them to control Africa’s resources while portraying themselves as benefactors. The author suggests that this aid machine keeps Africans passive, dissuading them from fighting for their own rights and control over their resources.
Economic Exploitation and Resource Theft:
The author dives deep into the economic realities of Africa, asserting that the continent’s natural wealth is being siphoned off by Western and Chinese corporations. She points out that Africa is home to some of the world’s richest resources, yet its people remain impoverished because these resources are being extracted to enrich foreign economies. The book highlights how corporations and political entities in the Global North, including the USA and Europe, continue to plunder Africa under the guise of development and aid.
Perpetuating a Negative Image:
The book emphasizes that Western nations and their corporations maintain a negative portrayal of Africa to justify their exploitation. The media and political narratives often depict Africa as hopelessly poor and in need of saving, when in reality, the continent’s poverty is a direct consequence of foreign exploitation. This, according to the author, serves to ease the consciences of Western powers and corporations as they continue to extract wealth from Africa.
Apathy Among Africans and the Legacy of Colonialism:
Princess Akinyi does not shy away from criticizing Africa’s internal issues, including the psychological impact of colonialism, self-hatred, and political apathy. She argues that many Africans have internalized a sense of inferiority and helplessness, leading to a lack of resistance against foreign exploitation. This, she suggests, is a form of collective psychic damage passed down from the colonial era, which continues to stifle the continent’s progress.
Western Hegemony and the Myth of Superiority:
The author tackles the myth that Western countries are wealthier because they work harder or are more intelligent. She argues that the West’s wealth has largely come from exploiting other nations, particularly those in Africa. This hegemonic delusion, as she calls it, allows Western citizens to believe in their inherent superiority, ignoring the fact that their wealth is built on the backs of the world’s poorest people.
Time for a Re-Think:
Darkest Europe and Africa’s Nightmare is a call for both Africans and Westerners to rethink their views on aid, development, and the global economic system. The author encourages Africans to take control of their resources and destiny, and for Western citizens to challenge the exploitative systems that benefit them at the expense of others. Through incisive commentary and a critical lens, the book challenges readers to question the true nature of international relations and the distribution of global wealth and power.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Like a loving African grandmother who reprimands her grand child in an effort to nudge him in the right direction, the Kenya-born author who holds diplomas from the London School of Economics and the London School of Journalism states that Africans are the only people on the planet who seem to be convinced that they do not deserve any happiness whatsoever….
Saying many parts of Africa are ruled by absolute despots with the ordinary citizen bereft of any legal defense against oppression by the government and officialdom in general, the writer correctly opines that the police are viewed not as friends but ‘terrorists’ in many sub-Saharan African nations. “When African soldiers, militia and police are set loose on innocent demonstrators, they seem to lose their humanity. Whether unleashed on university students or ethnic groups that have been deliberately incited to butcher each other by politicians motivated by dubious ambitions….”
Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo then moves on to describe how slavery, colonialism and post-independence dictatorship have traumatised Africans….She contends that Africans are the only human beings whose average lifespan is declining while other human beings are living longer and healthier than ever before and that unless urgent measures are taken, one in three Africans will not see one’s fortieth birthday over the next decade!
The writer then looks at contemporary political, humanitarian and economic trends. She considers the World Bank, WTO, G8 and the IMF to be the long arms of the world oligarchies.
The West, she points out, deliberately keeps Africa poor and warring through ‘aid’ disbursed through the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). “While the per capita GDP in sub-Saharan African countries continues to drop, the NGOs are proliferating”. But it is startling that about 75% of the money aid agencies collect is spent on the administration of their own organisation. The World Food Programme, for instance, spends more than a million dollars per day (75%-80% of which is spent in the administration of WFP alone) for southern Sudan.
… At the same time, the author equally reprimands not only the predator politicians and elite of the African continent but all Africans for their passive resignation to a fate they can change through affirmative action.
Though China comes to Africa posing as equals, with no colonial hangover, no complex relationship of resentment, no outward show of hegemonic clout , the German-based Akinyi Princess of K Orinda-Yimbo argues that China is making a fortune on Africa s natural resources without addressing the African people s poverty and that it demands no good governance, adherence to human rights, an end to corruption, environmental rules…and democracy. …
While arguing that Africans have suffered serious psychological damage from slavery and colonialism, the author, who considers globalisation the fourth stage in the penetration of Africa by world powers, nevertheless contends that this “can no longer be a legitimate explanation of all of Africa’s underdevelopment in the 21st century.” –Art Matters Jan. 2008
It is often said that Europeans brought Christianity to Africa. Not so, says Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda Yimbo. “Jerusalem long lost or not, Christianity is Afro-Orient, not European. Christianity was thriving in the Horn of Africa in the 1st century, before this religion had really taken root anywhere in Europe,” she writes, adding “from as early as the Carolingian period – 7th to 8th century African warriors were fighting in Europe under the banner of the lion, the shield and the half moon in order to bring the `true faith’, Christianity or Islam, to Europe. Europeans at the time were in the majority heathen and did everything in their power to remain heathen. Because Christ came from their corner of the world, [Africans] had embraced Christianity at a time when the religion was struggling to take root in Greece and Rome.” As usual, the African Diaspora in Britain will organise various events throughout October to mark the occasion. This year, New African celebrates Black History Month with a special package, staring here with an extract from Akinyi Princess’ excellent book, Darkest Europe and Africa’s Nightmare published earlier this year. In this extract, she focuses on a section of the African past which is too often swept under the carpet. Other articles in the package include “The Greek philosophers who came to Africa to study”, “The 25th anniversary of the American invasion of Grenada”, and “Another black history month in November if Obama wins the American presidency”. It is not the usual fare, so please sit back and enjoy … and we wish you a happy Black History Month. Her book is highly recommended by
New African. —New African October 2008
