Utter Evil in Africa

I flipped through the opinion section of the Orange County Register as I normally do and scanned the pages for any interesting opinion pieces. One title struck me, "No more subsidies for African Tyrants" by Walter Williams. Williams' article was advocating for the removal of aid package that the US government sends to the African continent. There are good intentions behind the packages, seeking to stimulate the economies of the continent and stop the constant wars that have dominated the land for the past century.

Africa is the poorest continent on the Earth. There are few examples of peaceful, prosperous nations. Civil war has racked the nations, constant wars, ethnic cleansing and disease has plagued the continent for years. What causes this adverse situation? Colonial powers randomly designated the countryside with borders, not taking into account the history between the rival ethnic tribes (Rwanda is an excellent example of this). Years of colonial oppression helped stymie any sort of national identity and societal underpinnings. Does all of Africa's problems correlate to the colonial domination of the continent? Are the Europeans solely to blame for African ills? Nay. I would advocate that several other factors contribute to the obstacles for prosperity.

We cannot blame everything on Imperialism. Walters argues that Ethiopia and Liberia were never ruled, yet they certainly have immense issues to work through. Africa is a basketcase full of a variety of issues that affects the way that it has developed. Culture, religion and imperialism all affect the continent. However, ultimately, the fault lies upon evil in this world. Warlords take aid and fatten their diversified portfolios. Food is siphoned off for their lifestyles. Genocide plagues different nations because of hatred. Evil is the cause of Africa's failures.

Evil has plagued the world, and the depravity of man truly has reigned in many situations. Authentic hope only arrives when people rise up in self-interests and declare that evil will not be the law of the land. Justice arrives at the doorsteps of villages and towns through the collective force of people working for good. Perfect will never come, but people can push for good. Authentic change only comes when people stand as one. Africa's only hope comes from facing the issue.