The author indeed raised some salient issues that all in the Diaspora need to reflect on. However, the fact that many of us in the Diaspora still find it just very hard to organize our selves here into a leadership forum when in abundance of freedom and financial independence, to assist our selves and the communities around us and back home, leaves me very pessimistic!
The author brings to light some of the issues that I would expect many of our social science PhD holders and PhD aspirant to perform an informed research on. Though I am not a social scientist to offer an informed opinion on the subject matter, it however, very issue for me to revisit my limited high school knowledge in geography and reasons why people migrate to other places to come to the conclusion that we have a dead rat in the room! The author raised some issues that if quantified and measured using statistical inferences; will beefed well his argument. He further used Nigerian immigrants as a case study and presented valid points that support his original premise.
The overtone of the heading of heading of his article might be wrong, as it might be misconstrued to be very inclusive of all African countries suffering from what he has carefully framed; but still narrowed to specific issues that ail many of sub Sahara African countries. What I am most disturbed about isn’t just about what Africans back home have to deal with, but the question of who needs the most help? Africans in countries who have been financially deprived or Africans who have moved to the Diaspora and have decided to morally deprive them selves of their African identity? Please pardon me to quickly conclude that many of us in the Diaspora might even need more help than those in Cameroon who still have a sense of who they are, and their integrity intact. The main problem many Cameroonians back home face is centered mostly around the lack of financial independence. Did some one say before that “Africans might have been cursed”? Look not far but in our Lebialem community here in the USA as a case study, and you will understand why some of us might be quick to believe we have been cursed! Where is morality and integrity in most of those the younger generations should be looking up to? How does our community move forward when those who seek to lead look mostly at what will directly benefit them when they serve the community? How will Africa move forward when some spouses literally enslave them selves in order to sustain their families only for us to observe that their partners are out there having multiple concubines and even going after other married people? How can Africa move forward when those who are financially privileged return to Africa/Cameroon and use their financial advantage in the most negative way, one can possibly ever imagine? From running after high school girls to corrupting their ways through the system the turn around and criticize? How can this happen when our community doesn’t allow the brightest ideas to prevail but allows mediocrity because of our inherent pitiful mindset? How can a society that doesn’t encourage the young to grow, but looks for all ways to destroy, expect to sustain its self? Some countries in Africa might be temporary doomed, but Africans and especially Cameroonians in the Diaspora are already proven to be too doomed and confused that I am afraid many of us when we return to Cameroon will be more of the problem than part of the solution Africa or Cameroon needs!
We don’t expect a utopian community abroad, but we have enough of our problems here to deal with that unless we start reflecting on how to address them head on, then can we have the moral stance to talk of Africa’s or Cameroon’s problems and expect those back home to take us seriously. For Africans to return home and have any meaningful positive impact on Africa, Africans in the Diaspora MUST first of all show that they can collectively help themselves here in the Diaspora before attempting to go home and expect to have any influence over how to change Africans/Cameroonians back home. It starts with me, you our families and extends to our community. If we can’t positively used the skills/tools we have acquired here to improve on our selves, our family; how then can we expect to improve on our community here to say the least before thinking of positively impacting those in Africa? What is so disturbing is the fact that we can’t do all that is expected of a community despite we live in an environment where there is respect for the rule of law! How then can we expect to behave differently in an environment where there are lots of subjectivities in the interpretation and reinforcement of the rule of law? What we might expect for Africa/Cameroon may only happen ten generations after we are gone! Albert Einstein once said; if he is asked to solve the world’s biggest problem; he will spend 95% of the allocated time to understand the problem and only use 5% of the remaining time in solving the problem. It might be time for Africans/Cameroonians to understand how to accept great minds to dissect effectively our problems to the point where we can now implement solutions that will address them. We might as well start by admitting that there is a serious problem and appreciate the efforts of minds such as this in framing this problem and employ our collective minds in understanding the problem. Africans/Cameroonians natural instinct is to rush to a solution without carefully understanding the problem, with the excuse that who has the time to go through all the theories… it is time for us to start asking for time to understand our great minds if we need to save on the time to effectively address our mountains of challenges!
Alain A. Taku
A concerned Cameroonian
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