In his book, The Souls of Black Folk, African-American intellectual giant W. E. B. du Bois famously predicted that, "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line."
History proved him right. The civil rights movement in the US left an indelible mark on the face of the 20th century, and the struggles against colonialism and apartheid in Africa were indeed struggles of the colour line.
These struggles were essentially about breaking down the yoke of political and economic subjugation of the black folk - hence Du Bois's conceptualisation of the colour-line as a problem.
Watching us from his grave, Du Bois must be comforted to see that black folk all over Africa have been freed from colonialism and apartheid, and that his country - the US - now has a black president. These things appeared like quixotic dreams when Du Bois was writing in the 19th century.
Du Bois must also be heartbroken to see how his black folk on the African continent have squandered the political freedom gained at great cost.
There are times when we Africans must have an honest conversation with ourselves. If we don't, our continent will sink further into backwardness while we pretend that things are fine.
Things are not fine in Africa. Which country on our continent can be compared to the best in Asia, or in Europe?
At independence, Ghana was more developed than South Korea. Today, South Korea can be compared with developed countries in Western Europe. By the way, the Koreans were also colonised.
When Zimbabwe began to fall apart in the early 2000s, it was yet another sad confirmation that Du Bois's black folk cannot manage a modern country and take it to greater developmental heights.
Today, Zimbabweans have been reduced, by their own black government, to a pauper population - scavenging all over the world for survival. Go to places like Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg and see how they live - you will cry.
Zimbabwe rang the alarm bells that SA might go down the same road. In other words, SA is the last hope for Du Bois's black folk. If we fail, no other African country will hoist the flag for black people globally.
Thabo Mbeki once declared the 21st century an African century. He was responding to a World Bank report cynically titled Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?
The New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism were all part of Mbeki's attempts to claim a century.
At the time, there was a sense that the black leadership of SA was conscious of its responsibility towards Du Bois's black folk in Africa and across the world.
Unfortunately, we have now arrived at a point where observers from the rest of the world are beginning to think that Mbeki's theories about the 21st century are mere smoke from a potent pipe.
Those who have observed other African countries going down the drain can now see signs of a downward spiral in South Africa - a disintegrating economy; a falling currency; a mad liberation movement, smelling subversion everywhere; rampant corruption, and so on.
When a country begins to fall, no one calls a meeting officially to declare to all citizens that "we are now falling".
Signs glide in almost unnoticed - one by one, and sometimes two or three at a time.
When a country falls, voices of denial become shrillest from the ruling elite. They typically call journalists and commentators "sell-outs", "unpatriotic", "agents of imperialism" and such names.
When a country falls, the ruling elites typically announce big plans as a desperate attempt to convince skeptical populations that things are still under control, even when it is obvious that governance has collapsed.
There are two consequences likely to emanate from the SA tragedy. The first consequence affects the poor, who are overwhelmingly black. They lose all hope in the ability of the state to dig them out of poverty.
Typically, the poor try their hand in the informal economy as their first way of coping. The next step is for them to leave their country for neighbouring states that promise a better life.
There is a haunting question for the South African poor: Where will they go?
The second consequence is for all black people across the world. They will have to live with the stigma of being a hopeless people, a race incapable of civilisation.
This does not mean that there will be no black individuals here and there doing amazing things.
Their work of greatness will be submerged in the collective sea of black underdevelopment.
You can imagine how anguished du Bois is in his grave over the black folk in SA today.
Is there something we can do to make him rest in peace?
'If SA fails, no other country will lift flag for black folk': Prince Mashele
In his book, The Souls of Black Folk, African-American intellectual giant W. E. B. du Bois famously predicted that, "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line."
History proved him right. The civil rights movement in the US left an indelible mark on the face of the 20th century, and the struggles against colonialism and apartheid in Africa were indeed struggles of the colour line.
These struggles were essentially about breaking down the yoke of political and economic subjugation of the black folk - hence Du Bois's conceptualisation of the colour-line as a problem.
Watching us from his grave, Du Bois must be comforted to see that black folk all over Africa have been freed from colonialism and apartheid, and that his country - the US - now has a black president. These things appeared like quixotic dreams when Du Bois was writing in the 19th century.
Du Bois must also be heartbroken to see how his black folk on the African continent have squandered the political freedom gained at great cost.
There are times when we Africans must have an honest conversation with ourselves. If we don't, our continent will sink further into backwardness while we pretend that things are fine.
Things are not fine in Africa. Which country on our continent can be compared to the best in Asia, or in Europe?
At independence, Ghana was more developed than South Korea. Today, South Korea can be compared with developed countries in Western Europe. By the way, the Koreans were also colonised.
When Zimbabwe began to fall apart in the early 2000s, it was yet another sad confirmation that Du Bois's black folk cannot manage a modern country and take it to greater developmental heights.
Today, Zimbabweans have been reduced, by their own black government, to a pauper population - scavenging all over the world for survival. Go to places like Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg and see how they live - you will cry.
Zimbabwe rang the alarm bells that SA might go down the same road. In other words, SA is the last hope for Du Bois's black folk. If we fail, no other African country will hoist the flag for black people globally.
Thabo Mbeki once declared the 21st century an African century. He was responding to a World Bank report cynically titled Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?
The New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism were all part of Mbeki's attempts to claim a century.
At the time, there was a sense that the black leadership of SA was conscious of its responsibility towards Du Bois's black folk in Africa and across the world.
Unfortunately, we have now arrived at a point where observers from the rest of the world are beginning to think that Mbeki's theories about the 21st century are mere smoke from a potent pipe.
Those who have observed other African countries going down the drain can now see signs of a downward spiral in South Africa - a disintegrating economy; a falling currency; a mad liberation movement, smelling subversion everywhere; rampant corruption, and so on.
When a country begins to fall, no one calls a meeting officially to declare to all citizens that "we are now falling".
Signs glide in almost unnoticed - one by one, and sometimes two or three at a time.
When a country falls, voices of denial become shrillest from the ruling elite. They typically call journalists and commentators "sell-outs", "unpatriotic", "agents of imperialism" and such names.
When a country falls, the ruling elites typically announce big plans as a desperate attempt to convince skeptical populations that things are still under control, even when it is obvious that governance has collapsed.
There are two consequences likely to emanate from the SA tragedy. The first consequence affects the poor, who are overwhelmingly black. They lose all hope in the ability of the state to dig them out of poverty.
Typically, the poor try their hand in the informal economy as their first way of coping. The next step is for them to leave their country for neighbouring states that promise a better life.
There is a haunting question for the South African poor: Where will they go?
The second consequence is for all black people across the world. They will have to live with the stigma of being a hopeless people, a race incapable of civilisation.
This does not mean that there will be no black individuals here and there doing amazing things.
Their work of greatness will be submerged in the collective sea of black underdevelopment.
You can imagine how anguished du Bois is in his grave over the black folk in SA today.
Is there something we can do to make him rest in peace?
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