Three Lies the West has Successfully Told about Africa

I have not ceased to be amazed at how huge media outlets and respected international institutions are used to widely disseminate information that can easily be proven to be untrue. These lies and half-truths support propaganda to keep hundreds of millions of people in abject poverty. And because of this poverty, millions of people have lost their lives. It is pure evil hidden in plain sight. These media giants and world organizations are the real weapons of mass destruction, if you ask me. 

In my opinion, the United Nations together with the unholy trinity (World Bank, WTO, and IMF), under the guise of promoting world peace and prosperity, are really just looking out for Western interests. After living in the West for almost 20 years, and seeing what has been accomplished here, I can assure you that if these mighty organizations with billions of dollars at their disposal really wanted to lift Africa out of poverty, it would have been done decades ago.

So why has it not been done? I believe it is because Africa as a market and source of cheap resources is much more valuable and far less threatening to today's economic powers. Lies must be told to keep it this way, and they are told in the most subtle and highly effective ways. Here are the three main lies on which Western propaganda to maintain the status quo is built:

1. Africa is poor because of wars and violence: There are several Western publications and analyses, like this one, that claim that Africans are the cause of the wars and violence that plague SOME of their countries. Is it not curious that these war-torn African countries are usually the ones rich in mineral resources? The real question is, who funds these wars? How can people who do not have enough to eat, afford to fund such long lasting conflict? We cannot buy food yet we have enough to buy weapons? Who really empowers terrorist groups in Africa? Who starts these wars and keeps them going for their benefit? That is the real question.

2. Africans are unable to govern themselves: Many would be surprised at how much Western governments plot and scheme to make sure the wrong people obtain power in resource rich African countries, and remain there for decades. There is an intentional effort to keep capable pro-African leaders out of power. Sankara, Lumumba, Gbagbo, Gaddafi. I need not say more. Governments that prioritize their people are slandered while those that look out for Western interests are welcomed and applauded. Rwanda has done a great job unveiling this lie for what it is. Africans are more than capable of good governance.

3. Africans need foreign Aid to rise out of poverty: It is no secret that if Africa's resources were sold at market value, it will be the richest continent on the planet. But our minds and our systems have been conditioned to depend on AID and DEBT. The bad leaders supported by the West are obviously the ones that agree to taking these ridiculous loans! Thomas Sankara proved that we do not need these loans to develop. The debt is just another way to keep Africa under Western control.

It is our responsibility to be informed. Gaddafi's fall is the story that opened my eyes to how biased international news reports can be. Since then, there have been many other attempts to take down African leaders who become a threat to Western interests. The most recent I have come across is the Human Rights Watch report accusing the new leaders of Burkina Faso of killing civilians. I am glad the Burkinabe people did not fall for this old trick, and made it a point to ask the West to stay out of their business. That is how media was used to turn uninformed Africans against Gaddafi. Even if there were casualties during the recent military takeover in Burkina Faso... are those considered human rights violations? When America invaded Iran, there were many more civilian casualties... was America accused of abuse? Were these casualties highlighted in the media? 

I pray Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso remain resolute in their decision to leave ECOWAS, (an institution that is clearly Western-controlled). Hopefully many more will join the newly formed AES. Maybe this is the beginning of something really beautiful for Africa. 

President Macron and many Western leaders are trying to control the damage by saying the recent coups are a result of disinformation by Russia. They cannot even give Africans credit for waking up to the truth of western exploitation that's been going on for decades. France referring to Russia as predatory is a perfect example of  "the pot calling the kettle black". Most Francophone African countries are resource-rich, yet steeped in so much poverty. Neo-colonialism is the real reason behind the coups. Not disinformation. Not Russia.

So what do I want you to take away from this read?

1. Never assume international media bodies are telling the whole story. Do some research before forming your own opinion on the topic.
2. Local news often has the more accurate version of the truth.
3. An ignorant African is a powerful weapon in the vast arsenal of Western powers.