This is a very good article about poor Africa:
One of the things that puzzles a lot of people is why Africa is such a complete and utter mess. Explanations for why that’s the case abound, but most of them conveniently try to blame the West for Africa’s problems. You have people claim that colonization or slavery is to blame. Some people will tell you that the West doesn’t care enough or that rich Western countries take advantage of Africa.
My theory? The culture in Africa, the backwards, superstitious, tribal mentality, that’s almost incomprehensible to Westerners is what’s dooming so many people in Africa to miserable lives and making real progress almost impossible.
Bingo. Superstitous souls are strangling and stunting Africa. Here’s John’s conclusion:
It’s how they deal with other diseases, capitalism, technology, and all the other wonders and tribulations of modern life. These people are crippled by their culture and all the well meaning Westerners in the world aren’t going to fix that. Until more African nations accept Democracy, the rule of law, capitalism, freedom of the press, and the other things that go along with a successful society, they’re doomed to wallow in poverty [and] in misery, no matter how much money or help we try to give them. They’re living in a hell of their own making and until they decide they’d rather change their attitudes, there’s only so much we can do to help them.
This is correct to a point, but it doesn’t go far enough. Until more Africans accept Christ and his redemption of their souls from their sins and silly superstitions, they will never achieve democracy, the rule of law, capitalism, or freedom of the press, let alone a successful society. This is in the news article that John references, but he doesn’t notice it:
That evening, he visited Matthew Ogbu Egede, the paramount chief of the area around Ogi. Chief Egede was mortified.
“I am a Christian,” he said in an interview. “I don’t believe in anything about juju. These people objected out of ignorance. The devil made them object.”
He convened a meeting of “the elites,” a local chiefs council. Furious, they ordered the village to accept the pesticide treatment and pay a fine of “one very mighty native cow, plus goats, yams and kegs of palm wine,” Chief Egede said. The council sent the general an effusive letter of apology.
Jesus had to intervene through one of his servants before the situation improved.
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