Why are African Leaders so Corrupt and Irresponsible?

[Kofi]

I asked a similar question some months ago but I will ask again. I am an African and I know them all so very well and If I say corruption, I mean corruption. African leaders are so very corrupt. We have almost all it takes to fight poverty and hunger in Africa. We have all it takes to be the most prosperous continent ever. We have the natural resources. Our lands are very fertile. We have gold, diamonds, timber, you just name it yet we continue to suffer why because our leaders are very corrupt and irresponsible. Our leaders are very greedy and selfish.

Someone may ask, why do we still elect these irresponsible people into power? the answer is, they are all the same and we have no choice at all. In fact, in most cases, our votes don't even count. Some also pretend to be angels but snakes under grass and they turn into venomous monsters once they get into power.

In the exception of few great leaders like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, almost all the other leaders I know of are very corrupt in one way or the other. Most of the traditional leaders are so unhelpful. They sell our lands and leave our communities to suffer. Most of our politicians are so very corrupt to the point where politics has become a family property in Africa. Why are our leaders so bad?

1.Why are African politicians so corrupt? 2. Why are African traditional leaders so unhelpful? 3. Why are African religious leaders so corrupt? 4.Why are African heads of states so irresponsible? 5. Why are so many Africans so corrupt? 6. what can we do to save ourselves?

Good question,

here are my two cents...

Over the past few hundred years, blacks have had a fairly rough time in both Africa and the Americas with slavery, exploitation, and varying degrees of discrimination. This mentality is burned into the psyche & culture, and will take more than a generation (or 2) to pass.

1) In the case of the more developed countries like the US or South Africa, blacks still often consider themselves victims and often show a "desperation" that is not really reflected by reality. The best examples can be found in american gangsta rap - "get rich or die trying". What is ironic to the outsider (white boy like myself) is that these poor black American & South Africans have incredible opportunities compared to fellow blacks in less fortunate countries. Time to pull up the pants & hit the books instead of playing the victim. Compton & Oakland are not comparable to squatters village in Soweto.

2) Another argument (which can be interpreted as racist) is that the black man - like the American Indian & Australian indigineous people, lack the same "drive" or "ambition" as the white man. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the white man has done some awful things to our planet such as wars & environmental devestation. That said, in countries like the US & SA, less hard working & educated black individuals should not blame racism as the reason why they don't drive a Mercedes nor own a large house with a pool.

The original question was related to African leaders and why they fail spectacularly to see past their own personal gain for the collective good of their country. Politicians are the product of the people, and unfortunately that says very little for the majority of South Africans electing a degenerate like Jacob Zuma.

I'm confident within 2 generations, the both arguments will no longer apply due to the effects of time & globalization. South Africa will be a world leader and role model to the rest of Africa.

Jonathan

na unco Obasanjo be that o. see him face like constipated orangutan. these people wan destroy Africa for us. na enemies of progress dem be. I pray make holy ghost fire seal their yansh so dem no fit do again.

Africa needs more strong leaders like Comrade Gaddafi the eternal Brother leader of Libya

not just African leaders but the entire continent. if the moral backbone in every society breaks down these are some of the consequences. If the moral standard improves, all other areas improve as well. Africa remains poor because the moral backbone is gone. Because the moral backbone in America is gone, now China owns America and America will disintegrate anytime soon. This applies to all other nations on earth. The entire world will vanish anytime soon because the moral backbone is gone.

[Doug]

Quote: because the moral backbone is gone.

Nothing more needs to be said.

[rayan]

for me....china too was once a poor country...and today see it position. it has even overcome japan.
vietnam is trying to be on the same plan as china is doing.
if we use communist politics, things can be better, but there is still corruption.
China politics is also corrupt, but people don't suffer in terms of hunger, even though they don't have much resources like gold and diamond.
saudia arabia is a country that has petrol, and it is a rich country now.
for my opinion, we need youngsters...the young generation
the youth... why??
maybe because the generation ruling now has still the wound of being slave,...so they want to be rich...
the youth have seen the world enough, i think they should be willing for a new Africa....a new Technology world in Africa...
let's stop making rich countries rule over us...
and why donate to the government?? why not donate to the poor people directly??

the only good leader in Africa was killed by NATO. Gaddafi was the best leader in Africa. may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace and may NATO and all its members burn in hell.

if you are wicked they say you are good. if you are good they say you are bad. see what they did to Gaddafi.

1 The black man has no understanding of politics: Idi Amin allowed terrorists who hijacked a plane to land in his airport, demonstrated a total lack of economic knowledge by taking shops that generate income and provide employment and basically shutting them down and is quotted as saying Hitler "was right to burn six million Jews". Even Ahmadinejad would not say that in front of a camera

2 The black man has no sympathy for his fellow man: African leaders do not care about their wards in the least. They have zero accountability to the people that "elected" them. And that is the reason why in Nigeria, in 2012 the government claimed that the country would be bankrupt and has to make austerity measures, but instead of cutting government spending [which is actually what bankrupted the country], the burden was placed squarely on the citizens,[fuelprice hike] a vast majority who live in poverty

3 The black man has no honor: In Europe if a leader is mentioned in a scandal, he resigns. In Japan, if a leader makes a small mistake, suicide is a real option. Generally if a leaders plans isnt helping his country move forward, then he/she steps down. The black man, however, no matter how he has run his country down, and his people are suffering, he would rather stay in power, 25 30 years is normal for an African dictator

4 The black man is a coward: Because you are not ready to DIE for your rights. And its not just about you, its about your children. For every country to take that step to political accountability and seriousness, a sacrifice has to be made by a generation, France had its uprising, the United States had their Patriots who shed blood against overwheling odds for a dream for their childrens children. And you want to sit down and wait for Goodluck Jonathan or whichever of those clowns to turn your country around. Wake the fuck up

Originally Posted by Unregistered

the only good leader in Africa was killed by NATO. Gaddafi was the best leader in Africa...

make no mistake, in politics, there is no good and no evil, there are only INTRESTS. When you accept this as a fact, the you are one step closer to understanding politics

illiteracy yes that is the keyword.