Readers' letters

Sorry Africa

Thank you for your cover stories "They came before Columbus", "America - a lesson in democracy?" and "Clinton's gift to Africa" (NA, Jan).

Permit me to ask, Sir: Do the (not old) leaders of Africa read New African? I wonder because your magazine is so enlightened and the leaders are stuck in their old ways. To tell you the truth, I, myself, don't expect them to understand the fresh and enlightened approach of the new New African.

After reading "Clinton's gift to Africa", I can only say sorry to Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. Please keep up the good work, and maybe you want to also look at the book, "Political Cycles in International Relations - the Cold War and Africa 1945-1990" written by Professor Fred Mate and published by the VU University Press in the The Netherlands. Orsine Nicol South Africa Respect, man

Your January cover story, "They came before Columbus" impressed me so much. By now Africans should be convinced that it was their ancestors who shaped the world. Now it is generally accepted that all the races came from Africa. Therefore, I see no reason why black people should be looked down upon. George Awudu Vienna, Austria

They really came before Columbus

In your article, "They came before Columbus", you have shown overwhelming evidence that Africans deeply influenced the culture of the native Indian tribes in the Americas long before Columbus arrived.

It is truly sad that today America has a national holiday honouring a man who, in fact, took some native Americans back to Europe as slaves.

As for the Europeans who followed up and exterminated the remaining native Indians, one can only feel sorry for them. They couldn't understand, nor imagine, the harmony in which the Africans and the native Americans had coexisted. It was beyond them!

Ashok Kumar Turku, Finland. Columbus who?

By the way, I greatly enjoyed your recent article on Columbus and the silent testimony of the giant heads in Central America. I would only add one thing: Of course Columbus did not discover America, America discovered Columbus - somewhere out there on the Atlantic. Tellingly, the continent was not named after him, but after the navigator, Amerigo Vespucci. Alejandro Rodon holy

Now we know better Reading though your magazine, I was impressed to note that we as Africans are now finally appreciating our own efforts and history that for so long had been overshadowed by the wrong teachings that portray Africa as only made of clay and wood.

Pini Jason's column, "Is Nigeria the most corrupt country in the world" (NA Jan) is a great revelation that someone somewhere wants to make our continent inferior. I believe we are a great continent with great people in the very fine image of God, and he loves us.

Keep up the good work, all ye at New African, it is a wonderful effort. Petrine Eshiloni Ndolo, Zambia Kenya and the IMF

Your article, "IMF's useless exercise in Kenya" (NA Jan), points at just one of a myriad of examples of how money and energy is being wasted. It seems that while common sense has been sent on leave, endless discussions in complicated language on very obvious issues are considered the main tools for development.

Instead of spending $1.8m on organising workshops, the money would be of much better use for the poor if it went to pay school fees or other important things needed by the poor. The money could even be used to establish a revolving credit fund for those who wish to start their own businesses.

However, the external environment must be conducive to development and the IMF's recipe of free trade is definitely not the right one. Some protective measures must be in place. Just take a look at why Kenya's textile industry disappeared. It would be very interesting to see a breakdown of the budget for this IMF exercise. It may probably reveal that the major part of the money went on travel allowances and accommodation for the socalled facilitators.

New African should take a look at this matter and challenge the high and mighty people of the IMF to defend their budget. Kjell-Erik Nordlie Vallset, Norway.

What's wrong with us? The reaction of Kenyans to the suggested (or imposed) IMF funds for workshops and seminars is typical of the famous African complacency and fatalism that irks me and dominates my writing.

Here, once again, is a chance for Kenyans to at least grab the opportunity to take their fate in their own hands, to take the initiative and put their heads together and discuss the best course for their lives. But all they can think of is to moan about their poverty and hunger, instead of concretely doing something about it.

Why don't they get their heads together and decide - in the framework of these workshops and seminars - how best to combat their poverty?

On the whole, we live or want to live a Western lifestyle (because there is no other way around the fact except marginally), but still sit back like children and want somebody else - the bwana or Monsieur le Patron - to do the thinking and take the responsibility for us.