Introduction: Globalization and Africa - a subjective view

9 Chapter 1 Introduction Globalization and Africa – A Subjective View Kwame A. Ninsin Since the dawn of modern history the position of Africa in the world system has been contentious; it has been disputed between Africans on the one hand and The Makers of Civilization,1 on the other. The issue at stake may be summarized as whether Africans are free subjects of their own history or are mere objects – spokes in the wheel of world history. The apologists of the latter position always point to incontrovertible evidence from modern history. At crucial moments in Africa’s encounter with modernity, the continent has lost out: it has been captured into history – first into slavery, then into colonialism, and later into what Kwame Nkrumah (1965) described as neocolonialism . They would not onlypoint to the gains of the so-called ‘civilizing mission’ which, in their view, so graciously salvaged the continent from its ‘dark days’ and brought it into world history; they would also vehemently deny any culpability in this mission as well as denounce any claims of reparations. In contrast, Pan-Africanists, patriots and nationalists, dispute such claims of altruism and nobility that allegedly drove colonialism: they point to the trail of plunder, violence, destruction and suffering that the continent has inherited from the centuries of encounter with modernity – from the slave trade to this age of globalization. The controversy still rages on regarding whether globalization bears opportunities or constraints for the continent; whether its impact on the continent is or will be positive or negative; whether or notAfrica is sufficiently integrated into the world economy; whether the continent will be worse off outside the global order or not; and so on.The controversyis inevitable because vital material interests are at stake in globalization, both as a concept and as 10 Globalized Africa a historical process.Admittedly, modern (capitalist) civilization has expanded from its humble origins in the industrial revolution to attain its present global spread. But the pursuit of accumulation on a world scale epitomized in this global expansion has not been for universal benefit. The revolutionary discoveries and inventions – like the present revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT) – historic explorations, as well as wars of expansion, conquest and plunder have been driven by the insatiable appetite for opulence of the few (nations and people) that continue to rule the world, and not for the benefit of the whole of humanity. For the majority, who are the losers in this encounter with modernity, very fundamental matters of life and death still remain unresolved – matters concerning access to food, health, and shelter; matters about education for their children as well as the type of education available to them; a continuing preoccupation with matters of human. It is that gruesome, because, in a world dominated by Darwinian ethics, real life choices are determined by enlightened self-interest, by zerosum rules in which the wealthy and powerful are always right, get the best of everything, and determine where history begins and when it ends. The rest become mere survivors – invisible things, dragged along through the humiliating quagmire of disease, poverty, violence and insecurity. Their pain is sometimes assuaged through gestures of self-serving benevolence in which they lose their self-respect, their dignity, and their identities. They become another set of statistics in the cycle of human tragedies, such as wars, famine, refugees, and HIV/AIDS, and their lives are written in invisible narratives of horrendous struggles. When accumulation on a world scale is in reality accumulation for the few who dominate the world, and when the dynamics of this accumulation result in the impoverishment of the majorityof the world’s peoples, globalization becomes contested. It is perceived and interpreted differently depending on who are the beneficiaries and who are the losers. The debate concerning whether Africa is a beneficiary or victim of globalization is taking place in this context of profane contradictions. In whatever way it is defined, globalization impinges on various aspects of Africa – its economy, society, politics and culture; it impacts on present as well as the future of the continent. It is bound therefore to provoke endless 11 controversies. The essays in this volume engage in this controversy as they address globalization, its essence and its effects on various facets of life on the continent. The authors approach their respective subjects from different perspectives, meeting at a common point, the point at which Africa meets the industrialized world. In what follows, I interrogate globalization as a phase in...

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