MB Civic

Cole in The Atlantic ..

One song we hear too often is the one in which Africa serves as a backdrop for white fantasies of conquest and heroism. From the colonial project to Out of Africa to The Constant Gardener and ‘Kony 2012’, Africa has provided a space onto which white egos can conveniently be projected .. Joseph Kony is no longer in Uganda and he is no longer the threat he was, but he is a convenient villain for those who need a convenient villain. What Africa needs more pressingly than Kony’s indictment is more equitable civil society, more robust democracy, and a fairer system of justice. This is the scaffolding from which infrastructure, security, healthcare, and education can be built .. If Americans want to care about Africa, maybe they should consider evaluating American foreign policy, which they already play a direct role in through elections, before they impose themselves on Africa itself.

Cole is a writer from Nigeria and the winner of this year’s PEN/Hemingway Award for his novel “Open City” – mab .. read more