The New Face of African Slavery

‘12 Years a Slave’ is one of the most intense films ever made. You can’t watch it alone, and you shouldn’t watch it with others! This movie doesn’t allow you to dissociate; the Pan-African spirit is reawakened like a fever, and it doesn’t break until you ‘do something’.

‘But do what?’ you ask, ‘everything’s gone to shit!’

Yet, there lies the crucial difference between the Thomas Sankaras, Kwame Nkrumahs, and the rest of us. For them the implications of slavery were personal, it didn’t matter that they hadn’t lived it directly. Africa was in their blood, and the question of how to restore her to her former glory kept them awake at night.

Today, the average African can’t relate to that level of Pan-Africanism. For them, Africa isn’t rising; she is risen! Their African pride extends only as far as Rema’s BET performance or the fact that Kanye West vacationed here. Being African is an identity, a political statement, or even an interesting quirk to be showcased at networking events. Africa itself is viewed merely as a launching pad to other worlds where great things happen.

And yet…

Beneath all this lies a truth as old as Museveni, Africa is not rising. She’s Cinderella without Prince Charming- so much potential and yet no concrete plan to harness it. With the youngest population in the world, Africa should be gearing up to become the manufacturing giant China turned itself into. Instead, she’s borrowing a leaf from the wrong side of history.

It should come as no surprise that one of the key components that facilitated China’s development story was its large population. With over 1.4 billion people, China had access to the human resources needed to engineer growth like never witnessed before. In the country’s early development stages, China instituted a labour-intensive, export-oriented strategy in sectors such as manufacturing and textiles.

The sheer size of the population meant industries had access to cheap labour, paving the way for rapid production and laying the groundwork for the country’s emergence as a global manufacturing powerhouse. China demonstrated that with the right policies, leadership, and values in place, a nation can create opportunities for its population apparently from scratch.

First, the world ridiculed them, and then everyone started learning Mandarin! Seemingly overnight, every product you held had the magic words stenciled underneath: "Made in China." And the rest, as they say, is history.

And yet, this isn’t the history our leaders wish to emulate.

Exhibit A: Malawi

On November 23rd, Kondwani Nankhumwa, leader of Malawi's main opposition party, sounded an alarm about the government’s ‘secret deal’ with Israel to provide the country with Malawian laborers. The initial point of contention is the ongoing conflict in Israel. A more serious concern arises as Malawian government officials supporting this move assert that sending a significant portion of the nation’s unemployed youth overseas is in the country's interest to address its forex shortage.

Malawi's Secretary of Labour, Wezi Kayira, defended the move, saying, ‘This program will benefit both individuals and the nation. A portion of wages will cover living costs in Israel, while the remainder will be remitted to personal accounts in Malawi to boost foreign exchange.’

Unfortunately, this youth employment strategy, seen not only in Malawi but also in Kenya and Uganda, forces young Africans to seek jobs abroad due to economic disparities. This trend of encouraging and, in many cases, coercing youth to work inhumane jobs is widespread across the continent.

Historically, skilled professionals left Africa due to the lack of institutions and systems for fair compensation. However, today, a disproportionate number of blue-collar workers, including farmers, security personnel, and potential industry workers, are compelled to migrate for the same tasks. These essential tasks, crucial for nation-building, are now being performed on foreign soil.

Jobs are Jobs

In the age of social media, African politicians have found it increasingly difficult to pacify the masses with their usual assurances of a more secure future. While interacting with their peers abroad, young Africans are shown a glimpse of what’s possible when you live in a place with functional systems. They’re not asking for much; they just want the opportunity to work and provide for their families. They’ve become violent and vocal, unwilling to idly sit by and let their potential go to waste.

The problem is, with all the corruption, excessive dependence on foreign aid, low levels of manufacturing, poor infrastructure, and failing healthcare systems most African governments are not in the position to fulfil even the most conservative of requests.

Defiant in the face of failing systems, African youth seek opportunities abroad to fulfil their aspirations. They take bold risks, selling all they have and embracing any job, even menial tasks, to support and educate their families. They’ve ceased caring who sits on the throne, they just want a life unencumbered by the foolery of the power-hungry elite.

Tukoze tutya?

The solution is straightforward but challenging to implement: set people to work, or, at the very least, establish the necessary systems and step aside. Many Africans have long acknowledged the reality of a DIY governance system. You earn a living and then attend to your family’s healthcare, education, and safety independently. The average African just wants the government to get out of their way, take their self-congratulatory ribbon-cutting ceremonies to some distant corner, and let the people engage in meaningful work.

They won’t give us that though…

No, that would compel them to confront the reality that they are Africa’s most significant challenge—not the scarcity of skilled labour, poor infrastructure, or inadequate healthcare. Instead, what they tend to do is worsen the problem by endorsing a system as ancient as time itself: slavery. The average African politician will literally rather sell his own people than use the tried and tested methods of governance and poverty eradication.