What Goes Around comes Around
KRS-One rapped “what goes around comes around i figga. Now you got white boys calling themselves Niggas“. He was refering to the (New York) uptown priveledged white kids who identify with hip hop. Now there is a new breed of “white boys” who find themselves on the wrong side of orthodoxy; and these ones are not as excited (nor willing) to be “niggahs” (who would in their right senses?!). The whip of fate is now in possession of their former victims and guess who is about to take a lashing.
Angola State of Mind
Like the stinging voice of the “house nigga“, I am begining to wonder if there is truth in the inexhaustible excuse by Africans (esp Nigeria) when they blame their countries’ lack of progress on premature independence from colonial masters. They say the reason they are steeped in corruption is because they have not been well nurtured (in other words trained like pets) enough to hold a running country on their own. Of course, this view is promoted by the colonial masters… but what do you expect. I am begining to believe it is true because the powerful position Angola is in today.
Many African countries were in colonial rule for a shorter duration than Angola, which lasted for 400 years. Liberia which got its independence after a mere 25 years of American colonization is one state that has not lived up to expectations of a nation. Nigeria got its independence after about 200 years of british colonization. Angolan’s might have been a complacent bunch because even after a long over-due colonization, their independence was more of a convenient move than driven by nationalists. It happened as a side-effect of a coup in Portugal, their colonial masters, which made Portugal incapable of dealing with the colony.
Today, Angola is doing well. Its got about as much oil reserve as Nigeria, which makes it the second (if not first) producer in Africa. May be Angola has been trained well, may be their oil reserve is tremendously helping their luck… bottom line is that Angola (the colonial slave) is now the master to Portugal (the former colonial master). Say what?! Yes the slave is now the master.
The Former Master
It is no secret that Portugal is one of the countries the European Union is not so proud of. In times of European crisis, the once glorified master looks south (but up) to its former slave who is making it big with the product that makes the US turn in to a monster, Black Gold aka Oil.
Now Portugese are moving to Angola at a rapid rate to serve the new found master. In fact, visa-acquisition processes are being reformed to ease movement between the two countries but the agreement favours Protugese coming to Angola; Angola is helping them out. It reminds me of refugees being helped with a loose-process of travel documents by facilitating and easing movement.
Currently Angola is “saving” Portugal by purchasing Portugal’s public properties as Portugal gets privatized. Angola is basically owning them, gradually. To Angola, the Portugese government is an investment while the Portugese citizens are accessible labour; the labour may not be cheap but it is not expensive for an rich country like Angola.
Forecast
I have no crystal ball and I have not been paid to be an expert on the TV, so I will refrain from predictions and speculations. But its harmless and un-misleading to wonder. I wonder if the Angola-Portugal relation is the start of a new Imperialism, one unanticipated. Some colony-minded smart-arse is probably going to call it “reverse imperialism”, because the direction was assumed to default with the non-Europeans at the downstream. Another interesting international relationshipe is that of China and Europe. A BBC-World journalist said it best “Will Europe be saved by the country it humiliated?”.
bilnigma 