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Now, over a half a century into Africa's post-colonial period, the world looks sadly upon the African continent with its continuing poverty, disunity and civil war, and continuing misrule and corruption. Fifty years ago there was an excuse for Africa's poor condition, and that excuse was colonialism and years of European exploitation of their African colonies. Part of that excuse likewise was the partitioning of African colonies along European spheres of influence, where ethnic and tribal boundaries were ignored. In fact, this arrangement worked somewhat to the advantage of the European colonial powers. Having warring factions within colonial fiefdoms served the ends of "divide and rule."

Fifty years ago, too, there was a shortage of educated leadership in Africa, as Europeans did nothing much to prepare their future ex-colonies for self-rule. Some, like Patrice Lumumba, proved to be farsighted African nationalists, who truly had the interests of their newly independent countries foremost. Unfortunately, Lumumba did not last long, and he turned out to be the exception. African tribal politics took over and gave us such tragedies as the Hutu massacre of the Tutsis in Rwanda and criminals disguised as rulers like Idi Amin Dada.

So, European colonialism did result in Africa's poor beginning. Today, unfortunately, many sub-Saharan African nations are no better off (and maybe worse so) than they were as colonies. Nations like Somalia are hot beds of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, for example. Moving north to the Islamic nations Algeria, Chad, and Sudan the situation is not much better. In fact, the ethnic cleansing in Sudan's Darfur province has developed into a humanitarian crisis of the first magnitude.

Yes, colonialism is Africa's legacy, but Africans cannot use colonialism as their excuse indefinitely. We are nearly seven years into the twenty-first century, and it is time for Africans to become part of the solution to their own problems. When corrupt and despotic leaders exploit their country's resources and people for their personal enrichment, they perpetrate their own terrible legacy. When Africans do nothing when about one million Tutsis and 400,000 Darfuris are massacred, there is no possible way that anyone can blame colonialism.

What Africa needs is what other countries have been blessed with during early years of independence: enlightened, altruistic leadership and a sense of nationhood that rises above tribal and ethnic loyalties. That leadership requires the type of person who has been somewhat of a rarity in Africa: someone who regards public service as one of life's highest callings, and, most important, who is willing to give up power as the lawfully mandated term of office expires.

Learn more about this author, Jerry Curtis.
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