Neo colonialism, imperialism and colonialism have killed Africa. The white man "founded" Africa. He brought "salvation" to Africa. He brought life for the African souls!

To Eurocentric minded fellows like D. Seely and Trevy Roper, the white man made the African history. Had he not come, the Africans could have had no history. To them, colonialism was "salvation" to the African souls. Before the coming of the white man, the African hearts could scarcely beat.

For over 400 years, the Eurocentric minded writers like them have given the African face an impression that will take generations to erase. They have painted Africa in their own architectural colors heaping upon themselves royal and colonial prizes as 'explorers,' 'missionaries,' 'founders' of Africa and its people.

So, imperialism that started as an idea in Europe due to power struggle and economic demands in the period of the Industrial Revolution, made its way into Africa by the mid 1800s. There was a "need" to control and "civilize" the black man. The African was sitting on resources he never knew their usefulness.

Europe then called a meeting to decide the fate of Africa. They then divided the continent among themselves at the end of the notorious Berlin Conference called by German's no nonsense Otto Von Bismarck. They tore the continent from one end to the other as if they were dividing junks of wild meat in the bushes. By the end of the 1800, the continent had been "liberated" and the new era worst that of slavery was unfolded.

Hundreds of white men found their way to Africa. Criminals and beggars on European streets were sent to Africa as "missionaries," "administrators" and "experts." Those who made it to Kenya, South Africa, Algeria, Namibia and Zimbabwe began to deepen their roots in those countries. They became "Africans." They cannot go back to Europe because their home is Africa. Poor Africa! A man walks into your house and refuses to go out because he wants to kick you out and stay in your house. They actually made it. The African was too generous even to strangers. Now he is an outcast in his own world.

"Reap where you never planted, eat that for which you never shed a drop of sweat and drink that which has been fetched by others." Ngugi said this in his novel and his words have lived to prove.

For over a century, the white man ruled Africa in bondage and absolute colonialism. A few uprising that tried to smell their ways ashor were brutally crashed with the crudest means at their disposals. But you can never keep a man down for too long. By 1960s, the white man could bear no more the cost of maintaining his tentacles that had greedily spread out. Political independence needed to be given to the black man.

African countries received this independence with an overwhelming vigor thinking that it was legal- yet they gave him a counterfeit note.

They gave him independence from the front door and took it away from the back door. Colonialism returned almost immediately in the form of neo colonialism. Neo colonialism is the worst form of colonialism ever known in human existence. This even intensified during the Cold War era and as the last century gave way to the 21st Century, neo colonialism

Has proved to be the opium that may leave Africa asleep forever.

Imperialism in Africa and even in other developing countries around the world has been active in three invisible hands. These hands include, cultural, political and economic that are slowly and surely killing Africa.

Military imperialism has been the most devastating to African countries. The western countries like USA, Britain, France, Germany Portugal and Spain have heavily participated in killing Africa and other developing countries around the globe by giving military aids with strings attached. The wars in Nigeria, Uganda, DRC Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leon, Liberia, Angola and many other African countries are testimonies to this. In Uganda in 1971, Dictator Idi Amin Dada with the help of the CIA turned tables against Dr. Apollo Milton Obote. In former Zaire, the hypocritical USA that claims to cherish democracy put Joseph Mobutu Sseseko to power. Mobutu ruled for over three decades and without building even roads for his people. He was praised as "a new breed of emerging leaders," just as what the USA is currently doing to Ugandan, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Rwandese leaders. The day they will become juiceless or too big for the Western shoes, they will be disposed like disposal injection shrings.

Countries like Libya, Iraq and former president Nueregga now dangling in USA jails for alleged drug dealings are typical cases of extreme neo colonialism. Countries around Sudan are benefiting from USA military aid because they are willing to dance to Washington's tunes. The day they will loose their steps, they same USA will turn around and pull them out of power.

Economic imperialism on the other hand spares no one, not even a king as Ngugi said. It is considered by many critics and scholars as the "nerve center" of imperialism. It is the economic substructure that determines other forms of Western austerity. This has made developing countries produce what they do not consume and consume what they actually do not make.

Economic imperialism comes in different forms. It can be inform of the so-called World Bank or IMF policies, foreign investment and foreign aid and loans among others. Effects of economic imperialism are devastating. In Africa, it has brought about the "add me more" mentality killing local initiatives. Numerous dictators like Mobutu have found their ways to power causing suffering and political instabilities in their countries. African countries have are being kept in a position of a peon in which they may not easily get out of. They are made to bow their heads down by reminding them about the money and aid they have obtained from the West if they ever would like to "misbehave." Their economies must be serviced by Western economic insemination or else they will perish. They are then left to service interests on loans instead of paying for the principle amount they recieved.

Another deadly but silent form of imperialism is cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism has been used for long against the African race since slavery with devastating effects. Cultural imperialism comes in a very strong way, dehumanizes the subjects making them feel a shame of what they are. It offers only one way- submission without any alternatives. The African woman for example, now peels her beautiful dark skin off just because she wants to look like a white woman. Some Africans, I am a shame to mention, have become a shamed of even speaking their own languages. Some have cast off their African names in favor of European names such as, Juliet,Brenda for the girls and, Billy Boy,John Bosco, etc for the gents. This is all the power of cultural imperialism.

Whereas our kinsmen, the African Americans are looking forward to Africa for identity, we the native Africans on the other hand are throwing away our Africanness in favor of Western values. This is a big shame that we must fight. It is not a physical fight this time but a moral one to make the African realize his own beauty. It is an education of the entire generation or more.

Unless African countries and their people find a way to fight back forces of imperialism, the continent with its entire population is at the blink of loosing even the little treasures it has remained with after colonialism and slavery. The African leaders on the other hands have not only to keep their eyes at the "manna" that the West throws at them. They should wake up and save their own people from Western imposed austerity. Unless this is done, I am so worried about Africa's future.

P.C.OKEMA OTIKA is an undergraduate Communication Designer major student at La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA.

Read more about Africa from my website:

http://www.freetongue.bigstep.com.

Thanks.