Out of Africa

African politics is a quagmire of contradictions. Frankly, it has never been a model of consistency. Ever since the advent of the so-called modern age in Africa that followed more or less on the demise of colonialism on the continent, there has been inordinate levels of turmoil that ebbed and flowed. From all of that in the past came a potpourri of declarations and announcements. And through it all one was left wondering where exactly African nations saw themselves in the order of the world. Indeed, one still has no real clue.

The whole Mugabe affair has exposed the incongruous state of African politics on a continental level as well as on a national level. For one, the latest announcements from African leaders around the Zimbabwe debacle raise the question whether African nations somehow regard themselves as from another planet, where quite different rules and norms apply. Utterings such as "African problems must be solved in an African manner without external interference" appear at odd with reality.

Africa is not a federation where states deal with local matters as internal to the federation. It is not even a union such as the EU. In fact, it is a loose club of nations sitting on the same continent, sharing a similar history in some cases. But the divides and fault lines run very clearly and indeed sadly through that very fabric. Moreover, Africa in all its diversity of nations, finds itself in the world of today. The individual African states are each as much part of the world order as any state on another continent. And in the words of president Mugabe himself, Zimbabwe for example, is a sovereign state. That said, every other African state is a sovereign state in the global context, no more and no less. Therefore, any other nation that adheres to the principles of international law and human rights has an equal voice in expressing concern and requesting action against an unjust sovereign state, such as Zimbabwe that brutalises democracy and its very citizens.

Surely, Africans are not suddenly claiming some racist exclusivity for themselves as if nations not from the continent are somehow unqualified to comment or apply international measures to African leaders, governments and states? It is high time African states acknowledge that each African state is within the global order of this world and therefor subject to international scrutiny.

If Africans expect equal treatment with the rest of the world, then Africans should accept equal measure went it comes to their actions.