ABSTRACT

One dilemma that continues to puzzle development
workers in Africa is how to get rural communities to
participate in identifying their collective problems,
analyzing them, ranking / prioritizing and generally
initiating and managing sustainable projects with a
high chance of solving these problems both in the
short and long term.

While it is generally agreed that peoples
participation is of paramount importance in
accelerating and facilitating development, it is now
starting to emerge that participation alone cannot
work. There is need to put development in the wider
social-economic and political realities of the
communities involved. It is noteworthy that over 70%
of development workers in Africa either do not bother
to understand this reality, or have no linkages with
the sources of this information. The other difficult
part has been getting rural communities to break with
the age old tradition of dependence on hand-outs which
was created either during or after colonial occupation
ceased.

As we enter into the new century and millennium,
sub-Saharan Africa is rife with poverty, malnutrition,
hunger and starvation, HIV/Aids and unpreceded
environmental degradation. Poverty is today growing
faster than the population and the continent has never
been in short supply of resources. Prospects appear
bleak in a land of abundant promise. The continent is
muddling through, ill prepared to cope with the
awesome task of dealing simultaneously with short-term
problems and laying a foundation for sustainable
development at the same time. Disillusionment has
been growing and is spreading like a plague invading
the spirits of the few struggling development workers.

Participatory Community Development, which has shown
great promise in solving the continents problems,
soon ran out of resources and became an academic
affair. Those who were promoting it did not have the
patience to wait and see what could come out of it.

SACRED-Africa, an NGO whose mission is to work with
rural farmers to build a better Africa by facilitating
increased agricultural production, food security and
income while protecting and enhancing the environment
has been using participatory community training
research and development approaches. In this paper,
Dr. E. J. Mukhwana, the Director of SACRED-Africa
shares his and other organizations experiences about
the opportunities, challenges and the way forward for
sustainably facilitating development in Africa and
integrating the continent into the rest of the world.
This is considered a mission impossible by many
people, but it is arguably the only way in which real
peace and reconciliation will prevail and prosper in
this world.

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The primary cause of Africas problems is a complex
web of internal and eternal factors rather than a
single reason such as colonialism, lack of technology,
corruption, exploitative economic policies, poor
leadership, wars, etc.

In the first place, the pieces of land that call
themselves countries in Africa did not decide to be
what they are out of their own choice. Somebody
somewhere (Berlin Conference in 1884) sat down and
decided that different tribes come together to form
Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, etc. In the process, enemies
and friends were herded together and expected to form
a country with a common vision, aspiration and sense
of belonging. Unfortunately before the arrival of
Europeans (over a century ago) in some of these
countries, some tribes had never heard of the other
tribes that they later joined to form a country, leave
alone seeing them.

>From this reality, it became obvious that this
confusion needed a central working force to make
people work and live together, although up to today,
as we enter the new millennium, some tribes have never
accepted their neighbours and inter-tribal fights in
some places are the order of the day. The central
force soon became dictatorship, as the poor fellows
who were being led did not know what to expect out of
a government they had never seen any of this type in
their lives. We are talking about only 100 years ago.
Africans had just started learning how to read and
write, seeing vehicles and a white man for the first
time and a host of other confusing technologies such
as telephones, roads, electricity, towns, new crops
and livestock varieties usually as a preserve of the
white settlers. And to confuse it all, modern
centralized governments are introduced. The few who
had ready books and had some exposure naturally
admired and wanted to acquire the new technologies.

They soon wanted to be in power, and indeed because of
several pertinent problems, were able to get the
people to demand for Independence. But, what
independence? Anyhow, it was granted in many
situations to people (read Presidents0 who had not
even led a village. However, it soon became clear,
that left on their own, there wasnt much that
Africans could do. They needed information,
technology and some prescriptions from the North.
Indeed most countries, which became independent, only
did so comestically, as they continued relying on the
former colony on everything.

They soon became dependent on it, (the way a child
gets used to the mothers breast) since in a way it
was beneficial. After all, somebody was paying for
these technologies and it never bothered them very
much. Indeed (assuming that the North was higher up
and Africa further down) these things (funds, loans,
prescriptions, technologies etc) were flowing with aid
of the force of gravity. To sum it all, a lot was
poured and people started to see the light and
became Christians, modern farmers, started to speak
English, Germany, French, Portuguese, name it.

Then came, the green revolution, the sure way for
everybody to have enough food. Fertilizer, chemicals,
certified seeds, tractors, combine harvesters etc.
were poured down the same gradient and naturally
things started to improve. As they ate the food,
they got energy to multiply (and the population grew
too fast), and were able to supply the European and
other western markets with the much needed coffee,
tea, cocoa, palm oil and bananas and it was all very
nice especially now that the most dangerous diseases
such as polio, TB etc. had been contained.

And, there were enough government subsidies supporting
importation and use of more of these inputs.
Agricultural research and extension teams were well
funded, well paid and well equipped. Hospitals had
drugs, factories were being put up and it seemed, at
least to everybody that the much needed development
was on its way to Africa and why not. Co-operative
societies were formed to help the farmers market their
produce and government corporations came in handy to
try and maximize the use of the new technologies and
make money for the governments. Nobody complained.
Farmers made some money, although the educated, the
rich and those close to the ruling class made the best
out of the situation.

This led at the local level to economic
differentiation which in turn led to social
differentiation and segregation. Those who had made
enough money out of the situation became wise men and
women and soon became MPs (leaders). These were seen
as development conscious people who had not only
brought themselves and their families out of poverty,
but also seemed to have the greatest potential to help
the communities and countries achieve development,
which was increasingly becoming elusive. There
were promises of water for all by the year 2000,
Health for all by the year 2000, Electricity for all
by the year 2000. Today, in most sub-Saharan
countries, less than 20% of the people have access to
these services, and the situation is only getting
worse. It has been a case of driving forward in
reverse gear for far too long.

There was much song and dance as the local people
drunk their traditional beer, celebrated and enjoyed.
As this was happening, infrastructure in our urban and
rural areas was becoming extinct. Potholes on the
roads were increasing, there were growing mountains of
garbage, rivers of sewage started flowing
continuously, slums were on the increase and so was
unemployment.

The divide between the Soviet Union and the USA was a
good lubricant, efficiently oiling the system and
maintaining the status quo. Nobody had the courage to
question our leaders the way things were going. Donor
funds and loans were flowing and prosperity was
assured. National holidays were celebrated with much
vigor and those outside the ruling class increasingly
fought to come in.

Those who had made enough money and were within the
system often quarreled among themselves. There were
coups and there were numerous changes in the Chairs
of the heads of states. That was their business, as
the masses that were being ruled did not understand
what some of those things meant. Somehow, they always
celebrated the changes, as things mostly got worse,
but what could one do? What all those in power needed
to do was align themselves with America and dollars
would flow. If America questions too much
(theoretically), they move off and support the Soviet
Union, so the Super powers and their associates were
better off closing their eyes and ears to bad things
and in return get support.

Then things came down crumbling, and the Soviet Union
was no more. Soon the reality started to rain on
unprepared Africans. Now prescriptions had to have
strict orders to be followed. It was like a blanket
that you have been covering yourself with on a cold
winter evening has been suddenly taken away after an
electricity blackout. You have to account for this,
and if you need that, you have to pay for it! Good
enough, but we even dont know how to account. We
never knew the prices of some of these technologies
and could never have afforded them anyway! Nobody was
being begged anymore, after all if you do not agree to
the terms and conditions, where else do you go?
Previously, nobody bothered about how aid and loans
were spend in the name of developing Africa.

Then all over the place, there were words like SAPS,
Liberalization, Privatization, Multiparty democracy,
Globalization, Sustainability, peoples participation,
human rights and empowerment which found new meaning
in Africa. Ask my mother, (English which is the
official language, has remained elusive to her just
like the other 40% or so of other Kenyans) what
liberalization is and she will never tell. So she
will never understand what we are talking about in the
name of helping her.

There has been a new awakening; a new challenge and
all these things need time, patience and resources,
which have only been dwindling faster. African
markets were not prepared for the new reality and
naturally, things have only got worse. You cannot
participate on an empty stomach and the confusion of
what all these has brought will never be understood.
All over the place, poverty is on the increase, and
everything is simply getting worse. When multiparty
democracy was introduced close to 10 years ago in much
of sub-Saharan Africa, there was pomp and celebration.
Rural folks were told that all their problems would
be over. But what a lie?!

All these have led to de-humanizing poverty.
Everybody is blaming another and our friends from the
North have taken off. Who is not familiar with the
begging hands of Africans? Those who arrive on the
continent for the first time, treat Africans as human
beings until the reality starts to reign. Begging,
begging all over, until, if you have to stay much
longer, you form a very solid cocoon around yourself
and have nothing to do with these people. Does any of
us understand why these fellows, turn their visitors
into stones at such short notice? The reality is that
some of them will soon be becoming extinct. They are
dying of ailments that would cost US$1. Today,
rampant poverty, misery, disillusionment and aguish
await you in every village in sub-Saharan Africa.
There is retrenchment, rightsizing and downsizing in
every sector from manufacturing to agriculture,
health, social services etc. Nothing really works any
more. We are talking of less than 10% of the
population which is in formal employment (supporting
90%) and these are being laid off. Can there be
peace, reconciliation in the minds of such people?
But, who is prepared to hammer the last nail to the
African coffin?

Luckily, Africans are jovial people and cannot commit
suicide when things get really bad. Already, over 50%
of the population in sub-Saharan Africa live below the
poverty line and as one friend of mine put it, even
if the whole heavens rained down on Africans, things
can only get worse:. Sub-Saharan Africa with only 10%
of the Worlds population has 70% of all HIV/Aids
patients in the world. How else would you describe
such a situation? A HOPELESS CONTINENT INDEED!

2.0 THE WAY FORWARD

Africas dwindling harvests of food crops and the loss
of markets for some of its traditional export crops
represent a tragedy in a land of unlimited
agricultural potential. The continent is full of
hardworking people with a thirst for education,
healthy babies, technologies and a good life like any
other community. Many countries of Africa have good
potential to produce enough food for themselves and
their neighbours and enough cash crops to meet the
demand of a substantial proportion of the globes
population.

But, Africas vast agricultural potential still
remains idle. Taping this potential is the challenge
for all of us. Africa needs information, technology,
investments, political commitment, good policies and
institutional support. Since two thirds of the people
in Africa derive their livelihoods from agriculture,
it follows that effective support to this sector is
the only basis for the way forward. We can airlift
all the emergency food relief to the continent that we
have in our possession. But, by age and large, a way
must be found in which Africa can produce its own
food, to meet its increasing demand. We must strive
to get Agriculture moving in Africa.

Many development models have been experimented in
Africa. For each one of them, we moved 2 steps
forward and 4 steps back. Since the introduction of
Participatory Community Development approaches more
than 10 years ago, there have been many direct and
indirect benefits. There have also been problems.
All these need to be tackled in a systematic and
holistic way because it is the only way in which
African communities have been made to discover,
analyze and own their problems. To me, this is the
most important thing that has happened in the last
decade. This is the final wake-up call to the human
race to take an interest in what is happening in this
continent to help restore dignity and enable the
continents population put some food before their
eyes; because this is the beginning of everything
else.