Can capitalism deliver economic freedom to Africans?: Africa's liberation movements have dismally failed to deliver on their promises because; they were simply unrealistic and unachievable.
Africa's liberation movements promised political freedom to the masses; in addition to that, they assured that the masses would own the means of production and the natural resources of their countries. They actively condemned capitalism as the source of all evil and promised to create more equitable and just societies with the black African at the centre stage.
Almost all have dismally failed to deliver on their promises because; they were simply unrealistic and unattainable. Instead, our so called liberators have become the true capitalists, who do not only control political power which they continue to hold onto, but have also accumulated considerable personal wealth through corruption and pillage. The cry for economic freedom by the ordinary African citizen has become an inconvenient irritation, to be soothed and hopefully contained by empty sounding political rhetoric.
Post independent Africa has clearly failed to deliver. As I watch events unfold in South Africa, I am not surprised at all that the masses have run out of patience, and are taking matters into their own hands. It appears to me that traditional trade unions are fast becoming irrelevant platforms to address what are fundamentally structural economic problems. The situation is certainly going to get worse, as the realization dawns on most that, sustainable economic transformation is not about higher wages, better work conditions or higher social grants, these are temporary. We need to cause significant shifts in the structure of African economies: from raw capitalism, which is characterized by incessant accumulation of economic power by a few, to a more equitable economic welfare system that seeks to deliberately expunge mass poverty.
Most post-independent African states have failed to shift their economies in that direction because of weak political leadership that simply adopted the colonial capitalist state, because it was convenient and less painful. They pursued the safest route of preserving the capitalist regimes of pre interdependent Africa, by getting a few blacks graduate into owners of capital without fundamentally changing the economic system. What this has done, is to create a black elite, keen on preserving an exclusive resource ownership regime. As a result, the economic condition faced by the masses has not improved at all but, has actually deteriorated since independence. The masses are wondering whatever happened to the promised economic freedom.
This has been the experience in Zimbabwe for example, hence thirty two years later; we are still talking about indigenizing the economy. This; besides having taken over vast agricultural resources of the country. Unfortunately, this will not work because it lacks credibility and vision. Our politicians and the top military brass have carved out for themselves lucrative sectors of the economy and are effectively running a parallel economy to the benefit of a few. The masses are expected to irk out a living while remaining at the fringes of the economy. South Africa has done no better; the poor have become more marginalized as we see a rapacious black capitalist class emerging. These black elite are far removed from realities of shack dwellers and underpaid miners who are now fighting for economic freedom. The chickens are coming home to roost.
I do not think that, as long as we pursue the capitalist model of production, we are going to see meaningful economic freedom in Africa as articulated by South Africa's "economic freedom fighters". Capitalism favors those that have and penalizes those who supply labor and those who aspire to enter the market. By design, it favors those that are advantaged by the political system and allows them to accumulate wealth and assets unencumbered by the needs and aspirations of ordinary citizens. It also favors the proliferation of international conglomerates in the form of monopolies and oligopolies, whose brands and products have become the new colonizers. The black capitalists have partnered with international conglomerates to entrench in development projects, thus further entrenching the skewed ownership structures.
You must appreciate that, the international capitalist model has Africa at its fringes, providing raw material, as was the case during colonial times. It has Africa receiving aid to address its social problems while providing a huge consumer base for its technology and consumer goods. The Chinese have mastered this and are, as we speak, extracting significant wealth from Africa. We have been duped.
For me, we need to have this conversation in Zimbabwe. It is imperative that we have new conversations on how we can create a new economic system rather than merely reviving and strengthening the post independence capitalist base. There is the danger that, after the MDC comes into power, we will once again fail to deliver economic freedom to Zimbabweans and pursue a narrow capitalist agenda. As we try to revive the economy, it is critical that we address the fundamental inappropriateness of capitalism as a tool for the democratization of economic power.
I would suggest that we use agriculture and mining to create mass prosperity and lessen the hold of international conglomerates and the Chinese on our economy. We must deliberately adopt economic policies that seek to increase the share of the poor in the economy, reduce poverty and engender a participative economic model that does not concentrate wealth in a few hands. No doubt many foreign entities will come bearing gifts as we create a modern democracy in Zimbabwe, but we dare not blindly accept them at our expense. We do need foreign investment yes, but it must not once again lead to the de facto re-colonization of Zimbabwe.
In my opinion, capitalism delivers more economic freedom to the advantaged but cannot deliver economic freedom to marginalized Africans. We need new ideas, new leadership and new ways of tackling poverty and the increasingly deteriorating economic condition of most Africans.
Now more the ever, Africans must think anew on how they can create a new society. This cannot be achieved by doing more of the same.
Vince Musewe is an independent economist currently in Harare. You can contact him on [email protected]
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