BOOK REVIEW | Masterful reflection on Africa’s past, present and future

The book’s historical review spans seven of its 11 chapters, offering readers an insightful answer to the metaphorical question, “How did we get here?” Nkuhlu’s balanced account debunks myths about Africa’s past, celebrating achievements while acknowledging the challenges that have hindered progress.

He traces the continent’s history from thriving precolonial kingdoms to the devastating effect of colonialism, providing a comprehensive context for understanding present-day struggles.

Nkuhlu emphasises the significance of Africa’s ancient kingdoms, which thrived due to effective systems of governance and international trade.

Central to their success was the philosophy of ubuntu – a uniquely African gift to the world –which prioritised communal welfare over individual interests. He credits visionary leadership for the prosperity of these kingdoms and laments the loss of this leadership ethos in the postcolonial era.

Nkuhlu provides a detailed analysis of how colonial powers exploited Africa’s resources to fuel their own scientific and industrial revolutions.

He argues that the riches extracted from Africa, coupled with advanced artillery, enabled Western countries to dominate the global stage and subjugate other nations.

The 1884-85 Berlin Conference, which formalised colonial rule in Africa, marked a turning point in the continent’s history, entrenching exploitive systems that persist to this day.

The first postcolonial African leaders in the late 1950s and early 1960s were visionary nationalists and scholars of great integrity.

However, despite their efforts, they were unable to significantly improve the material conditions of their people.

Nkuhlu attributes this to the entrenched colonial institutions that continued to hinder post-independence progress .

By the late 1980s, many African countries faced economic collapse, leading to widespread revolts and calls for change and transformation.

Nkuhlu writes with great admiration about the African renewal programme spearheaded by the AU. SA’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, and president Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, visibly and actively led the renewal agenda in the early 2000s, famously known as the African renaissance.

Nepad was subsequently established to provide a focused institutional home for the agenda, which was anchored on accountability and self-reliance among African leaders. However, Nkuhlu laments that the gains achieved during this period were not sustained after the departure of these visionary leaders from office.

I believe that the lack of a leadership succession philosophy and plan contributed to the situation. However, Nkuhlu does not provide an in-depth discussion on leadership succession, a topic that would have added significant value to the book.

Insights on succession planning would be particularly beneficial to readers, as the challenges of leadership transitions are evident across various social structures, including large, well-established businesses.

He argues that for renewal initiatives to have a lasting effect, leaders must prioritise national development before pursuing continent-wide ambitions.

He also warns against the current trend of African leaders working in isolation, which leaves the continent vulnerable to external influence from the West, Russia, and China.

Nkuhlu, therefore, advocates for deeper regional co-operation to protect nations from undue external influence and to attain sustained transformation.