(Culled from the Daily Observer of  Thursday 31th January 2001).

Globalisation paradox - by Amat Jawara of Kerr Omar Jawara Village.

There is sense in nonsence. But is there sense in globalisation? The remotest African villager can in their own language express the threat of cosmo-vission, popularly or notoriously known as globalisation. What is the problem? The way it is presented to the so-called Third world seems perfect and redeemable. This radical pluralism of cultures will one day, if not already, put Africa in an abyss of colossal socio-economic and political mess. Africa is in sanctions. Globalisation, according to its mongers is the only avenue for socio-economic and political development. In its name the people are killed, property destroyed, governments toppled and religion neglected.

The word globalisation, as aregistered member of the litany of western fabrication, is conceptualised as a pancea for the wounds of Africa. Therefore everything made in Africa is dubbed as inferior because it has to be accepted by the whole world. In fact, it is a shortcut to say Europe and the US. Like the globe which is one lump of landmass and water, the world would be programmed to follow one course of doing things.

Just like the earth, globalisation rotates on its axis. The axis is the west. It is from there that everything which exists in Africa has derived its inspiration. The values in Africa are suspended, if not buried. It is a problem because Africans believe that they have to grasp the amenities of modernity so they struggle to be part of the :globalised" humanity.

In reality most of these people became besieged by "global" pressures and aggression. This in turn raises uncertainty, destruction and confusion. The villagers struggle to reach the towns to grasp "the good life" promised by globalisation or modernisation. The town people in turn struggle to see the other side of the moon, in short to harvest the "global" promises. It is no wonder most people have become too materially drunk. The flashy cars in the streets and the nude women send some African men into coma. Thus, the struggle to bring Africa things that are culturally menacing. These global phenomena, just like aids, intrude the imune system and destroy it. Africa has thrown away its good system and could not positivel reach the "perfect system" they are promised. This is the identity crisis Africans are faced with.

Africa's communalism has been replaced by individualism of the west. Globalisation penetrates the social fabric of our continent and undermines everything. Africans are made to belive that they have to compete so that they could realise their dreams.

Armed with capitalism, globalisation menaced the good system of communalism which for so long kept Africans culturally and economically stable. The cupidity of Africans today is a direct effect of globalistion. Africa's system of rule was admired by visitor some centuries ago. The empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai were examples of wonderful political and economic creativity of Africans. Today, there are world governments which determine the course of economic and political survival of Africa. External sovereingty has replaced internal sovereingty. Individual countries have to sip the "global meal" or else they are undemocratic. Ghaddafi and his likes are styled miscreants or dictators because they are reluctant to think like western people. Therefore criminals are invented and sold in the world or global market. This is the message of globalisation. But we are only fooled by the cover of things like cars, among others. Because these things seem to be the "good life" we tend to be blinded by the menace of globalisation. As a result, people cannot imagine a world without these things. The issue is not the only visible or tangible things that globalisation presented. The real issue is the threat of globalisation. The miscalculation and humiliation of our values and good life is what people should start to question.

If you have a mobile phone, you seem to be part of "civilised global humanity". You drive an expensive car, and you think you are "smart". Do we ever sit down and think that one day globalisation will give us the technology to make these crafts. With all the rhetoric of globalisation, the west never thinks of "globalising" the manufacturing of these items. We are on the globe but not part of it. We are pushed to the edge and marginalised. Let us tell the truth there is  a need for a rethinking and redirection of Africa's trend of development. Both Aids and globalisation are the greates problems of the 21 st century. You have to know that globalisation entails modernisation, westernisation, etc. There is a big challenge for Africa. Africa has to free itself from the clutches of endemic political and social diseases. While Africa has opened for everything from the West, Africans are denied entry to many parts of the West. While westerners are trumpeting globalisation, they are simultaneously turning away Africans and their creation. In the name of development, Africa has become the receiver of globalised funds. Today our continent is engulfed in 'debtocracy'. Thus, the stooges and sycophants present themselves to the west. They become the representatives of  the global mongers and undermine their own values. war, disease and poverty have been "globalised". In fact, millions of Africans are dying because of poverty which is invented by the "global" economic system. Africa has been lured into a so-called world or "global market" in which they enter as unequal partners. They become the victims. But as victims they believed to be part of the process of development. As people become submerged in the material world, globalisation invents scarcity. They begin to blame their own leaders for failing them. The governments in Africa are usually faced with these problems. No wonder, there emerges countless political parties who think they can cure the global mania.

Everything is not good in everything.

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I apologise for any typos as I had to re-type the above article myself.

Have a good day, Gassa.