In as much as the slave trade is relevant to the wider dynamics of the evolution of the African reality, it is not the reason for Africa to be cursed, if ever it was. By the time the decolonization of Africa was taking place, Africans who led the struggle for independence were intellectually prepared to take the challenges of nationhood, but sacrifice the desire for the common good for their own selfish interest and machinations. Those who were raised from the bowels of poverty, acquired the best education in western institutions and return to Africa to lead the struggle for independence and emancipation, instead of helping in the greater framework of building an African unity, of building that Pan-Africanist agenda extol by the likes of Ghana's Nkrumah, they regressed in the colonial legacy of subjugation and domination of their own peoples; basked in the colonial designs of grandiose, pomp and pageantry that has contributed a lot to create the decadence that has since then been the norm which is our curse. To maintain their citadel of power, African leaders promoted tribalism, nepotism and all the other ism's and their attendant retrogression of corruption, inefficiency, misplaced priorities, embezzlement of public funds and defrauding of their national coffers to the point of national bankruptcy. The legacy of wars, disease and ingrained poverty is much an attribute of the failure of leadership in the post colonial African era. If African leaders have lived up to their expectations, have fulfilled the needs and aspirations of their people; have harnessed the abundant resources within the continent to build the infrastructure that would have eased poverty and eliminate disease, create political structures that does not worship or glorify people in power and make change of government, as feasible as possible then the legacy of slavery, in as much as it was brutal and painful, would have much been compensated for in the quality of life that would have been the post colonial African era. Rene ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~