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George Ayittey of American University discusses African development with Anchor, Bill Moyers.
Watch the video
or read the transcript.
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How does prosperous Botswana secure its borders and accommodate the influx of tens of thousands fleeing hunger, unemployment, and political repression in neighboring Zimbabwe?
Read this week's briefing (below) and learn about Africa's complex political history.
"Strengthening African Leadership"
By Robert I. Rotberg
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Africa has long been saddled with poor, even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military-installed autocrats, economic illiterates, and puffed-up posturers. By far the most egregious examples come from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe -- countries that have been run into the ground despite their abundant natural resources. But these cases are by no means unrepresentative: by some measures, 90 percent of sub-Saharan African nations have experienced despotic rule in the last three decades. Such leaders use power as an end in itself, rather than for the public good; they are indifferent to the progress of their citizens (although anxious to receive their adulation); they are unswayed by reason and employ poisonous social or racial ideologies; and they are hypocrites, always shifting blame for their countries' distress.
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| 1830s |
Ndebele people flee South Africa and move north into an area that becomes known as Matebeleland (present-day Zimbabwe) where the Shona people have already been living for centuries.
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| 1867 |
European gold prospectors arrive in Botswana and mining begins.
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| 1885 |
The British proclaim a protectorate over Botswana and call it Bechuanaland.
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| 1889 |
Explorer Cecil John Rhodes of the British South Africa Company colonizes what becomes Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).
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| 1890 |
A pioneer ground of white settlers arrives in the area that will become Harare -- the future capital city of Zimbabwe.
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Under the stewardship of these leaders, infrastructure in many African countries has fallen into disrepair, currencies have depreciated, and real prices have inflated dramatically, while job availability, health care, education standards, and life expectancy have declined. Ordinary life has become beleaguered: general security has deteriorated, crime and corruption have increased, much-needed public funds have flowed into hidden bank accounts, and officially sanctioned ethnic discrimination -- sometimes resulting in civil war -- has become prevalent.
This depressing picture is brought into even sharper relief by the few but striking examples of effective African leadership in recent decades. These leaders stand out because of their strength of character, their adherence to the principles of participatory democracy, and their ability to overcome deep-rooted challenges. The government of Mozambique, for example, brought about economic growth rates of more than 10 percent between 1996 and 2003, following the economic catastrophe wrought by that country's civil war (which ended in 1992). And in Kenya, President Mwai Kibaki has strengthened civil society, invested in education, and removed barriers to economic entrepreneurship instated during the repressive rule of Daniel arap Moi.
The best example of good leadership in Africa is Botswana. Long before diamonds were discovered there, this former desert protectorate, which was neglected by the British under colonialism, demonstrated a knack for participatory democracy, integrity, tolerance, entrepreneurship, and the rule of law. The country has remained democratic in spirit as well as form continuously since its independence in 1966 -- an unmatched record in Africa. It has also defended human rights, encouraged civil liberties, and actively promoted its citizens' social and economic development.
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Inside This Episode
Find out about other fascinating borders from around the world in the Interactive Map.
Take a peek inside some of the different nations that make up the continent of Africa in the Photo Essay.
Read a firsthand account by Peter Hutchens and Ryan Hill of their experiences in Botswana in the Filmmaker Notes.
Zimbabwean women and infants at the Centre for Illegal Immigration in Botswana.
Photo by: Peter Hutchens/Still Life Projects.
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Learn about the history of Rwanda and the genocide that killed 800,000 men, women, and children. Discuss the issue!
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