Kinoti, George (1994). Hope for Africa and What the Christian can Do

. Nairobi: AISRD (African Institute for Scientific Research and Development). 99 pp.

OVERVIEW

 

(Download Hope for Africa overview as a PDF)

 

For the many around the world who hold little optimism for the continent of Africa, as well as for those who still hope and pray for the continent and its people, Hope for Africa is a most important book. The author of this brilliant little treatise is a professor of Zoology at the University of Nairobi, and he has also schooled himself in the subjects of economics and development. He writes this book in to speak to Africans, particularly Christians, about what can be done to create a better, more prosperous Africa.

 

In his introduction, Konoti describes how certain experiences have led him to analyze and discuss Africa ’s economic situation and challenges, including a confrontation with a group of angry, Marxist-spouting students; a visit to devastated Uganda; and other incidents in the early 1980s. The author states that he has written this book with two aims in mind: First, to share what he has learned because he believes relief will come only through widespread understanding of both the root causes of the problems and steps needed to solve them. Second, he writes “to challenge African Christians to play their part in the search for lasting solutions.”

 

It is a generally agreed upon fact that Africa ’s number one problem is poverty. Konoti provides five reasons for this state of poverty and why “we are so blind to the wretchedness of the African people.” These include:

 

Poverty, hunger, disease (including AIDS) and oppression are so common in Africa that they are accepted as a normal part of life.

1. The majority of people have little or no education.
2. The more educated classes are either so too busy trying to survive economically or too engrossed in their pursuit of power and wealth to care about their own people.
3. Religion (most Africans are religious) enables many to evade reality, with groups such as Christians and Muslims sometimes using their faith as a narcotic.
4.  

1. A false sense of security results from the numerous so-called development activities of foreign governments, foreign nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations.

 

The author’s intention of this book is to challenge serious disciples of Jesus Christ to play their part in all aspects of national life in order to help make Africa a good place for all to live. “We must overcome the disgrace of being the poorest people on earth.”

 

The first chapter challenges Christians to work for peace and prosperity in Africa . Here is the dilemma: “Christianity is growing faster in Africa than on any other continent [yet its people] are rapidly becoming poorer, and the moral and social fabrics of society are disintegrating fast.” The East African revival has done little to stem poverty, violence, or the spread of AIDS. Why? “The main reason is that we in East Africa failed to apply the gospel to the whole of life, limiting it to spiritual life only.” The biblical word shalom, however, speaks of peace and well-being in all aspects of life. “Prosperity includes spiritual, moral, intellectual, social and material well-being.”

 

There follows five reasons why Christians must work for peace and prosperity:

 

1. God wills peace and prosperity for the African people.

 

2. Christians are an integral part of society.

 

3. The human dignity of Africans is important.

 

4. Christians have unique contributions to make.

 

5. Christians ought to obey Christ’s orders to care for the poor and hungry, and ought to be filled with his compassion toward the poor.

 

In Chapter 2, the author further describes Africa ’s crisis. “I think everyone will agree that poverty is the most pressing of all Africa ’s depressing problems. It is at the heart of all the important problems in Africa , be they social, spiritual or moral.” Several manifestations of poverty are described: not having enough to eat; not having an income adequate to meet one’s basic needs or the needs of one’s family; not being able to work or perform because of disease… caused by poverty and leading to poverty; becoming dehumanized and developing a deep inferiority complex; and experiencing injustice (“It is unjust for a man to live in great luxury while his neighbor lives in abject poverty.”).

 

Kinoti places these five manifestations in the context of the powerful biblical story of the rich man and beggar Lazarus. He goes on to give several reasons why the African economy is in such bad shape. This section is critical to understanding the issue.

 

First, rapidly declining commodity prices, increasing prices of imports and dependence on a small number of primary products meant a sharp fall in the terms of trade in the 1980s…. The basic reason for the poor terms of trade is that African economies are controlled by the West.

Second, a rapidly growing population doubling every 20 years in contrast to every 40 years globally has lead to crisis management and reduced resources for investment.

Third, low and quickly declining profits have discouraged investment.

Fourth, poorly developed factors of production—as economists call land, labor and capital—contribute to the poor economic performance.

Fifth, in many African countries, bad governance by civilian or military regimes has led to political instability or civil war, leading to the collapse of the economy. Public institutions are used to profit the rulers and elites. Corruption is wide- spread and debilitating.


Finally, there is a host of socio-cultural problems. They include: a poor work ethic, inability to adapt modern technology and management concepts, lack of incentives for creativity and entrepreneurship, economically crippling extended family responsibilities, preference for imported goods, and a natural tendency to think small, whether at the individual or national level.

Never willing to let his fellow African’s off the hook of responsibility, Kinoti clearly sees the effects of colonialism and its continuing effect on African economies. “It is clear that a fundamental weakness of the African economies is that they are still based on the principle of unequal exchange which was developed and applied by Africa ’s colonial masters. Africa supplies raw materials to the West and buys manufactured goods and services from the West at prices and on trade terms dictated by the West. As a result, the economies are overdependent on the West.” The role of SAPs, World Bank

, IMF and WTO are made clear and the role of Africa’s crippling debts.

Foreign advisors have often treated African countries as guinea pigs leading to the implementation of untested schemes. Kinoti goes on to say that “politics and the economy are inseparable.” At independence many countries adopted democratic forms of government which were soon replaced by one-man rule. The author quotes scholars who see a continuation of Western power in a form of neo-colonialism. “Attempts at political and economic cooperation at the continental level largely failed... The OAU is utterly helpless in the face of external political and economic interests that have become increasingly entrenched in Africa since independence… As a result of gross economic and political mismanagement on the part of African leaders, Africa has largely lost whatever measure of freedom she gained at independence.”

 

Chapter 3 continues the analysis of Africa ’s bad governance and the economic control exerted over Africa by the North and West. The strengths of African culture are noted along with the way African attitudes toward time, fatalism and tolerance of evil are working against the solutions. He also looks into issues of management, education, morality, science and technology, population and the environment.

 

Chapter 4 of this book asks, “Where do we begin?” Kinoti’s answer is:

African people, and more particularly African Christians, must act to change Africa ’s condition. They must act to replace human degradation with human dignity, poverty and hunger with prosperity, disease with health, oppression with freedom, injustice with justice, conflict with peace.

 

Africans must first “get the vision of a peaceful and prosperous Africa... Do we really believe that Africa can ever do without foreign aid? Can we ever become self-reliant?” What God has done for the Jews and others in history, methods of development in India and China and parts of Africa must all be taken as models. Africans must then “take charge of Africa.”

 

We live in a white man’s world, a world designed and controlled by him for his own comfort and ego... The world economy is totally dominated by the West. This domination enriches the West and impoverishes Africa.

 

White, Western NGOs should only continue if they work in consultation with African academics and professionals—a situation not always the case today. “One of the great weaknesses of the African people is that they are very disorganized.” African governments must become “governments of the people, for the people and by the people” asking and expecting cooperation from all their citizens. Christians must understand the nature and purpose of government—that is that “government is both a divine and human institution.”

The last chapter challenges and instructs Christians who have often avoided politics, whether for valid and invalid reasons. He challenges the African church to strengthen itself, “to think for itself and do things for herself.” To highlight this point, Kinoti gives three examples of strong Western Christian leaders (John Stott, Billy Graham, and J.I. Packard

) whose ideas on certain issues have been heard throughout the world despite missing important African or Third World needs and perspectives.

 

Readers may find the final chapter somewhat weaker than the brilliant analyses of earlier chapters. The conclusion focuses on the potential of the large and dynamic African church. Its provocative challenges urge consideration by all who live and work in Africa .

 

The challenge of all this to Africans, and especially Christian Africans, is to get organized. To do so Africans must have confidence in themselves, must remember how well they were organized “under kings, chiefs or elders” before the Europeans came. Unfortunately, most African leaders after independence continued a “divide and rule” strategy for their own benefit. Now, Africans, must remember their original heritage and regain a new vision of a peaceful and prosperous Africa . Kinoti urges Africans to “really believe that Africa can do without foreign aid.”

 

This book gives an important perspective into not only some of the root causes and attitudes that are continuing the legacy of poverty in Africa but also what Africans, especially African Christians, can do to make a true difference in Africa. 

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

 

1. What most impresses you about George Kinoti and his book? With what do you agree, what would you add, and how might you disagree?

 

2. In particular, do you think he balances responsibility between African nations themselves and European/American influence?

 

3. Do you think he expects too much of Africans generally and African Christians today? Is Kinoti’s challenge realistic?  

 

4. What trends and specific in Kenya and the rest of Africa since Kinoti wrote this book in the early 1990s give us hope or limit optimism?

 

5. Finally, what is your current assessment and hope for Africa —your analysis and your suggested strategies?

 

IMPLICATIONS

 

1. World issues today are not going to be solved by military might or by massive grants of aid—for reasons clearly explained in this book. Too many world rulers, looking at the world through Western lenses and experiences separated from the poor (both people and societies) do not always see that problems can only be solved on a level playing field where all learn from others.  

 

2. For those despairing of hope for Africa and other areas lagging in world development, for the cynical and the apathetic, this book is worthy of study.

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• There are attitudes and concrete actions that Africans are called to in this book which have the potential to create impressive change on the continent. Christians are called to act and be engaged.

Dean Borgman c. CYS