WHY I AM A SOCIALIST

Socialism is a system that encompasses everyone and if I were a ruler or some sort of a president governing a nation, I would ensure that as a leader, I embrace the ideology of socialism. I believe it takes too many a task to ensure that you have a government that caters for the need of each and every individual. Of course some people have to complain, irrespective of how good the government is. But come to think about this, having a socialist kind of government that cuts across all social classes and caters for the need of everybody. Well, in my viewpoint, if someone has to complain, I believe someone will, then it will be a very minor issue given that the complainant can access over 50% resources that he/she needs.

I have never believed in capitalism. It may work for some people but I believe that if capitalism works for you then you are a greedy individual. Most African countries have capitalism as their system of governance. Someone may be of the opinion that it works for them but in my opinion, it kills the whole system. A majority of African citizens, by demography are poor. And Africa is the richest continent in terms of natural resources. I don’t have a vivid or in-depth understanding of mining, but from my simple understanding of mineral distribution in Kenya only, I am for the opinion of that Africa still remains to be the richest continent on earth.

We have been exploited, our resources misused and also used to develop Europe and America. If you look back in History, during the times of trans-Atlantic trade, many Africans were taken into slavery by the white people to go and work in American fields. During the European invasion of Africa, our black Nation was colonized and our recourses were taken to Europe to go and develop Europe. The Omani Arabs too used to indulge in trade along the east African coast as they captured Africans along the coast of Zanzibar who were taken into slavery by the Arab people.

This is why I believe that Africa stands out to be the richest continent on earth as people from other continents came to Africa to exploit our resources. Since they met a lot of resistance, they were not able to take up everything, being that our resources are endless. The current problem with Africa is our leaders and the system of governance, bringing me back to my viewpoint on socialism and why I am a socialist.  

Socialism, by definition is a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. This is the very reason why socialism should be embraced by African leaders. There is no reason for the government to advocate for the distribution of resources based on the sole trust of certain individuals that will ensure that the channel of distribution of such resources is short-changed. Corruption works in a capitalist state, but never in a socialist state. Most African countries have corruption as a major enemy to their progress and development.

It is ironical that Africans travel abroad not as tourists but as job seekers trying to make out a living while in real sense, they are developing those nations. On the contrary, Europeans and other white people come to Africa as tourists. Our governments cannot see any problem with that. Resources are trusted in the hands of few individuals who instead of distributing such resources to the very people who need it, oftenly distribute these resources in their ‘stomachs’. This stalls the development of some of these African countries, and that is a government by capitalism. If our country’s resources were entrusted with our citizens and the means of production was equally distributed, then perhaps most of our citizens would be employed and that we will be travelling abroad as tourists and come back home.

In my country alone, ever since the last election way back in the year 2013, logically nothing has transpired, save for billions of shillings that were unaccounted for. What worries most is that, some people have no problem with that, which brings me to the second problem Africa is facing as a capitalists continent, Ignorance, but that is a topic for another day. Ignorance comes as a result of few people accessing education due to Africa’s first problem, corruption. The moment someone is ignorant, they cannot see that the government is messing their lives and to add salt to the wound, their future and that of their children.

There is an all-time cliché that says, ‘God cannot give you everything’ which of course is true. God gave Africa almost everything the world needs, the only thing he never gave us is good leadership, and that is what Africa needs the most. Our leaders, to say the truth are rotten to the core. They are corrupt, manipulative and tyrant in a negative deviation. Most of them have acquired wealth through corrupt means and invested in some of the wealthiest western nations. They rarely care about the lives of their citizens that they govern. All they ever care is about themselves and their families. The deteriorating condition of the African economy is something they never mind neither care about. That is how capitalism works.

None of the African citizens would be complaining if jobs were created and they are in a position to acquire most basic needs. Personally, if we as citizens were capable of taking our children to school and able to afford basic needs as well as enjoy part of the national cake, I wouldn’t have a problem with the president owning a real estate abroad nor renting a room in white house. What hurts Africa the most is the accepted effect of capitalism that marginalizes the citizens into two social classes, the rich and the poor. It’s very sad that ethnicity makes this gap grow day by day, as some people would rather have their person in parliament doing nothing rather than have a different individual out rightly working and developing the nation.

For as long as capitalism exists, personally am against it. It may work for certain countries but in Africa, ever since independence, it has failed. Africa is labelled poor or third world because capitalism has totally failed to take effect and transform some of these African Nations. I am a socialist and will die with my beliefs as a socialist.