When Dining with the Devil

The land of endless resources, undebatable potential, and a rather unfortunate history of being treated like a buffet where everyone else comes to eat.

We’ve got minerals, we’ve got culture, we’ve got talent — and yet, when we turn to see who’s really profiting, it’s often not us. We’ve been sitting at this dinner table with the West on one side and China on the other, each of them bringing a fork and knife, and us… with the table napkin around our neck.

Let’s not mince words, we’ve been getting the short end of the stick here. Or perhaps the wrong end of a very long spoon.

Think about it. We’re acting like grass. Every time one of these global powers shows up, they bring a fancy package, “Development,” “Investment,” or that all-time classic, “Foreign Aid.” But there’s always fine print, and that fine print almost always reads,

‘Your resources are ours now.’

Thomas Sankara called this out years ago, saying that relying on foreign aid wasn’t just unsustainable — it was downright dangerous for Africa’s independence. He put it bluntly, like the fiery revolutionary he was:

“He who feeds you, controls you.” And boy, have we been fed.

It’s no secret, Africa’s been set up as the go-to place for cheap resources and cheaper labor.

Need cobalt for your smartphone battery? Why, there’s Congo. Want a piece of fertile land? How about Ethiopia? Meanwhile, who’s getting rich here?

We’re green, we’re grass. And therefore the gods will eat.

China rolls out the red carpet with these flashy infrastructure projects, sure, but take a closer look. Those “new roads” are just pipelines to ship resources out faster.

And the West? They have this lovely habit of coming in to “help” our economies, with their corporate claws firmly in place.

But let’s not kid ourselves; they aren’t doing it for our benefit.

Africa’s just the best spot to grab what they need without a hitch. If it’s minerals, agriculture, labor — whatever it is, we’re the stockroom they pop into whenever supplies get low. And let’s be just; it’s time we stop playing the role of cheerful host, handing over the keys to our future for a polite “thank you” and a pat on the back.

Even Gandhi, who had his critiques about Africa’s trajectory, once said that true freedom isn’t served on a silver platter. And Africa has taken enough scraps off the table to know that silver platters usually come with shackles.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI got this, and he’s been steadily pushing for economic self-reliance, independence, and regional unity.

He’s saying,

‘We’ve got to start dining at our own tables, where we set the menu, the guest list, and who gets the leftovers.’

The King has been advocating for self-sufficiency, which is exactly what African nations need. It’s no longer enough to work with these global powers; we’ve got to learn how to work without them constantly calling the shots.

Now, we don’t need to cut ourselves off entirely. We don’t want isolation.

France updates the Moroccan Map

But if Africa can unite — build our own trade networks, share our own resources wisely, and secure our own tech infrastructure — we can sit at that global table as equals.

China wants a deal? Fine, but it’s a deal, not a donation. The West wants to invest? Perfect, but it’s on our terms.

Instead of waiting around for aid with strings attached, let’s think bigger.

Let’s build a platform where African nations can negotiate from a position of strength, backed by alliances and solidarity, so the days of “Thank you for your charity, now please don’t rob us blind” are over.

“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” — African proverb

Let’s stop trying to dine with the devil and start hosting our own damn feast.

And trust me, we’re about to bring a long spoon.