The danger of imperialism extends beyond the exploitation of Africa’s resources; it also lies in demonizing the victims of this exploitation, as has been the case for centuries in Africa.
Take the example of the Dangote Oil Refinery, a 650,000-bpd behemoth, which is also Africa’s single biggest investment ever by a single individual or group, indigenous or foreign. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), a British government-sponsored media outlet and colonial propaganda mouthpiece, has recently entered the conversation around the challenges faced by Aliko Dangote, the richest Black man in the world.
However, in outlining these challenges, the BBC skillfully avoids criticizing its own country—Britain, a major player in creating the chaotic foundations of Nigeria’s oil industry. At the same time, it shields Britain’s two main oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell, headquartered in London, and British Petroleum, both known beneficiaries of the exploitation and pollution of the Niger Delta. The BBC does not stop there; it also avoids scrutinizing other Western international oil companies like Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and others—referred to by Dangote as “oil mafias.” Suffice it to say that Mr. Dangote doesn’t distinguish between the local and international neocolonial actors, which BBC succeeds at doing.
All blame is conveniently heaped on African governments, while the BBC attempts to chronical Nigeria’s journey with oil from 1956 and acknowledges what it calls “To put it bluntly, the population of this oil-rich nation has been conned on a colossal scale for many years”, it eliminates who has been conning the African people in Nigeria on what it calls a “colossal Scale”.
Let’s be clear: Pan-African intellectuals, from Kwame Nkrumah to Walter Rodney, have long pointed out that imperialism sits at the top of this exploitation pyramid, with the African ruling and middle classes acting as its enablers. Despite this, Western media outlets like the BBC, alongside Western institutions, tirelessly work to obscure this reality and sow confusion among African populations, preventing them from recognizing their true enemy.
The true danger of this veiled imperialism is that, after committing acts of exploitation, the West, through its tools and platforms like the BBC, turns around to blame the victim—the African people.
Two major schools of thought have previously emerged in diagnosing why Africa has been unable to manage its resources and interests for rapid development and industrialization. One school attributes the problem to African corruption, advocating for solutions like presidential term limits—guidelines actively and heavily promoted by Western political elites who regularly interfere on the continent. What these Western elites fail to reveal is that, under the guise of promoting democracy, they have captured Africa’s political space, ensuring it continues to serve their economic interests—just as African elites did during slavery and colonialism.
This has reduced elections to a ceremonial affair, with candidates financed from the same Western pockets, perpetuating the cycle of exploitation. Meanwhile, the African public is subjected to deliberate, constant social engineering and brainwashing by Western institutions, making it increasingly difficult to hold political elites accountable or build independent African institutions free from foreign influence.
The solution, though difficult, begins with confronting and resisting the influence of these Western elites. African revolutionaries must actively seek ways—whether through negotiation, encouragement, or direct confrontation—to remove Western political and business elites from the continent’s political future. Only then can African citizens hold their own elites accountable and drive the continent in the right direction.
Is this an easy task? Certainly not. But as Elon Musk once said, I paraphrase, “If something is important enough, you should try even if the probable outcome is failure, and the chances of succeeding are just 1%.” The chances of success are not low because it cannot be done, but because the obstacles and entrenched interests to be overcome are enormous.
This is a reality well understood by many active African revolutionaries such as those in the African Continental Unity Party (ACUP). While the challenges are many and appreciated, we also know that the task at hand is more important than the challenges, therefore time and effort must be and is being spent on the vision. This is the very reason the ACUP is inviting Africans from all walks of life to participate in this important liberation work, from intellectuals, youth, elders, advisors, professionals etc. There is so much we can do together than to disagree on, in rebuilding the African continent within this generation.
In Africa’s case, this is not just important—it is imperative that the challenge must be tackled in our generation.
Reference:
Kwame Gonza
[email protected]
www.africanacup.org
ACUP-African Continental Unity Party
