Modern day ‘Animal Farm’ that is African leadership

Charles Onyango In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the two main characters, Napoleon and Squealer, ostracised Napoleon’s partner Snowball and drove him from the farm by making false allegation of indecency and economic sabotage against him. The duo then proceeded to consolidate their power and enrich themselves; looting, raping and imposing an unbearable tyranny over the rest of the animal kingdom. This tragic Orwellian characterisation of his times may be a work of fiction which could easily have been written by William Shakespeare six centuries earlier or crafted into a tragic theatre play by Sophocles 23 centuries ago, but the substance of the story is predictably relevant in modern times. If the harrowing rancor that bedeviled the relationship between the governing Napoleon and Squealer duo and the governed kingdom animals spells the genius of Orwell, perhaps it is worth adding the gift of clairvoyance to his deserved collection of accomplishments and accolades. Animal Farm captures the human features that spell out the moral bankruptcy characteristic of the Machiavellian school of thought; the acquisition and retention of absolute power, wealth and privilege at any cost, which is symptomatic of dictatorships throughout history. One would think Animal Farm was written with today’s rulers in mind. In Africa, leaders manipulate circumstances—including even public health—to serve their individual interests. In 2007, for instance, Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh attempted to use mysticism and mystification of himself, and made a public declaration that left the scientific world and prestigious medical research institutions around the globe gasping with dizzying incredulity. Jammeh’s miracle “cure for terminal diseases” was a cocktail of herbal medicine and spiritual healing techniques, which only “worked” on Thursdays and Mondays. And while the effects of his herbal “HIV cures” on the vulnerable and desperately sick are yet to be known, Jammeh succeeded in giving the Gambian people false hopes. Regrettably, this “herbal promise” did not end with Jammeh unclenching his fist. It lives in Madagascar, where Andry Rajoelina has reportedly “invented” and is promoting an unproven treatment for Covid-19. The remedy, according to his office, works by “strengthening the body’s immune system”. These may explain why Africa has a failing healthcare system. Majority of leaders are only driven by the lure of climbing the power pyramid, the desire to stay in power longer, and the political maneuvering for the concentration of power. When threatened by an invisible enemy, they resort to “easy answers” to sanitise their failures. The current crisis has exposed incompetent leaders who are often attuned to foreign adventures and military campaigns for self-aggrandizement at the expense of building institutions in their countries. We are yet to see it all in a continent where roadshow lies and clichés are tolerated as public health policies. —charlesdarwin040@gmail.com

Modern day ‘Animal Farm’ that is African leadership

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Modern day ‘Animal Farm’ that is African leadership

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