Aug 4, 2011

"Africa cannot develop without European influence"

I attended another school debate; the topic was, as you may have guessed, "Africa cannot develop without European influence." I pretended I took notes to better score the participants.

For:
  • a girl chewing gum and a cow chewing cud; I see the intelligence of the cow
  • Europeans brought Christianity, built roofs, and they gave us what they call colonialism
  • similarity of products: Gambia produces groundnuts, Senegal produces groundnuts; without Europe there would be no one to sell these products to
  • Europeans taught us how to prevent back injuries when lifting heavy objects
  •  Europeans brought tiles for the auditorium floor
  • how many youths are dying in Libya today?
  • we don’t have the materials but we know how to construct
  •  the books and the clothes you are wearing, you feel proud that you are wearing European clothes “Made in America” or “Made in Europe;” if you see “Made in Senegal” you will not want to wear that
  • some medicines we are using they import them so that we can cure ourselves
  • supplies of electricity
  • must depend on Europe for processing our materials
  • who here would like to drink their tea without putting in sugar?
  • mobiles
  • Europeans discovered transport that makes travel very easy
  • Africans depend on Europeans to manufacture and distribute the materials
  • Mr. Chairman, I want to ask a question: “Why are we here?” I think it is to recite knowledge. Europeans brought this.
  • have you ever heard of an African going to Europe to supervise their elections? Many African countries need Europe for transparent elections
  • Europe is a backboard to Africa. Can anything stand without a backboard? We cannot stand without European support
  • Africa in those days of the Europeans, many died of diseases which they know nothing about
  • Africans knew nothing about agriculture; it was only hunting and gathering
  • most outstanding development is in the field of education
  • "Are we speaking local language?" [Audience response: “NO.”]

Against:
  • will a good citizen of Africa wait for people from another country to develop them?
  • today is more favorable than yesterday
  • Libya was one of the riches countries but since Europeans entered what happened? [Audience response: “They destroyed everything!”]
  • the Europeans who came here did not give Africans a chance to develop themselves
  • our religion—it is fifty percent worse since the Europeans came
  • destruction of many African countries
  • Gambians enjoying more now than before when the Europeans were here
  • anyone who is civilized is acting like a European
  • most countries were colonized by Europea, it could be said that they brought civilization. "Example: America-- is it not more developed than any other country in the world? By developed I mean science and technology." [Audience response: “Yes!”]
  • People can bear me witness, before in our culture the tradition was respect. Is Africa developing or un-developing? Boys are putting in earrings, girls are putting on trousers...
  • Africa is one of the richest countries in the world
  • blessed with natural resources that we are transferring them into finished products, even a blind person can say that Africa can be developed without European influence
  •  Europeans are playing a game with us
  •  now we are educated can develop without European influence
  • Europeans put together groups of different ethnic groups, traditions and religions, caused a lot of problems, just look at Somalia
  • brain drain is one of the biggest problems, Europe is taking African intellectuals; Europe is a killer parasite, they are ecto-parasites

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