ARE AFRICAN COUNTRIES THIRD WORLD OR JUST YOUNG NATIONS?

The Soccer War

Pg. 120- 148

W.eSeptember 10, 2007

8:20

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DAHOMEY:

INDENT How can I government fall apart because it cannot agree on a judge position? How is it possible that the Vice-president and the President disagree so much that they are willing to throw the whole country into chaos? Is that a worthwhile cause for a Civil War? Is it enough reason to divide families, kill neighbors, and bury loved ones? These actions are completely uncivilized for any nation that has had political stability or independence for more than 50 years.

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INDENT However, this example clealy reflects the situation lived across Africa at the time. After freeing themselves from colonial rule, the African people had no experience in ruling themselves, enforcing their own laws, or organizing their countries. The mother countries had always been in charge in decision making; they had been the leaders while the colonies were the mere followers. You can't just throw a child who doesn't know how to swim into the water; he'll drown! These are young nations learning to govern themselves by trial and error. No one is perfect; no other nation has gotten it right the first time around.

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INDENT Inexperienced rulers, full of ambitions, put their pride before the country's well being. Their goals are so high that they are blinded by the hope they have for the country's success. They are now free to rule how THEY want, sometimes forgetting about the other members of the countries. With power now in their hands and newly acquired freedom it's just too much to handle all at once. They don't know how to use one; how can they be expected to use two new acquisitions at the same time? The African people have always fought to survive (the colonialist circumstances barely let them live), and now, even though they have power in their hands, they don't know any other way to live.

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INDENT The United States could have been considered a third world country after it broke away from England, I mean civil war, political turmoil, and economical instability followed, right? But look at it now, a heavy weight world power. Just because a country is slower at developing or it started the process late, doesn't mean that they are worth less than any other stable nation in the world. Some nations have been priviledged with a speedier process or an earlier start. Think about it as an obstacle course race, who will win? Different players might be better at the different tasks, yet all will eventually reach the finish line.

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INDENT Eventually, after much turmoil (we're talking a couple of decades, maybe even centuries), some homogenity will be reached and common goals will be set for the nation as a whole. People will begin to share interests and necessities which will allow for better and more efficient governing.

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COMMENTARY ON KAPUSCINSKI'S "PLAN OF THE NEVER-WRITTEN BOOK THAT COULD BE, ETC.":

INDENT This section of the book is a breather for the usually somber and bloody accounts of the revolutions taking place. Kapuscinski shows himself as a human being, not as the reporter that reports news as facts; the reader gets to see his opinions and point of view pertaining to his adventures. Just as well, in this section, Kapuscinski gives himself a break. It's as if he needs to rest and examine his state of mind a little.

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INDENT He talks about "depression" in depth, maybe questioning whether he is suffering it at the moment. Is he questioning his existence and his reporter status? Here, it is obvious that his adventures in Africa weren't just a job anymore; they had become part of his life, the moving force behind it. "I did not regard my stay in Africa as merely a job...Africa had been for me liberation (144)." He was so used to all the chaos he had witnessed in the last couple of years that he wasn't used to his desk job anymore. " So even if the desk my editor had placed me behind had an inlaid mother-of-pearl top, I had to get out (147)." He feels empty without Africa and the chaos it's living.

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Literary Circles

Vocabulary:

abased

napalmed

prince-nez

parricide

demagogy

manioc