African Legacy: Solutions for a Community in Crisis

Lugan, a professor of African history at Lyon University and the French Institute of Defense Studies, boldly claims to have the solution for an African continent ravaged by famine, economic disaster and civil war. Many will find his analysis of how Africa arrived at its current tragic situation controversial. Rejecting what he calls""the victimization paradigm,"" which says colonial exploitation and the slave trade brought Africa to its knees, Lugan believes a correct interpretation of history is necessary for Africans to""build a future on a more solid foundation."" He thus rejects solutions based on Western guilt, proposing instead the redrawing of national frontiers in accordance with ethnic groupings and the continent's cultural roots; a democracy more rooted in those native groupings rather than on Western""one man, one vote"" systems; and in general he recommends that Africa shed its Western acculturation--religious, linguistic, etc.--and become""its true self."" Lugar offers too brief a discussion of his steps toward a solution, but his unorthodox analysis is sure to provoke controversy.