Rant*
According to Sudan’s older generation, the Colonizers left
Sudan three gifts .Aljezira farming scheme, the civil service and University of
Khartoum.
In their infinite wisdom, kindness and generosity of spirit,
these three legacies would see Sudan through anything {if only the ungrateful
Sudanese would take good care of them}.
Before reading on I would like to state that I believe that
this is pure bishop.
Cynical asshole that I am, I believe a good deal of Sudan’s
problems can be traced to these poisoned gifts.
Aljezira farming scheme { http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gezira_Scheme},
was essentially designed to supply cheap cotton to the British textile Industry.
As the empire crumbled and Sudan found its independence, the mills of Lancashire fell silent and Cotton prices dropped.
Farmers in the scheme felt they wanted to decide what to actually grow {gasp}
and sell and not follow the dictates of the farming board. Subsequent mismanagement
and division of plots and irrigation rights by inheritance left the scheme in its
current state of ruin {as well as a ready scapegoat for all of Sudan’s
agricultural shortcomings and a powerful example of Sudanese fucking up a good
thing when left to their own devices.}
The Civil service
was a sprawling affair designed to help keep control of colonized Sudan{for our
benefit of course}.After the Angels left Sudan this morphed into a creaking
groaning machine that made its business{archaic bureaucracy} into an art form .Long
lines ,inexplicable fees, underpaid civil servants were part of a system which
continues to plague Sudan until this day.
The University of
Khartoum was Sudan’s first University and the factory which churned out its
elite doctors, lawyers, literati and administrators. As only the crème de la crème
were accepted [to be fair it was merit based, although your parents had to
believe enough in education to sacrifice the money you would otherwise earn working instead of studying}, students were
housed ,fed and given generous bursaries .My own parents are proud graduates.
These enlightened torch bearers are the cause for the current mess we are in.
So yeah, I kind
of wish someone had shot that particular horse in the head and buried it with
the gifts.
*Rant inspired by
a visit to the city council and overhearing several conversations over three
long hours in line.
