President Yoweri Museveni on Monday launched a scorning attack against Africa and its leaders noting how they are never prepared.
Speaking as President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted a a breakfast meeting to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade at the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Museveni indicated that despite clear warning signs on future happenings, the continent is never proactive.
Addressing how slave trade unfolded, Museveni stated, "The African leaders of the time cannot go minus blame. It was clear a strong external force was coming, what were they doing to counter it?"
"In Swahili, there is a word "Kulala" (sleeping). Africa was asleep by 1400. In 1460, the Portuguese had arrived in Sierra Leone. On Christmas Day of 1497, Vasco Da Gama was at the Southern Africa Cape, which they named Natal.
"He later passed Mombasa before getting to India in 1498. This voyage opened up Africa, leading to slave trade and colonialism.
Taking Uganda as an example, Museveni noted that the first white man came to the country in 1862.
"This was 364 years after Vasco Da Gama had made the voyage past Africa. And yet they found us still unprepared, conquering us with ease," the Ugandan President remarked.
Museveni noted that Africa's problems have always been endogenous though outsiders have always taken advantage of the internal weaknesses to dominate the continent and its people.
"The big question then, for us contemporary leaders, is what have we done since independence to make Africa stronger and ready to counter any exogenous threats or shall we be caught napping like those tribal leaders of old?" he posed to the African leaders gathered during breakfast at the Capital of Ethiopia.
Museveni has been a strong advocate of Pan-Africanism and the socio-economic transformation agenda of the African continent.
President Uhuru equally asserted his position on the ideologies of unity and patriotism to the African continent.
"I am a Pan Africanist who believes that African people have a common cultural heritage and historical experience that we must understand if we are to have a clearer sight of our desired destination.
"We who are alive today are the ancestors of those yet to be born. We need therefore to think like ancestors so that we can shape a bright future for our descendants," Uhuru added.
He further indicated that the conversation began during the 32nd AU Summit will lead to production of a new framework for engagement, that brings together Africa and its descendants in the Americas and across the globe, for the sake of inspiration, investment, collaboration and cooperation.
