President William Ruto on Wednesday, May 17, received a standing ovation during his address at the Pan-African Parliament Summit on Climate Policy and Equity, in South Africa.
In a more than one-hour speech, Ruto wondered why Western nations would invite African leaders to their countries in order to discuss the continent’s problems.
He noted that the West had mistreated African leaders who were taken for granted, yet the continent was a great contributor to the global economy and solutions.
“Why would you call 50 African heads only to give them one minute as part of the engagement?,” Ruto wondered as delegates attending the summit cheered him on.
“If you cannot respect our leaders then that is a sign of lack of goodwill. If we have a smaller group of ten or five people then we can have a meaningful conversation, and we can have a meeting of equals.
The Head of State claimed the humiliations had a profound impact on Africa, leading to widespread instability to implement serious policies without the intervention of the Western powers.
He observed that Western countries have a long history of colonialism and imperialism in Africa. This history created a deep sense of resentment and distrust between African leaders and their Western counterparts.
“The most unfortunate thing is that some of the people who normally invite us for these meetings do tell us that there will be consequences should we fail to turn up.
“They have been inviting us to meetings that have no meaningful outcomes because of blackmail. It is not right,” Ruto asserted amid cheers and a standing ovation.
The Head of State observed that this view is based on a number of stereotypes about Africa, including the belief that Africans are lazy, corrupt, and incapable of governing themselves.
He revealed that Western countries often use their economic and military power to bully African countries into doing what they want. This power imbalance, according to Ruto, makes it difficult for African leaders to stand up for their own interests and to resist Western interference.
It was noted that the humiliation of African leaders by Western countries is a serious problem that has had a devastating impact on Africa.
Ruto noted that it is important to address this problem and to build a more respectful and equitable relationship between Africa and the West.
“I have written to my brothers noting that any engagement must respect the rules of the African continent. Anybody who wants us to take them seriously must first respect our socio-political architecture.
“We do not want to be invited to a confused meeting where we are ineffective and lack the spine to determine the outcome of the engagement.
On Saturday, April 29, 2023, President William Ruto complained about the mistreatment of African presidents during foreign trips.
During the Mo Ibrahim Governance weekend held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Ruto lamented that they were bused like school children at a past ceremony abroad.
He was making reference to an incident on September 20, 2022, when President Ruto, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu and other African leaders rode in a bus to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state burial in the UK.
“It is not intelligent for 54 African Presidents to go and sit before one President from another country for a summit. Sometimes, we are mistreated. We are loaded onto buses like school kids. It is not right,” Ruto told lamented.
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Source-https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
Video/Courtesy: Kenya Digital News
Powerful Speech That Earned Ruto Standing Ovation In South Africa
