THE GLOBAL SOUTH WAS NOT BORN POOR… SO STOP LYING ABOUT WHY IT IS STRUGGLING.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH WAS NOT BORN POOR… SO STOP LYING ABOUT WHY IT IS STRUGGLING.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH WAS NOT BORN POOR… SO STOP LYING ABOUT WHY IT IS STRUGGLING.

I’m about to say something that will offend colonialism apologists, African politicians, Western governments, and even some people in the Global South.

GOOD.

Because maybe we have been too polite about a history that destroyed millions of lives and still shapes the world today.

Let’s start with the biggest lie.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH WAS NEVER POOR.

Read that again.

They didn’t cross oceans to colonize Africa because Africa was poor.

They didn’t sail across the world to control Asia because Asia had nothing.

They didn’t conquer Latin America because the land was worthless.

THEY CAME BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING WORTH TAKING.

Gold.

Land.

Rubber.

Oil.

Diamonds.

Copper.

Human labor.

Strategic trade routes.

And yes—sometimes entire human beings were treated as commodities.

So please explain this to me:

HOW DOES THE WORLD TAKE WEALTH FROM YOU FOR CENTURIES… THEN TURN AROUND AND ASK WHY YOU ARE NOT RICH?

That is like robbing someone for 200 years, taking their house, emptying their bank account, destroying their business—

Then coming back and saying:

“Why haven’t you become successful?”

And some people still call that history.

No.

That was a system.

A system that moved wealth.

From colonies to empires.

From producers to industrial powers.

From the Global South to the Global North.

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But WAIT.

Before some of you start typing:

“Everything is Europe’s fault!”

Sit down.

Because now we need to talk about another uncomfortable truth.

THE COLONIZERS LEFT, AND SOME OF OUR OWN PEOPLE LEARNED TO DO THE SAME THING TO US.

Yes.

I said it.

How long are we going to blame colonialism for politicians stealing money meant for hospitals?

How long are we going to blame Britain, France, Portugal, Belgium, or any other former colonial power for a president buying private jets while children learn in collapsing classrooms?

Did colonialism tell politicians to steal election money?

Did colonialism force leaders to keep billions of dollars overseas?

Did colonialism force African politicians to weaponize ethnicity and religion just to win elections?

NO.

Let’s stop lying to ourselves.

Colonialism built many of the foundations of inequality.

But some of our own leaders became professional architects of its continuation.

They didn’t break the system.

THEY LEARNED HOW TO PROFIT FROM IT.

The foreign company gets the contract.

The politician gets the commission.

The elite sends their children abroad.

The poor are told:

“Be patient. Development is coming.”

DEVELOPMENT?

COMING FROM WHERE?

It’s been “coming” for decades!

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And now let’s make this even more uncomfortable.

The Western world loves telling Africa and other Global South countries:

“Fight corruption.”

Fair enough.

But here’s my question:

WHERE DOES THE STOLEN MONEY GO?

If corrupt leaders steal billions from their people, they usually don’t hide it under their mattresses.

The money often enters international financial systems.

It buys foreign properties.

It enters foreign banks.

It funds businesses abroad.

So let me ask again:

CAN YOU REALLY CLAIM TO FIGHT CORRUPTION WHILE PROFITING FROM THE MONEY THAT CORRUPTION PRODUCES?

That’s not just Africa’s problem.

That’s a GLOBAL system.

And everyone sitting inside that system has questions to answer.

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Now let’s talk about “freedom.”

The powerful nations constantly lecture weaker countries about:

Democracy.

Human rights.

Freedom.

International law.

But let’s ask the question that makes diplomats uncomfortable:

DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW APPLY EQUALLY TO EVERYONE—OR ONLY TO COUNTRIES TOO WEAK TO IGNORE IT?

Because sometimes a powerful country breaks the rules and calls it:

“National security.”

But when a weaker country does something similar?

Suddenly:

Sanctions.

Isolation.

Condemnation.

Threats.

So what exactly are we dealing with?

A world based on rules?

Or a world where:

THE STRONG WRITE THE RULES AND THE WEAK ARE PUNISHED FOR BREAKING THEM?

Tell me I’m wrong.

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And THAT is why the Global South was born.

Not because everybody in the South suddenly became friends.

Not because Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East all think the same way.

They don’t.

They fight each other.

They disagree.

They compete.

They betray each other.

But many of them eventually recognized something:

THE WORLD WAS ALREADY ORGANIZED BEFORE THEY WERE ALLOWED TO SIT AT THE TABLE.

And when they finally arrived, the rules had already been written.

The powerful seats were already occupied.

The banks already had their structures.

The global institutions already had their voting systems.

And much of Africa and Asia had little say when those foundations were created.

So today, the Global South is asking:

WHY SHOULD WE KEEP PLAYING A GAME WHERE WE NEVER HELPED WRITE THE RULES?

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But here is the question that scares me even more.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GLOBAL SOUTH TAKES POWER?

Will the world suddenly become fair?

Or will today’s victims become tomorrow’s exploiters?

Because let’s be honest:

POWER DOES NOT HAVE MORALS. PEOPLE DO.

And people have repeatedly proven that once they gain power, they can become exactly what they once hated.

The revolutionary becomes the dictator.

The freedom fighter becomes the president for life.

The anti-corruption candidate becomes the billionaire politician.

The oppressed becomes the oppressor.

So don’t just tell me:

“The Global South is rising!”

I want to know:

RISING TO DO WHAT?

To build a better world?

Or to finally get its own opportunity to dominate weaker people?

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And now, AFRICA.

My beloved Africa.

We need to have a serious conversation.

Because blaming colonialism can explain history.

But it cannot fix tomorrow.

OUR LEADERS ARE NOT COLONIAL GOVERNORS.

They are our own people.

They speak our languages.

They know our communities.

They campaign in our villages.

They dance with us during elections.

Then after winning?

Some suddenly become untouchable.

So here is my question:

IF WE KNOW THEY ARE STEALING, WHY DO WE KEEP DEFENDING THEM?

Because they are from our tribe?

Our religion?

Our political party?

Our region?

If a politician steals from the country but comes from your ethnic group—

IS HE STILL YOUR HERO?

Or are we also part of the problem?

That question hurts.

But it needs to be asked.

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So let’s stop playing this childish game where we blame ONLY one side.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH WAS EXPLOITED FROM OUTSIDE.

That is historical reality.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH HAS ALSO BEEN BETRAYED FROM INSIDE.

That is modern reality.

Both can be true.

At the same time.

And anyone who tells you that only ONE side is responsible is probably trying to protect somebody.

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So here is the question that will separate emotional arguments from honest ones:

WHO IS THE BIGGEST ENEMY OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH TODAY?

THE FORMER COLONIAL POWERS?

THE MODERN GLOBAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM?

FOREIGN CORPORATIONS EXTRACTING RESOURCES?

CORRUPT LEADERS?

CITIZENS WHO KEEP DEFENDING BAD LEADERS?

OR THE GLOBAL SOUTH ITSELF?

Choose carefully.

Because you cannot blame the world forever while refusing to look in the mirror.

But you also cannot look in the mirror and pretend that nobody ever robbed you.

SO WHO DO YOU BLAME FIRST?

👇 DROP YOUR ANSWER.

And please—

DON’T JUST SAY “COLONIALISM.”

DON’T JUST SAY “CORRUPTION.”

Explain yourself.

Because the truth is more complicated than the propaganda we have all been fed.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN.