Social osmosis: the case of brain drain and human capital wastage – the Nigerian nay African
experience.
Kingsley Anagolu
University of Bonn, Germany
Introit
“…no be all deez corrupt ministers and useless
hungry goaties for the glass house wey no go give the boys dia deserved match
bonus, now dem tink say de boys no go aluta for dia pepper? We sabi how to
blame our boiz, that dem no de play well, dis, dat, bla bla bla, but we sabi
say gud soup na moni make am. How dem go de play well when dem no de get dia
due. Europe no de joke wit dia players and dem de deliver. Abeg my broda no
just de worry ur head die I de comot hia oo, make I kukuma go do better tin
joor.” Rubbish!
As I slowly turned, I saw those two black men,
discussing. At first, I was not so sure which country they were coming from
because it is a common sight, indeed, a very common sight to see black people,
scattered all over Europe, America and Asia, well, everywhere, speaking pidgin english. But when they started
discussing football – mentioning “Glass house”, and putting it in the context
of an ongoing confederation cup in Brazil, exactly on the day Nigeria played against
Tahiti, with almost all the Nigerian players out of form and will-power, I told
my friend that those two black men behind us at that train station in Germany were
Nigerians.
It was
unmistaken, not only because they were discussing the confederation cup in the
context of the “big boys” at the “Glass House”, too, because Nigeria was the
only African country participating in that tournament owing to the fact that it
was a continent-representative tournament. But again because the second man
spoke in a clear non-broken English, and when he did speak, I confirmed my
suspicion of their nationality – NIGERIANS! English is not English! Having
lived in Europe for some time, I have come to realize that the Nigerian English
is quite different in tonal cadence and movement, in timbre, emphasis and
frequency, from those of other African countries due to the Nigerians high sociological
propinquity and receptive disposition to other world cultures.
I went to the men to greet them. They were in their
mid-50s: “good day sirs”, actually I did not know whether to speak in English
or pidgin, so I added “I de hail una oo.”
They looked at me with suspicion. Of course because it´s not only Nigerians
that speak pidgin – though again there, theirs is quite different. The first
man was trying to ascertain my identity when McDavidson, my friend – with whom
I was with – sold me out for 30 pieces of silver: “Bia nwokem”, he shouted, “train
don de comot oo, agam ahafukwa gi ebea, imakwa na anyi ejego late.” I hated
him for that because I had wanted to do some brain-guess-work with the men.
Caught pants down, the man with me asked me without much ado: “Nwokem olee ije, unu abukwanu ndi ebe?”
“Enugu
state!”
“Ebe na Enugu?”
„Awgu!“
„Ebe na Awgu?“
„Obeagu!“
„Chineke mee,
the world is so microscopic and handy,“ said the man. How he said the
“microscopic and handy” revealed a man of education and competence, and I got
interested in him right away. McDavidson and his train can go to hell as long
as I care. The man and I got discussing. Mr. Bernard as I later discovered, as
that was his name, comes from Awgu local Govt. Area and his friend from Udi.
One thing interesting about Bernard is that when he speaks pidgin English, he does it with flawlessness, like the Warri boys,
and when he speaks Igbo language it was so with competence and mastery, that
the late Tony Ubesie (Igbo novel writer) would have been glad he was the person
who reviewed his “Isi akwu dara na ala.”
It was even more attracting when this man speaks English language, he does it with
grace and with effortless impeccability that one would think he is an ex
foreign minister of external affairs in the UK. Interesting! Who could these
people be?
On a more
serious note…
These men – Bernard and his friend – who were they and
where were they going? As I later learnt, they were going to check their goods
consignment, which was ready for shipment to Nigeria, from the Hamburg wharf –
northern Germany. That is what they do professionally. Business men. They go
about town, collecting used articles ranging from second value clothes to thrown
away Televisions, Radios, Sofas, car parts, used cars, pressing irons, all sorts
of household floatsams and jetsams, articles abandoned, thrown away or no more
needed by the owners. They package and ship these stuffs from Europe back to
Nigeria, where they are sold at relative high prices, with the people who
bought them, feeling different from others because they now use “foreign materials”
in their houses. Bernard and his friend go periodically to a place called in
Germany “Floh-markt”, where 3rd, 4th and 5th
valued articles are sold at cents and small euros. They package and ship these
“foreign” goods to Nigeria, making huge profits out of them, and Nigerian
consumers, how do they feel about these? Of course on top of the world, that
they use “obodo oyibo” materials.
However, this write up is not about those article of goods nor those who use
them. It is rather about Bernard, his friend and tens of thousands like them
scattered all over the wide world outside the shores of Nigeria.
I did come to realize from curiosity on further
inquiry, due to his high level of linguistic competence and sound knowledge of
people and events, that Mr. Bernard, is something more than meet the eye, only that
he is but a fall out and consequence of a catastrophic Nigerian polity. Maybe a
little profile of these human specimen will make this point clearer:
Name: ….., Bernard (surname because of discretion
withheld)
High school: College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu
University: University of Nigeria, Nsukka/University
of Nigeria, Enugu campus
Majored in: Medicine, obstetrics and gynecology
Graduated: First class honours.
And his friend?
Name:……, Emmanuel (surname withheld)
High school: College of Immaculate Conception, Enugu
University: University of Benin
Majored in: Education
Graduated: 2nd Class honours.
Now, by fate, they became business partners in Europe
– importers and exporters, with branches – all over the world because they gave
me their complimentary cards. I call them “Professionals turned into
scavengers!” The word-phrase that came into my head at the end of my encounter
with Mr. Bernard and his friend Emmanuel was “Brain drain.” This is the large-scale emigration of a large group
of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include
two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals. In terms of
countries, the reasons may be social environment (in source countries: lack of
opportunities, political instability or oppression, economic depression, health
risks, corruption, etc.; in host countries: rich opportunities, political
stability and freedom, developed economy, better living conditions, etc.). In
terms of individual reasons, there are family influences (overseas relatives)
and personal preferences: preference for exploring, ambition for an improved
career, etc. Although the term originally referred to technology workers
leaving a nation, the meaning has broadened into: "the departure of
educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for
another, usually for better pay or living conditions." Brain drain is
usually regarded as an economic cost, since emigrants usually take with them
the fraction of value of their training sponsored by the government or other
organizations. It is a parallel of capital flight, which refers to the same
movement of financial capital. Brain drain is often associated with de-skilling
of emigrants in their country of destination, while their country of emigration
experiences the draining of skilled individuals. De-skilling because they
never, in most cases, get a job correspondent to their level of education and
competence.
As I was ruminating over this brain drain syndrome,
another phenomenon occurred to me, a phenomenon we learnt in High school,
slowly, it started forming in my head. It is of course – “the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a partially permeable
membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, in the direction that
tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides, or simply put,
the movement of soluble from a region of lower concentration to the region of
higher concentration through a semi permeable membrane – Osmosis. It describes a motion from region of lower concentration
to that of a higher concentration. This movement is occasioned by a factor
known as osmotic pressure which increases the viscosity of elemental molecules,
enabling them to acquire a high permeability tendency once the membrane or
medium is even semi-permeable. But why all these - brain drain and osmosis, and
what do they have to do with us here? Important question though.
Now, why would
and how could a medical doctor and a professional educationist migrate away
from their homeland and seek for settlement/asylum elsewhere? Why would and how
could they so easily relapse from professionalism to common roadside and street
scavengers? Why would and how could they not care again whether they applied to
use what they learnt in school or not? Why would and how could they not think
about improving their own homeland with their competence and know-how? Why
would and how could they so run away from their natural and cultural
socio-economic soil? Well I did not ask them these because I know the answer –
every right thinking person does: Societal osmotic pressure was on them. It leads
to migration! A pressure that has heavily impacted so negatively on the lives
of the people, draining away their life´s greenery. And now a land which ought
to hold a green coloration of hope is dried up and saturated with hopelessness
and lack of direction. The comfort concentration has drastically reduced to low
pressure. Of course, people seek for this lacking greenery (green pastures)
elsewhere, no matter under what condition or regardless of what is it they do
in a foreign land, ranging from truck or cab driving to public loo washing, “akata” servicing, hotel or hospital
mopping, drug dealing, car washing – private and public, street sweeping, trash
can carrying, etc. They have to chase their rainbows anyhow, and this must have
to be in a foreign country, mostly Europe and America, but then Asia also. Most
of the times, they find nothing and because of the dominant background
mentality of “My bros dey outside, nwam
no obodo oyibo”, they lack the courage to make a prodigal return back home.
It crystalizes down therefore to “professional spectatorship”; heavy African
economists, medical doctors, engineers, educationists, politicians, strategists,
intellectuals, putting their professionalism on hold – in search of “greener
pastures” and usually, they are seriously underused in their land of sojourn,
either because their competence is in question or from the fact that they are foreigners.
Finding nothing, they relapse to leading a vegetative life in a foreign land.
I met a man
from Ghana in Switzerland who called himself “The Nemesis.” I did not ask him
why he calls himself that. Whatever that means, only he and his god know. He
owns an African shop, where all sorts of African food items and condiments are
sold. For him, he is successful, very successful indeed. He has a white lady of
a wife with two hi-breed children. He now thinks in terms of Okro, Crayfish, Ogbono, Okporoko, fresh Fish,
Azu ndu, Ugba, Pepper, Maggi, Rice
Abakaliki, Beans, mashed Potatoes, and all other conceivable African foods.
He makes every effort to keep a smiling face to friends and foes, men and
women, elders and kids alike who come by his shop in order to retain them as
customers – good attitude if you ask me – but the shock was that this man was an
english university Lecturer before he decided to make it big in the foreign
land – greener pasture. He actually got a scholarship (or so he thought) to
further his academics but on arrival to the Swiss, he discovered that it was
all a farce. The scholarship could not work out again and going back home for
him was utterly out of the question. He stayed back, sort for other
scholarships but to no avail. Soon, he was running out of residence permit and
money, then he did the lunatic unthinkable. He married a white lady, got
himself permanent residence permit and citizenship and decided then, not to go
into academics again, but to “business”: african shop business. Whenever I see
him, what occurs to me is always – wasted brain! I always feel the urge to take
up a “bulala” and whip the living
daylight out of him. But how many will I whip because he is just one example
among many? Am still waiting for a nice day to give him that whipping, to whip
him back to consciousness. He deserves it.
But how did all these begin? Indeed
why all these madness?
In 1972, Walter
Rodney wrote the famous timeless classic of Anti-imperialist literature – “How
Europe underdeveloped Africa”. At
the core is the concept of development and contemporary Marxism as the main
theoretical underpinning. Both concept and theory is utilized to explore,
evaluate and explain the historical exploitation and the damage done to African
development. He denounces the global capitalist system early in the literature
by reinforcing the conclusion that “African
development is possible only on the basis of a radical break with the
international capitalist system,” (Rodney, 1973: Preface).
From a historical materialist perspective, Rodney
delivers the argument that both European power politics and European economic
exploitation and oppression led to the impoverishment of African societies. The
main subject matter analyzed in the book has a rich socio-historical context.
In the chapter headings, he raised some important issues bordering on some questions on development, how Africa developed before
the coming of the Europeans up to the 15th Century,
Africa’s contribution to European capitalist development –the pre-colonial period,
Europe and the roots of African under development – to 1885, Africa’s
contribution to the capitalist development of Europe – the colonial period and colonialism
as a system for under developing Africa. Within these contexts, political
economy, popular struggles, technology, power, politics and culture are
analyzed, in addition to other socio-historical contexts. There are myriads of
issues of pre-colonial African contributions to the European capitalist system
on the underdevelopment of Africa and the development of Europe into an
imperialist; issues focusing on how the Europeans started the underdevelopment
of Africa at the Berlin conference of 1885. Under the leadership of Chairman
Otto Von Bismark of Germany, the partition of Africa was done in Germany.
Following this revelation, Rodney introduces the exploited and oppressed
slave trade era and how the slave trade led to the decline of economic and
technological development in Africa prior to and during colonization.
Furthermore, Rodney discusses African contribution to
the European capitalist system during the colonial period and then he made a
summary of the various strategies utilized for underdevelopment during
colonization. Moreover, Rodney provides strategies to combat underdevelopment
in Africa at the close of the book´s chapter. The main theory used for analysis
is historical materialism, or Marxism. Historical materialists believe power
and private ownership based in economic and material production must be
abandoned because it leads to the concentration of power among the capitalists,
or the elites. It also leads to alienation, the creation of ideology, class
structure and social inequality. Karl Marx is the founding father of historical
materialism, for his theory would greatly influence Frederick Engels, Antonio
Gramsci, V.I. Lenin, W.E.B. Dubois and Walter Rodney. Marx believes man
possesses an unlimited capacity to develop and reach his highest potential
under social circumstances that are equal (Zeitlin, 2001:140). He believes any
social circumstance that represses man’s creative capabilities is virtually
harmful and should not be (Zeitlin, 2001:140). As a historical materialist,
Walter Rodney focuses on colonialism, imperialism and liberation struggles.
With a Marxist perspective, he states that “power is the ultimate determinant
in human society, being basic to the relations within any group and between
groups. It implies the ability to defend one’s interests and if necessary to
impose ones will by any means available. In relations between peoples, the
question of power determines maneuverability in bargaining, the extent to which
a people survive as a physical and cultural entity. When one society finds
itself forced to relinquish its power entirely, that is a form of
underdevelopment,” (Rodney, 1973: Ch.6:115). Marx openly expresses his contempt
for the industrial capital system. Using the labor theory of value, Marx
analyzed the relationship between wage labor and productive capital. He argued
that “the profit of the capitalist was based on the exploitation of the laborer,”
(Ritzer, 2004: 25). Marx views industrial capital and wage labour as
interdependent entities. In the industrial capital system, wages (labour power)
are essentially treated as a priced commodity dictated by the supply and demand
of all commodities. He thus concludes that the more the wage labour produces
for the elites, the more the elites capitalize, therefore, the greater the
social distinction between the two emerges.
Rodney utilizes this theory throughout the book. For
example, in chapter three: Africa’s Contribution to European Capitalist
Development—the Pre-Colonial Period, Rodney lifts up Europe’s assumption of
power to make decisions within the international trading system (Rodney, 1973: Ch.3:3). He illustrates that “international law,” which
regulated the conduct of nations on the high seas was simply European law and
Africans did not participate in its conception and Africans were really
exploited, for the law identified them as transportable merchandise (Rodney,
1973:Ch.3:3). These victims known as transportable merchandise came to be known
as slaves. Rodney notes that Europeans used the superiority of their ships and
cannon to gain control of the world’s waterways, commencing in the 15th
century. This ownership and power eventually leads to domination of the seas,
transforming several parts of Africa and Asia into economic satellites (Rodney,
1973: Ch.3:3). Rodney highlights colonialism as not simply a system of
exploitation, but a system whose essential purpose was to return the profits to
the “mother country” (Rodney, 1973:Ch.5:1). Earlier in the work he states that
“the exploitation of land and labour is essential for human social advance, but
only on the assumption that the product is made available within the area where
the exploitation takes place,”(Rodney, 1973: Ch.5:1). However, in Africa, this
did not occur. Yet, there was ongoing expatriation of surplus produced by
African labour out of African resources. Yet, “it meant the development of
Europe as part of the same dialectical process in which Africa was
underdeveloped” (Rodney, 1973: Ch.5:1). Rodney discusses also Africa’s contribution
to the economy and beliefs of early capitalist Europe. He mentions that Karl
Marx was “the bitterest critic of capitalism,” and what Europe benefited from what
was obtained through the relentless exploitation and oppression of Africans and
American Indians (Rodney, 1973:Ch.3:8). In addition, he states that Marx noted
that “the discovery of gold and silver in America, the extirpation, enslavement
and entombment in mines of the aboriginal population, the turning of Africa
into a commercial warrant for the hunting of black skins signalized the “rosy” dawn
of the era of capitalist production”(Rodney, 1973: Ch.3:8). Now that is deep!
The use of historical materialism brings to the analysis that social change is
revolutionary (anti-capitalist) and part of the solution. As noted earlier,
Rodney states, “African development is
possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist
system”. The agents of this change are specifically Africans who are
conscious of the international capitalist system that has underdeveloped
Africa. Agents of change include other movement builders (receptive to all — race/ethnicity,
class and gender) who work for the overthrow and transformation of a system
that has exploited and oppressed African society. In this timeless classic, Walter
Rodney reveals a hidden truth on the underdevelopment of Africa by Europeans.
Commenting…
The foregone section of this write up is meant to throw a little light over
the osmotic pressure that systematically drained the energy level concentration
of Africa, rendering it too low in terms of economy, politics and education. The
aforementioned trans-Atlantic slave trade so much eroded the African human
capital, sucking to empty level the African human soul and that was the
beginning of the brain drain and induced osmotic motion. Consequently Africa
was politically impoverished, in mentality impoverished, economically
impoverished and in terms of education and society – impoverished. This process
is unfortunately not over yet. For though the Atlantic slavery or the "African Holocaust" or "Holocaust
of Enslavement" as Marimba Ani and
Maulana Karenga would call it has
academically stopped, they continue nevertheless in a new and more deadly wave
of human capital flight, where it is seen that almost every African family
wants to leave the shores of their land. The foreign embassies are daily filled
to brim while Africa is today considered to be barren, unproductive,
underdeveloped, corrupt and visionless. True to fact, the external seduction is
infinite and the erosion continues with many no more being carried on the slave
master´s transporting ships but walk willingly through the deserts of Arab and
Sahara just to cross over, or through other means. And many die in the process.
What a shame!
Unfortunately though, as earlier mentioned, those who arrive only arrive in
the foreign land to play a second fiddle as “indentured servants” or “apprentices for life”, with a great percentage of the ladies prostituting away their lives while
another great percentage in the men folk waste away in prison, where most of
them will never see the light of the day no more.
Back to the root
From the Nigerian angle, one
has to take note once more that the above mentioned Berlin conference of 1885
gave impetus to the west to launch a political assault on the African soil. The
resultant colonialism of divide and rule or assimilation as the case may be
gave rise to the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates which
resulted to the contraption called Nigeria we know today and due to the
negativities of this unholy union, everyone is still on the run because the
fire of non-cohesion is raging. Due to the high level of poverty in the land,
those who can afford to leave the land are the elites or those being exploited
b them, leaving behind a people enmeshed in a culture of consumerism and
acceptance while it is a constant struggle for survival. The west knows this
because they have become the host countries, playing patronage to the
“refugees”, both elite refugees and non-elite refugees. The west (host
countries) is highly concentrated with and in rich opportunities, political stability and freedom,
developed economy, better living conditions, etc, and the attraction is high, and
because of this if I may turn the other side of the coin, Nigerian well
meaning, academically well placed, techno and electro-geniuses who find
themselves outside have no more desire and drive to return back to the root.
They would rather stay behind enriching their host countries while the Nigerian
speed race down the drain is on the increase. The timeless truth remains that they
will ever be second class citizens, playing the second fiddle but playing the
second fiddle brings no one a step further though. The likes of Bernard, his
friend Emmanuel and the Ghanaian “the Nemesis” must do a soul search, not for
their sake alone but for the cause of a whole African history. And as Walter
Rodney noted, it remains true for all times that African development is
possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist
system. This will
guarantee the energy balance between Africa and the west, which though what it promises is huge but remains only the
sound of the bitter cola in the ear. The taste remains for the eater to tell.
Peace!
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