CAUGHT BETWEEN HUNGER AND DEATH

Hungry Africa Enmeshed in protracted Lockdowns

Hunger has long been a raider on Africa whose unwelcome presence

has snatched off many to death. Africans who sometime in our history
only eat what we grow can no longer subsist on the harvests of our vast
fertile lands.If millions of metric tons of rice and other food items aren’t
shipped from overseas, Africa will surely starve to death. Sadly, Africa
expends billions of dollars on rice importation which at the end are sold
at soaring prices to mass consumers who can hardly afford them.
Reports like the Global Hunger Index 2019 reveals that more than a
quarter of the hungry dwell in Africa. Dismally, Niger, Sudan, Zambia,
Madagascar and Chad ranked within the top ten hungriest countries
with Central African Republic being the Hungriest in the world with
53.6% of its population suffering from food insecurity. Africans are
evidently not hungry because they intend to go on fasting but rather
hungry because the sultry fumes of poverty plunge their homes.

In a crunch time like COVID 19, the poor masses of Africa are left to bear
the brunt of hunger.Some African leaders declare protracted (14 days,21
days etc) lockdowns even when they do so little or nothing to ameliorate
the unendurable hardship and hunger that will clutch many poor
Africans who survive only on their daily earnings. While a three day
lockdown in my opinion may be reasonable as it is in Sierra Leone,
lockdowns for 14 days,21 days or more though necessary to contain the
life-threatening Corona virus would adversely hit those who on a
normal circumstances lurch below the poverty line. If on a normal
circumstances survival is like digging a tunnel with a teaspoon, then
many impoverished Africans will go hungry when left to stay at home
for a period of 21 days as it was in South Africa, 14 days in Lagos,
Abuja ,Ogun states Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and many more. “I rather
go out and die of Corona virus than stay at home and die of hunger”a
South African woman lamented on BBC focus on Africa.
These words of agony from a hunger-hazed stomach left me downcast
all through the night. If a citizen of South Africa which is one of Africa’s
most developed nation can lament this way how about the many other
poor Africans whose conditions are worse than those in South Africa. I
am not uncertain that this sad reality prodded the decision of Justice
Kenyatta Nyirenda of the High court of Malawi when he slammed an
injunction on a 21 day nation wide lockdown declared by the Malawi
Government three days before it was to commence requesting
Government to provide for the poor. The said unprecedented and
heavily criticized decision gave Justice to many poor Malawians who
were going to sulk the spite of hunger in a country that is labelled as one
of the poorest in the world.While the long-winded lockdown is held in
abeyance pending a constitutional interpretation, the Government has
now set up an emergency cash transfer program to assist the poor
should the injunction be lifted. It is high time that human rights
organizations through our African courts sent thoroughgoing messages
to our African leaders that it is their duty to cater for the socio-economic
needs of their people.

Undoubtedly, the unbidden presence of the angry Corona virus

pandemic which does not sympathize with hungry Africans has
questioned our African leaders whether they have been treating Goal
two( Zero Hunger) of the Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda and the
International Convenant on Economic, Social and cultural rights
( ICESCR) of 1966 with utmost seriousness particularly Article 11(2)
which reads thus: “The States Parties to the present Covenant,
recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger,
shall take, individually and through international co-operation, the
measures, including specific programmes, which are needed”. Now that
the Corona virus pandemic has ravaged America, Asia, Australia ,
Europe and has outstretched its clapperclaws to Africa save the narrow
escape by Lesotho as I write, poor Africans are now caught between the
Anvil and the hammer.

It is ironic to see a continent with boundless fertile lands, able-bodied

men yet flounder in food insecurity. Our African leaders need to hugely
invest in agriculture as Kofi Annan once said “If we get agriculture right
in Africa, where most of the people now are working in that sector, not
only would it help boost development but we will be secure in terms of
food and nutrition and then be able to move on to other areas”.
Undeniably, with food security, Africa can even go half a year
lockdowns without any hue and cry over food.Until Africa begins to feed
herself, poor Africans will invariably be left to choose hunger to escape
death.