Africa Quote by James Morcan
““As the seemingly well-intentioned French journalist spoke about Africa’s scarcity and its limited resources, Nine smiled to himself almost condescendingly. He considered such statements an absolute joke. Africa did not, nor did it ever have, limited resources. Nine knew something the journalist obviously didn’t: Africa was the most abundantly resourced continent on the planet bar none. Like the despots who ruled much of the region, and the foreign governments who propped them up, he knew there was more than enough wealth in Africa’s mineral resources such as gold, diamonds and oil – not to mention the land that nurtured these resources – for every man, woman and child. He thought it unfortunate Africa had never been able to compete on a level playing field. The continent’s almost unlimited resources were the very reason foreigners had meddled in African affairs for the past century or more. Nine knew it was Omega’s plan, and that of other greedy organizations, to siphon as much wealth as they could out of vulnerable Third World countries, especially in Africa. The same organizations had the formula down pat: they indirectly started civil wars in mineral-rich regions by providing arms to opposing local factions, and sometimes even helped to create famines, in order to destabilize African countries. This made the targeted countries highly vulnerable to international control. Once the outside organizations had divided and conquered, they were then able to plunder the country’s resources.””
About This Quote
The passage argues that Africa is richly endowed with resources, yet external powers exploit and destabilize it for profit, portraying a pattern of exploitation and conflict.
In simple terms: Africa has abundant resources, but foreign interests often cause wars and famine to extract wealth.
Address systemic exploitation of resource‑rich regions.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- development aid
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do internal governance issues interact with foreign exploitation?
- What strategies can empower local control of resources?
The narrative may simplify complex local dynamics and assign all blame to external actors.