10,000 reasons Africa is not developed

First it was colonialism
We were doing all fine till that whitewashed alien
Sneaked in to steal to kill and to destroy
It’s been ages since he left, we know
But he’s still the reason for our pain and misery 

Then it was the COVID pandemic
That devilish pestilence that raged in
From a foreigner’s land and devoured our economy
We were on the verge of a boom
If only the pandemic had stayed in its lane… 

Now it’s the war in Ukraine
We don’t care that our country is miles away from the warzone
That bloody war is the sole reason our
Economy is crumbling helplessly before our eyes 
The Russians are to blame 

When this war is over – and it will be, one day –
I wonder what else will be the object of their blame game
I wonder who else their fingers will point at:
Maybe us, for voting them into power 
Maybe the moon, or the stars or the sky
Maybe me, for writing this poem 
Maybe you, for reading it.