George Ayittey

“Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.”

“The election of Senator Barack Obama brought jubilation across Africa, where millions celebrated him as 'one of their own.'”

“Just because a group does not take its decisions by voting does not mean they have no understanding of the essence of democracy.”

“Western-style multi-party democracy is possible but not suitable for Africa.”

“Across Africa there is what I call a colonialist mentality or orthodoxy. Orthodoxy in the sense that a lot of things have gone wrong in Africa in the post-colonial period. And time and time again, any time something went wrong, the leadership claims that it was never their fault.”

“Radio is the death and life of Africa.”

“Mugabe's become a disgrace to Africa. And I must say this because I am an African and a lot of us looked up to him back in the 1980s when he was the liberation hero. But he's now turned himself into a murderous despot.”

“Africa's salvation doesn't lie in begging and begging for more aid, and as an African, I find it very, very humiliating.”

“Unlike their Western counterparts, Africans take elections very seriously - rising up early to queue patiently in line for hours under the hot sun and cast their ballots. Any misguided attempt to nullify or steal their votes will evoke a strong reaction from them.”

“The solutions to Africa's problems lie in Africa, not in Live Aid concerts.”

“Virtually all of Africa's civil wars were started by politically marginalized or excluded groups.”

“Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.”

“Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who cannot be trusted to change.”

“What Africa needs to do is to grow, to grow out of debt.”

“There's a belief that since Africa got a raw deal from the colonial West, then the Chinese must be Africa's best friend. But the evidence doesn't show that, and the main criticism is that they are building infrastructure in exchange for Africa's resources in deals that are structured to favor China.”

“When Uganda got debt relief in 1999, the first item President Museveni bought was a presidential jacket for himself.”

“Look at the history of peace accords in Africa. They have a terrible record. They are shredded even before the ink on them is dry.”

“Personally, I regard myself as an intellectual 'rebel,' kicking against the 'old colonialism-imperialism paradigm' which has landed Africa in a conundrum.”

“There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.”

“The 'Cheetah Generation' refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective.”