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Evans Sande Ndahura
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“When the snipe and the mussel struggle, the fisherman profits.”
— Ancient Chinese Proverb
Africa’s story — past and present — can be understood through an old fable whose lesson is as relevant today as it was centuries ago.
THE TALE OF THE CAT, THE DOG, AND THE FOX
A poor old woman once stood in the market selling cheese. As she turned her head briefly, a cat slipped in and stole one cheese. A dog, noticing the theft, chased the cat down and demanded the cheese for himself.
The cat hissed and held on tightly; the dog barked and snapped back. They fought, claw against fang, but neither could win. Exhausted and unable to resolve the quarrel, the cat finally suggested:
“Let us go to the Fox. He is wise and can judge between us.” “Agreed,” growled the dog.
So they went to the Fox, who listened with a calm, thoughtful face. After hearing their arguments, the Fox shook his head and scolded them: “Foolish creatures! Why quarrel over something so small? Let me divide the cheese equally so each of you is satisfied.”
The cat and dog agreed. But instead of cutting the cheese lengthwise, the Fox cut it across the middle — leaving one side slightly larger than the other.
“My half is smaller!” barked the dog.
The Fox put on his spectacles, inspected the pieces, and agreed:
“You are right. Let me correct that.”
He leaned in and bit a chunk from the cat’s piece, supposedly to make them even. The cat yowled.
“Now my part is smaller!”
Again, the Fox examined the pieces. “You are right as well.”
He then bit a chunk from the dog’s piece.
Back and forth he went — nibbling from one share and then the other — each time pretending to correct the imbalance.
By the end of the process, the Fox had eaten the entire cheese, leaving the cat and dog staring helplessly at each other. They lost everything not because of the Fox’s cunning alone, but because of their own rivalry, envy, and blindness. That, in summary, is Africa’s political tragedy.
THE OLD TALE AFRICA REFUSES TO LEARN
Colonialism was not imposed on a united Africa.
It succeeded because Africa was already at war with itself.
Mwanga vs. Kabalega — Uganda’s Defining Betrayal
Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda, envying the power and influence of Kabalega of Bunyoro, entered into misguided cooperation with the British—hoping guns would strengthen him. Instead, both kings lost their thrones, their kingdoms, and their sovereignty.
Just like the cat and dog, Uganda’s kings handed the cheese to the Fox.
Congo: How Mobutu Helped Consume the Future
Mobutu Sese Seko’s betrayal of Patrice Lumumba is yet another replay of the same foolishness.
Foreign powers whispered into Mobutu’s ear, feeding his ambitions.
Lumumba was removed.
Mobutu took power.
And Congo’s minerals — cobalt, uranium, gold — became the Fox’s feast for decades.
African envy became European profit.
Political scholar Ali Mazrui captured this perfectly:
“Africa is rich because it is poor in unity. It is poor because it is rich in divisions.”
THE MODERN FOX: THE WEST STILL NIBBLES AFRICA'S CHEESE
Long after the colonialists lowered their flags, Africa remains trapped in the same weakness: leaders who think in terms of tribe instead of nation, stomach instead of strategy, and today instead of tomorrow.
Kautilya’s Wisdom (3rd Century BC)
The ancient Indian philosopher warned: “Rulers see through spies, ordinary people through their natural eyes.”
Sadly, too many African leaders still see only through natural eyes, blind to international chess games played around them.
This is why:
African presidents secretly store billions in Swiss, London, New York, Toronto, and Stockholm accounts.
Oil-rich nations still export crude but import fuel.
Resource-rich countries remain debt-ridden.
Foreign corporations decide prices for cobalt, diamonds, and oil — not Africa.
As long as African leaders behave like the cat and dog, the world will continue feasting like the Fox.
PAN-AFRICANISM — A SONG, NOT A PRACTICE
The giants of Pan-Africanism — Nkrumah, Nyerere, Sekou Touré, Haile Selassie, Sankara — preached unity, discipline, and continental strategy.
But their successors sing the words without practicing the doctrine.
Pan-Africanism today is: a speech at AU summits, a slogan on the street, a badge worn by politicians who secretly serve foreign interests.
Nkrumah’s warning echoes louder today than ever: “We must unite now or perish.”
And yet, Africa continues to perish in pieces.
WHAT YOUNG AFRICANS MUST LEARN
Unity is not poetry; it is survival.
Divided nations do not negotiate — they get dictated to.
Study history more than politics.
History reveals patterns. Politics hides them.
Think beyond personal benefit.
Great nations are built by people who plant trees under whose shade they may never sit.
Understand global strategy. China plans 100 years ahead. Western states plan 50 years ahead.
Africa must stop planning 5 years ahead — election to election.
Protect African wealth.
Cobalt, lithium, oil, gas, gold, diamonds — they must serve Africa’s future, not foreign banks.
Replace envy with collaboration.
A continent of 1.4 billion people cannot afford petty jealousies among tribes, regions, and leaders.
WHAT MUST BE DONE — REAL STEPS FOR REAL CHANGE
Build strong institutions, not strongmen.
Create regional intelligence networks to counter foreign interference.
Establish Pan-African mineral pricing bodies to stop exploitation.
Teach civic identity above tribal identity.
Audit leaders’ wealth and enforce transparency.
Develop African banks and payment systems to keep wealth within the continent.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki once said:
“Africa’s renaissance will be built not on rhetoric, but on character.”
Character — not tribes, not borders, not slogans — will determine Africa’s destiny.
CONCLUSION — AFRICA MUST STOP FEEDING THE FOX
Like the cat and dog, African leaders keep losing their cheese because they refuse to confront their own weaknesses. The world will not stop exploiting Africa —
but Africa can stop making itself easy to exploit.
Unity is not a dream.
It is a responsibility.
Wisdom is not inherited.
It is learned.
And the lesson has been waiting for centuries:
Stop fighting each other.
Start protecting the cheese.
About the writer
Evan Sande Ndahura is a Ugandan writer, poet, columnist, and social critic whose works blend political analysis, philosophy, and African history. His mission is to provoke deeper thinking, challenge complacency among leaders, and inspire the young generation to envision an Africa built on unity, strategy, and integrity.
Torch Media Africa
