OP-ED: A story of the African sky, an African plane lost on African soil By Terence McNamee NameeTerence
Two planes forever bound in pain and infamy. Of that, there can be no doubt, if experts conclude that Indonesia’s Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian Airlines 302 were doomed by the same software glitch in the Boeing 737 Max’s anti-stall system.
Media were quick to expound on “35” in the aftermath of the crash. A grisly index for the global expansion of air travel; an emblem for our interconnected world. With so many Westerners on board, predictably ET 302 was front page news longer than JT 610. On what “35” might reveal about Africa, not much was said.
In 2017 Boeing’s CEO averred that less than 20% of people worldwide have ever taken a flight. Neither Boeing, the International Civil Aviation Organisation or the International Air Transport Association were able to provide a figure for Africans . Something less than 1% would be my guess. On market share, data is available: Africa represents 16% of the world’s population but the smallest chunk of global air travel at just over 2%.
Threats to sovereignty can come in many guises. Being at the margins of global politics, African states have to balance their need for help against usurpations of their authority. For some governments, “35” might be a sign of strength or pride. For most, it probably stirs unease., which echoes various post-colonial African thinkers who have said much the same, comes readily to mind: “Africa’s story has been written by others; we need to own our problems and solutions and write our story.
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