The story of the frog in hot water is very significant in analyzing our continent, Africa today. For centuries we have suffered at the hands of Imperialists and Colonialists alike, who have plundered and are still plundering the continent till date. The trans-Sahara and trans-Atlantic enslavement of our people were some of the episodes in our History that held the African continent and its people hostage.

Colonialism and Neocolonialism have had a long lasting and perfect grip on the continent, putting in place a form of hot water from which we only try to adjust but not get out. One of the reasons that we use the story of the “frog in hot water” as a moral backdrop is that, the form of “Governance Regimes” and running of the structures of States and Governments put in place by the colonial powers and inherited by us, is like hot water. Our present day governance systems have made possible, increase exploitation and marginalization but all we do is try to adjust to the beatings of these modern day enslavement and neo-colonialism of our continent.

Western powers are also trying successfully to control who runs African countries, facilitating the theft of billions of dollars (approximately $60 billion yearly) stolen from the continent yearly.

The story goes thus:

The frog is comfortable with warm water and does not realise when it reaches boiling point of 100º centigrade because it always tries to adjust to the temperature of the water surrounding it. By the time it reaches boiling point, it is too late for the frog.

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The frog fell in a vessel of the hot water. The Water in the vessel was still on fire. The frog did not try to jump out of the vessel, instead it just stayed in it. As the temperature of the water started to rise, the frog managed to adjust its body temperature accordingly. As the water started to reach the boiling point, the frog was no longer able to keep up and manage its body temperature according to the water temperature.

The frog tried to jump out of the vessel but with water temperature reaching its boiling point, the frog was not able to bear it and couldn’t make it. What was the reason that a frog couldn’t make it? Will you blame the hot water for it?

Moral: The frog couldn’t make it due to its own inability to decide when it had to jump out. We all need to adjust according to the situations but there are times when we need to face the situation and take the appropriate action when we have the strength to do so before it’s too late. Walk out before you need to jump.

2WhatsApp Image 2017-04-23 at 15.39.58In order to remedy the situation and get out of the hot water, we should remember the successful struggles of African nations to organise independence movements and military struggles to overthrow the European masters from their colonies, despite the heavy odds against them and the consequent losses in the process. The leaders that emerged from this period, such as Yaa Asantewaa, Mbuya Nehanda, Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara and Muammar Ghaddafi (just to name a few), have become inspirational voices across the world.

One way of getting out of the hot water is the recognition of the fact that the cooperation with Western and Western supported/backed “NGOs” is evaluated as political suicide. The organizations are seen as opium for the people. They are there to silence people and to take away the weapons of the movement.

 

Another point is the influence and potential for disaster that the so-called “Development Aid and Assistance” has had and still has in keeping us in “Hot water”.Foreign religions and the appropriation of western cultures and norms are also some of the factors that we use to adjust.

We should wake up and walk out of the hot watsmart asser before it is too late even to jump out.

Written and illustrated by the PEACE TEAM.

Parts of this write-up was taken from: http://www.moralstories.org/frog-hot-water