In certain circumstances, one must judge someone by what he does, rather than what he says. In Africa, we tend to hear a lot of good speeches about the continent’s development and industrialization. Yet, not so many of these speeches actually translate into concrete actions on the ground. In other words, we state something for which we act in the opposite direction. This is what makes the African continent inconsistent.
This proverb from the Accra tongue "I thatch for you a house, you hide my strings" is beautifully expressing Africa's contradictions development-wise. Our ancestors could not give us a better warning than that.
We can also extend its interpretation by saying that we do not like to see our fellow brothers and sisters have success. If you "hide my strings", this also probably means that you do not want people to see what I am really capable of. Thus limiting both your own wellbeing as well as mine.
And this is probably the reason why a lot of our scientists in Africa are dying with their innovations or inventions, simply because we "believe" that a foreigner is ultimately a better thatcher than an African one.
