---

“How dangerous is Africa, you say…?”

Agnes momentarily considered Jinseong’s question, her eyes glancing upwards.

Africa.

A place with poor public safety.

But to claim that safety is entirely lacking would be misleading, as there are areas where it’s relatively acceptable, and some where laws barely exist, and truly lawless zones without any government presence.

The state of safety fluctuates endlessly depending on the region and the place; this is a hallmark of Africa.

“Overall, safety was mostly poor.”

Everywhere has differing safety levels depending on the region and location. In big cities or affluent neighborhoods, safety is better, while slum areas typically suffer.

Thus, the varying levels of safety across places is not particularly surprising.

Yeah.

That’s just common sense.

Yet, Africa has one distinct feature that sets it apart from those other places.

The bottom could be akin to a bottomless pit.

Below the surface is a basement, beneath the basement lurks a pit, and below that lies truly chaotic strife. Africa’s safety issues follow this pattern.

Pickpockets?

Robbers?

They’re nothing compared to the thugs you might find in Europe.

In Europe, pickpockets work with distractions, slicing bags, snatching wallets, or secretly rummaging pockets before making a quick getaway. Sometimes they might ride motorcycles, snatching bags or cutting straps to make a swift escape.

In some cases, they might even maneuver through large crowds to trap their target, freezing them in place to rummage through their belongings… using tactics that sit somewhere between pickpocketing and robbery.

At times, they may threaten with a knife or gun for greater effect.

Yeah.

That’s the level of pickpocketing and robbery you’d see in Europe.

But Africa?

In neighborhoods with somewhat decent safety and government presence, the behaviors are slightly more aggressive than in Europe… but in places with poor safety, everything starts with threats of knives or bullets.

Extortion? Threats?

If that’s the way to describe it, those involved are quite kindhearted, really. Some might even slice off your wrist with a pricey watch still attached, while others, unfortunately, take things up a notch by decapitating or shooting someone to plunder their belongings. The bodies left sprawled out, mostly naked, would occasionally get discovered if they were lucky; otherwise, they get ‘recycled’ for various purposes if luck doesn’t favor them.

“There were a good number of criminals as well.”

“Many criminals… Well, that’s true. The safety there isn’t especially good.”

But this isn’t particularly unusual or exceptional.

It’s the environment of Africa that has shaped the people in this way.

Endless civil wars erupt, coups occur, tribes clash.

Throughout this, the food meant to fill bellies often ends up in the mouths of soldiers, most used in the service of the corrupt upper class to enrich their own wealth.

The facilities built with money get destroyed in conflicts and repurposed for military utility.

The global aid sent? It’s pretty much the same story.

Funds meant for starving and sick individuals often get pocketed by corrupt politicians and soldiers, with only a tiny fraction actually reaching the general populace.

Ordinary people suffer, and witnessing those in power indulge themselves, the people of Africa learn.

Once you acquire power, you can live lavishly. You can escape such suffering.

Thus, the vicious cycle of corruption perpetuates itself.

The powerless crave the power, while those in power do whatever they can to retain it. In the process, a selfish mentality spreads that promotes the idea that only they deserve to be comfortable and affluent, eventually becoming a common belief.

Proper leaders?

Upright leaders?

They do emerge.

After all, that place is inhabited by people; how could such individuals not surface?

Like a lotus blooming in the mud, those who can save others can always rise.

But even if such people do emerge, the situation does not change.

Upright leaders get ousted or assassinated by others who perceive their interests as harmed, while proper leaders face threats from numerous usurpers desiring wealth and power, inevitably leading to their demise.

If only they could unite as one, it might be okay.

The atrocities committed by countries that colonialized Africa, the cultural eradication, the seeds of conflict sown everywhere, the arbitrary borders drawn without consideration leading to tribal friction, and all the senseless acts that wrecked the natural environment causing disasters…

All of these factors have prevented Africa from uniting, and even now, with tribal identities fading, the repercussions have not diminished, preventing cohesion.

Now a question arises.

Is it truly possible for the consequences to linger for so long even after such a lengthy passage of time…?

Humans are inherently adaptive creatures.

As the saying goes, time is a healer; through the passage of time, people adapt and overcome.

Thus, one might question the situation in Africa.

The answer to such doubts is…

Simple.

Africa remains fragmented precisely because the machinations continue even now.

In a far more refined and subtle way than in the days of imperialism.

Instigating coups for vested interests or supporting dictators is just basic practice.

Assassinating intellectuals or politicians who threaten national interests is also fundamental.

“Talent acquisition.”

Those with abilities are always lacking, no matter how many are found.

Countries exploit the poor in Africa for profit, but now, they’ve begun to treat them as resources, gathering them for harvest.

To this end, they support the use of English or French as official languages, setting up environments for immediate adaptation post-emigration and inserting individuals into NGOs to groom talented persons through ‘adoption’ or ‘naturalization.’ They even create educational facilities in the name of service, sponsorship, and donation, gathering information on those who seem gifted.

And any suspicion of ulterior motives gets buried under the guise of being ‘common sense.’

“The talented child must not wither away in such a dangerous place.”

“Talents naturally ought to thrive where they can properly exhibit their abilities. We strive to rescue talents from this dreadful environment.”

Of course, some scholars criticize such actions, labeling it “the slave trade of the 21st century,” “Africa as a human farm for powerful nations, where they act like saviors while harvesting abilities at regular intervals,” making their disgust well-known.

Yet, these scholars often face backlash with comments like, “Why criticize good deeds?” or “Has your worldview been so distorted that you see even noble acts through tinted glasses?”

Well, it truly is benevolent in a way.

It’s accurate that safety in Africa is not good, and transporting talents to their countries for essential roles is a fortunate outcome for those individuals.

However, there’s a fact most remain unaware of.

The poor safety conditions in Africa are intentional.

“Fruits only fall when the tree is shaken.”

Several nations and organizations deliberately worsen safety conditions in Africa.

Nations do this for vested interests, creating an environment where it’s easier to harvest talents.

Most organizations, too, pursue interests and talents in a similar manner.

As such, Africa’s safety has been intentionally deteriorating, plunging further down without any signs of improvement.

For wicked purposes.

“The mercenaries were useful…”

Jinseong recalled his time spent as a mercenary.

When he was making a name for himself as a promising mercenary, someone glaringly like an ‘agent’ approached him. Wearing a silicone mask and disguised as a Black individual, they spoke with the accent common among Ethiopians speaking English, attempting to make a ‘request.’

They twisted their words, saying they couldn’t reveal proper details without a definite commitment to the request, hinting it involved “setting fire at a certain place or unleashing monsters or ghosts.” A request for terrorism.

And Jinseong turned down that request.

The agent seemed too suspicious, along with the request’s content.

Furthermore, the only compensation offered was money, so he had no interest.

When Jinseong declined, that agent persisted a few more times before eventually giving up and disappearing.

Not long after that, a terrorist attack occurred at a university in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Seventy people, including professors and students, lost their lives, and 143 were injured in a sizable act of terror.

The reports claimed it was a terror act spurred by religious reasons.

How tragic it was.

After that attack, a private military company operating in Africa purchased quite a costly artifact and discussions regarding “certain technologies” between Ghana and France became disrupted, leading to a decline in interest from European entrepreneurs in specific sectors of Ghana, resulting in an economic downturn for the nation…

Well… people called it a coincidence.

 

---