Money Trouble Brings Attitude Changes in Southern Africa!

A group of young mothers in southern Africa were asked: "What causes more trouble, beer or money?" Unanimously they answered: "Money." Of course, it is not the money itself, but what one does to get it and how it is used.

For instance, to earn more money, some men move far away into town, leaving the wife to cultivate the family plot and rear the children. Long hours of loneliness lead to temptations of excessive drinking and immorality. Some men even take on a 'town wife,' a woman who will live with a man without marriage. With these new pressures he may be unable to send any of his salary home, putting further strains on the family's already disrupted life. He may go home only once or twice a year!

Yet, even where the husband and wife live together in town, the wife often works to supplement the husband's earnings. In many cases young children are left at home to be cared for by a house servant, who herself may be a young girl. Such lack of proper training has contributed to a dramatic increase in juvenile crime and immorality in many cities of Africa. This is especially serious to Africa because nearly one half of the population is under 16 years of age!

The destructive effect of the quest for wealth is vividly illustrated with some of the Nuba tribesmen. Author Leni Riefenstahl, who lived with the Nuba, reported that in years past he could leave his photographic equipment in unlocked crates for months at a time. But recently he had to stop. Why? Thievery. He writes: "Because of a very poor harvest, some of the Nuba tribes had to go to the towns to earn some money to buy cattle or a few goats. In the towns they saw how everything could be bought with money and this had a destructive effect on them."

Before becoming acquainted with modernization, they were basically self-sufficient. Riefenstahl adds: "They knew nothing else and were happy and content with this life. The possession of money used to be foreign to them. But soon the inevitable march of civilization will reach the Mesakin Nuba and change them too."

In pursuit of the things that this modern age can bring, many have also become ensnared by something else.

Enslaving Credit Buying

"This easy credit is a terrible snare," wrote one African couple. "It makes buying things seem so easy and cheap, whereas in reality it isn't. The fact that one can walk into a shop and buy a dress without paying for it right away is a real lure, and as for payment-well, they can think about that later. When 'later' comes and they get the bill, they realize that they can't pay, and then the 'fun' starts. They become real slaves to these credit stores because the desire for new things is so great. I have been in homes that have new hi-fi sets, a new car, beautiful furniture and yet they don't have enough money for food because they're paying it all off. Husband and wife are both working and the kids are running wild."

In this respect Africans do not stand alone. Debt created by credit buying is an enormous problem in other countries as well. For instance, one out of every 20 Americans is in serious credit debt, since over 60 percent of their total income is committed to credit payments.

The effects on one, mentally and emotionally, are truly harsh. One person deep in debt from credit buying wrote: "I lost my job, and my unemployment compensation isn't enough to make the minimum payments, let alone pay rent and buy food. I have resorted to selling blood plasma and doing odd jobs. Ducking creditors is driving me crazy. I'm a nervous wreck."