They Mock Africa’s Fertility, But Guess Who’s Going Extinct?

Africa Has Babies, The West Has Cats: Who’s Really Winning?

I woke up this morning, scrolled through X, and bam—Elon Musk had posted a map of global fertility rates for 2023. The world is freaking out: America, Europe, Asia—birthrates dropping faster than TikTok trends. Meanwhile, Africa is booming, babies everywhere… and suddenly the world acts like that’s a crime.

Naturally, I checked the comment section. Big mistake, big eye-opener. Racist memes everywhere, people claiming Africa is poor, lazy, or “needs supervision.” Some even said we never invented anything. Tell that to the pyramids, Great Zimbabwe, African universities, goldsmiths, engineers, writers, doctors… basically, we’re thriving, but ignorance is louder than reality.

Then you have Americans panicking over their low fertility. “People are becoming cat-men and cat-women!” “They call pets their children!” And I get it — America and Europe are worried, because declining birthrates mean aging populations, fewer workers, fewer innovators, fewer people to care for elders. But instead of understanding, they mock Africa for having kids.

Now, here’s the truth I want to talk about to my own people: Africa’s fertility is both a blessing and a problem. Yes, a high number of young people could drive economies, fill jobs, innovate, and care for the aging. But here’s the flip side — having seven, eight, or ten children on one income, barely covering bills, school fees, or food? That’s reckless. Adding another child just to chase a boy? That’s not strategy, that’s chaos. And this is part of why the world mocks us.

Fertility without planning, foresight, and resources is not power—it’s a burden. I’m saying this to Africans: let’s stop glorifying numbers when the household cannot sustain them. God gave us brains, not just wombs. Using them matters.

Back to the broader picture: Africa’s potential is still enormous. Unlike low-fertility countries—America, Europe, Japan, South Korea—who are aging fast, Africa still has numbers, youth, and energy. But that potential can only be fully realized if leadership improves, institutions are strong, corruption is curtailed, and education spreads. Otherwise, fertility alone won’t save us; it will just produce stressed households and frustrated parents.

Historically, Africa was thriving: kings, queens, soldiers, trade networks, laws, governance. Colonization disrupted everything, stole resources, destroyed institutions thanks to our greedy leaders. Independence came too soon for some countries to fully recover. The world mocks Africa now, but much of the chaos is systemic, not biological.

So yes, fertility is power. But responsible fertility is key. Africa has babies, the West has cats. One side laughs now. The other has the future in their hands—but only if they use it wisely. Because the day the West realizes it cannot reproduce itself fast enough, it will beg the very continent they mocked. And that’s when we will see who’s really winning. ✊🏿

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