Bitcoin protects against the depreciation of local currencies, a very common challenge in Africa.
For Nabourema, the NGO business is not aligned with true political resistance.
Farida Nabourema, activist and curator of Africa Bitcoin Conference, alert about the risks of treating the adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) in Africa as a simple mechanism of help or charity.
Thanks to its extensive direct experience with BTC in Africa, Nabourema affirms that the potential of the asset goes far beyond simple donations or awareness campaigns: “Bitcoin is not charity,” he emphasizes.
Originally from Togo, a country with decades of authoritarianism, Nabourama found in La Monedos Created by Satoshi a tool to protect his safety and that of those around her. In a scenario where even receiving funds could be interpreted as political support and lead to imprisonment, this technology allowed it to transfer value privately and safely.
His experience demonstrates that the adoption of Bitcoin can have a real impact in people’s lives, protecting them from inflation and repressive financial systems.
The truth is that, in addition to protecting the privacy of users, Bitcoin offers resistance to the loss of value of local currenciesa frequent problem in many African countries. Thanks to the qualities of Bitcoin, families and entrepreneurs can protect their heritage, receive remittances directly and perform transactions without depending on intermediaries that could block or monitor their funds.
However, in recent years, Nabourema has observed with growing concern A trend that, in his opinion, emulates the superficiality of international humanitarian aids. In these projects, the emphasis lies in attracting a maximum number of people through the distribution of tiny amounts of Satoshis – the smallest unit of Bitcoin -, striking events and emotional stories of those who claim to have obtained benefits.
There is an obsession with ‘catching’ as many people as possible, distributing some satoshis to demonstrate adoption, organizing endless meetings and telling donors stories of ‘widows’ whose lives supposedly changed overnight. This approach reflects the old help industry: fast figures, superficial impact and prefabricated photos that look well in the reports, but they say nothing about real change. We have already seen this cycle before, and it is dangerous.
Farida Nabourema, activist and curator of Africa Bitcoin Conference
For Nabourema, his argument relies on the historical lessons of Africa. He maintains that the proliferation of NGOs in the 90s and 2000s transformed the struggle for democracy into a workshop business designed to attract external financing, while true political resistance – the one that really bother dictatorships – was relegated.
Consequently, the activist warns that there is a risk of repeating that same pattern with Bitcoin. That, if it is becoming an instrument of dependence or show, instead of consolidating itself as an infrastructure of financial freedom.
«Bitcoin is now entering this same dangerous cycle. If the adoption is considered charity, if it is reduced to distributing things like food rations, or converting meetings into tools to raise funds, it will collapse in the same hollow structure as the failed democratic activism, ”he said.
So, The activist emphasizes that BTC’s genuine adoption should be measured by its real impact: families who protect their savings, workers who receive remittances without intermediaries, entrepreneurs who operate with freedom and speakers who escape the surveillance of authoritarian governments. «Bitcoin is infrastructure and freedom technology. Treating it as charity is stripping him of his soul, ”says Nabourema.
Finally, the specialist calls the financiers and the international community to rethink their approach. She asks for support For projects that are sustained on their own meritthat respond to real needs and that integrate Bitcoin in everyday life without depending on external incentives. Only in this way, he says, BTC can fulfill his promise of autonomy and sovereignty.
Farida’s testimony finds support in a recent study cited by cryptootics, which reveals how at least 329,000 refugees worldwide have already resorted to Bitcoin to protect their savings by escaping wars and persecutions. The report plans that, by 2035, more than 7.5 million displaced people could depend on this technology to survive.
These data reinforce the nabourema warning: beyond the rhetoric of charity or surface campaigns, BTC demonstrates its true value When it becomes freedom infrastructure, capable of protecting the dignity and autonomy of those who need it in the most adverse scenarios.