Neville Jones, Status symbols (People)

The chief of a Hamar village and his lieutenant, like many men in the Omo Valley Ethiopia, carry their AK-47s as symbols of their wealth and power. Millions of AK-47s were sent to Africa during the proxy wars of the twentieth century. The Cold War sabre-rattling in the northern hemisphere translated to very hot wars in Africa with the Soviet Union and their allies (especially Cuba) on one side of the conflict and the USA and theirs on the other. China was non-aligned and supported the same combatants as either the Soviets or the USA, depending on the conflict. All of these sponsor countries sent AK-47s or copies to Africa in their millions. They either made them, bought them or used this channel to dispose of surplus or captured weapons. At the end of the Cold War, the weapons were generally discarded or sold by retiring armies. There were so many in Africa that at one point they were changing hands at $6 each, although the usual price was about $50. Highly recognisable by traditional cultures as effective weapons, men began to purchase and carry them as they would once have carried spears or clubs. The practice took hold and demand started driving up the price. Simultaneously, the AK47 became the weapon of choice for terrorists such as ISIS and small arms dealers began scouring Africa for cheap weapons to on-sell. Today, an AK47 in excellent condition can bring as much as $5,000. This confirms the position of the weapon as a symbol of both power and wealth.

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