Sobotka: Why GIMP is inadequate

It's all about tradeoffs. Python is slow and uses more memory. I also dislike dynamic typing, and it's easier to use a C library in a C++ program than in Python. If these aren't problems for you - great, use Python.

If instead you're looking for a programming language that offers both flexibility and suitability for systems programming (perhaps even in the embedded world), then C++ is in my opinion a reasonable option.