A Greek Taste Of Medicine Designed For Africa

Since the late 1980s, many African countries have suffered the pain and humiliation of the so-called Structural Adjustment Programs that were designed by the IMF and the World Bank with the purpose of rejuvenating African economies. Needless to say that to this day the hoped for economic revival has not happened in most African countries. Now the medicine has been taken to Greece and the Greeks are being told the same story that Africans were told - that stringent economic reforms would avert economic collapse and revitalize the economy. The main difference between most African countries and Greece is that the Greeks are rightly not buying this story. That is why many of them are in the streets resisting the proposal which is being forced on them. If the stories of African countries that have taken this medicine is anything to go by, IMF structural adjustment programs hardly serve the interests of the people. I remember waking up in Cameroon one morning in late 1980s to hear that the CFA Franc was being devalued by 50%, civil servants were being laid off in droves, and public companies were being privatized. Since then Cameroon has only gone downhill. Most Cameroonians did not protest because they did not even know the effects of such restructuring of the economies. But the Greeks know the effects and they do not like what they perceive.

Banning Night Travel In Cameroon: A Travesty

The government of Cameroon has recently banned vehicles from plying the roads at night. According to the government most road accidents in Cameroon happen at night and are mostly caused by the fact that people drink and drive. Banning night travel is therefore intended to curb the alarming rate of accidents in the country. This argument is wrongheaded for many reasons. First, it drastically curbs economic activities, as one Cameroonian has already pointed out. With an already depressed economy, banning vehicles from traveling at night will only worsen the situation. Second, even though drinking while driving is one of the causes of road accidents in Cameroon, the deplorable state of the roads is far more significant. Only a very tiny percentage of roads in the country is tarred and even those that are tarred are remarkably narrow. These roads are in fact death traps. A more appropriate and sensible response to the carnage would be to improve the road infrastructure rather than banning night travel. Following this sensible solution would mean that the Biya regime is interested in solving the pressing problems Cameroonians face. But as we now know, he is not interested in solving the problems the country faces.

Paul Biya and Goodluck Jonathan: A Tale Of Two Presidential Facebook Pages

I have recently been spending time reading the facebook pages of some presidents, especially those in Africa. I am interested in how many followers they have and the kind of issues they discuss on their facebook pages. What presidents say on their facebook pages tells us a lot about how they perceive their job. I begin here by comparing the facebook pages of the presidents of two neighboring African countries, Cameroon and Nigeria. Cameroon's president is Paul Biya and he currently has about 1700 followers on his facebook page. Goodluck Jonathan is Nigeria's president and he has over 500,000 followers. Looking at President Jonathan's page, one would imagine that he busies himself dealing with specific issues that affect the daily lives of Nigerians, such as the importance of patronizing products made in Nigeria, the price of cement, inflation, etc. The people on his page are mainly Nigerians. President Biya's page, however, is mostly outward looking. He does not talk much about Cameroon, the problems Cameroonians are facing, and what he is doing about it. His page is filled with best wishes to and from foreign dignitaries. The other things we find on his page are presidential decrees and motions of support. Nothing specific about the life people live. These two facebook pages show us the constituencies of these two presidents: Goodluck Jonathan has to go through rigorous elections in order to become president. He therefore has to attempt to fulfill the wishes of his people. Paul Biya, on the other hand, does not have to go through such elections; in fact, in Cameroon, presidentials elections are already fixed before they are held. Becuase he can rig elections whenever he wants, he does not need the support of Cameroonians. However, he needs the support of outsiders such as France and the Vatican in order to maintain a good international image - his main constituency. It is amazing what you can learn about leaders by reading their facebook pages.

Learning Science From Egypt

Egypt has been on the news in recent months for the political revolution that is taking place in that country. However, there is another revolution that is going on there unannounced. Perhaps the world does not care about this revolution because it is not political; it is a scientific revolution. The Egyptian government has promised to increase its investment in science tenfold. I see this as a very laudable move because my own work has been based on calling African countries to focus on the development of science and technology. Even though political reforms are important, such reforms would not amount to much without vigorous scientific and technological development. Most African countries have much to learn from Egypt's incipient focus on scientific development.

Improving Educational Standards In Nigeria: One Governor's Efforts

The Archbishop And The First Lady Push-Up

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and First Lady Michelle Obama push-up. Do you think the Archbishop is pushing up? He seems to be cheating :)

Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Of Education

Oprah received and honorary doctorate in education from a University in South Africa.

Et Tu, Abdoulaye Wade?

Abdoulaye Wade, current president of Senegal, has been seen as one of the enlightened African presidents who languished in the opposition for decades before finally getting into the helm of power. As president, he has worked hard to improve life in Senegal, even calling for an African renaissance with a huge monument as a symbol of this vision. Many have spoken well of the man - until now. Just like his other colleagues who are ruining the continent with dictatorial politics, the man, who is 85 years old, wanted to doctor the constitution  of his country so that he could win the next election with ease - he wanted to make the winning percentage to stand at 25%. This meant that one could become president of Senegal if they won just 25% of the vote. Thus, Senegal was to lose all pretence of majority rule. This is a new low even for African politics. Thankfully, Senegalese stood up and forced him to scrap the idea. Abdoulaye Wade should not even be thinking of running for president again! At 85, he should leave politics and play the role of an elder statesman. He should not spoil his name by going the way of other rogue African presidents like Mugabe, Obiang Nguema, and Paul Biya. I believe he deserves better memory.

First Lady Michelle Obama In South Africa: Pictures and Videos

See more pictures here and videos here.

Close Down Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV) and Cameroon Tribune

Up until the 2000s, the dominant source of information for most Cameroonians was the government-owned radio and television networks, Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), and the government-owned newspaper, Cameroon Tribune. Currently, however, many Cameroonians do not care about these news sources even though they still wield some power in the country. It is mostly through these news sources that the Cameroon government speaks. The networks are run by taxpayer money and those who work there are mostly trained in government-owned journalism schools. Getting into the school of journalism in Cameroon, like getting into other professional schools in the country, has been a source of endless corruption. Upon graduation, graduates from these schools are required to give only the government side of a story, thus feeding Cameroonians with endless propaganda. Those who work for these news network are expected to be members of the ruling CPDM and to toe the party line. Thus it is that money is taken from Cameroonians to run news sources that is of no benefit to Cameroonians. In fact, those who control these networks are completely oblivious of the fact that they work for the people. Analysts after analysts mount the desks of these news sources only to sing the praise of the government. The fact that these news sources use taxpayer money to work against the interests of taxpayers should be an outrage to all Cameroonians. Like the Biya regime, CRTV and Cameroon Tribune have become enemies of the people of Cameroon. That is why these sources of the people's oppression should be removed. Cameroon Radio and Television and Cameroon Tribune should therefore be closed down because they are of no value to Cameroonians. They are a waste of taxpayer money. 

Rwanda's Financial Transparency: A Lesson for Africa

Readers of this blog are well aware that I have in the past focused on some of the dictatorial tendecies of Mr. Paul Kagame of Rwanda. However, I must confess my admiration for Mr. Kagame when it comes to the insipient financial transparency that he is bringing to the budget of his country. Countries such as Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, DRC, Nigeria, etc. would do well to learn from what Mr. Kagame is doing. Rwanda is one of the few African countries where the budget is published online for all to see. There is significant details of income and expenditures in these budgets. This is what we need in Africa. Good work, Mr. Kagame.

100 Most Influential Africans

The first list of the 100 most influenctial Africans has been published by the Afrocentric New African Magazine. The list is available online only to subscribers and in the hardcopy June edition of the magazine. This list should be read as Time Magazine's Person of the Year - it goes to rogues and saints alike, given that both are influential.

United States Ambassador to Cameroon Fails to Read Cameroon Properly

A recent report about the activities of the United States Ambassador to Cameroon depicts him saying that Cameroonians have the power to hold their leaders accountable. That is probably correct, except for the fact that the leaders have the military to defend them against the people while the people have no defender. Ambassador Robert Jackson's claim that Cameroonians can hold their leaders accountable through elections fails to notice, or perhaps turned a blind eye, to the fact that in Cameroon elections do not amount to much. The elections are run by the Biya government and that government regularly doctors these elections to get the results it wishes. The eminent ambassador knows this. The ambassador also failed to read Cameroon correctly by suggesting that Biya is focusing on limiting corruption. The ambassador should perhaps be aware that what passes for fight against corruption in Cameroon is a charade, a political ploy for Biya to get at his enemies. If the ambassador were to read Cameroon correctly, he would have said that limiting corruption in Cameroon has to begin with the removal of Biya. Paul Biya is himself the cancer of corruption that is devastating the country. For the fight against corruption to make any headway in Cameroon, Biya himself has to go. Suggesting that there is a modicum of sincerity about Biya's fight against corruption is to profoundly misread what is going on in the country. Perhaps the ambassador knows all this but just chose to lie for the U.S. as good ambassadors do.

What Killed Professor Anomah Ngu?

The death of one of Cameroon's foremost medical practitioners and scientists, Prof. Victor Anomah Ngu, has recently been announced. One of the gaping lacuna in the announcement is the fact that the cause of death is not mentioned. One announcement simply says that he died after "a protracted illness." Is "protracted illness" the name of a disease? Why not tell us what disease killed him? It may well be that his family did not want the cause of death to be made public. However, the failure to declare the cause of death of such eminent medical practitioner manifests a common ailment in Cameroon's medical practice. This common malady is the fact that the illnesses that kill most people is either hardly known or made public. The secrecy surrounding causes of deaths have therefore led to vacuums that have been filled by all kinds of fanciful rumors born of ignorance of the facts. One of the most blatant of these is witchcraft accusations. Even though declaring the cause of death may not limit accusations of witchcraft, it will give a competing narrative. Given that medical practices in Cameroon are still highly underdeveloped, it will take a long time before the investigation of the medical cause of death will become commonplace. Perhaps one of the ways to honor an eminent medical practitioner such as Prof. Anomah Ngu is to hasten the dawn of such a time.

Resistance and the African Woman: An Opera and a Play

An opera on the life of Winnie Mandela, Nelson Mandela's yet unsung ex-wife.

"Wedlock of the Gods," a play by Nigeria's first published female playwright, makes waves. The play critiques the subordination of women in matters marital in a African society. You can see the film version of the play here.

Finally, The African Union Deserts Its Friend Gaddafi

In what must surely be one its its most dramatic moves ever, the African Union (AU) has finally denied Libya's embattled leader, Gaddafi, its support. As usual, the African Union is late to see the masochism of one of its own. Left to the African Union, Gaddafi could have killed the people of Benghazi long ago and regained power in Libya. Where the African Union could have led by seeing Gaddafi for who he is right from the beginning of the uprisings in Libya, they preferred to cozy up to him and let the West to lead the way. In fact, it even appears that it was international pressure that forced the AU to see the light concerning the situation in Libya. One of the miracles of contemporary African politics is that the African Union somehow continues to remain relevant in spite of its repeated failure to call its rogue members to order. The AU's rejection of Gaddafi was long overdue. This move, however, still leaves much to be desired because the AU does not appear to have any means to make sure that Gaddafi steps down. 

Football: Cameroon's Opiate

Karl Marx opined long ago that religion serves as an opiate to diminish the ability of the masses to revolt against oppressive conditions being  visited on them by societal elites. Marx has been trenchantly critiqued for ignoring the salvific elements of religion. However, if Marx had been in Cameroon today, he would not only focus on religion; his analytical gaze would also fall on football (soccer). Many Cameroonians have been so intoxicated by football that national life sometimes almost turn on this sport. In addition to the fact that many Cameroonians spend time watching European league matches, the joy of the nation sometimes turns on how the national team performs on the international stage. This was clearly demonstrated last week when Cameroon national team drew 0-0 against Senegal in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. The national team needed to win this match in order to improve Cameroon's chances of participating in the African Nations Cup, the most prestigious football event in the continent, that takes place next year. The draw jeopardized Cameroon's chances of being part of the tournament. Since the 1980s, Cameroon has been a regular participant at this tournament. Most young Cameroonians do not remember a time when the country has not participated in this tournament. Thus, the draw and the prospect that the country may not be part of the tournament was too much to bear.  Immediately after the match against Senegal, there was widespread rioting in Yaounde, leading to at least two deaths. By this act, some Cameroonians demonstrated that they may endure poverty and Biya's dictatorship but they cannot bear to see their national football team become a laughing stock. I wish they could take other matters of urgent national relevance that seriously. We would probably not still have Biya as president today if Cameroonians worried about the overall well-being of their country as they do football. Knowing that the people love their football, Biya is pulling all the stops to appease them. When the national team wins, the people win, and Biya wins.

How Cameroonians In The Diaspora Are Betraying Their Country

Many Africans in the diaspora are working very hard to improve the lives of their people back in their home countries. Thus, many who have developed skills in business, medicine, engineering, etc. are taking their skills back home to help their people see a better day. In fact, one can justifiably say that many Africans who migrate from their home countries do so in order to be in the position to help their people back home see a better day. However, a recent shameful activity of some Cameroonians in the diaspora, especially those in the United States, threatens to vitiate this noble goal. This recent activity is not what has come to be known in Cameroon as feymanism, even though this criminal activity has done much to soil the name of the country abroad. The activity in question is the transfer of political corruption from Cameroon to the diaspora. Let me explain.

Many Cameroonians in the diaspora would acknowledge that they left their country in search of a better life abroad. In fact, many have died just in the process of fleeing the country because of economic hardship. When they go abroad, many of them file for asylum on grounds of being targeted for abuse by the autocratic Biya regime. Thus it is that many Cameroonians in the diaspora are refugees who claim to be fleeing the long arm of Biya's military regime. However, in the United States, some of these Cameroonians have turned around to seek the benefit of the corruption of the Biya regime. How do they do this? They do this by pledging support for Biya's ruling CPDM party. Concerned that his almost thirty years in power will raise eyebrows in international circles, Biya is using the instrument that he has always used to say in power - buying supporters. The ruling CPDM has now developed a new means of showing international support by opening branches in various countries around the world. And this is where Cameroonians in the diaspora, many of whom claim to be fleeing the Biya autocracy, come in. These very refugees now form cells of the ruling CPDM party in the diaspora in order to receive money from the Biya regime back in Cameroon. Thus it is that some Cameroonians in the United States went to demonstrate in support of Biya in Washington, D.C. Some Cameroonians in the United States are running around forming small cells of the CPDM and receiving cash from Paul Biya for doing so. While others from African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, etc., are gaining skills in the diaspora in order to help their home countries, Cameroonians in the diaspora are instead teaming up with Biya to continue the exploitation of their people. This is a very sad situation that must be stopped. When Cameroonians in the diaspora who should know better enhance the subjugation of their people by staging support for Biya, the lives of those back in the country can hardly be improved.

This is not to say that Cameroonians in the diaspora should not support Biya if they want to do so. However, there is something quite contradictory and even foolish to be a refugee in a foreign land while at the same time pledging support for the person who forced one into exile. It may well be that those who pledge support for Paul Biya are motivated by greed. But is seems to me that there is more money to be made in America than in Cameroon. America has many opportunities for people to work and make their own money. Why would some Cameroonians be looking back to get their money from Paul Biya in Cameroon? It is a sad day for Cameroon when those who are abroad conspire with Biya to diminish the lives and livelihood of their people back home. Such conspiracy with Biya goes beyond mere support; it is betrayal. Many Cameroonians in the diaspora are in fact betraying Cameroonians back home. Thus, the Cameroonian elite who rob the majority of Cameroonians is made up of the political elite back in the country and those in the diaspora who are forming CPDM cells for money. It is a shameful situation that is partly responsible for the current impasse in which the country finds itself.

Biya Bans Protests In Cameroon

Paul Biya, Cameroon's president for thirty years, has banned all protests in Cameroon. Those who are allowed to protest in Cameroon are those who do so in support of the ruling CPDM party or Paul Biya himself. That is why those who plan to demonstrate against Biya are summarily arrested and detained. With the forthcoming presidential election, Biya is making full use of the military dictatorship he has been presiding over for so long now.

The Saddness Of Al Shabaab Terrorists

Al Shabaab is the Islamic terrorist group that is ruining the lives of many in Somalia. Their recent exploits sound so unreasonable and would have resulted in laughter had it not been that this gang of criminals hold the power of life and death over many. Several months ago they arrested some young men for playing football (soccer) and banned the watching of the world cup on TV. Their recent ridiculous act has been the arrest of some women who "have been charged with puiblic expression of joy." These women were charged with public expression of joy for ululating at a wedding. According to Al Shabaab, such public expression of joy is un-Islamic. Ululation as an expression of joy is common in many African societies, from sub-Saharan to North Africa. Public expression of joy is a characteristic of many African societies and this can be seen in singing, dancing, etc. Al Shabaab's vision for Africa is that it should be a place of sadness, characterized by the rule of bearded men who impose their wills on others in the name of Allah. This vision must be firmly rejected. That is why it is important that African leaders come together to flush out this anti-social terrrorist group from Somalia.

Paul Biya Now Campaigns on Facebook

In addition to his personal propanda site that touts his achievements to foreigners, Biya is now on Facebook. Compared to the Facebook page of Barack Obama or Nickolas Sarkozy, for examples, Biya's page says nothing about important progress being made in Cameroon. It is rather filled with messages to or from foreign dignitaries meant to boost Biya's image. It would be nice if Biya could use his page to talk of the improvements that he is making to the lives of Cameroonians. Let him say how he has improved people's lives duing his almost thirty years in power. I challenge Biya to show his achievements on his Facebook page like other normal presidents do. Biya describes himself on his page as a politician. He should more accurately have described himself as an autocrat rather than a politician - there is a big difference between the two. An autocrat, like Biya, is answerable to no one; a politician is answerable to the people. Obama and Sarkozy are answerable to their people, that is why they use their Facebook pages to show how they are helping to improve the lives of their people. Biya, on the other hand, is not answerable to Cameroonias but imposes himself on them even as he has no achievement.

Est-ce qu'on peut changer l'equipe qui n'est gagne plus?

In the 1990s Paul Biya, President of Cameroon, connected the success of the national football (soccer) team, the Indomitable Lions, to his success as a leader. The title of this post is a re-rendering of a French proverb which Biya is reputed to have cited in support of why his government should continue in power. In response to the call for change of government that gripped Cameroon in the early 1990s, Biya is reputed to have retorted: "on ne change pas une equipe qui gange," which, being translated into English, reads: "a winning team should not be changed." Biya apparently appropriated this proverb to mean that just as the national team had a winning combination, so too did his government have a winning combination for Cameroon and should therefore not be changed. The irony of this claim was that unlike the national team of Cameroon which has contributed significantly to putting Cameroon on the map in a positive sense, Biya's government has no such achievement. In fact, if Biya has made Cameroon to be internationally famous, it has been for all the wrong reasons, such as corruption and dictatorship. That is probably why Biya himself had to ride the popularity if the national team.
However, Cameroon's national team seems to have outlived its days of glory. Under Biya, the corruption of the country has infected the team so much that the team has disintegrated. In the past ten years or so, its performace on the international stage such as the African Nations Cup and the World Cup have been dismal, to put it kindly. Cameroon's national football team now holds the dubious distinction of being the first team to fail to qualify for the second round of the World Cup that was held in South Africa in 2010. Considering the fact that many still respected the soccer team because of its past glory, this crash out of the World Cup during the first round was ghastly. The World Cup incidence was just one in a long line of failure to perform well, especially when it matters most. Currently, it is even doubtful whether the Indomitable Lions would qualify for the African Nations Cup which takes place in 2012. Just like Biya's government, Cameroon's national football team is currently in disarray. This is not to suggest that Biya's government has ever been good at anything other than the assurance of its own survival. In fact, contrary to the proverb which Biya used, his government has never been a winning team; rather, it has been disastrous for Cameroon.
With the national team and Biya's decaying regime now in tatters, one cannot fail to ask the question: "should we not change a team that no longer  wins?" This is the translation of the title of this post. If a team that wins should not be changed, does it not follow that a team that does not win should be changed? Now that it is clear to all that both the Biya regime and the national team are now in shambles, is it not time to make new and viable teams for Cameroon? In order for the Indomitable Lions to win again, the team must be changed. In order for Cameroon to be put on the right track, Biya's government must go. The answer to the question: "should we not change a team that no longer wins?" should be: "of course, we should."

"Paul Biya The Bloody Killer": Lone Cameroonian Protests In Washington, DC

Taken from here

Living "Well With My Neighbor": A Creative Businessman In Rwanda

"That's me -- that's how I am," he says. "I love people, and for me to have financial security it's because I live well with all my neighbors here."
"I look for that very poor person and help him or her -- and not necessarily financially, but train them and give them more knowledge," he adds.

Ma Albertina Sisulu: Remembering An Anti-Apartheid Matriarch

"Ma Sisulu," as she was affectionately known, is the woman who, together with her husband Walter Sisulu, worked tirelessly against apartheid. She will be remembered as one of the matriarchs of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. She died at the age of 92. Below she celebrates her 91st birthday. Listen to a tribute Archbishop Desmond Tutu pays to her here.

So That Babies May Not Die: The Tale Of A Mother

A moving story from CNN.

Play For Change: The Beauty Of Music