Politicians as Evil

Much of the blood that has been spilled in many African countries in recent memory has stemnmed from political violence. A look at Egypt, Libya, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, etc., will substantiate the story. I do not know if politicians are naturally meant to be sinister people but the violence which they have orchestrated against the people of Africa may lead one to consider that sober possibility. There is no length which they will not go to maintain their hold on power. Even in stable democracies like the United States and Britain politicians pull off outstanding machinations to torpedo their opponent. In Africa, where politicians often do not have a record or vision to run on, they often seek or maintain power through violence. One could therefore study the history of violence in contemporary Africa as a demonstration plot of the viciousness of politicians. I would be glad if one could come to a contrary conclusion to disprove my theory. Could someone show me the good which politicians have done to us? If Kenya goes up in flames next week, we will have one more demonstration of the wickedness of politicians who divide their people in the selfish quest for political power. The degree of shamelessness and heartlessness which politicians habor in their chests, St. Augustine was correct to point out, can only be compared to that of gang members. That profession, if it can be so called,  is an unnecessary evil. It stinks to high heaven.

The Eerie Language Of "Re-education" In Rwanda

Reminiscent of the re-education labor camps in Communist China where those who disagree with government rapacity are sent to languish under hard labor, Paul Kagame's Rwanda is now dispatching people into concentration camps in the hills of Rwanda under the guise of re-educating them. It must be immediately pointed out that Kagame's re-education, like that of Communist China, has nothing do with education but everything to do with ideology. Re-education is the act of creating a docile people so that dictatoship may flourish, as is the case in Communist China or Russia. Re-education, if it had anything to do with education, would lead one to wonder what happened to the first education. To re-educate someone implies that they had previously received an education that went awry. Given that the people who are now being re-educated in Kagame's concentration camps have spent all of their lives in Rwanda, it would appear that their previous maleducation occured in Rwanda itself. If that is the case, it would be necessary to ask about the conditions that generated the maleducation in the first place and if the conditions have been fixed. If the conditions have been fixed, why would these people be sent into labor camps to be re-educated? Now, these questions only make sense if we assume that re-education has some connection to the idea of education. But it does not. Kagame is simply trying to cultivate a docile citizenry so that no one would question his dictatorship in Rwanda. Viva Kagame, viva!

Cameroon Officially Enters Terrorist Fray!

The Islamic fundamentalist destabilization of northern Nigeria has often sounded like a faraway affair to many Cameroonians. With the recent kidnapping of French citizens in northern Cameroon, Cameroon has officially entered the terrorist fray. Let's see what Paul Biya will do with this. As far as I know, Cameroonian Muslims have generally been a peaceful lot, even though some of their leaders look at Paul Biya with critical suspicion - which concerned Cameroonian doesn't look at Paul Biya with critical suspicion? That Cameroonian Muslims have generally been peaceful says that the recent kidnapping has most probably not been masterminded in Cameroon or by Cameroonians. The root should be traced elsewhere. The root should be traced to recent French activities in Africa. France, posing as saviour, has often been our bane. After having brought poverty and corruption to Cameroon, they are now bringing us terrorism.

On Ethnocentricism

An important read from the New York Times.

The Odyssey of Yoruba Goddesses

The odyssey of some Yoruba goddesses enacted in a play.

From the BBC.

The Somebodys and Nobodys In Nigeria

An interesting read about social class and economic development in Nigeria, from The New York Times.

Stephen Keshi: Man Of The Tournament

Stephen Keshi, the coach of Nigeria's national football team, is our man of the tournament in the just ended African Nations Cup. This is specifically because Mr. Keshi demonstrated a profound faith in the young players who are still plying their trade in Nigeria rather than those who are playing in Europe. We would like to congratulate Nigeria for their faith in Mr. Keshi and Mr. Keshi for trusting these young players. At a time when many African nations believe that only foreign coaches and foreign-based players can help them compete, Nigeria has shown that a domestic coach and a good contingent of domestic players can win championships. More power to Nigeria and Mr. Keshi.

Stephen Keshi

Failing African National Football Teams: A Hypothesis

Having watched the African football landscape for about thirty years, I have seen the ascent and decline of many national teams in the continent. Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast have dominated the African football scene during my lifetime. Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast have probably been the most dominant. However, these countries have suffered significant decline in their recent footballing fortunes. Egypt and Cameroon, for examples, did not even qualify for the current African Nations Cup! Observing the precipitous decline of once popular football nations make me wonder about what might explain such sudden fall. While there might probably be other reasons, my initial hunch, developed through observation of these countries, is that the fall in their footballing fortunes is directly tied to political uncertainty and misrule. One can observe this especially in the North African countries that failed to advance to the second round of the current African Nations Cup. Ivory Coast, with probably the most formidable team in Africa, has consistently failed to perform well since the country descended into chaos after Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Cameroon began doing well in the 1980s when the misrule of Paul Biya had not taken effect. The acceleration of Paul Biya's misrule has made the football nation to be a shadow of its former self. The North African countries have seen a decline in their footballing prowess due in part to the Arab Spring.
The countries that seem to be doing well now are those that seem to have some semblance of order. Someone may want to test this hypothesis in a more scientific fashion to see where it leads. The question to be addressed is this: what role does political and economic order play in enhancing the staying power of a dominant footballing nation? A country like Burkina Faso, which is now in the final of the African Nations Cup, may be one of the challenges to this hypothesis. Its economy is bad and it is suffocating under the murderous dictatorship of Blaise Compaore. However, what can we say about the fact that Egyptian football thrived under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak? Why are countries such as Nigeria and Ghana doing relatively well now?

The Jews Of Nigeria

Japanese Sing In Lingala?

The Japanese in this video are apparently singing in Lingala, a Congolese language.