Who Is Archduke Ferdinand and Why Would the World go to War Over His Death?

It is a fascinating story, the story about the Archduke whose death led the whole world to war, or so we are told. Our parents told us many stories when we were growing up - stories about the exploits of the tortoise and the fox in a world where animals spoke. But they never told us about stories of war, especially a war that involved the whole world. I first heard about the war in school. Perhaps because my parents never went to school, they never had the chance to hear about this war that engulfed the whole world. Is it possible that a war can be called a world war when many people in the world never even heard about it? At school I was taught that the war was fought mostly in Europe and that it began because an important person called an Archduke was killed. How the process moved from the death of this single person to include the death of many others was not clear to me. And why was it important for us, sitting in a village in Cameroon in the 1980s to know about a war that was largely fought in Europe from 1914 to 1918? They said that was part of what we needed to learn if we were to be smarter than our parents. We needed to learn about wars that were fought in Europe by people we did not know. Even now, living in the United States, I hear news reports claiming that the war changed the 20th century. However, in the village where I grew up in Cameroon, that war made no impact. The Archduke whose death led to the death of many others is still unknown there. In the village, people still wonder why the world would go to war because of the death of one person. And why would it be called a world war when the people of my village did not fight in it?

African World Cup Aspirations Marred by Money, Manners and Lack of Skill

Two African countries, Algeria and Nigeria, have progressed to the second round of the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. I thought, however, that at least four African countries would go through - Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. I knew Cameroon would not go beyond the first round because they have a bad team. However, the trouble for the country began before they even went to Brazil. Quarrels about bonus threw what was supposed to be a team into disarray and the fruits were demonstrated in Brazil through their absent-minded playing style and the shame of fighting among themselves.

I thought Ghana were going to survive their difficult group but this thinking was put to rest by their money troubles that came to light just before they played their last game with Germany. That also erupted in fighting and some players were sent home. For Ivory Coast, their waterloo came in their last game when Greece appeared to be just too fast for them. Apart from Algeria and Ghana, world football seems to be getting faster than most African players at this World Cup seem equipped to play.

Nigeria, now in the second round, are being bedeviled by money problems, as if the country did not plan for the World Cup. Even though two African countries are into the second round of this World Cup, I still find the current tournament to be the most humiliating one African countries have experienced. I say this after 30 years of closely following African football. In many ways, this World Cup is the worst for Africa. Never has there been so much in-fighting and money problems in African World Cup teams!

Cameroon's Former Goalkeeper Inspired Gianluigi Buffon

One of the world's most exciting and talented goalkeepers, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, said that he was inspired to become a goalkeeper by former goalkeeper of the Cameroon national football team, Thomas Nkono. The event that inspired him so much was Cameroon's win against Argentina in the 1990 world cup that was held in Italy. Buffon was so inspired by Nkono that he did not only become a goalkeeper but also named his son after Nkono - Louis Thomas. It is so helpful to know that there was a time when Cameroon football was inspirational. It alerts us to the fact that what passes for Cameroon football today is a joke by comparison.

What Newspapers in Cameroon are Saying About Horrible World Cup Spectacle

Please click here to see what newspapers in Cameroon are saying about the horrible World Cup spectacle national team put on display in Brazil. The paper below simply says: "What a Shame!" Others go on to name those who should be held responsible for the fiasco.

Mexico Should Be Disqualified from World Cup!

If it is true that Mexican fans racially abused Cameroon's players during the ongoing Fifa World Cup competition in Brazil, then the Mexican national team should be disqualified from the competition. Fifa's campaign against racism so far seems to be yielding no fruit because all the ads about stopping racism seem to have only led to increase in racism as black players continue to be abused. Fifa has already become infamous in Brazil and if the organization hopes for people should take it seriously, it should start taking serious actions against teams whose fans are racists. Disqualifying Mexico would be the only serious punishment to the team and its fans and would serve as warning to other racists who use football competitions as venue to display their bigotry.

Paul Biya's Cameroon World Cup Disgrace

Cameroon, which put African football on the map through its performance at successive Fifa World Cup competitions since 1982, has, through egregious manifestations of lack of class in the game between Cameroon and Croatia, managed to earn itself what one commentator described as the worst team in this year's World Cup. The disaster that the Cameroon national football team became at the 2014 Fifa World Cup is a reflection of the disaster that the country itself has become. First, under Paul Biya, the country has become a very disorderly place where courtesy and respect are becoming a thing of the past and order is itself non-existent. This disorder was manifested on the pitch today as Alexander Song did not only intentionally hit a player of the opposite team but Cameroonian players were fighting among themselves. It was a very disgraceful spectacle. In fact, this spectacle began right in Cameroon when the players did not want to board the flight to Brazil because the government owed them money.

Second, under Paul Biya, Cameroon has become a country that does not seek innovation. The same people are being recycled to do the same thing over and over. Paul Biya has been dictator of the country for thirty-one years, during which time the country has seen no significant improvement. Like himself, he keeps recycling tired and uninspiring personnel, especially manifested when Biya begged Samuel Eto'o (another tired player) to play at this year's World Cup.

The disgraceful behavior which Cameroonian players manifested at the ongoing World Cup competition is therefore deeply rooted in the disorderly system which Paul Biya has created back in the country. Biya's incompetence has just been put on public display for the whole world to see and the venue could not be more fitting. This disgrace has been brought on the country by Biya. What the players did in Brazil was just a symptom of a rotten system.

Paul Kagame Needs No Advice on When Not to Kill

Paul Kagame, Rwanda's current president, has said that he needs no advise on when not to kill from people who kill their own convicts and use drones to kill innocent civilians. Kagame even sounded more morally authoritative when he argued that in Rwanda killers who conducted the 1994 genocide were forgiven rather than executed. This jibe is apparently directed at the United States where some have strongly criticized Kagame for killing his opponents. It sounds hypocritical for those who kill to tell other killers not to kill, Kagame seems to be saying. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. On which grounds, then, could the West hold Kagame accountable for killing his opponents?

There Is Pain in This World: Culture of Endurance in Benin

Beninois mark the faces of their offspring not only as signs of identity but also to teach endurance in a tough world. There is pain in this world but the pain will stop. Endure. See more here.

La France: l'Afrique d'Autre Mer

France used to describe its colonies in Africa as France d'autre mer (overseas France). The center used to be in France and from this center France circulated into its colonies. However, for all intent and purposes, the center now is in these former French colonies, which is why France is so tethered to them. France's position in the world is tied to its connection to these former colonies. Anyone who doubts this should just take a look at the French national football team below. Most of those who now play for France are from Africa. Where would France be without Africa?

  

Ivory Coast Did Us Proud

We here at Flourishingafrica are proud of the exploits of Ivory Coast against Japan.

 



Why Mario Balotelli Said "No" to Ghana

The popular American sports network, ESPN, is currently running a short documentary on the Italian football phenom, Mario Balotelli. Acccording to the documentary, Mario was born of Ghanaian immigrant parents who gave him up for adoption when he was two years old. When he grew into a football phenom Ghana asked him to play for Ghana because they thought he was Ghanaian but he said "no". His reason for saying "no" is that having grown up in Italy, he did not know Ghana or Africa and so it did not make sense for him to play for Ghana. Thus, he decided to play for Italy when Italy came calling.

However, even though I am not a psychologist, I would like to venture one psychological reason for why Mario said "no" to Ghana: he felt that Ghana had rejected him in the first place. His parents who gave him up for adoption represent Ghana and in fact Africa.  Many Africans who are born abroad or whose parents took them abroad but who still maintain good relationship with their parents often play for their parents' home countries when they are asked to do so. However, those who are not in good terms with their parents often do not do so - they often experience a sense of betrayal and so reject their parents and their parents' home countries. Such is the case with Mario.

Mario's case is a case of literal adoption but it could also be read to stand for a broader phenomenon - Africa's giving up of many of its children to be raised by the West. These people cannot have a heart for Africa if they feel Africa does not care about them.

How Cameroon Went Down to Mexico

There was a time when Cameroon football had a certain mystique, when Cameroon was talked about with respect in the world of football. As you can see from the clip below, that time is long gone. A country that is not organized cannot produce organized football. The problem runs deep.

 

World Cup Tournament Schedule

Here is the schedule of the World Cup tournament currently taking place in Brazil. Check your local listings for precise time.

Are There Criteria to Evaluate Success of Politicians?

Professions often have criteria by which the success of its practitioners may be evaluated. Doctors are often evaluated by the efficiency with which they heal people. Teachers are often evaluated by their influence on students and their contribution to their fields of study. Architects are evaluated by the quality of the designs they make, mechanics by how well they fix cars, and so on and so forth. There are of course many other ways by which practitioners of these and other professions may be evaluated. However, as I think about the matter, I wonder if there are any criteria by which politicians may be evaluated. It seems to me that evaluating politicians all over the world is just as dicey as the practice of the profession itself. What are the criteria that are used in evaluating politicians? Is it longevity in office? This seems to be the most important criteria around the world, especially in Africa. Politicians often stay in office for years on end without anything to show for it. In America and Europe, the evaluation of politicians has been left to talking heads whose very desire is to obfuscate why people should be engaged in politics. Books on politics seem to give the impression that politics is a very high calling but they are not often clear about the issue of criteria.  One book argues that despots have no place in politics but despots thrive all the time in politics and no one seems to be complaining about them.

Or is asking for criteria to determine success in politics the wrong question to ask? Is politics the one profession where criteria seem to make no sense?

The Beautiful Game FIFA Spoilt

Football is known as the beautiful game and its profile often dramatically rises during the World Cup tournament. However, the shine of the beautiful game seems to be fading as those who loved it most are getting increasingly disappointed with the massive corruption and oppression that the game is fostering around the world. Instead of addressing the virtual slavery that the game is promoting in Qatar Fifa President instead charged that the accusations that the 2022 game was given to Qatar through corrupt means are motivated by racism. If he thinks that this sleight of hand is going to discourage people from making this accusation, then he is sorely mistaken. In Brazil, where people seem to love soccer more than anything else in the world, the game is beginning to lose its luster. Perhaps a new organization or even a competing organization to help stop the slide of this sport into ignominy needs to be created.

FIFA As Religion: John Oliver Takes It On

John Oliver is making a point which some scholars of religion have made for a while now, namely that Fifa or better yet, soccer or sports in general, is a religion. Perhaps, Fifa may better be described as a Mafia. Sooner or later many people would lose interest in soccer, like it happens to religions that overreach.

 

Nelson Mandela in the Deep South

The above Nelson Mandela sign (the first one is a close-up of the second) was taken by yours truly. The sign is to be found in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, McFarland Boulevard. We need his spirit here, especially as churches in Alabama are reading Hitler in addition to the Bible.
 

900 Days of Protesting Paul Biya's Thirty-One-Year Dictatorship in Cameroon

Today marks 900 days since flourishingafrica started protesting the eternal presence of Paul Biya's dictatorship in Cameroon. This protest is going to continue until Paul Biya is no longer there. We see no scenario where it is necessary for one person to be the president of a country for over three decades, even as they destroy the economy and the vision of the country.