Thabo Mbeki Is Not Naive

Thabo Mbeki, former president of South Africa, has recently written a piece for FP in which he came down on the side of Gbagbo in the Ivorian crisis. He worries about the suffering of Gbagbo and his wife since their arrests, far more than he worries about the extended humiliation which Ivorians have undergone since the dictatorship of Boigny to the recent Gbagbo. In the piece, Mbeki claims that two casualties resulted from the Ivorian crisis -  a weakened African Union and a hypocritical United Nations. As for the role of the UN, Mbeki laments:
"The United Nations is yet another casualty. It has severely undermined its acceptability as a neutral force in the resolution of internal conflicts, such as the one in Côte d'Ivoire. It will now be difficult for the United Nations to convince Africa and the rest of the developing world that it is not a mere instrument in the hands of the world's major powers. This has confirmed the urgency of the need to restructure the organisation, based on the view that as presently structured the United Nations has no ability to act as a truly democratic representative of its member states."
I know Mbeki understands that international politics, just like national politics, is not based on goodwill but on the capacity to wield power. The powerless can always murmur against the bad treatment they are receiving from the powerful but unless the powerless manage to become powerful, their complaints will amount to nothing. Mbeki knows this very well because he was part of the movement in South Africa that enabled black people to come to power in that country. Black South Africans did not only complain about their marginalization, hoping that this would prick the conscience of the white minority government and cause it to change its mind. Black South Africans fought their way into power. We are seeing a similar thing in North Africa where Tunisians and Egyptians who have been marginalized for so long are fighting their way into power. This is also happening in Libya.
As in national politics, so too in international politics. In international politics, just as in national politics, the weak are  marginalized. If the United Nations can flaunt the rule of law in Africa it is because, as Mbeki himself rightly saw, the continent does not have what it takes to wield international power. Mbeki rightly notes the weakness of the AU. The AU has been impotent in the face of massive crises like those in Ivory Coast and Libya. It was impotent when it came to Tunisia and Egypt. The major powers who have been wielding their wills in Africa do so because they are strong not because they respect rule of law. Mbeki knows this. That is why Mr. Mbeki would do well to urge African leaders to develop strong economies that would lead to their being strong. Mbeki is a master of rhetoric (as evidenced in the piece) but rhetorical flourish does not do much good when it comes to power politics. International politics, as Mbeki well knows, is not based so much on who is right as on who is strong. It is a waste of time to be blaming the United Nations or France for disrespecting the rule of law in Africa - African leaders themselves routinely do this even though Mbeki hardly raises his voice against them. It is only because his friends, Gbagbo and his wife, are now suffering the consequence of weakness that he is complaining. It is even telling that Mbeki never mentioned that the biggest casualty in this debacle is the Ivorian people themselves. But he mentions the sufferings of Gbagbo and his wife twice! I wonder who Gbagbo is speaking for: for the people of Ivory Coast or for his friends Gbagbo and his wife! It is very easy for very bright politicians to lose their focus. But I know Mbeki is not naive.

How The Vatican Legitimizes African Autocrats

One of the places from which Africa's dictators have often gained legitimacy is the Vatican. The Vatican often overlooks much of the ills of these leaders by doing business with them even as these leaders put the lives of their own people in danger. Two of the most notorious Roman Catholic leaders in Africa are Paul Biya of Cameroon and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Both of these leaders have been in power for the last thirty years or so and have been tragically autocratic in the process. However, the Vatican has been one of their staunchest enablers. Pope John Paul II who will be beatified this weekend came to Cameroon twice but hardly chided Biya for his misrule. When Pope Benedict XVI came to power, the first African country he visited was Cameroon. He spoke in codes about justice but clearly and controversially about HIV and AIDS. Pope John Paul fought tirelessly against Communism but he saw autocracy in Africa as sufferable. Pope Benedict speaks eloquently about HIV and AIDS but speaks in codes when he is standing beside notorious dictators. And now, Robert Mugabe, who is being shunned even by secular rulers for ruining the lives of his people and who has a European Union ban on his head, is now attending the beatification of Pope John Paul II. When will the Roman Catholic Church have some backbone and stand up to Christians like Biya and Mugabe who are functional atheists? Or are these dictators merely practicing what the Roman Catholic Church preaches?

Update: Paul Biya also attended the beatification of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican.

Julius Malema, Friend of Dictators

"Who is Julius Malema?" you may wonder. He is not well known outside of South Africa where he is the President of the Youth League of the ruling party, the African National Congress. He is a very controversial young man, a lightening rod who was recently described by Winnie Mandela, the estranged wife of Nelson Mandela, as a future president of South Africa. If Winnie Mandela is correct that Julius Malema is a future president of South Africa, then he merits to be known around the world. South Africa is a giant of Africa and if that country goes badly it will drag down the continent with it. That is why those both in and outside the continent are interested in how that country goes. That is why I am concerned that someone like Julius Malema is the president of the Youth League of the ruling party of that country and may one day become the president of the country.

Let me confess that I do not know the man. However, if the various things that have been reported about him are correct, then South Africans must make sure that he never goes closer to the presidency than he currently is. He is a young man who sees the world only in terms of black and white - and who can blame him, apartheid taught him that. He has a strong hatred for white people and seems to believe that white people have no right to meddle in African affairs, hence he still sings the song about killing white people in South Africa. He has no time for talk of reconciliation and the building of a multiracial South Africa. This very fact, makes him profoundly unfit to be president of South Africa.

Further, he seems to have a pan-African political ethos that requires African leaders to protect each other, shielding every dictator in their midst. This view was recently expressed when he chided the South African government for voting for a UN no fly zone in Libya. He describes the vote as one that supported the "killing of fellow Africans," claiming that Nelson Mandela would never have condoned such a vote. This reaction does not only betray a misreading of Nelson Mandela but also implies that if he were in charge, he would not support such a vote. However, when South Africans were killing fellow Africans who have migrated to that country, I did not hear Mr. Malema talk about the killing of fellow Africans. He was silent. He thinks of fellow Africans only when it comes to giving his support to dictators so that those dictators may kill their own people. According to Mr. Malema, therefore, it were better for Gaddafi to kill his people than for him to be stopped. Julius Malema is among those who use the struggle against white domination as excuse for dictatorship in Africa.

Some are beginning to describe South Africa as a predatory state, a description that has been used to describe many African countries before South Africa. One of the reasons why African states are predatory is because their leaders are usually dictators. Julius Malema sometimes sees the South African constitution as an inconvenience and if given the opportunity he too would become a dictator in the name of defending Africans. Dictators before Julius Malema have not been good for Africa and Julius Malema is not good for Africa. It would be a disaster if he were one day to become president of South Africa.

In Sierra Leone, A Solemn Pledge In Place Of Anniversary Celebrations

Sierra Leoneans are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country. However, it is my view that rather than pretending to be having a good time in a country that is severely stressed at many levels, Sierra Leoneans should be making a solemn pledge to each other. As a matter of fact, I am not sure that in the last fifty years of independence, Sierra Leone has much to be proud of. It is therefore surprising that the name Sierra Leone is being associated with pride. If Sierra Leoneans are proud of the last fifty years which has been characterized by widespread thievery among the elites and the brutalization of the people, then the country knows no shame. The last fifty years in the history of Sierra Leone should be one to be ashamed of, if for no other reason than the fact that the country is often rated among the last in the world in terms of standards of living. That is why Sierra Leoneans should be making a solemn pledge to each other that they would strive to make things better for each other in the next fifty years. The thieving ruling elites should in fact be apologizing to the people for having made their lives a living hell; they should be pledging to do better in the next fifty years. It is this lack of remorse on the part of the thieves who pass for leaders that this anomalous celebration is happening. Even by African standards, Sierra Leone is still at the bottom. To celebrate this woeful lack of achievement and to pronounce that one is proud of doing so borders on the bizarre. In a song about the celebration which I heard on BBC but which I cannot find right now, Sierra Leone is described as a mother. This description gives mothers a bad name. If Sierra Leone has been a mother to her children, she has at best been a very abusive mother who needs jail time. Her ways need to change drastically. Hopefully, it will in the next fifty years.

Initiation Into Dependence Or Responsibility?

It is good to know that Keyan primary school pupils are already being groomed into thinking that they could be presidents and ministers. However, the particular exercise narrated in this otherwise fine piece seems to be initiating students into dependence rather than responsibility. Just look at all what the Japanese provides and then listen to the "president" express her wish:

""I do not want any of them missing school," says "Her Excellency". And as she takes the Japanese ambassador around, Pendo explains what her citizens need: more support for the Water Sanitation and Health programmes."

How about placing "Her Excellency" in a situation where she has to ask her "ministers" what they ought to do in order to address the problems themselves rather than asking for support from the Japanese? It would be great if we started equipping our future leaders with how to generate self-sufficiency rather than training them to ask for support in order to realize their own projects.

Dreaming of the Premodern

This is an interesting article debating the issue of whether premodern life was/is better than the modern.

Cameroonians In The United States Beg Paul Biya To Remain President

There is a well edited video making the rounds on the internet. The video purports to show a rally that took place in Washington, DC., organized by members of the of Cameroon's ruling party resident in the United States. In the video, they claim that Cameroon is the best run county in Africa and one of them even describes Paul Biya as savior of Cameroon, a Moses. They recount what they see as achievements of the Biya regime, the first of which is the negative but untrue claim that there are no political prisoners in Cameroon. Even if this were true, it would not be an achievement because not having political prisoners is not a sign of progress. They also recount a series of achievements that Paul Biya has had in the Northwest province, none of which is evident on the ground. They make much of the 25,000 jobs which the government announced and which we have had occasion to discuss in this blog. They beg for peace in Cameroon, saying that Cameroon is not Tunisia or Egypt, as if Cameroon is now better than these countries. In fact, the standards of living in Tunisia and Egypt are light years ahead of that in Cameroon. The video manifests contradictions in many places as the leaders of the group appear not to know exactly how long Biya has been in power.

Some questions kept coming to my mind as these leaders of Biya's ruling party rallied in Washington, DC.: If Cameroon is so wonderful, why are these leaders living outside the country? Would it not be great if they had stayed in Cameroon and enjoy the peace and prosperity that Paul Biya has so far created? Or are they just deceiving Cameroonians to continue to tolerate the rot while they live sumptuous lives in America? As they sing the praise of Paul Biya as the bringer of freedom to Cameroon, are they aware of the recent Freedom House report that ranks Cameroon as one of the unfree countries in Africa? One of the characteristics of lack of integrity in the ancient world was incoherence. People who made claims that so glaringly lacked coherence were also seen as people who lacked integrity. In this regard, the video of this rally speaks for itself. It is a very long video, but if you have time, watch it. It will not disappoint in its chicanery.

Dear Prince William and Catherine Meddleton: Please Disinvite King Mswati III of Swaziland!

It has come to our knowledge that you have invited the autocratic ruler of Swaziland, King Mswati III, to your wedding. King Mswati III of Swaziland has become an oppressor of his people. He has manhandled those who have pressed for reform in his country.  He has misappropriated the wealth of his people even as they pine in penury. Like Mugabe, Gaddafi, Mubarak and others, King Mswati III has become one of the symbols of what is wrong with Africa. You do not want to be associated with a leader who blatantly humiliates his people and trample on their dignity. You must not allow him to attend your wedding!

If you are reading this post, join the call; send a tweet to William and Katherine. Urge them to disinvite King Mswati III. It will send a strong message.

Equal Representation For Men And Women in Tunisia

In Tunisia, it is now law: political parties must field just as many women as men in the upcoming elections for the constituent assembly, 50-50. Period. An Islamic political party supported that motion to become law. In fact, Tunisia is the only Islamic country in which polygamy is against the law. Hopefully other countries around the world, especially those in Africa and the Middle East, would learn from this exquisite example of the promotion of women's rights in society.

"Are Countries Poor Because They Are Violent Or Violent Because They Are Poor?"

An intriguing but, perhaps, the wrong question from the Economist.

From Soweto To Tahrir Square - Mamdani

A brilliant piece by one of Africa's foremost political scientists, Uganda's Mahmood Mamdani, develops a new reading of recent events in Egypt and how they connect to the rest of Africa. This is a truly Africentric reading that flies in the face of much of the analyses that is being done by the Western media and pundits. The events of Tahrir Square is linked to another event of similar magnitude that took place in Soweto in 1976. Read the piece here.

In North Africa, A New Way Dawneth

Mass protests of unpopular governments has now become the order of the day in much of North Africa. Although the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and, to a lesser extent, Algeria and Morocco are now off the major headlines, protests of all sorts are still going on in these places. In fact, many protests demanding different things go on in each of these countries at the same time. The people of these countries have seen that there is a new way to get their opinions heard by the power that be - protests. Needless to say that this was not always so; it is a new way of life that came to the fore after mass protests led to the fall of the governments of Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt. The people have now come to see that their politicians would hardly listen to them if they do not manifest their people power. We are now experiencing a new way of doing business in much of the region that would not have been thought of just last year. There are road blocks standing in the way of this new way of doing business, though. These road blocks are mounted by people like Gaddafi and his minions in much of the rest of Africa. But these road blocks too will be removed. A new way dawneth.

The Transparency Of Oil Sale In Libya

Under Gaddafi, the sale of Libyan oil has been hardly transparent. The rebels who control parts of eastern Libya are also beginning to sell its oil. To show that their reign will be different from Gaddafi's, they must open the books so that oil transactions may be made known to the people. This is the subject of a very brief report in The North African Journal.

Cameroon Employs 1.25% Of Unemployed Youth

The government of Paul Biya recently announced that it would employ 25,000 Cameroonian youth under the age of forty into the civil service. Many have seen this move as a political ploy since the presidential election takes place in Novemenber and Paul Biya plans to remain president. However, a Cameroonian economist at the University of Buea in Cameroon has recently said that such employment amounts to hiring only 1.25% of the 2 million unemployed youth in the country.

Blaise Compaore Must Go

Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, who killed his friend, former president Thomas Sankara in order to become president, should go. In response to the army mutiny that has rocked his country, he has now appointed himself Minister of Defense, because he does not trust the army any more. So, in addition to being president of the country, he is also the Minister of Defense. How can he alone carry on the responsibilities of such important offices. Is Compaore saying that there is no one in his country good enough to run that ministry. A president who holds such distrust of his own people is not fit to lead. He does not trust his people because his people do not trust him. When trust has thus broken down, one can only rule a people through dictatorship. And this is what Compaore has been doing with the help of the French who brought him to power. It is now time for him to go so that the people can choose someone they trust.

Update from the NYT: Protesters want Compaore to go.

Press Freedom, Autocrats, And Their Journalists

It is a truth well established that dictators sustain their holds on power by feeding their people a constant diet of propaganda through state-owned media. Other sources of information that seek to challenge the narrative of the autocrat are intimidated or removed. This is the subject of a fine op-ed in the NYT today. This op-ed is as relevant in African countries such as Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, etc., as anywhere else where autocrats reign supreme. The journalists who peddle the lies of autocrats have often been the unacknowledged promoters of autocracy around the world.

In Cameroon, The Math Doesn't Add Up

The goverment of Cameroon recently announced, to much excitement in the country, that 25,000 people are needed to fill various positions in Cameroon's civil service. I remember when Cameroon's civil service was described as too costly in the 1990s and the government was forced by the IMF to reduce the size of the civil service. But that was a long, long time ago and the economics that applied then does not apply now. So Cameroon's government believes it is okay to increase the size of the civil service because it has choked the private sector. What this desire to increase the size of the civil service has done is that it has given hope to many jobless Cameroonians that they have a shot at a stable job. So they have applied. Over 300,000 people have applied for 25,000 jobs. If Paul Biya was under any illusion about the unemployment picture in Cameroon, the number of people who have applied for these position should leave him in no doubt about the situation. If over 300,000 people have applied for 25,000 jobs, it means that at least 300,000 people out there need a job, 12 times the number of jobs currently available! This does not include those who were disqulaified from applying for these jobs, like those over 40 years old or those who have simply dispaired of ever finding a job in Cameroon. And considering the way Paul Biya's praise is being sung about the elusive prospects of these 25,000 jobs, it does not appear that there are plans to create more jobs, either in the public or private sector. Considering the magnitude of the unemployment situation in Cameroon, these 25,000 jobs are only a drop in the bucket, one of the greatest scams Biya has ever pulled on Cameroonians. However, Biya has figured out that poor people always play the lottery in hopes of winning big one day. Thus, he keeps dangling the the prospect of a better life at Cameroonians while he grows his own wealth. It is a sad situation over there in Cameroon.

African Gospel Music Award . . . To Be Held In London, England!

I am a fan of awards, including this one. But the idea that an African gospel music award is to be held in London just doesn't rub me quite right. Why should an award dealing with African gospel music and presumably organized by Africans be held in London? Is there no African city good enough for this award? Why should the economic impact of Africa's gospel music be let to benefit those who are already very rich  - London? Consider the hall that will be rented, the cost of producing the event, etc., these are all economic activities that would have gone to help the unemployment condition of an African city. However, organizers of the event decided for London. African artists would flown to London to receive African awards given by Africans! It is like organizing a European event in an African country or city! The idea of awarding African gospel musicians is excellent but the execution is, well, extremely unsound. It should be rethought.

Another African Dictator On the Edge

 Blaise Compaore has ruled the tiny and imporverished country of Burkina Faso since he killed his friend, the popular Thomas Sankara, over twenty years ago. Now the army of the country appears to want his own head. Developing . . . .

University Professors In Cameroon Throw Weight Behind Paul Biya

About 1000 Professors of Cameroon's government-owned universities have sent a letter of "deference and profound gratitude" to Cameroon's president of about 30 years, Paul Biya. In the face of the upcoming presidential election in Cameroon, these professors want to assure Biya that he has their "unconditional support."

Many people have wondered why Paul Biya has maintained his autocratic regime in Cameroon for this long. Wonder no more. If university Professors who should know better throw their weight behind an autocratic government, how can ordinary people behave differently?

Writer Jailed In Cameroon For Insulting President's Wife

A Cameroonian writer who wrote a book about the wife of Cameroon's president is dying in jail because of the book. He was arrested while launching the book in November 2010. The book is considered to be an insult to Paul Biya's wife. That is how Biya's government works.

The King Of Swaziland Is Wasting His Time

The King of Swaziland, Mswati III, is wasting his time. The change in government that the people of Swaziland are demanding will come to pass. As a wise King, he should know that. No King or Queen has ever won a war against his or her people. The King of Swaziland knows that. In fact, African kings are supposed to be people who are very much abreast with the wishes of their people; they usually try to bring peace among their people rather than harm. In this score, the King of Swaziland is a very strange African King who only wants to live large on the sweat and blood of his people. By the very act of suppressing his people, he is diminishing his authority. He cannot win and he knows that; perhaps, as a wise King, he should know that his acts of resistance to the wishes of the people are a waste of time.

Watch this video and read this brief story about a shopping spree of the King's wives.

American Religion and African Politics

In America, African politics is interpreted in religious terms hardly employed by Africans themselves. The Christian-Muslim divide that is the pre-occupation of some American Christians is being transfered to Africa.

Gbagbo Removed!

The good news of removing Gbagbo from power is only spoiled by the fact that the operation is carried out by the French. There is nothing to celebrate here. See a longer video footage here and this video report.

Update: Before his capture, Gbagbo rejected deal to become Professor at Boston University.

Lapiro de Mbanga Leaves Prison

Lapiro de Mbanga, Cameroonian musician and political activist, who many believe was sent to prison following trumped up charges against him, is now a free person after spending three years in prison.

Update: For more on how he was released and why he was arrested in the first place see this article.

The AU "Roadmap" Must Be Rejected

It is being reported that the AU has worked out a "roadmap" for ceasefire in Libya. This roadmap must be rejected because the AU has no credibility in this matter. While many of the leaders who make up the AU are like Gaddafi, those who are not like him have been too compromised by their ties with him. They can therefore not come up with any significant solution to the problem in Libya. In fact, the only solution to the problem in Libya is for Gaddafi to leave. Period. Anything short of this is a failure for both Africa and NATO. Anything short of this must be rejected. Watch this.

Update: African Union roadmap rejected.

Husband, Wife, Preachers, and Autocracy In the Ivory Coast

A passionate denunciation of Gbagbo that reminds me of our own situation in Cameroon. A short, must read piece from the NYT. The optimism of the piece is heartening.

The Dark Side of Chocolate - CNN

Watch.

Interesting Links

1. From trash to fuel in Kenya: watch a community cooker fueled by trash.

2. Improving (maternal) health in Rwanda. Watch.

Political Intrigues in CAR and the Death Of A Former President

The former president of Central African Republic (CAR), Ange-Félix Patassé,  has died in Douala, Cameroon, from complications apparently due to diabetes. However, it is being claimed that his death could have been avoided if the authorities in Central African Republic had allowed him in time to go out of the country for treatment. As an opposition leader after he was defeated in election in 2003, he contested the presidential election again in 2011 but lost. He cried foul after he lost and questioned the legitimacy of the current president who claimed to have won the election with over 64% of the votes. Thus, the former president was now seen as a danger to national security. His repeated request to go for treatment outside the country was denied. When he was finally permitted to go for treatment outside the country, it was too late. He died in Douala, which was merely a stopover on his way to Equatorial Guinea.

First Female Prime Minister In Mali

Even as the education of women in Africa is lagging, a woman is becoming Prime Minister in Mali for the first time.

Chinese Businesspeople Shoot Zambians . . . And The Case Is Dropped

A while back, two Chinese business people were reported to have shot their Zambian workers in a Zambian mine. No one was killed but the two Chinese people were arrested. Now the case has been dropped and the government prosecutor has given no reason for doing so.

However, one Zambian rightly wonders: “Imagine a Zambian shooting a Chinese manager . . . We are sure such a person would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." If an African had shot a Chinese in China, the Chinese government would have even hung the African, given the Chinese government's penchant for killing people. But when Chinese people shoot Africans, the case is simply thrown out of court as a case that "is really about a clash of cultures, people from conflicting backgrounds who don’t understand how to deal with each other.” This case is not about a clash of cultures. Just as it is not okay to shoot people in China, it should not be okay to shoot people in Zambia. This is not about cultures; it is about actions that are criminal and those that are not. Culture should not be dragged into the matter in order to give Chinese citizens a pass because they invest in Zambia.

What is France Doing In Ivory Coast?

While the prominent role France played in halting Gaddafi's assault on his own people has been applauded by many, France's current role in the Ivory Coast is more troubling. It is being reported that French troops have taken over an airport in the Ivory Coast and are controlling traffic there. What are French troops doing on the soil of an African country without a United Nations mandate? These are the kinds of actions that tend to promote the neo-colonialist narrative that is being exploited by vicious African leaders who do not want to cede power. Since the UN has an operating force in the Ivory Coast, France has no business sending its troops to the country. Ouattara must condemn this blatant intervention if he is to remain credible.

Interesting Links

1. What does God, Jesus Christ, and the South African Police Department have in common? You may be surprised.

2. March Madness: Democrats vs. Dictators

3. In revolutions al Qaeda is loser.

4. Healers or quacks? Hundreds flock to traditional healer. 

Some African Responses To The Crises in Cote D'Ivoire and Libya

In the ongoing crises in Ivory Coast and Libya, the voices that are missing from the debates are those of Africans themselves, the people mostly affected by these crises. You can see what some Africans are saying here.

Africa's Billionaires And How They Compare To African Countries

Like in many other things, Africa has the least billionaires than other regions of the world such as Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. However, Africa's billionairs still control budgets that are far more than those of some African countries such as DRC (2 billion), Cameroon (5 billion), Gabon (4 billion), Liberia (369 million), Burundi (500 million), Uganda (3 billion), (all amounts in dollars). The countries with the highest budgets in Africa range from South Africa (with just over 100 billion) to Somalia with no budget. If all the budgets of African countries were put together, it would be less than a fifth of the US budget, yet Africa has three times the population of the US.