Pope Francis Has Already Broken With The Past In African Visit

With his current visit to Africa, Pope Francis has already significantly broken with the past even before he makes any formal statements. Since the time of Pope John Paul II, there appeared to have been a tacit understanding that the first port of call when the Pope visits Africa would be the English- and French-speaking country of Cameroon. In both his visits to Africa in 1985 and 1995, Cameroon was the first port of call for Pope John Paul II. When Pope Benedict XVI visited Africa in 2009, his first port of call was Cameroon.

For Pope Francis, however, his first port of call is Kenya, not Cameroon. This is remarkable given that the person who was president in Cameroon at the time both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI visited is still the person in power today. Paul Biya, Cameroon's dictator of 33 years, has been blessed with three papal visits. By making his first stop in Kenya, Pope Francis is breaking with this tradition of blessing dictatorships in Africa thus giving a tacit rebuke to  Paul Biya, who is himself a Roman Catholic. Kenya is a budding democracy in Africa and so it is fitting that it should be the Pope's first port of call. We however need to hear a clear rebuke from the pontiff, especially directed at those members of the Roman Catholic Church who are Africa's dictators today. The Roman Catholic Church has been a champion of democracy in many African countries but this remains to be the case in Cameroon where most Roman Catholic bishops are in bed with the 33-year dictatorship of Paul Biya. In both Uganda and Central African Republic we need to hear the Pope's unambiguous condemnation of dictatorial tendencies in Africa.

Where Do African Countries Go Wrong In Football?

The finals of the just ended Under-17 FIFA World Cup was played by two African countries - Nigeria and Mali. Nigeria won the trophy for a record fifth time. This is something to be celebrated. The celebration is however dogged by the troubling fact that the farthest an African country has gone in the senior FIFA World Cup has been the quarter finals, which was first done by Cameroon in 1990. The question this raises is why is it that two African countries could reach the final of the Under-17 World Cup but none could move farther than the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup. Where do African countries go wrong between the Under-17 division and the senior division of the World Cup? An honest response to this question is critical to the future of football in Africa.

1421 Days of Protesting Paul Biya's 33-Year Dictatorship in Cameroon

Paul Biya, the dictator of Cameroon, came to power November 6, 33 years ago. Today is the anniversary of his misrule. He is currently one of the longest serving dictators anywhere in the world. FlourishingAfrica has been protesting the misrule of Paul Biya in Cameroon since the machinations of the last election that returned him to power. The was over 1420 days ago. Each day we send out a tweet as protest against this continued misrule in the country. His years at the helm of the state in the country has not brought the medical system to a level he could entrust with his own health, that is why he keeps spending more time in Europe for medical purposes. For most Cameroonians, however, this is not an option. Whenever they suffer from a serious ailment, the option left open for them is to pray for a miracle or die.

Even as the country  is currently fighting Boko Haram in the north of the country, with many Cameroonian soldiers losing their lives there, Paul Biya has hardly been engaged in the issue. The country apparently does not even have money to engage in the fight as citizens are being asked to donate money towards the fight. All the while, the dictator spends more time out of the country, minding his own business in Europe. There is no good reason why he should continue to remain the head of state in Cameroon, given that he is hardly present there.