Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Joseph Kabila of The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi. I name these three as the new bad men of Africa not because they are doing anything that is new in the continent but rather because they are a younger generation of African leaders (they are in their 50s!) who are perpetrating older stereotypes of African leaders as Presidents for Life. They have taken over a technique recently perfected by dictators like Paul Biya of Cameroon where they create the impression of running a democracy by giving a semblance of presidential term limits only to turn around and change the constitution to prolong their stay in power. In the past, African presidents did not care for such niceties. They simply declared themselves Emperors and Presidents of Life and then proceeded to kill anyone who disagreed, conducting elections and winning 99.99 percent of the vote. Given that democracy seems to be something that is cherished today, some of these African presidents have updated their bag of tricks with a façade of term limits. They still kill their opponents, like these three men under consideration do.
Paul Kagame seems to think that you may be President for Life only if the people want you be and if you still have much to accomplish for your people - apparently oblivious of the fact that this is a very old excuse many African dictators have used to perpetuate their misrule. These three men are the newest kids in the block to create an atmosphere that is very inhospitable for an opposition in their country, guaranteeing that only their voices would be heard. They interpret opposition as treason and treat the country as if it were their personal property. Like many African Presidents they have a savior complex - the country cannot succeed without them. We are in dire need of ordinary people, non-saviors, who simply want to play their part in improving the lives of their people in Africa, and then move on. I think President Barack Obama put it best when he stated that a President who does not create the atmosphere in which she or he can peacefully hand over power has done a bad job of being President. But again, Obama is the President of the United States and he even expressed the desire to continue to be President. Who knows what he would have done if he were a President in an African country like Burundi?
Paul Kagame seems to think that you may be President for Life only if the people want you be and if you still have much to accomplish for your people - apparently oblivious of the fact that this is a very old excuse many African dictators have used to perpetuate their misrule. These three men are the newest kids in the block to create an atmosphere that is very inhospitable for an opposition in their country, guaranteeing that only their voices would be heard. They interpret opposition as treason and treat the country as if it were their personal property. Like many African Presidents they have a savior complex - the country cannot succeed without them. We are in dire need of ordinary people, non-saviors, who simply want to play their part in improving the lives of their people in Africa, and then move on. I think President Barack Obama put it best when he stated that a President who does not create the atmosphere in which she or he can peacefully hand over power has done a bad job of being President. But again, Obama is the President of the United States and he even expressed the desire to continue to be President. Who knows what he would have done if he were a President in an African country like Burundi?
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