African Moves

Memo To A Presidential Candidate

2012-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

I have an online acquaintance whose e-mails I've been reading for over ten years now, and who's been prepping himself to contest in Nigeria's 2015 Presidential elections. Here's an online memo I wrote to him, telling him what needs to be done in his first 100 days in office.

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1) A ban on the wearing of (English-style) white-wigs by judicial officials -- This is a colonial holdover that has absolutely no place in modern Nigeria. Those white wigs look ridiculous on Englishmen, let alone Africans from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Gambia. This madness must stop at once!

(2) A Presidential directive stating that all Nigerians who have received honorary doctorates from dodgy universities will cease to be titled as "Dr" forthwith! -- They can keep their dodgy doctorates in their drawers and stop boring ordinary Nigerians (and other Africans) with their gaudy, unearned titles. Furthermore, all fraudulent PhD holders who style themselves as "Dr" (without having gone through the required academic route), will henceforth have the law of the land brought unto them. This is a pet peeve of mine (and many other Africans, as I've come to realise). A Martian landing on Earth would think that all Nigerians were Doctors!

(3) Presidential Protocol must be followed at all times by the Presidential office-holder -- if the U.S Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs arrives in Abuja, he/she must be met by his/her opposite number in the Nigerian bureaucracy (and not the President himself!). This issue rankles! A visit by a middling,Western bureaucrat often brings African Presidents rushing to the airport (cabinet in tow, sirens blazing!), just to be seen shaking the hands of the (often-bemused) Western official. For example, a visit to Dakar by the Deputy-Mayor of Marseilles will have President Wade dropping whatever he's doing and taking his 86 year old legs to the airport to greet his guest. All boot-licking practices must be stopped pronto! We Africans must maintain our dignity at all times.

(4) Only Nigerian nationals will be appointed to coach the national Football Team, The Super Eagles. In the event that no suitable Nigerian candidate is found, candidates will be sourced from the West African Region or from farther afield on the African Continent -- nothing screams Inferiority; more than African football teams that parade (3rd rate) foreign coaches at the World Cup. I take it that a cultured African such as yourself, will never allow this ludicrous situation to continue unabated.

Ndoda Zibonele

2012-01-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

I've been following the tragic tale of the stricken Italian cruise-ship, the Costa Concordia. 11 people perished and a further 21 are still missing, after it ran aground off shallow Mediterranean waters. But what rankles even more is the behaviour of crew-members and the ship's captain itself, Francesco Schettino. Reports say that once disaster hit, crew-members shoved aside old-ladies to get to the life-boats. The captain himself was one of the first to evacuate the ship, and he refused orders from the Italian Coast-Guard to return to his ship. So much for the ideal of captains going down with their ships!

The insane behaviour of the ship-captain captures the Me First Individualism of today's age. Everyone is consumed in his own affairs, in a hamster-like, non-stop hustle for survival. No-one has any time for anyone else. Even amongst my fellow Africans, famed for our communalism, our Ubuntu, the ethos of dog-eat-dog individualism is now deeply entrenched.

The Ndebeles of Zimbabwe say "ndoda zibonele", meaning man will always take care of himself. But in today's age this maxim has now been stretched to its logical conclusion, with each man now, literally, walking over dead bodies to maximise his own utility. I shudder to think where humankind will end up with this insane and unhealthy behaviour.

Faida Hamdi: Madame Butterfly

2011-12-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

The "Butterfly Effect" refers to the hypothetical situation where a butterfly flapping its wings in, say Mexico, could set off a chain of minor atmospheric events that (when amplified) can lead to a tornado in, say Texas. Exactly one year ago, the actions of a female municipal police-officer from Tunisia, Faida Hamdi, set off a chain-reaction of events that ultimately led to the Arab Spring -- a series of revolutions that toppled long-term rulers from Tunisia to Egypt.

This obscure woman, Faida Hamdi, is alleged to have slapped and spat on a street-vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, and if that was not humiliating enough, she confiscated his cart of goods. Humiliated, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and the rest, as they say, is history. After all has been said and done, Faida Hamdi deserves a footnote in history.

Steve Jobs: Picking His Brain

2011-12-22T03:04:00.000-08:00

Folks: about three weeks ago I went to see a movie about Steve Jobs, called "Steve Jobs - The Lost Interview". It wasn't a movie at all, but an interview done by a British team, around the time after Steve Jobs had been kicked out of Apple -- the company he had co-founded -- in 1985. For me, this was a great chance to pick his brain. I recorded much of his statements on my smartphone and I've reproduced some of his insights below. This man was a genius, and his musings need to be carefully noted. Some of the interview footage also appeared in the '96 PBS documentary, "The Triumph of The Nerds".
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Steve Jobs ~ "I think everyone should learn how to write [computer] code, because it teaches you how to think."

Steve Jobs ~ "We at Apple brought a Liberal Arts atmosphere to computer science by seeking out the best in all fields."

Steve Jobs ~ "I'll have to say, I'm a hippie and not a nerd!"

Steve Jobs [himself quoting Picasso] ~ "Great artists copy; great artists steal!"

Steve Jobs ~ "Human beings are toolbuilders and we can build tools that amplify our innate capabilities."

Steve Jobs ~ "The way to ratchet up the species is to take the best of everything [from everyone] and spread it as widely as possible."

Steve Jobs ~ "The problem with Microsoft is that they have absolutely no taste! And their products have no spirit to them."

Steve Jobs [commenting on ex-Apple CEO, John Scully] ~ "He got onto a rocket-ship that was about to take off, began to believe that he had designed the rocket-ship himself, and then changed its trajectory, causing it to crash!"

Steve Jobs ~ "In software, the difference between average and best is 50-1, as opposed to 2-1 in other fields."

Steve Jobs ~ "Xerox [the printer-company responsible for many earlier computing breakthroughs] could have owned the computer-industry, had the product-people been in charge and not the salesmen and marketeers."
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Socrates, Cesaria Evora, Christopher Hitchens ~ Bidding Adieu

2011-12-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

In the past fortnight, three people whom I admire greatly, departed this Earth to join the ancestors. It's in times like these that you have to think of your own mortality. I grew up watching the football wizardry of Socrates; in College, I was lulled to sleep poring over the commentaries of Christopher Hitchens; and later on, I became mesmerised by the music of Cesaria Evora, the Cape Verdean "barefoot diva". Now, they've all left us, and in quick succession too. It is indeed true: only God knows what lies in store for us; we can never really be the total masters of our destinies. Those who think otherwise are deluding themselves.
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Socrates ~ the death of the great Brazilians midfielder of the 80s came as a total shock. That he died from complications from cirrhosis of the liver was even more shocking. If you've never seen the Brazilian football team from the 80s, then you've never lived! Zico, Cerezo, Falcao, Alemao, Junior and the majestic Socrates himself, orchestrating the play in midfield. Pure magic! In my opinion, this was the best football team ever to be assembled.

They turned the game of football -- the beautiful game (jogo bonito) as Brazilians call it -- into an art-form, a living opera. And then there was Socrates: a tall, lanky midfielder; a creative genius; and somewhat of an intellectual to boot. On top of that, he was a trained doctor, who had a chain-smoking habit! What a player! What a character! May his soul forever rest in peace.
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Christopher Hitchens ~ His death was not unexpected, but it still saddens me to see him go. He was probably the best rhetorician the Western World has seen since the time of the Ancient Greeks. In any verbal spar he was unbeatable. Like a lion stalking an impala, he would seize upon his "prey", set them up, and then destroy them to pieces with facts and iron-clad logic. A terrific genius! It will be a millennium before the Western World sees the emergence of such a great verbal practitioner like him.
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Cesaria Evora ~ I woke up on Sat morning and read of her tragic death. I instantly collapsed into a heap on my living-room couch. I just couldn't believe it! Her music was pure magic. She truly did capture the spirit of the Cape Verdean people (and it's large diaspora).

Like most people, I wasn't aware of her music until about the early 90s. Once I had heard her haunting voice, I was addicted! "Angola", "Petit Pays" and her duet with Salif Keita, "Yamore" are my favourite songs. A great musician, she shall be sorely missed.

When Gaddafi Met Mengistu In Harare.

2011-12-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

Folks: you know, in the Deep South of America there still are people who believe that Elvis Presley (The King) is still alive. They've never come to grips with his death. Indeed, sightings of "The King" have been recorded and noted from the bayous of Louisiana to the plains of Georgia. In the same vein, some people will never be convinced of the passing of Mu'mar Gaddafi. He's even been sighted working behind the counters of Arab-stores here in Oakland, California. Anyway, here's a short satirical piece about the hypothetical meeting of Gaddafi with Mengistu Haile Mariam in Harare, Zimbabwe. Bear in mind, that the two were rivals whilst in power of their respective countries, Ethiopia and Libya.

Note well: the commentary in bold letters is mine.
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In a leafy suburb of Harare:

Mengistu: [in a bitingly sarcastic tone] Well, well, well, speak-of-the-devil! Who do we have here? Is that my learned friend, author of the esteemed Green-Book, Mu'amar Gaddafi?

Gaddafi: Hamdallahi! (praise-to-God). It is I! And is that my dear, brother leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam?

Mengistu: It is indeed! Trust that we would meet here in Harare, Zimbabwe! What brings our dear, brother leader to these neck of the woods?

Gaddafi: [taken aback somewhat] I am no longer the leader of the Libyan people! You know!

Mengistu: [acidly replies] Neither am I the leader of the Ethiopian People! Damn them! Fools, all of them! Habbesha people!

Gaddafi: That makes two of us!

Mengistu: I thought they shot you to death, in Sirte?

Gaddafi: That was a body-double! [to roars of laughter]. To think that I would fight to the death in such a God-forsaken place! That's the reason why I overthrew King Idris in '69; they had tried to post me back to Sirte, amongst the camel-jockeys, so I staged a coup and exiled the King instead!

Mengistu: Son-of-a-gun! I thought you had him overthrown for making sexual overtures to your tribal womenfolk?

Gaddafi: That too!

Mengistu: Son-of-a-gun! [to roars of laughter]. And speaking of guns: whatever happened to your golden gun?

Gaddafi: (a) the rebels captured it (b) it wasn't golden! It was only painted medium yellow!

Mengistu: son-of-a-gun! [to more roars of laughter].

Mengistu: you know, I'm immediately reminded of my own flight from Addis Ababa in 1990.

Gaddafi: 1990? I thought that was in 1991?

Mengistu: No, the man on the 1991 flight was a body-double! [to roars of laughter]. To think I would have risked my life amongst those goat-herders of the Amhara highlands! Phweeww! Furthermore, the Americans who had come to pick me up, would have taken me straight to the Hague!

Gaddafi: Can't trust them cowboys!

Mengistu: I don't trust my own brother! Why would I have entrusted my life to the CIA!

Gaddafi: Speaking of Harare: what employment opportunities are there for someone like me?

Mengistu: Well, you're such a showman! You could set yourself up as a P.R man here in the leafy suburbs of Harare.

Gaddafi: I know the opposition leader (Tsvangirai) sure needs some P.R! And his spokesman, Tamborinyoka, leaves a lot to be desired too!

Mengistu: You're damn right! You can say that again!

Gaddafi: How can I worm my way into Tsvangirai's inner circle then; to get some much-needed P.R work?

Mengistu: Show up at his office with your bevy of female bodyguards! Works all the time! Our man Tsvangirai is said to have a "zipper problem"!

Gaddafi: Like Bill Clinton!

Mengistu: Yes, indeed, like Bill Clinton! [to roars of laughter].

Gaddafi: Thanks for the advice. We should meet again for some tea-and-crumpet. I've got some juicy, Libyan prison-tales to tell you.

Mengistu: That would be grand! I have a bunch of Ethiopian torture-tales to retell myself.

Gaddafi: Next week KwaMereki (a popular Harare eating-spot).

Mengistu: Sounds good. See you then.
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End-of-story

Merry Wives Of Morgan Tsvangirai (part 2).

2011-12-01T02:10:00.000-08:00

Like a mosquito in a nudist camp, I just don't know where to start! This Tsvangirai marriage-story has more twists and turns than the Monaco Grand Prix race-track, I tell ya! It's after 1 in the morning (California time) and I can't sleep trying to digest all the ins-and-outs of our PM's (now aborted) betrothal to his paramour, Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo. OK, here are the facts: after initiating marriage-rites through traditional go-betweens, and paying lobola (dowry), it appears as if Morgan Tsvangirai has decided to end his betrothal to Mai Locadia Tembo. This, after the buxom Locadia had traveled all the way to bone-dry Buhera (Tsvangirai's home region) to perform the traditional rites that Shona brides go through when getting married, such as the ceremonial sweeping of the in-laws' front porch.

Now our ne'er-do-well Prime Minister claims in a written statement, that state-security agents had wormed their way into the whole marriage process -- yes, in Shona culture, marriage is a process rather than an event -- and hijacked the marriage. Those were his own words; I didn't make them up. I had always suspected that something was amiss about this whole Tsvangirai marriage, and I wrote that you can never discount the intentions (and reach) of Zimbabwe's state-security agents. These guys are good; probably the best in Africa (and maybe the world!). I'm now convinced that this "marriage" was a Zanu-pf stitch-up with Tsvangirai as the unknowing victim, the dupe in American-speak. He literally was in the process of being dragged into bed with the same Zanu-pf ruling-party that he opposes.

Those readers who might accuse me of having a vivid imagination, don't know the M.O of these fellows. They truly are the best in the business! After this sordid escapade, I'll doff my cap in appreciation of their crafty handiwork.

The Merry Wives Of Morgan Tsvangirai

2011-11-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Will the real wife of Morgan Tsvangirai please stand up! In early 2008 I was informed by a relative, who works in the "President's Office" of Zimbabwe, that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had three wives. Initially, I waived this off as Zanu-pf rumor-mongering, but now I'm beginning to see where my relative was coming from. The love-life of our ne'er-do-well Prime Minister is complicated, to say the least. There is the comely matron, Amai Chihombori and there is Ambassador Zwambila, who is rumored to be an old-flame. There is also the Ndebele beauty, Loreta Nyathi, whom Tsvangirai impregnated and had to pay damages to her family. Her family insists -- rightly so -- that she's not some fling, but is part of the Tsvangirai household.

Now we have Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo, a businesswoman with deep Zanu roots. It had been initially reported that Tsvangirai had paid damages and dowry to the lady's family. However, the part about paying dowry and getting betrothed has now been denied by Tsvangirai's inner circle. And moving on, we have yet another lady, whom we only know as "Elizabeth" and whom is also supposed to be in love with our PM, with a marriage in the works. One wonders: where does our Prime Minister ever get the time to carry out his Govt duties, with all this extra-curricular activity? He does have a very complicated love-life, and not even Agatha Christie's super-sleuth, Hercule Poirot, could untangle the many twists and turns of his love-life!

Morgan Tsvangirai: Nuptials Of An Area Boy

2011-11-23T01:03:00.000-08:00

These nuptials of Morgan Tsvangirai to Mai Tembo are intriguing, to say the least. Mai Tembo is the daughter of a Zanla war veteran, and the sister of a Zanu-PF MP. On top of that, she's a successful businesswoman in her own right, having exclusive contracts to provide provisions to several Zimbabwean companies. So in other words, she's Zanu-pf through and through, since (unless you're in the Zanu mix) you can never avail yourself to any of these exclusive deals that are available to Zimbabwe's politically well-connected. Now, this leads me to ask the simple question: what is such a well-connected insider with ZPF genes flowing through her veins doing getting betrothed to the leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai himself? Wonders never cease to amaze me!

The apt saying here would be the Shona saying, "chakapfukidza dzimba matenga", which means that "no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors". If only I could get ahold of the "transcripts" of the pillow-talk between the two said individuals! Now that would make for some interesting reading! What games are my party, Zanu-pf, playing at here? Is this really a love-match or are there more sinister motives at work? They are quite capable of anything, you know, these ZPF fellows. We've been able to read Jacqueline Kennedy's innermost thoughts courtesy of C.I.A leaks and similarly it would be fun if RGM's spooks could furnish us with the inner-workings of the Tsvangirai household. The man is now literally sleeping with the enemy. Wonders never cease to amaze me.

James Chikonamombe

Zimbabwe: Someting Is Afoot

2011-11-18T21:15:00.000-08:00

Something is afoot in my beloved Zimbabwe. I see it, I can see all the jigsaw-puzzle pieces on the table, but I just can't see exactly how they are going to be put together. We've just had our Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, travelling to Morocco. Now: what is a Zimbabwean doing in Morocco? I doubt our PM had even heard of Morocco, say, five years ago. Our President is 87 and ailing. He only recently visited China and pleaded with the Chinese and Russians to "stop Zimbabwe from being attacked". What does he know that we don't know. Why the urgency to plead for cover from attack from the Chinese and Russians? What exactly is going on?

Right now, the Western nations are lying flat on their backs, with overbearing debt-burdens and double-digit unemployment figures. They've had a three-pronged attack for economic growth for the past thirty years based on (1) Financial de-regulation (2) easily available credit for housing and (3) internet technologies. All three of these ballasts no longer provide the blast needed to keep the boom going. This takes us back to the old way of making money: through (1) making "stuff" and (2) extracting and refining the "stuff" needed to make "stuff". Which in turn closes the circle and brings us back to Africa.

With a growing Chinese presence on the African Continent, the West cannot afford to be complacent. They will go for broke and insert themselves aggressively into Africa's realities. Either through direct military force or through proxies, one way or the other, the West will try to "grow" its way out of economic malaise by forcing Africa into a new "partnership of unequals". With Libya in the bag, something tells me that something is afoot in Zimbabwe, but helplessly, I just can't map out the likely scenario. Lord save my beloved Zimbabwe.

Is Greece an "African" country.

2011-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who has noticed the uncanny and eerie similarity between the economic woes of Greece, and the precarious financial positions of African States like Zimbabwe and Uganda in the late 80s. Is Greece now an "African" country ~ an economic ward-of-state that must be told what to do, as if it were a child. The similarities between, say, the Greek financial condition and that of Zimbabwe in '88/'89 are frighteningly similar: Greece has a service-economy dependent on shipping and tourism; by virtue of it being in the EuroZone, Greece is burdened with an overvalued currency that plays havoc with its economic strengths; and Greece is technically insolvent, unable to pay its bills. Furthermore -- like a real African country -- there has been rumblings in the barracks with the Prime Minister being forced to replace the military service chiefs with his "own men".

Zimbabwe in '88/89 had an overvalued currency (the old Zim Dollar), that was playing havoc with its economic strengths. Forced to fund a progressive health and education program, the Zimbabwe Govt found itself in a precarious situation. But, what really keeled the fiscus over was the costs of a debilitating war in neighbouring Mozambique, that had sucked in 10 000 troops. Unable to pay its bills, the Zim Govt was forced to call in the IMF. The medicine they prescribed is well-known to most Africans over 35 (and too scary to repeat here).

Eerily the Greeks are being served the same rat-poison, of massive cuts in Govt-spending and social-services, that we Zimbabweans were forced to swallow in '88/89. As in Zimbabwe, there has been massive emigration of the best and brightest Greeks to wealthier shores and better opportunities abroad. If the Greeks exit the EuroZone, re-introduce the Drachma, and craft their own economic policies, then I'm sure Greece will rebound in the long-run. But, in the short-term there will be immense economic-pain.

Tinariwen

2011-11-01T02:34:00.000-07:00

Just got back from one hell-of-a-concert in Santa Cruz, featuring the Saharan group, Tinariwen. I still can't sleep and so I had to type this blogpost. Well, first of all, the concert fell on Monday 31st, on Halloween, and there's nothing like attending a function in the Bay Area on Halloween. The venue was full of "Bay Area Types" ~ shabby-looking millionaires, ageing hippies, tree-huggers and pony-tailed College-Professors, the kind of people that just make this region so unique. Add to that, folks were decked out in Halloween costume, some dressed as Dracula, some dressed as witches, but all swaying to the African sound of Tinariwen. The only minus, was that the group's line-up had none of the female singers that have always given Tinariwen a pulse. Maybe next time. But nevertheless, a thoroughly good show!

Rugby World Cup 2011

2011-10-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

This post is to all the Rugby fans out there. I'm here at home waiting for the first Semi-Final to kick off (01:00 AM Pacific Time). I have to admit, I've only watched the first game (New Zealand V Tonga) live. Work, family, and time-distance have conspired to keep me from watching more live games. Mercifully, you can now follow all the highlights online, and that's what I've being doing. I always enjoy watching the Pacific Islands teams (Fiji, Tonga and Samoa) and I've always had a soft-spot for the English (colonial sentiments). But this year was not the year for either the English nor the Pacific Islands teams. The French are in the semis, but this is not the French team of old, playing with Gallic flair. This team is more mechanical (less Latin, more Teutonic). Rather, it's the Argentines who have have been playing with what I would call "French Flair".

I no longer can roll off the names of Welsh and Scottish players off-the-top-of-my-head like I could as a schoolboy. I think Gavin Hastings was the last Scottish player I could recall. I wish the Welsh all the best in their semi-final game against France. I feel sorry for the Japanese. They always play with heart, but rugby is a physical game, and they're just too small of stature to compete. I do wish that they would "borrow" some players from the Pacific Islands just to make up for their lack of size.

I've never been a fan of the Springboks, despite the gallery of Zimbabwean players they always exhibit. I wasn't sad to see them lose in their quarter-finals against the Aussies. This leaves us with the All-Blacks, who I presume will beat the Aussies tomorrow and then go on to win the final next week. They've hosted a great tournament. Too bad it's bang in the middle of a packed sporting calendar-year. It's been a great tournament, and a great showpiece for the great sport of rugby.

Mo Ibrahim Prize For 1st Ladies

2011-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm still stunned at Rupiah Banda's graceful exit from Zambia's political scene. Given past African history, and the fact that it was a tight race, I was expecting mayhem on a grand scale. I was expecting the loser, President Banda, to resist stepping down by all means, plunging Zambia into chaos. But, no such thing happened. President Banda conceded defeat to the challenger, Michael Sata, and wished him well as the next President. Amazing!

Some pundits have proposed that Rupiah Banda be awarded this year's Mo Ibrahim Prize for African leadership, but I suggest an even more revolutionary stance: let's have Mo Ibrahim establish an award for African 1st Ladies, in order to encourage good behaviour and to help our young African democracies firmly establish democratic principles. Furthermore, I propose that the 1st winner of this award should be Mrs. Thandiwe Banda, Zambia's former 1st Lady.

We can never know the wise counsel that Thandiwe Banda offered to her husband, Rupiah, but let's presume that it was bloody good! In our young, African democracies, the 1st lady is often the Chief-of-Staff of the President, and his most trusted counselor. If she gives faulty counsel, then things in that African tend to fall apart. Think of Cote D'Ivoire under the Laurent Gbagbo/Simone Gbagbo tandem. That 1st lady from hell, Simone Gbagbo, was almost as responsible for the chaos that engulfed Cote D'Ivoire as her husband Laurent Gbagbo

Let's thank our ancestors for having Mrs Thandiwe Banda as Zambia's 1st lady at such an important time in Africa's democratic transition. I don't know what candid advice she gave Rupiah, but it worked! And once again, I'm proposing her for the first recipient of The Mo Ibrahim Prize for 1st Ladies. I salute Mrs Thandiwe Banda; she is a genuine heroine.

How Great Zimbabwe Was Built

2011-09-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

More on the subject of who built Zimbabwe and also, how the great stone monument was built. There is a lot of literature on this subject written by African authors. In my opinion Aeneas Chigwedere and the late David Beach (a white Zimbabwean), are the best authorities on this subject. You can also add Innocent Pikirayi, Stan Mudenge and Pathisa Nyathi. Below is an extract from Pathisa Nyathi's book, "Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage", where he himself relates a conversation he had with Prof. Ken Mufuka on how Great Zimbabwe was built.

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He says, "The Shona are renowned for their stone architecture. Stoned walled structures are found in several parts of Zimbabwe (Khami, Danamomombe, Dzimbahwe), as well as in Northern South Africa." He then goes on to retell a conversation he had with Prof Ken Mufuka on how the stone structures were actually built. "Great Zimbabwe was built of granite, which was found in abundance in the area (present-day Masvingo Province). Construction was done off-season, and no slave-labour was used. Tributary chiefs sent their subjects to undertake construction work. Granite blocks were obtained by applying fire to the stone and then pouring cold water onto the hot rock. The sudden cooling and contraction caused the rock to split. Rocks so obtained were then chiselled into rectangular blocks."

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Africa's Leaky Political Institutions

2011-09-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Chinua Achebe stated that the central problem facing modern-day Africa was one of bad governance. Ah!, but what was the medium, the social framework, that allowed these "bad Governors" to flourish in modern-day Africa. In my opinion, I'd say that what ails Africa the most is chronically faulty institutions. Our Central problem is less a problem of odious individuals in politics, but rather, one of leaky political institutions (that allow these same odious individuals to flourish unhindered, in their own high depths of depravity).

Political commentators will trot out the same institutions needed for social progress (enforceable property rights, the sanctity of contracts, press freedoms, apolitical militaries etc, etc). But, only two essential ingredients are needed to put Africa onto the path of greater progress: term limits and greater press freedoms. If all African Presidents and Prime Ministers were limited to only two terms (with each term lasting four or five years) then we could have the dynamism and change that's needed for any society to flourish. Furthermore, there must not be a proviso that allows our tin-pot dictators to amend the Constitution (with a Parliamentary majority), in order to run again for political office. It would be either one term or a second, and then you're out! We could avoid the situation (of Guinea's ex-President) Lansana Conte who stayed in office for a grand total of 24 years. Ten of those years in office were spent in bed-ridden isolation, as the rudderless country of Guinea lurched from one problem to another.

The second institutional reform that has to be allowed is greater press freedoms. We might never be able to root out corruption or tribalism, but at least with greater press freedoms, we will know where we stand and what needs to be done. If it weren't for Wikileaks we might not have learnt of President Mugabe's health problems or some of the inner schisms that beset the ruling Zanu-pf. We need a vigorous press that's allowed to flourish, and engage and debate with the nation on the various goings-on. It's essential to have greater press freedoms, as living in the dark runs counter to the smooth functioning of the democratic process

Black-Libyans, Syrian-Christians & Afro-Cubans

2011-08-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

There is an important aspect of authoritarian regimes that's often left unstated, and that is that they often do a good job of keeping racial/religious/linguistic tensions under wraps. In my own personal experience, I've found Libyans to be the most vulgar racists amongst all Arabs, and yet under Col. Gaddafi's regime, this primitive racism was kept under wraps. Now, with the probable demise of the Gaddafi regime, we're seeing Blacks (native Black-Libyans, as well as Sub-Saharan Africans) being massacred on the streets of Tripoli and Benghazi.

In the same vein, The Christians of Syria enjoy a level of peace and security that would be impossible in any other Arab/Islamic State (with the exception of Lebanon). They must be praying for the continued survival of the Assad regime, however sinister it may be. Regime-change in Syria would probably lead to the mass-migration of Syria's Christians and the demise of that country's ancient, Christian community.

Finally, I bring you to Cuba, which probaby has the best race-relations in all of Latin-America & where Afro-Cubans enjoy the kind of socio-economic progress that has been denied to Afro-Brazilians, for example. What would happen to race-relations in Cuba if Cuban Communism was to be replaced by full-blooded American Capitalism? Cuba's whites (and almost-whites) would probably pitch their tent with the other whites of North America, blatant racism would return with a bang, and all of Cuba's gains in public-health and education would be thrown out the window.

Arab Joke

2011-08-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

OK, we have too many problems on this planet, and so it's time for some gallows humour (Jews are the best at this macabre genre). We've got hurricanes and Arab revolutions and Lord-knows-what's-next, so a joke is needed to lighten our load. This is a joke I was told by a Somali friend, way back in College. There are many versions of this joke & you might have heard it already, but it does deserve a re-telling. Here it is:

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Anwar Sadat , Hafez Assad & Muammar Gadhafi are sitting in an underground bunker drinking coffee. Anwar Sadat states that he's just won 90% of the vote in the Egyptian elections. "90%!" blurts out Col. Gadhafi. "What an idiot you are", he adds. "Look at our dear brother Hafez over here. He recently one 99.99% of the vote in the Syrian elections. Now here's a smart ruler." Immediately, Hafez Assad springs to his feet, shaking, in a blind rage. "99.99% of the vote? This is untenable", he exclaims (waving his finger in the air to punctuate his remarks). He then beckons the head of the Syrian Secret Police, and grunts, "Find me the lone bastard who didn't vote for me!"

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P.S. Anwar Sadat was Egypt's President from 1970-1981 (replaced by Mohamed Hosni Mubarak).

Hafez Assad served as Syria's President from 1971-2000 (replaced, or releaved, by his son Bashar Assad).

R.I.P Rex Nhongo

2011-08-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Late last night I learnt with shock and horror of the untimely death of Gen Solomon Mujuru. He was the 1st commander of Zimbabwe's integrated Armed Forces after independence in 1980, and helped integrate the then separate Rhodesian, Zanla and Zapu elements into a unified force. I was a young lad in England in 1979, when I first saw "Rex Nhongo" (as he was then named) on British TV. It was the Christmas holidays and all of us, family and friends, were crowded around the TV to watch the triumphant return of the first batch of Zanla and Zipra commanders to return home. I was expecting to see the tall and bearded Josiah Tongogara, but alas he was never to make it. In his place strolled the smiling Rex Nhongo at the head of the Zanla contingent.

I would later have the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions in the late 80s and mid 90s. He was very humble, didn't talk much, and when he did talk, he talked with a pronounced lisp. He was not the stereotypical soldier that immediately comes to mind. He was also a good drinker and loved his scotch. He hailed from Chikomba (my home district) and after retiring from the army, served as our Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2000.

True, he had his faults, but in the main, he was good man. Sabre-rattling was never his thing; he always respected the civilian politicians in power, and he knew his limits. With only a limited education, he had graduated from the school of hard-knocks and the university of life, rather than from any academic institutions. He was a true Zimbabwean hero, and a gallant freedom-fighter. May his soul forever rest in peace. Gamba redu: mufambe zvakanaka.

DSK & The African Hotel-Maid

2011-07-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

I just read the Newsweek expose on the DSK hotel-maid case. It got me thinking: this woman is a from a conservative, Muslim, African (Fulani) culture. To her relatives, clans-people and even countrymen, she's already guilty just by working as a hotel-maid, cleaning the rooms of strange-men (in a foreign-land). We might order take-out sushi and carry smart-phones, but we Africans are still essentially the products of very conservative cultures. And this kind of conservative thinking still holds sway.

I came of age in Harare's suburbs in the 80s. Zimbabwe's post-independence elite aped the (departed) Rhodesian colonialists down to the "T". So we had a gardener, who lived in the "Boy's Kaya" (servant's quarters), and yet none of the female members of the household would even dare enter, or even come close to, our gardener's room. It was not the done thing for women of the house to be inside (or near) a strange-man's room -- even if he was the gardener who worked for us and interacted with us daily. My point is that social mores in Zimbabwe & other African countries are still extremely conservative. In Zimbabwe -- even in this day and age -- any woman who works as a waitress, (or in any other service industry where she must serve strange-men) is seen as being off loose morals.

So, put yourself in the shoes of the hotel-maid in the DSK case. Her life will never be the same; her relatives probably already see her as a "whore"; and her children will face the stigma of being the "sons-of-a-whore". In the traditionally conservative milieu from which she hails, she will forever be looked upon with a jaundiced eye. I really feel for her. It's so sad.

Ignorance Is Bliss

2011-07-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Quick question: name Ghana's military head? Now, quickly: who's in charge of Zimbabwe's military? Most people -- even those who are only vaguely familiar with Zimbabwe's politics -- have heard of our military head, but no-one knows who is in charge of Ghana's military, and no-one cares either. That's how it's supposed to be. Most Pan-Africanists are very familiar with the names Kotoka, Ankrah and Afrifa, since these fellows were on the scene when the Ghanaian military had their military boots on the collective necks of the Ghanaian people. But, that's all in the past now; the military has withdrawn to the barracks. Don't even bother googling the name of Ghana's military head -- that's an exercise in futility.

When will we Zimbabweans be afforded the luxury of our Ghanaian brothers, of being blissfully unaware and not even caring who our top military leaders are? When? Right now, the Zimbabwean military literally have us by the b***s. This is a very painful and unbearable situation. The sooner it ends the better. Only highly-skilled, highly-educated, technocrats can take Zimbabwe (and Africa) forward. The military belongs in the barracks.

Disney-Land, South Sudan

2011-07-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier on the week, my mind was running through possible scenarios for Africa's newest nation of South Sudan. One of the possible outcomes I imagined was for South Sudan -- within a short space of time -- to become a hellish, Banana Republic, bang in the middle of tropical Africa. This Banana Republic would also come complete with a shortage of bananas.

South Sudan would thus become a "reverse Disney-Land", a hellish "paradise" for NGOs, chancers, crooks, con-artists, and all sorts of fly-by-night "Africa Experts". For these unsavoury characters, South Sudan will be the ultimate "catch", a dream-date so to speak. Once ensconced in their Juba luxury with SUVs, servants, and gated villas, this flotsam-jetsam of mediocrity --the scum of the Earth -- will fight tooth and nail to make sure that South Sudan remains a basket-case, thus ensuring their continued, luxury existence. This is a nightmare scenario with a high probably of turning out to be true. Let's wait-and-see.

Deal With Tribal Issues.

2011-06-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

Western journos covering Africa often fail to see the underlying ethnic squabbles that are at the root of so many of our problems. Some African intellectuals also deliberately omit ethnic issues from their analyses, for reasons of not wanting to be seen as "backward" or even "barbaric". Well, we're African, & we're the ones who must sort out our own affairs, and so waving away acute, pertinent issues of ethnicity, tribe, clan, totem and language just won't do. These issues must be tackled head on. If they're not acknowledged and tackled head-on, they have a tendency -- like vipers -- to turn around and bite us in the rear end. Kenya's post-election violence of '08 is a prime example of festering, tribal problems that were left unattended to and then erupted into anarchy at a crucial moment in Africa's democratic journey. We Africans must not be blind to our own realities. We must strive to sort out our own mess.

Prof. George Ayittey -- How To Topple A Brutal Dictator

2011-06-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Like many learned Africans, I've been patiently waiting for Prof. George Ayittey's new book to come out. He first mentioned it to me (in correspondence) about three years ago and I'm still waiting. Fortunately, he did email me a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of his new-book, and I have posted the synopsis below. The Title of Prof. Ayittey's upcoming book is, "How To Topple A Dictator". Read below, in his own words.
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Prof. George Ayittey: dictatorship is a system of governance and will emerge in any political system that concentrates power in the hands of one individual without any checks and balances. I argued in Chapter 2 that a dictatorship is incompatible with the tribal or traditional systems in most developing countries, whereby decision-making is by consensus. These systems also have checks and balances. Dictatorships proliferated after these countries -- mostly ex-colonies – gained their independence. They inherited a unitary system of government, which centralizes decision-making and power. They also acquired the “means” or instruments of coercion (standing armies) and the “reach” (improvements in communications and transportation), which enabled dictators to flourish (Chapter 3).

Chapter 4 discussed the modus operandi of dictatorships. They seize control of key state institutions (the media, security forces, civil service, judiciary, electoral commission, etc.), pack them with their allies, supporters and subvert them to serve their dictates. In other words, a dictatorship insidiously develops tentacles that reach into all segments of the society. Eventually, it collapses under the weight of its own internal contradictions and intrigues (Chapter 5).

However, its demise is accelerated when growing social inequality and discontent spark civil unrest and street protests (Chapter 6). But street protests alone are not enough to topple a dictator. The aid of an auxiliary agent or institution is needed (Chapters 6 and 7) to finish the job. Even then, getting rid of the dictator does not necessarily get rid of the dictatorship. The institutional framework that bolstered the dictator must also be dissembled or gutted (Chapter 8). Otherwise, the next rat will use the same institutional set-up to transform himself into another dictator. Recall the Tunisian lament: “We got rid of the dictator but not the dictatorship.”

Therefore, the question then is not just toppling the dictators but uprooting or dissembling the dictatorship. Chapter 8 is the most important of all the chapters because uprooting a dictatorship requires, not just political reform but also intellectual, constitutional, institutional and economic reform. The judiciary, intelligence services, the media, the electoral commission would all have to be cleansed and the tentacles of the dictatorship severed. But, as I stressed in Chapter 8, all these reform initiatives must be taken in sequence. Reform that is out of sequence creates problems. Premature economic reform or liberalization creates crony or vampire capitalism. In other words, it is not enough to cut down the tree; the roots must also be pulled out in sequence or order. Else, the tree will grow again.

Alex Chola -- Greatest winger of all-time.

2011-05-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago marked the 18th anniversary of the tragic plane-crash that took down the whole Zambian National Football Team. Also to lose his life on that tragic journey was the assistant coach, Alex Chola. Now for those who don't know any better, or are just too young to know, let me tell you who Alex Chola was, and just how good he was as a football player.

As a young boy living in Zimbabwe in the early 80s I never missed any of the big football matches that would be served up at Rufaro Stadium. Matches against our neighbours and rivals (Zambia) were always well-attended, and the stadium would be packed to the rafters. Even club games against the top Zambian teams like Green Buffaloes, Nchanga Warriors, Power Dynamos & Mufulira Wanderers, would fill stadiums to capacity.

Now there was one game I attended in the early 80s that featured one of the greatest Zambian teams ever put together. KK's 1st eleven(as the team was then known) boasted players like Michael Kaumba, Peter Kaumba & Pele Kaimana, playing up front, with the defence marshalled by Jones Chilengi and Fighton Simukonda. But the best player of all had to be the winger, Alex "Computer" Chola. His wing-play was just out of this world: feints, flicks, darts-up-the-middle, hazy dribbles, deft-touches. His play was mesmerizing! I remember the Zimbabwean crowd being stunned into silence whenever Alex Chola got the ball. It's as if there was a collective, "what is he gonna do now", running through everyone's mind. Had he played in the modern era, I'm sure he would have been playing for the Real Madrids and Barcelonas of this world. That's how good he was.

So, I salute Alex Chola, and all the other Zambian footballers who were lost on that tragic late-night of April 27th, 1993. They gave me such great pleasure as a young boy, and may they rest in eternal peace.

Wahala dey o!!!

2011-04-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

I had to re-post this cracking piece of Nigerian humor. I'm not sure who wrote it, but the joke is too funny! Read below...........................
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Bill Gates organized an enormous session to recruit a new chairman for Microsoft Eastern Europe. Five thousand candidates assembled in a large room. Ayodele, a Nigerian guy, was one of the candidates.

Bill Gates thanked all the candidates for coming and asked those who do not know Java program to leave. Two thousands candidates left the room. Ayodele says to himself, “I do not know Java but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I’ll give it a try.

Bill Gates asked the candidates who never had experience of managing more than 100 people to leave. Two thousand left the room. Ayo says to himself “I never managed anybody but myself but I have nothing to lose if I stay. What can happen to me? So he stays, then Bill Gates asked the candidates who do not have management diploma to leave. Five hundred people left the room. Ayodele says to himself, “I left school at 15 but what have I to lose? So he stays in the room.

Lastly, Bill asked the candidates who do not speak Serb-Croatian to leave. 498 candidates left the room. Ayodele says to himself, “I do not speak Serb-Croatian but what do I have to lose? So he stays and finds himself with one other candidate. Everyone else has gone. Bill Gates joined them and said, “Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak Serb-Croatian, so I’d like to hear you have a conversation together in that language.

Calmly, Ayodele turns to the other candidate and says “Wahala dey o!”.

The other candidate answers “Oh, Oga na wah oooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!”

Bill Gates “ You are both hired”.

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The moral of the story: Never give up!

African Leaders: Square Pegs in Round Holes

2011-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

"Show me the child and I'll show you the man", goes one saying. Well, anyone who follows African Affairs needs to pay close attention to the family backgrounds, histories and family relations of our leaders. We seem to have been ruled by people who, in all honestly, were unfit to hold high office. Someone like (former Ethiopian dictator) Mengistu Haile Mariam: what kind of animal was he? What kind of human being orders the wholescale murder of hundreds of thousands of his fellow countrymen? Could his obscure, lowly background explain his subsequent behaviour? A petty Colonel, of obscure origins, but who somehow managed to rise to the top using street smarts, brutality and guile.

Could we Africans have expected any better from Mobutu Sese Seko? His father a cook and small-time criminal, and his mother (reputedly) a whore? Is it even possible to expect a person of such background to have had a developmental agenda for Zaire. What did he care if Zaire's roads were paved or not! The list of "square pegs in round holes" is endless: Sani Abacha, Idi Amin, J-B Bokkassa; people who really were unfit to hold office, and managed to plunge their countries into disaster.

We Africans really need to pay more more attention to the kind of leaders who are ruling over us: their wives; their family backgrounds; educational achievements; all these things are of critical importance. It's impossible to have any of the major democracies ruled over by a semi-literate, uncouth barbarian (of obscure origins) like Sani Abacha. If America was to be governed by a bunch of High-School dropouts from broken families, it would simply become a Third World country in no time at all. We need more due diligence on the African Continent.

Zimbabwe: What Might Have Been

2011-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what would have been had "good eggs" like Garfield Todd and Edgar Whitehead managed to stay the course. They were enlightened fellows, well ahead of their time and they represented all that was best of the Colonial British. With Harold MacMillan's "Winds of Change" blowing, the then colony of Southern Rhodesia might have acquiesced to black, majority rule like all the other European colonies (barring South Africa and the Portuguese colonies). We could have had the upper orders of the colonial British co-managing the country with the best orders of the indigenous Africans. I'm thinking here of people like Joshua Nkomo or even urban professionals like Dr. Silas Mundawarara. We would have had no Liberation War, and therefore no war Veterans to deal with. Instead -- like in Zambia or Malawi -- independence would have been negotiated, with no shedding of blood.

With decent, enlightened, economic policies our country could have been an "African New Zealand" on the Southern African highveld, with living standards to match. Sadly, that was never meant to be. Instead, the lower orders of the Colonial British upended the political tray and had their man, Ian Smith, to represent them. These mechanics, hairdressers and all the rest of the sundry hordes who had been flushed out of the gutter of Great Britain, and banished to the tropics, were never going to acquiesce to black majority rule. "Not in a thousand years" was there supposed to be majority, black rule, so said Smithy.

Well, any extreme action always produces an extreme reaction. Since enlightened racial co-existence, and mutual, economic development was now impossible, we had to wage a guerrilla war to expel these barbarians from our midst. And we're now paying for that short-sightedness and lack of foresight by those "Petit-Blancs" who had managed to worm their way into power. Instead of a multi-racial, thriving country under the management of an enlightened, technocratic, elite, we're now being held to ransom by the last remnants of a guerrilla army. Lord help us.

Me and Blaise Compaore (payback is a bi**h!)

2011-04-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

I was in secondary school in '86 when Thomas Sankara arrived for the Non-Aligned Summit that was held in Zimbabwe. He literally shook the place up. He even upstaged the usual centre-of-attention, Muammar Gaddafi. For the following weeks, his name was on everyone's lips; "Who is this Sankara fellow?" That's how I became a Pan-Africanist, living in a country where few knew (or had heard of) "Upper Volta", or were even familiar with (so-called) Francophone Africa.

Now, 25 years later, it appears that me and Blaise Compaore have a rendezvous with history. I've been waiting for this moment, literally, for a quarter of a Century. When the demise of Blaise is announced, I'll savour the moment like no other. The evil conspiracy of French President (Francois Mitterrand) and his official boot-licker (Blaise Compaore), literally shattered one of the greatest experiments in positive upliftment ever attempted on African soil. I hope the gallant people of Burkina Faso bury Blaise Compaore in a shallow grave; the same dog's grave that Thomas Sankara was (initially) buried in. What goes around always comes around.

Africa: Open-Heart Surgery

2011-04-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

I hate to say this, and I say it with a heavy heart, but some African countries now need to be put either under direct U.N supervision, or to be administered by neighbouring African countries that have better governance structures. I'm thinking here about Guinea-Bissau, Somalia and Swaziland. These three countries need to be saved from themselves. I'm a rabid Pan-Africanist and I'm not a cheerleader for colonialism, but how do we guarantee decent lives for the next generation of Somalis and Guineans?

In Southern Africa, Swaziland must now be put under the direct supervision of South African bureaucrats. To leave that country in the hands of the ruling Dhlamini clan, engaging in incest, debauchery and bacchanalia, while the country is degraded to a failed state is just plain wrong. Life expectancy in Swaziland is now 32 years old. There are only a million Swazis, and so having them administered from Pretoria would not be a bureaucratic hurdle. This is doable.

Here's An African Solution For The Usual African Problems

2011-04-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend elections were being held in Nigeria while at the same time, the presumed loser in Cote D'Ivoire's recent elections,Laurent Gbagbo, was holed up in his bunker and unwilling to cede power to his adversary, Alassane Ouattara. We all know one thing: Nigerian elections tend to be marred by fraud and incompetence on a grand scale, and yet the loser never fights on to the bitter end, taking up military action as he defends his turf. Why this total contrast between Nigeria and other African countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe & now Cote D'Ivoire.

Well, in a nutshell: the regional rotation of Presidential-power can explain the total contrasts between post-election scenarios in Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire. The Nigerian political elite made a tidy agreement amongst themselves: in one electoral-cycle, Presidential powers will reside in one region, and then in the next electoral-cycle, Presidential power will be rotated to another region. Brilliant! Another important note: implicit in this "tidy political arrangement" is the notion of term-limits. Since different regions are all waiting for "their turn" to rule, you cannot have a situation where one politician rules for over twenty-five years or more, as is the case in Cameroon, Zimbabwe or Uganda.,

This Nigerian solution to a potentially murky Nigerian problem should be adopted by all other African States with sharp ethnic or regional divisions. Furthermore the Nigerian practice of teaming running mates from different regions must also be encouraged. In the tragic case of Cote D'Ivoire, having Guillaume Soro and Alassane Ouattara (two Muslim Northerners) as President and Prime Minister designates, was an error of Biblical proportions. Alassane Ouattara should have sought out a heavyweight politician from the South as his Prime Minister-designate.

In Nigeria's previous election, the Northern, Fulani aristocrat, Musa Yar'Adua teamed up with the zoologist from the Delta region, Goodluck Jonathan; as unlikely a combination if ever there was one, and yet they prevailed in the elections. And when President Yar'Adua passed away, the ascension of Goodluck Jonathan allowed the South-South region of Nigeria to have it's first go at the Presidency. Brilliant!

So, there it is my fellow Africans: An African solution staring at us in the face. It was not bequeathed to us by the old, British colonialists but instead was cooked up by bloody-minded members of the Nigerian political elite. It's adoption will prevent much of the African carnage that we see on our television screens.

Strength in Unity

2011-04-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

On April 3rd, 2011, the new Somali State of Azania was formed,and so that now makes three States (Somalia, Somaliland & Azania) cut out from the old State of Somalia. Any Pan-Africanist just has to wonder out aloud:"When will this all end". I'm sure that this "State" of Azania will henceforth provide all the accoutrements of statehood, like a national flag, national anthem, maybe even, a few gold medals at the Olympic Games. But - like most African States - it will fail to provide the most basic necessities needed in today's modern world: the rule of law; a functioning bureaucracy; potable water, food & shelter.

Some Africans are under the impression that the colonial borders should be dismantled and new States formed (along ethnic or religious lines). True that may be, but Africa is the most diverse Continent on Earth. It would be un-workable trying to detangle our colonial-era States and then trying to form multitudes of (non-viable) mini-States. Southern Sudan was an extreme exception. Let's leave the borders as they are and work on giving the peoples within these borders a decent life, rather than trying to re-arrange the Continental map.

Breaking up Africa into a hundred or so Mini-States just would not work. We would end up like the Native Americans of Canada who exist as "Bands", or as roving "Tribes", and yet lack any strength of unity, numbers, and purpose to chart their own course. These Indians are virtually wards of the Canadian State. That's where we Africans would end up -- as wards of more powerful States and entities like the U.N.

Ageism

2011-04-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

In all civilizations, the successes of that civilization are often buried deep in the ethical/moral/cultural structures of that civilization. And yet at the same time the failures of that civilization are often buried in the very same ethical/moral/cultural structures that give rise to that civilization's successes. Most societies of black Africans are organised along age-lines (or age-sets) with (male) members of a certain age-group seeing each other males as contemporaries. Now, herein lies the problem that befits most African societies: in adulthood, members of a certain age-set (or age-group) are loathe to take counsel, or heed the advice, of their much younger brethren who belong to different age-sets. It's for this reason why you hear that a certain African President in his 80s is refusing to take counsel from a fellow President (whom he considers his "Junior" and might actually be an old man in his 60s).

It's a problem that befuddles politics in my native Zimbabwe. President Mugabe, as we all know, is an old man of 87, and resolutely refuses to take counsel from anyone not of his age-group (that means just about everyone). Minister, Didymus Mutasa is a sprightly old 76. He does acquiesce to the orders of his 87 year old President, but anyone younger than him in age, he rebuts their counsel. So, in other words, you have to be older than 76 to talk sense to our venerable Minister, Didymus Mutasa. In the opposition we have the Liberation War Hero, Dumiso Dabengwa, who's 71. Now, Dabengwa is always at pains (when challenged) to tell us that he's senior to much of the military folk who are always in the Zimbabwean papers. He too, won't take counsel from anyone who is younger than he is, or who was Junior to him during the Liberation Struggle (1966-1979).

So, there it is in a nutshell. We're ruled by a doddering, aged, gerontocracy that (for cultural reasons) is totally incapable of taking counsel or heeding the advice of anyone who is not within their age-group or age-set. That cultural dichotomy has led to a lot of fatal decisions and blunders being made in Zimbabwe, and is partially the result of why we find ourselves in such a sorry state.

Acoustic Africa

2011-03-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a thrilling concert featuring Zimbabwean maestro Oliver Mtukudzi and his Malian counterparts, Afel Bocoum and Habib Koite. That a Zimbabwean and two Malians could gel to produce such thrilling music only goes to show how deep the bonds are between the different African ethnicities. Mtukudzi would sing the chorus in the languages of Mali, while Afel Bocoum and Habib Koite would chime in Shona when it was Mtukudzi's turn to belt out a song.

We've always been told that our salvation lies with the nations of the West, but that is so untrue; our salvation lies within ourselves, as Africans. We've got all it takes within ourselves to prosper both commercially and culturally. The largest market for Kenyan goods is the East African region, and not England. Naija movies are now dominant throughout much of Africa. All Africans were gutted when (the Ghanaian) Asamoah Gyan missed that penalty at the 2010 World Cup. My point is that, what divides us is also what unites us. We have no other choice but to be Africans, to be ourselves. That is all.

Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-03-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

Need to leave Gaddafi, Museveni, & RGM alone for a while and watch my beloved Zimbabwe take on the Kiwis in cricket. This is civilisation at it's best! It's unfortunate that neither the Ancient Romans nor the Ashantis of Osei Tutu knew what a "square leg" was. I'm in my element. Screw Museveni and his oversize hat! There are more important things to attend to.

Zimbabwe: how we got to where we are.

2011-02-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

The following post was a response I gave to a fellow blogger, http://zimtweets.wordpress.com, who had asked the Question, "How did we get here". Read on......................................................

It's the "how" we were trying to get where we wanted to get, that put us in the position where we are today. I agree with what you say (somewhat), but I would be an ungrateful bastard if I used this opportunity to lambast the policies of RGM. Kwame Nkrumah (in Ghana) wanted Ghana to progress 100 yrs in 10 yrs! And look what happened to him! His keen disciple, RGM followed suit in 1980, and now look where we are! However, his model of rapid, state-sponsored development ran aground in 1989, and he had to call in the IMF. That was the beginning of the end for the Zimbabwe that we had known from 1980-89.

State-sponsored development goes against the grain of how the major powers want the developing countries to develop. Any country that defies the major countries is forced to pay a price (see Haiti or Congo-DRC). Yes, there was massive corruption and a lack of essential skills, but that's not the real cause of our demise. We were never allowed to chart our own course of development, and the "medicine" imposed on us by the IMF (E.S.A.P) put in motion the de-industrialization and 80% underemployment that we see today.

Ivory Coast Pt 2

2011-01-23T00:46:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago I posited a possible solution to the mess in Cote D'Ivoire. And yes, I know it was probably laughed out of town. Well, Laurent Gbagbo is STILL the De-Facto head of the Ivorian Govt; Western Govts talk of squeezing Gbagbo out of power, and yet, he's the one who's SQUEEZING Ouatarra to death at his hotel hideout.

Cote D'Ivoire is an African country, with African values, populated by African peoples. It then follows that Any solution to the Ivorian crisis has to be AN AFRICAN SOLUTION TO AN AFRICAN PROBLEM. Why are the neighbouring African Govts parroting Western/European solutions, like sanctions? THIS IS SILLY!

If we were to sit four elders from the different regions of Cote D'Ivoire together, they would all push for a solution that incorporates all the different traditions of Cote D'Ivoire into the political process. Which brings me back to my original solution: a tacit agreement amongst Ivorian politician to rotate power between the wider North (Malinke & Voltaic) and the wider South (Akan & Bete); a re-run of the elections, but with ELECTORS/KINGMAKERS being voted into a National Assembly, who then decide to choose one of their own as the President (WHO'LL BEST SERVE THE NATIONAL INTEREST); and a multi-ethnic cabinet that's ethnically balanced in order to bring all the different traditions of the country into the political process.

That, my fellow Africans, is an African solution to an African problem.

Raila Odinga #Fail

2011-01-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

I still cannot fathom how the A.U sent Raila Odinga as a mediator to Cote D'Ivoire. First of all: does Mzee Odinga even speak French? Secondly, the man himself (Odinga) is on a weak wicket: He's the junior partner, in a shaky coalition, with a determined tribalist (Mwai Kibaki). This is not the stuff that successful mediators are made off!

They should have sent a political heavyweight from the West African region (maybe Obasanjo) or a "Francophone" President with clout (like Blaise Compaore). Raila Odinga was out of his league here, and Laurent Gbagbo rightfully brushed him off -- like a bothersome fly. Let's see if the A.U can come up with a credible "Plan B".

Dastardly French

2011-01-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

According to reports, a Virgin Atlantic flight from Nairobi, Kenya en route to Heathrow, was diverted to Lyon, France and the passengers (who included Prof. Ngugi wa Thiongo'o) were subjected to a very humiliating experience. This happened on the 18th of December, 2010. I've been hopping mad with anger (all daylong) over this callous injustice meted out to my noble African people, and here's what I have to say about this sordid affair.

Without Africa, France is just a middling, European nation of no great significance. We Africans have been gritting our teeth and taking these slights and put-downs for generations. There will come a time when we will walk away from our entanglements with haughty nations like France and seek our salvation within ourselves. The day that happens, France will revert to a being a slightly bigger version of Portugal -- a once-great nation that no longer is worth any mention. Mark my words: that day will come. And WE AFRICANS will have the last laugh!

Ivory Coast

2010-12-28T00:03:00.000-08:00

Here’s my solution to the electoral and constitutional chaos that has engulfed the Cote D’Ivoire. There are basically four cultural/ethnic groups that are considered to be indigenous to Cote D’Ivoire: The Akans of the South-East and South-Central, of whom the Baoule are the most numerous, and also provided much of the post-independence elite (Konan Bedie, Houphouet-Boigny); The Kru of the South-West (of whom the Bete are the largest sub-group, and who have Laurent Gbagbo as a member); the Voltaic peoples of the North-East (primarily Senoufo and Mossi); and the various Mande-speaking peoples of the North-West (of which the Malinke are the most numerous, and have Alassane Outtara as a member). Also complicating the demographics is the existence of a very large immigrant population, which some commentators say makes up more than half the total population of Cote D’Ivoire.

Rather than having “elections” every five years with predictably tragic results, I suggest instead that the people of Cote D’Ivoire elect an electoral college, which in turn will then go on to select candidates for the positions of President, Vice-President, Prime Minister & speaker of Parliament respectively. These positions shall have term limits of no more than two concurrent terms of five years apiece. Furthermore, there must be an explicit agreement amongst the political elite, of a rotation of power between all four regions of the country. I’ll explain below how the system would work.

Ivoirians invariably vote along ethnic lines (like most Africans) since language/culture/religion are the main markers of identity. Now, instead of having useless “elections” along European lines, I suggest that Ivoirians be allowed to vote for candidates of their own ethnicities in their own regions. Only constituencies in the ethnically-mixed cities would be allowed to be contested by candidates of various ethnicities. So, for example, in the Voltaic North-East only candidates from the Senoufo or Mossi ethnic groups would be fielded, and they will in turn be voted into office by their fellow Senoufos and Mossis to represent the interestst of the region in a Federal govt. This procedure will be repeated throughout the country: in the Akan South-Central, only Akan candidates will be fielded in the elections; and in the South-West only Kru candidates will be fielded.

Now, having selected an electoral college from the various candidates contesting the elections, the Electoral College would then sit down to sort out the sordid business of who would actually occupy the nation’s top four positions. Bearing in mind that there’s an explicit agreement on the rotation of Presidential Powers, it would then be agreed upon, for example, that a candidate from the Mande-Speaking North-west be chosen to occupy the position of President. This candidate would be the most capable and suitable candidate from amongst all the Mande-speaking candidates from the North-West. And he would be the candidate from that region most amenable and agreeable to the other Electoral College members. With an explicit rotation-of-power amongst regions and constitutional term-limits, the other regions will then be assured of having their crack at the Presidency either in five or ten years.

Now, having selected a President from among their members, the Electoral College would then go about selecting the positions of Prime Minister, Vice-President and Speaker of the House, all from different regions of the nation. This would cement ethnic balancing and would allow the “fruits of power” to be tasted by all sections of the political elite, and not just those from one region. So, in the interests of ethnic balancing, Ivory Coast could have a Mande President from the North-West, a Kru Prime Minister from the South-east, an Akan Vice-President from the South-Central, and a Senoufo Speaker of the House (from the North-east)

So there’s my solution. It’s not perfect, nor can it even be thought of as satisfying democratic criteria. And yet it’s an African solution to a rather murky African problem. Ivory Coast has over 65 ethnic groups, with two main religions. It’s important that a workable solution be brought upon the people of Ivory Coast, a solution that spares them the ravages of either civil war or ,even worse, the break-up of their country.

So-Called "War Veterans".

2010-11-15T17:05:00.000-08:00

Now these so-called "war veterans" of Zimbabwe are threatening Senator David Coltart, the Education Minister; a bad omen for race-relations in Zimbabwe. I do wish the real war veterans from Zimbabwe's war of liberation would stand up and have their voices heard. People like Wilfred Mhanda (aka Dzinashe Machingura) should make a stand and say that things cannot continue in this way. It's a shame that a psychopath like Jabulani Sibanda -- who never fired a single bullet in the Liberation war -- is leading campaigns of violence against ordinary civilians.

The other lunatic leader of these "war veterans", Joseph Chinotimba, arrived at an assembly point in 1979, only after the war had ended, and he too never fired a single bullet in the Liberation war. I'll leave you with the memory of my uncle, Arthur Magaya (aka Saul Sadza), a true war-hero. He was #4 in the ZANLA hierarchy, and #3 in the joint ZANLA/ZIPRA army of ZIPA. He was tragically killed in the North Eastern front in 1976. May his soul rest in peace.

Mugabe's English Retirement Idyll

2010-11-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

Writing in the New Statesman, Sholto Barnes has offered an English retirement for President Robert Mugabe as one way of getting him out of Zimbabwe's current political stalemate. This is not as far-fetched an idea as it seems. Economists always use the term "opportunity Cost" to refer to opportunities or incomes foregone when pursuing other activities. So the opportunity cost of not having President Mugabe in an English retirement would be another five years of his rule in Zimbabwe. That would mean another 5 years of political strife and economic stagnation. A frightening prospect indeed.

Setting up a recalcitrant leader in luxurious retirement overseas is not without precedent. When Senegalese President, Abdou Diouf, lost the 2000 Presidential elections to Abdoulaye Wade, the French were quick to nip any potential trouble in the bud. Ex-President Diouf was given a luxury apt in one of Paris' swankiest arrondissements (among other things). Once out of the way, there was no way he could forment any trouble that would harm French interests.

A similar deal to get President Robert Mugabe to retire to England just might be as worthy. And it would do wonders for Zimbabwe's political scene and economy. Mugabe -- ever the anglophile -- just might take up this offer. I can almost see him nibbling at roasted pheasant in some high-end restaurant in London, while his shopaholic wife, Grace, is out breaking the bank at Harrods. Weekends could be spent in the Cottswalds, or at one of those comfy estates in Oxfordshire. When back in London, there'd always be some Test Cricket to take in at Lords. Ever the Anglophile, Mugabe would most certainly get himself invited to tea-and-crumpet with some minor British Royal. So there it is. I've painted an idyllic scenario for an outcome that would be beneficial to all. Why not give it a try.

James Chikonamombe

Prof. George Ayittey on Zimbabwe

2010-11-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a reply I received from the Ghanaian economist & African reformer, Professor George Ayittey. It's about the ongoing crisis in my native Zimbabwe. I had to post this piece to my blog (with his permission), since Prof. George Ayittey clearly expostulated what most rational Africans think in private, but are sometimes loathe to spout in public. Read below (his words).

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James,

These are dangerous times Zimbabwe faces. One thing I have consistently faulted Zimbabwean politicians for and which I have constantly railed at is their stubborn refusal to learn from the experiences of other African countries. They think theirs is the only country on the continent facing a political crisis. They should continue to ignore the experiences of other African countries – at their own peril.

Post colonial African history shows clearly that if the politicians fail to resolve a political crisis for years, sooner or later, a Charles Taylor, a Foday Sankoh, a Mohammed Farar Aideed, a Laurent Kabila, or some rebel leader will emerge to resolve the crisis by force. And we all know the consequences of taking that route. As I write, I know or rebel training camps in Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa, operated by Zimbabwean exiles. Not something I would support or get involved in.

The problem as I see it revolves around the whites in the MDC. It is the only credible and largest opposition party in Zimbabwe. But its agenda, policies and strategies have been dominated, controlled or “hijacked” by whites and Morgan Tsvangirai is too weak to check this. He has become something like a “puppet.” As a result, the MDC has lost its “African touch” or character. I suspect this was one reason why Arthur Mutambara broke away, although personal ambition could have been a major motivating factor. It is also one reason why the regional leaders find it difficult to embrace the MDC because they don’t see it as “African.”

As you already know, there are two gnawing issues in Zimbabwe: the land issue and political tyranny. On these issues, the MDC waffled and was outfoxed by a wily old despot who insisted on making the land issue the sole, over-arching political issue.. Following the violent and forcible seizures of white commercial farmlands, the whites saw the MDC as a vehicle to stem those seizures and farm invasions. They acted rationally and I don’t blame them for that. But in so doing, they ended up “hijacking” the MDC and its primary message of DEMOCRATIC CHANGE got lost in the shuffle.

Second, the whites wanted to play it safe and I don’t fault them for that. For that reason, they preferred external pressure – in particular, from Britain -- to be brought to bear on Mugabe; hence, the near-exclusive reliance on external solutions, which flies in the face of recent African political history.

The third was a serious misjudgment on the part of the whites in the MDC. They misread southern African history. Southern Africa is not like West Africa, where the wounds from colonialism have nearly healed. They are still raw in southern Africa, which is yet to shed its liberation theology. For this reason, the whites should have played a less prominent, low-key role in the MDC. They should look at the travails of the Democratic Alliance party of South Africa. I could not for the life of understand why the MDC insisted on making Roy Bennett a deputy Agricultural Minister. Didn’t the MDC know that such an appointment played right into the hands of Mugabe and SADC leaders?

Mind you, I have nothing against Roy Bennett. I met him in Aspen, Colorado, and he is such a fine and intelligent person. But as deputy agric minister? Not at this time when memories are still too raw.

Fourth, because it is controlled by whites, the MDC never bothered to look at “African solutions” that have worked in other African countries such as Benin, Cape Verde Islands, Zambia and even South Africa. It preferred the “Westminster” or Western model (free and fair elections).

Nonetheless, there is still an ALTERNATIVE WAY to pull Zimbabwe back from the brink. Call it African diplomacy. Set up a body of eminent Zimbabweans. Not more than 10 people but they must be apolitical. Leave the politicians out of it. Include church leaders and retired military generals, if you will. They must be able to reach stalwarts in both the MDC and ZANU-PF. Call this group a Council of Elders or Eminent Elders, if you will, to give an African ring to it. Its main task will be to break the political impasse and come up with a solution acceptable to both sides. Pretoria or Johannesburg is not the place to do this; nor can SADC be such a “council.”

The destiny of Zimbabwe lies in the hands of its own people, not in the hands of South Africa or SADC.

George Ayittey,

Washington, DC

King Yahya Jammeh...and other tragedies.

2010-11-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

I just got word that Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, now wants to crown himself King of Gambia. Just when I thought the news about our African Presidents couldn't get any worse, I was hit with this low blow. Earlier this year I saw a photo of French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, and the (now deceased) Gabonese President Omar Bongo, standing together and both wearing -- what appeared to be -- platform shoes. I almost fell of my chair with laughter. Are these "Les Affaires D'Etat" that African Presidents are engaged in? Then I heard that ex-President Ibrahim Babangida of Nigeria, was actually considering running in the next Presidential elections. Now, I almost had a heart attack! This is a man who looted $8Billion from the Nigerian treasury, and yet still has the temerity, THE AUDACITY, to consider running -- again! -- for President.

And now this: not content with trying to find a cure for AIDS, The Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, now wants to crown himself the king of his country. "Emperor" Jean-Bedel Bokassa must be turning in his grave! He must have thought that he was the only African leader who could crown himself as "Le Roi". Sometimes -- like a punch-drunk boxer -- I just want to give up and throw in the towel. These African leaders are just too much. What a bunch of fools, clowns they are!

What If (A BIG IF)

2010-10-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered what would happen if Africa managed to develop and become relatively wealthy. What would that mean for the IMF and the World Bank? The legions of NGOs working/vacationing in Africa? And what about the Bonos and Geldof's of this world? Would Sir Bob "Didn't-deserve-the-knighthood" Geldof revive his old group, The Boomtown Rats? Our poverty and hopelessness has opened up legions of opportunities to otherwise unemployable people, who would have struggled to find a job in their home countries.

James Chikonamombe

No! To The IMF

2010-09-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

There's a famous economic tale retold by legions of economics professors. It's about one of the intellectuals from the Austrian School of economics, either Ludwig Von Mises or Von Hayek. The intellectual was asked what they'd do if they were appointed Min Of Finance, and the famous answer given was, "I'll resign!"

You see (intellectually) they DIDN'T BELIEVE in the govt running the economy, and hence had NO NEED for a Min Of Finance. In the same vein , I sure do wish that Africa's intellectuals and political class would refrain from having any dealings with the World Bank and The I.M.F. We have no need for the evil twin sisters of the IMF and the World Bank dictating our development needs.

We have all the wealth we need in Africa to rebuild our economies. Congo-DRC is sitting on trillions worth of raw materials; we've just discovered the world's largest diamond mine in Zimbabwe (bigger than Kimberley in the 19th Century), so why do we need the IMF? In the words of President Robert Mugabe, "They can go to hell!".....on a Greyhound Bus (my words), if you asked me.

James Chikonamombe
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Basil Davidson -- R.I.P

2010-07-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that the famous Africanist, Basil Davidson, had passed away on the 9th, of July. May he forever rest in eternal peace. I was still carrying a World Cup hangover, and that's probably why I missed his death. They say that "only the good die young", but good-old Basil was a sprightly 95 when he passed away: so much for that much-used saying!

I have three of his books in my collection, and to me, the most poignant, most pertinent, is "The Black Man's Burden". Here Basil Davidson is almost pleading with Africa's post-colonial leaders not to waste any time in proceeding with policies that would aid in Africa's development. In his later writing, one can sense a feeling of sadness -- even bewilderment -- at how independent Africa has failed to get it's act together.

For someone who had spent most of his adult life observing African civilisation, it must have been disheartening to see modern Africa's dire predicament. Basil Davidson represented all that what was noble in the British Empire.

Yes, the British did a lot of bad things to a lot of people -- ask the Irish -- but they also produced wonderfully talented individuals. If you need a British perspective on Africa, written by someone from a certain era and a certain class, then look no further than Basil Davidson.

Tribe, Nation, Ethnicity

2010-07-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

English is a living language like all other languages and there are no statutory laws regarding it's usage. Nevertheless, we need to be wary of throwing around loaded words like "tribe". Such usage is a holdover from previous eras when openly racist discourse -- tribe, barbarian, pagan, cannibal, heathen, savage -- was used in justifying the enslavement, colonisation, and oppression of Non-European peoples in Africa, The Americas, and the Pacific islands.

It's much more preferable to use use "nation", or "nationality" when referring to the people (or peoples) who inhabit a specific geographic area, and "ethnicity" when referring to the language/cultural groups who make up that nation. Indeed that is how the indigenous peoples of North America define themselves: a member of the Lakota "tribe" will never besmirch his identity in such a way, but rather will say that he belongs to the Lakota nation. That is how the indigenous peoples of Canada are described: as First Nations.

Just because certain African intellectuals frequently use the term "tribe" does not, in any way, remove its negative connotations. My fellow African intellectuals are often prone to intellectual laziness, and tend to regurgitate whatever rigmarole is spewed out from the West. Furthermore, many of them -- despite claiming to speak for Africa -- are weighed down by acute inferiority complexes. They too need to be 're-educated', so to speak, and to be shown the error in their ways.

Let Them Keep Their Loot!...and Leave Us Alone!

2010-07-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Tendai Biti -- "Let's tell them (top Zanu officials) that they can leave and not lose their farms or get arrested".

That was Tendai Biti, The MDC's Secretary-General, and also Zimbabwe's Min of Finance. I've been saying, for God-knows how many years now, that the only way to improve Zimbabwe's political climate, is to allow Zanu's top leadership to retire (quietly) to their farms, and give them blanket immunity from any future prosecution.

Those who claim morals as their guiding principle need to carefully consider what options we Zimbabweans have on the table. With 85% unemployment, a collapsed health-care sector and industry in shambles, we can ill-afford to continue having the present Zanu leadership in place. The Govt of (dis)unity stopped the rot, but it is ill-equipped to move things onto a higher level. Plus we might have elections next year, and the nightmare of another 5 years of an underperformng Govt of Nat Unity looms large.

If the 50 or so top Zanu officials in the security establishment, and in the govt were allowed to go, there would immediately be a better climate for the economy to operate in. Let's cut our losses right now, to give a chance to the millions of Zimbabwean children who go to bed hungry each night, and to the millions of workers unable to find work.

Life, in general, gives you two stark choices: bad or worse. The choice that I've highlighted above would be the least painful for Zimbabwe's masses. It's high time we gave it a try.

James Chikonamombe

Asamoah Gyan

2010-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

I still haven't recovered from yesterday's cliff-hanger of a game between Ghana and Uruguay; I'm emotionally drained. I now understand how easy it is for ordinarily-sane people to lose their minds. What a a game!

If only Asamoah Gyan had composed himself and steadied himself just before taking the penalty, he might have had the calmness to just tap the ball in. But no! He hurried himself up, and struck the upright. I think that in his head, he was already celebrating the goal. He might also have been tired, after playing 120 minutes of football.

I don't know how long it will take for me to get yesterday's events out of my head, but I suspect that it will be in my head for a very long time. As a rabid Pan-Africanist, I'm proud of what Ghana achieved, and I'm also happy that the whole tournament has gone on without a glitch.

End Chattel Slavery in Zimbabwe

2010-06-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

We seriously need to re-think our whole system of agriculture. Having huge land-holdings of commercial farms that are dependent on cheap, exploitable labour is regressive and counter-productive. An egregious mistake was made by the ruling govt when it allowed the system of commercial farming to continue, albeit under black ownership.

The liberation struggle was over land, and nothing else! The colonial regime of Ian Smith was buttressed and fortified by the white, commercial-farming sector. And these commercial farms could not exist without the masses of (mostly) foreign-origin African labourers working in conditions approaching chattel slavery. The Land reform program was a glorious chance to smash this inglorious system and make sure -- once and for all -- that it NEVER reared its ugly head again. But, alas, that opportunity was wasted.

We now have an agricultural-system where Africans have replaced Europeans as the main beneficiaries of an exploitive commercial-farming system. These new commercial farmers think that "paying workers" is a foreign concept. All the dead bodies of freedom fighters lying unmarked in Chimoio and Nyadzonia must indeed be spinning in their shallow graves. Is this what the Liberation Struggle was fought for?

Ghana Must! Go! All the way!

2010-06-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

What a cracker of a game today. Assamoah Gyan could have scored three goals, and Andre Ayew could also have netted at least two. Ghana lost, but they were, by far, the better team. Kevin Prince Boateng was outstanding. Sloppy defending at the back allowed the Germans to score the lone goal.

Ghanaian defenders should have charged at Ozil when he took that shot at goal. I aged ten years watching the last five minutes. The mathematical possibilities of who would go ahead in this group (vis-a-vis the other group game) were all too real.

Now for the finals: Sule Muntari must be played from the onset, and Ghana must continue with their attacking football. Maybe they could pair another striker with Assamoah Gyan in the attack. All of Africa will be supporting the Black Stars. We owe it to ourselves to have at least one African team in the Semi-Finals.

Mo Ibrahim's Prize

2010-06-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

The problem with Mo Ibrahim's prize is that it rewards ex-leaders. But few of Africa's leaders want to be LIVING ex-leaders. Museveni, RGM, Biya, Mubarak etc, all want to be Presidents-for-life, and DIE IN OFFICE. They do not want to be living ex-leaders -- perish the thought! Furthermore, the prize amount (US$5m) is an amount that most African leaders would sniff at. I can almost see Pres Biya asking his secretary if the amount he was reading was not a typo..... "Are you sure that's not $500 million, ma cherie?"

Kudos to Mo Ibrahim for at least trying and putting his heart into it, but our present crop of African leaders, and ex-leaders do not share his righteousness. Thabo Mbeki, John Kuffour, Quett Masire, Albert Rene - don't know if he's still alive - and probably Godfrey Binaisa are the ex-leaders who are worthy of the prize.

Ghana V Nigeria: A Tale Of Two Countries

2010-06-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ghana were well composed, tactically disciplined, and well-drilled.....they played as a team and not as 11 disparate individuals....the coach brought in four of Ghana's players from the Under 20 team....There was never a doubt in my mind that Ghana would emerge victorious versus Serbia.
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On the other hand, Nigeria were tactless, often looked lethargic, and played not as a team, but as 11 different individuals....were it not for keeper Onyeama, the score would have been embarrassing....they let the whole of the Continent down, in their game against Argentina.

Churchill and The White African

2010-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

There is a documentary called "Mugabe and The White African" that is being reviewed to death right now in the blogosphere and in the press. This documentary omits any background information, and then jumps right into the fray to discuss the travails of Zimbabwe's white farming community. Many people watching the documentary, and unfamiliar with colonial African history, will view the white farmers as victims of barbarism, if not outright savagery. Pity the white farmers! They would say.

Well, let me give you a historical analogy so as to show you that Zimbabwe is not what some documentary-makers make it out to be. What if a documentary-maker was to show a documentary on the (1945) Allied bombing of Dresden, Germany, to a group of Native-Americans. What if these Native-Americans had never been exposed to German or European history, and knew nothing of WW1 and WW2. What then would the Native-Americans make of President Truman, and Prime Minister Churchill? And what would they make of the Russian Red Army, fast advancing on Berlin? Well, they'd probably think that Russians were a warmongering race of barbaric brutes out to ruin the harmony of the peace-loving Germans. And they'd probably think that both President Truman & Prime Minister Churchill were cruel savages, intent on bombing the innocent Germans into oblivion.

Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with European/Western history will know that it was the Germans who were the aggressors and not the other way around. The Brits, Americans & Russians were fighting for dear life against a ruthless, German war-machine. A background study of this era would have begun with the Franco-Prussian war of 1870; followed by the horrors of WW1; and then moved onto The Treaty of Versailles and the rise of Hitler & The Nazis. Without this background info, any film, documentary, or book about WW2 is meaningless.

The same is true of the land situation in Zimbabwe. Any movie, documentary, book or magazine article that ignores the events of the previous 150 years, and just focuses on the present is especially meaningless to a public that has never been exposed to colonial African history. Any background info on the land issue in Zimbabwe will start with missionaries like David Livingstone; proceed to adventurers like Speke, Morton & Stanley; and then be followed by the biggest plunderer of them all, Cecil Rhodes. Then it would move to The Pioneer Column of 1890 (that planted the British flag on Zimbabwean soil); and then (most importantly) the hut and poll taxes that sucked the indigenous black Africans of Zimbabwe into the wage economy.

Following these hideous hut and poll taxes, were a series of Land Apportionment Acts that forced black Africans from the fertile highveld area of Zimbabwe. This area was (and still is) the area of greatest population density, and had been settled by a Bantu-speaking population since around 900AD. After the land Apportionment Act (of 1930) Africans were systematically shoved into overcrowded and barren "Native Reserves". It was the cruel land policy of the colonial Rhodesians that sparked the Chimurenga War for Independence from 1966-1979. The background information that I've just supplied is crucial to any understanding of the tumultuous land situation inn Zimbabwe. Any filmmaker, writer or thinker who omits such background information is really just waffling about nothing.

The so-called "land invasions" that are shown in the documentary, "Mugabe & The White African" are really the actions of a wronged people, taking back the land of their ancestors, which they (rightly) believe to be theirs, through historical precedence.

Che Guevara and Regulated Free Markets

2010-05-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

I finished watching the movie "Che" yesterday. It was about four and half hours long, and was worth every minute. Damien Bechir is superb as Fidel Castro, and I think Benicio Del Toro was well-cast in the leading role. I think that the 60s revolutionaries really missed a golden opportunity to reshape the world to be as humane as possible. If only they'd allowed regulated market forces to co-exist side-by-side with all the positive dictates of left-wing ideology.

Free schooling, free health-care, women's rights, WITH regulated free-markets and democracy, might have made the rest of the world look like a poorer version of Scandinavia, rather than a scarier version of Miami, as it is now with its Neo-Liberal dogma.

Education, Education, Education

2010-04-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Any country that abandons it's education system is doomed to failure. The coastal elites of Sierra Leone used to be known for their education. Now two thirds of Sierra Leonese are illiterate and Fourah Bay College is a total wreck. Makerere in Uganda is now a shadow of itself, and one third of Ugandans still cannot read and write, 48 years after independence.

The Univ of Zimbabwe used to produce outstanding graduates, but now most of the teaching staff have fled for greener pastures and Zimbabwe's formerly outstanding education system is literally falling to pieces. Zimbabwe's President Mugabe is now admitting that Zimbabwe's once-stellar educational system is now in tatters. Governments that kill the education system, also kill any hopes of future development.

Shona Zvidawo & Totems

2010-04-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

The Shona-speaking peoples of Zimbabwe use several cultural markers to identify a person and to show their origin. The most important cultural marker is one's totem (usually in the form of an animal). My totem - mutupo in Shona - is Mhara/antelope. Male members of the Mhara totemic lineage go by the honorific name of *Chikonamombe* ( *mombe* means cow in Shona). The honorific name, *Chikonamombe* can also be rendered as *Chikonan'ombe* . In Shona, this honorific name is known as a *chidawo*.

Zvidawo (plural of chidawo) can also be used as family names, hence "James Chikonamombe ". Every totemic lineage has a praise poem that is associated with that lineage. A single line of this praise-poem is caled a *detembo*; several lines are called *madetembo* and to be showered with praise using your lineage praise- poem is known as *kudetembedzwa* .

Here are some lines from my lineage praise-poem: Mbuya Chikonamombe, chigumbu Chinounye... ....gusho, vari Rare.....vari zihota...vemuto munyere....vakazadz wa mhezi ne-varanda. The reciting of the praise-poem is often accompanied by the ritual clapping of hands (kuwombera maoko). If you ever see two Zimbabweans clasping and clapping their hands, as they exchange pleasantaries, don't be confused: you will actually be witnessing a ritual greeting.

Shona *madetembo* often include ritual attributes of that totemic lineage (sometimes in jest), and some geographic attributes. For example, in ours, there is reference to "vari Rare". Here, "Rare" refers to an area in Chikomba (my home district) now known as "Range". During colonial times it was known as "The Range". In our poem, the line with "Ve-muto munyere" refers to our legendary love of meat. When Zvikonamombe (plural of Chikonamombe) are at the table then be forewarned: there are no vegetarians in the family, and baby-carrots and mushy peas just won't suffice!

Honorific names are how adult (male) Zimbabweans address one another, either in person or in correspondence (and not by their given family names). For example, PM Morgan Tsvangirai is addressed in person as *Save*, and not *Morgan* or *Morgan Tsvangirai*. You might have read of *Gushungo* in passages about Zimbabwe. The *Gushungo* they are referring to is President Robert Mugabe. The respectful and proper way to address President Mugabe in person is by his lineage honorific name of Gushungo, and not "Bob" or "Robert".

Robert Mugabe & The Breetish

2010-04-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

As we all know, you can never travel back in time and there is no such thing as 20/20 hindsight. The Lancaster House talks that decided the fate of Zimbabwe took place in Dec of '79. I was too young at the time to have taken part; I was just a toddler. Nevertheless, I wish to point out some key mistakes that were made by all the parties involved, and which have led to the land-issue problems we face today .

First of all, the Patriotic Front conceded to clauses in the agreement that called for land to be transferred to the African majority on a willing buyer,willing seller basis. Furthermore, these land transfers were to be funded by the British govt -- That was a fatal error. Why bring the British into it? Any future British govt, that was to provide these funds, would obviously bring its concerns, worldview, biases, and economic interests to the table.

Britain is a democracy, and any British Govt has to answer to its electorate. This electorate is swayed by appearances, perceptions, and raw emotions. In no way could any British leader APPEAR to be abandoning the white Zimbabwean farmers to their fate. Nevermind, that your white farmer seen on TV is a Dutch Boer named Cloete, who hates the "English" and has never set foot in the British Isles. But, that's besides the point: it's PERCEPTIONS that count; these perceptions sway the British public; and any British govt cannot appear to be blind to the raw emotions of the British public (especially in an election year)

Back in Zimbabwe, our President never tires of lashing out at the "Breetiish" at every opportunity. Every occurrence, from drought to cholera, is blamed on the "Breetiish". This leads me back to the original sin, of asking the British Govt to fund land transfers as specified by the Lancaster House agreement. The parties involved should have been told,in very strong terms, that there was to be no third party guidance, funding or overseeing of any of the agreed-upon stipulations of these agreements. That would have forced all the parties involved, The Patriotic Front (Zanu,Zapu) and the Rhodesians to cobble together any future arrangements on their own.

James Chikonamombe

It's Our Turn To Eat

2010-03-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Just read the book by Michaela Wrong, "It's our turn to eat". What a great book. Michaela Wrong is a great wordsmith, and she knows her Africa. She doesn't spout useless cliches like some other "experts" on Africa. The main character in all of this, John Githongo, had the guts to take on the whole, corrupt, Kenyan establishment. I wish there were more Africans like him. The man has got b***s!

It's good to know that Ndugu Githongo is still alive-and-well, still in the fight against corruption. In the book, Michaela Wrong describes how some of Githongo's ex-workmates traveled to London to try to get him to drop his endeavours and return to the fold. At least the Kenyan establishment still has some decency; they don't kill all of their enemies, unlike their cousins in Zimbabwe.

Captain Solo

2010-02-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

Now that coups are back in vogue, I was wondering to myself: whatever happened to Zambian coup-plotter, Steven Lungu, alias Capt Solo. This man had gumption. Back in the 90s, Capt Solo literally waltzed into the headquarters of Zambian broadcasting, grabbed the microphone, and then announced - to an astonished nation - that he had taken over. And he was stone drunk when he did this. This man had b***s!

The Chinese in Africa

2010-02-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

With all due respects to China-bashers, like professor George Ayittey, I can say that, overall, the benefits of China's engagement with Africa heavily outweigh any negative consequences.

Firstly, with China's large population it's natural that it would look to Africa to satisfy its resource needs. The Europeans have been sourcing all their resources from Africa for 500 years now, and no-one even bats an eye-lid.

Secondly Africa can gain from Chinese engagement in terms of infrastructure development. The fact that the Chinese often bring in all their workers is a sign of a pitifully low skills-base in Africa itself, rather than in "labour-dumping" by the Chinese. For example, only 11% of Niger's secondary-school age population are actually enrolled in secondary school. It is not possible for Chinese investors in Niger (or Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea Bissau) to employ a semi-literate and unskilled work-force. The Chinese are basically FORCED to bring in their own work-force in many of these countries.

Finally, the Chinese in Africa are often at the receiving end of unnecessary xenophobia. People complain about their culinary habits and their living conditions etc. These basically racist put-downs are really trivial and demean all the contributions that China has made to Africa, especially the aid given to Southern African countries in their independence quests.

African Officialdom

2010-02-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

I almost fell off my chair when, watching the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, I saw Ghana's lone participant stride in. What's Ghana doing at the Winter Olympics? Does it snow in Tamale?

Off the topic: I know from experience that African teams often send more officials than athletes to these sporting get-togethers. If, for example, Germany has 90 athletes at a sporting event, she probably will have 15 officials traveling with the team. For African countries it's the other way around; A country like Ghana (or Zimbabwe) can send one athlete and 30 officials/hangers-on to travel with that sole athlete.

Pause for thought
James Chikonamombe

When China Rules The World

2010-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading the excellent book by British journalist (Martin Jacques) titled, "When China Rules The World". It's obvious to anyone that China is fast accelerating towards being the premier nation in the world. In about thirty years (on my calculation) I'd say that China will be Numero Uno. It's best to start reading up on Chinese philosophy, geography, systems of governance etc, if you want to succeed in this new Chinese era.

The book by Martin Jacques is a thick one, but a good one. He goes into detail - as only a Brit can - describing the mindset of the Chinese people and their rulers, and he's at length describing how the Chinese system differs sharply from the Western system.

The only unnerving part of the book is his over-negative view of Chinese racial views. I think the Chinese are no different to anyone else when it comes to dealing with people of a different culture or race. We will just have to take all that in stride. Having said that: let's brace ourselves for riding on the back of the Chinese Tiger; this will be one heck of a ride.

Why The Price of Oil Rises

2009-11-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered why the price of gas at the pump ('petrol' in Britain/Zimbabwe) keeps rising. Here in Northern California I've gone from paying about $1.61/gallon in 2001 to over $3/gallon today. I've never believed the experts I hear on TV talking about "troubles in the Niger Delta", or "security tensions in the Persian Gulf". I've always thought that there are more complex issues at play. Here's Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former Director of Saudi intelligence, giving his take on the continuing rise of the price of gas/petrol.

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Prince Turki Al-Faisal - "The sad fact is that four oil-producing countries [have] failed to live up to expectations. In 1998, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, and Venezuela, were producing 12.7 million barrels per day. Everyone - including major companies such as BP and our own planners at Saudi Aramco - expected them to be producing 18.4 million barrels per day in 2008. Instead, due to civil strife, failed investments, or in the case of Iraq, a U.S invasion, they were producing only 10.2 million barrels per day. That drove the price part of the way up. Then speculators in the form of hedge funds, did the rest."
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District 9

2009-10-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Watched "District 9" last week. What a weird and strange movie! But a bloody, good one at that! The movie title harks back to Apartheid South Africa, when the residents of a "coloured" area (called District 6), were forcibly moved to make way for white residents.

The analogy today would probably be the millions of [mostly] Zimbabweans who live - and eke out a living - in the dusty townships of South Africa. My heart bleeds! having said that, this is a good movie, and I can't wait for the sequel.

Mugabe 10 Amanpour 0

2009-09-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've watched the Mugabe/Amanpour interview over and over again on Youtube. The next time that CNN plans to interview RGM, they should let the interviewer be Fareed Zakaria (on his GPS show). Fareed Zakaria, an Indian-American, has a greater feel for the delicate subtleties and brittle idiosyncrasies that beset Non-Western leaders.

Christiane Amanpour - so unused to the determined and dogmatic mindsets of revolutionary leaders like Robert Mugabe - was always going to be eaten alive by President Mugabe. The man has eight degrees - one in violence - and he's no intellectual lightweight. If the folks at CNN thought that they were going to interview an Obiang Nguema, an Ian Khama or Ali Ben Bongo - in other words, an intellectual lightweight - then they were tragically mistaken.

When you enter into the arena of intellectual gladiators against the likes of Robert Mugabe, you must be fully prepared for an onslaught of logically sound arguments; facts not trivia; and a bone-jarring determination to see through one's point of view. Amanpour was mauled by the old lion, and so next time around, someone like Fareed Zakaria should handle any TV questioning.

Thank you
James Chikonamombe

Documentary: Pan-African Cultural Festival

2009-09-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I watched a documentary about the 1st Pan-African Cultural Festival that took place in Algiers, Algeria in 1969. I watched it at the Pacific Film Archives, on the campus of U.C Berkeley, here in Northern California. The film is actually a re-mastered version of an original film that was released much earlier. For some strange reason the director, William Klein, loped off twenty minutes from the original version.

If like me you are a rabid Pan-Africanist, then this is a film you have to watch. Swapo, ANC, The Black Panthers, Frelimo, Zapu, they're all in the film. The film starts with cultural performances from various African countries, and then really takes off with a marvelous, lyrical ditty performed by Miriam Makeba and Dorothy Masuka. There is archived footage of Africa's greatest soldier/philosopher, Amilcar Cabral, explaining what they (The PAIGC) were up against, in their battle against the colonial Portuguese. Augustino Neto appears after that, and then there is a philosophical tour-de-force by the Beninoise Stanislas Adetovi, one of the main thinkers of the Negritude Movement. The Black Panther leader, Eldridge Cleaver, also makes a cameo appearance.

The film ends with a superb live jazz performance by Archie Shepp, and a group of Algerian musicians. Once again: for Pan-Africanists, this is the film for you.

Charging-for-Content

2009-08-02T02:35:00.000-07:00

Right now there is an on-going debate over whether to start charging internet users a fee to visit certain web-sites. Well, the providers of the content should tread carefully, and should not make the mistake of the music industry. In the early 90s I lived in England, and I used to buy Cd's for exorbitant sums, 11-99(Pounds Sterling) for an ordinary CD - and this was in the early 90s. Sometimes, the record companies would tag a hot-selling CD as an "import" and then jack up the price even higher. I specifically recollect trudging down Oxford Street in London to HMV and spending 17-99(Pounds Sterling) for Snoop Doggy Dog's first album - then tagged as an "import".

Well, I eventually got even with those music industry bastards. Since file-sharing became popular, I've downloaded - for free - all the music that I could lay my hands on. Now, the only time that I pay for albums is if it's an obscure African release, and then I have to order it from Stern Music's website. Those who will attempt to "monetize" their viewership should take notes from the music industry and not try to gouge the customers. As the saying goes, "the customer is always right", and customers will find a way to get all the content that they need for free, if they feel that they're being gouged at the counter.

Ma-Moyo, Dambisa Moyo

2009-07-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I watched the Zambian economist (Dambisa Moyo) on the CNN show, GPS with Fareed Zakaria. All I can say is that I'm overwhelmed with joy, and I agree with everything that she said 100%. Apropos of that, there are some tips I need to give Dr. Moyo about the intellectual and economical environment in which we live in.

In some African countries like Chad, the Aid Industry is the only industry to speak off. In most African countries, aid workers live like Maharajahs, living in the poshest suburbs, driving Land Rovers, and with a retinue of servants in tow. Now: do we honestly think that that they are prepared to give up that lifestyle, just because Dr. Moyo announces that "there should be no more aid to Africa"? I don't think so. In fact they (the aid workers & the aid industry) will fight tooth-and-nail to preserve their privileges in Africa.

Intellectual bullying knows no boundaries, and if I was Dambisa Moyo I would invest in a suit of body-armour - the type that European knights wore in the Middle Ages. The attacks against her will get vicious. She will be accused of all kinds of transgressions. The wilder the accusation, the harder it will be to refute, and so whispering campaigns will be launched against her private life; all kinds of lies and insinuations will be put out in public.

Woe betide her if she ever tries to get employed in American academia. She just won't be hired; not even by Appalachia State University! If by some random fluke, she does actually get hired, then she won't be on tenure track. The devilish powers-that-be will see it fit they she gets denied tenure. The farthest I can see Dr. Moyo going in American academia is as a P-T Junior College instructor - and that's part-time and not full-time! That way she will be far out of harms' way and won't be in a position to poison students' minds with false notions of "stopping all aid to Africa".

So there it is Dr. Moyo. I hope that you keep doing what you're doing, but it goes without saying, that what you're saying amounts to heresy in some quarters. How can aid to Africa be stopped? The whole global media edifice has been acculturated to the "fact" of a helpless Africa that must rely on aid. You just can't come out - from left field - and state otherwise. If the powers-that-be state that the Earth is flat, then you can't turn around and state that, No! It's actually round. That would be heresy. I'll close by saying that: be warned! The knives will come out for you in due course. In fact "they" are probably sharpening their butcher knives as I post this blog.

African Spelling

2009-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a piece I posted on a forum (that I belong to) not too long ago in '06. It's about the African spelling of place-names and the general rendering of spelling using African phonetics, I still believe strongly in what I wrote three years ago. After all, the Japanese do not call their country "Japan", nor do the Germans call their country "Germany".

My point is that, "Germany" and "Japan" are what outsiders render those two countries. The natives of both Germany and Japan(as well as Ireland, Greece, Holland, and a host of other nations) all use their own phonetics and spelling to render their place-names, as well as place-names that fall outside their own language areas. We Africans should do the same.
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I just wanted to put this out in the open. Should we as Africans still insist on European spelling conventions in 2006? (it's now 2009). It's almost 50 years since Ghana achieved independence and yet we Africans still insist on religiously following European spelling conventions when writing. Why is this so? What's wrong with using phonetic African spelling? After all, AREN'T WE AFRICANS?

In my native language, Shona, "London" should be rendered "Randani" and "Britain" should be rendered "Bhiriteni". Shona has no "L" in its alphabet, and a hard "B" is always followed by an "H". The same rule applies for a "V"; a hard "V" is always followed by an "H". Would I be considered an uneducated fool by my African peers if I started writing "Furansi" instead of "France" and "Muputukese" instead of "Portuguese". The thought tickles my mind.

The Europeans themselves ALWAYS insist on following THEIR OWN SPELLING CONVENTIONS as a rule. This they apply to both family names and place names.
The Senegalese family name, "Njie", is spelt "N'diaye" by the French. "Jobe" is rendered "Diop", "Juuf" is rendered as "Diouf", and the place-name Wagadugu is rendered "Ouagadougou". The Portuguese are just as bad! The Shona-speaking province of "Manyika", in Mozambique, is rendered as "Manica" and "Chikwalakwala" is rendered as "Chicuala-cuala". The great Shona empire-builder from the middle ages, "Munhumutapa" is commonly (and wrongly) known as "Monomotapa".

Can't we as Africans just follow our own phonetic conventions when rendering place names and family names? Why do we use "Mozambique" when describing "Msumbuji". And why do we Africans insist on calling the country of "Mzansi" (or Azania) as "South Africa". Let others call that country, "South Africa". As for place names, doesn't "Burkina Faso" sound better than "Upper Volta", and isn't "Zimbabwe" more appropriate than "Southern Rhodesia"? And finally, who came up with the name, Central African Republic? I'll offer a 6-pack of beer to anyone who comes up with a better name for that African country

James(Jemusi)Chikonamombe

wud5ieqsp6

2009-06-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

In all true honesty, I've never been a techy, although I first started working with computers way back in 1983. It took me this long to register with "Technorati" and "Blogged". These fellows are really making me jump through the hoops. Now, I have to issue a post with some kind of code - I don't know what for. But here it is: wud5ieqsp6 &

Improving Conditions in Zims

2009-06-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I'd say that, in general, things are picking up in Zimbabwe. The French seem to think so too. They have just invited PM Tsvangirai to the French PM's residence, L'Hotel Matignon. That must be a first for a politician from the heart of "Anglophone" Africa. You can cut-n-paste the link below and go to the French English language channel, France 24, to see another good report on Zimbabwe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKODpmN864

W

2009-06-24T00:34:00.000-07:00

Just watched the movie, "W", on DVD. In a way I was missing that old bastard, George W. Bush, and I had to satisfy a craving. Josh Brolin is superb as George Bush, and Jeffery Wright and Thandiwe Newton are both well-cast as Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice respectively. Richard Dreyfuss really pulls off the best performance as Dick Cheney. If you are too old to watch horror movies, but enjoy seeing real-life evil up-close, then this is the movie for you. One note: Thandiwe newton was born in Zambia to a Zimbabwean mother and English father, and so we Zimbabweans claim her as one of our own.

Never in a Thousand Years

2009-06-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

This is just a little comment in response to an article posted in "The Guardian" on June 9Th by George Monbiot, the British social commentator. The title of Mr. Monbiot's piece was entitled, "Outsourcing Unrest", and it was about how the British elites have lived off the fruits of their colonial - and post colonial - endeavours for three hundred years. This is what I had to say to that:
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The extraction of wealth from India is well-documented, but the colonial powers really grew rich from their exploitation of Africa. The exploitation of Congo by the Belgians is an extreme example. Portugal became a non-entity after it lost its African colonies, and the French political elite lie awake at night wondering what would happen if the neo-colonial arrangement with their ex-colonies unravels.

Another quick point: Cecil Rhodes and other colonial thinkers thought that civil war in Britain could only be averted if the "lowly hordes" were sent to the colonies in Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It was for this reason why these colonists were so tenacious in their refusal for black majority rule. The ex-Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, was a product of that policy.

Ian Smith's father had been a butcher in Scotland, and there was no way that Smithy could conceive of returning back to that life. Being a butcher in Scotland would have been untenable after tasting the fruits of the good life in - what was then - Rhodesia. When he said, "Never in a thousand years", he truly meant it. Smith and his co-horts truly did mean to maintain their colonial privileges for another thousand years.

Back to Normalcy

2009-06-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

Things are beginning to look up for my beloved Zimbabwe. The website (Zimbabwe Times) reports that, "agricultural production has tripled to around 1,5 million tonnes of grain." Although, we're still about another half a million tonnes short of what we need for grain self-sufficiency. It had also been reported in the Zimbabwe Situation (another Zim website) that beer consumption was up too. That's a good economic indicator. The ordinary people are reverting to their ordinary ways.

And finally, last but not least, our belated Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, became the first African Prime Minister or President to be invited by President Obama for a tete-a-tete in the Oval Office of the White House. That was a truly historic scene on Friday - an African leader and the first black President of America in the Oval Office. Tsvangirai was eloquent as usual, and he handled himself well. I gave him top marks.

So, I can say, that Zimbabwe is now crawling its way back to normalcy. The Central African Republic we are not! We still have a way to go, but we're shifting gears and we're moving in the right direction.

One Drop

2009-06-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading a book by Bliss Broyard called, "One Drop". It's about her late father, Anatole Broyard, who was a literary critic for the New York Times until his death in 1990. I couldn't use the word "passing" in the previous sentence, since "passing" is what Anatole Broyard did in adulthood in order to get ahead in the white America of the 1950s and 1960s.

Why someone as "white" as Anatole Broyard had to pass as white in the first place just beats me. He probably had more white blood than 40% of the "whites" that I know. In California you can be half Chinese, a quarter Native-American and a quarter Shepardic Jew and still be considered white. Although the rules for blacks - even light-skinned blacks - are much tougher. For them, the "one-drop" rule still applies.

In this century, those who look white and want to be seen as white, must be allowed to be white. Why force someone to be what he is not? Adding to that, there are over 900 million black people who are damn proud of being who they are. It's an insult for Africans and diaspora blacks to be mixed together with people who hate to be considered black. Let those who don't want to be black be! And let the real blacks be themselves!

French Sniffing Around in Zimbabwe

2009-05-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

Zut alors! What brings the French to our neck of the woods? They are not coming to sample the sorghum beer (chibuku) or the grilled trotters (mazondo). On May 30 the Zimbabwean portal (Zimbabwesituation.com) reported that French State Minister, Anne-Marie Idrac, had paid a visit to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and had invited him over to Paris next month. Unbeknown to most African leaders, being invited to the Elysee Palace is like being invited to Dracula's Palace: You are being invited there for a reason - a very sinister reason.

Here's the reason why the French suddenly have an interest in Zimbabwe. In the South-East of Zimbabwe lies a small district called Bikita. Bikita has the world's second-largest (known) reserves of lithium, after Bolivia. The car industry is striving to replace the internal-combustion engine with a battery-powered engine, and yes, lithium is a key part of battery technology. French entrepreneur, Vincent Bollore, has even begun to manufacture a small, battery-powered automobile. Which brings us back to Zimbabwe. All governments in the West are now keen to develop better ties with Zimbabwe since - in the future - whoever controls the battery technology and the resources will automatically control the automobile industry.

Sacrebleu! Mon Dieu!

2009-05-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

As we speak, the French are investigating the financial dealings of Presidents Obiang Nguema (of Equatorial Guinea), Dennis Sassou-Nguesso (of the Republic of Congo) , and Omar Bongo (of Gabon). As you know the last two were the poster boys of "France-Afrique", a shadowy network of French interests in Africa and their African lackeys on the ground. Now the French authorities are being disingenuous to a maximum degree. The only reason that the French are now investigating these shady characters is that Messrs Bongo, Nguema and Sassou-Nguesso have realised that ill-gotten wealth must be spread around - like manure. In other words you can't keep all your ill-gotten wealth in one French basket. The money must be spread around between Paris, London, New York, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. Now this is what has gotten the French ticked off!

Why did the French forcibly replace Pascal Lissouba (the Previous President) with "their man", Dennis Sassou-Nguesso? Because President Lissouba had started leaning towards the Americans and - heaven forbid - the British. He had given key contracts in Congo's mineral sector to American companies. So the French saw to it that President Lissouba was replaced. But President Sassou-Nguesso has now started rewarding contracts to American and Chinese companies. You see, even French slaves know not to deal exclusively with the French, whose duplicity and avarice in Africa is legendary.

The biggest French boot-licker of them all, Omar Bongo, now keeps most of his money in America - he prefers CitiBank. Adding to the French misery is the fact that Obiang Nguema, whom they had been grooming in the boot-licking business, is now doing a lot of business with the Americans and the Chinese. Sacrebleu! Mon Dieu! What's a French bureaucrat to do! That brings us to all the hullabaloo about the secret finances of African leaders that are being investigated by President Sarkozy's government.

No, President Sarkozy, Africa is not some play-thing, some mistress, that you can discard whenever you so please. We Africans will deal with our corrupt leaders in our own way; and then we will take over control of our economies; and then we will send those boot-licking African leaders out to pasture. Having done that we will re-direct African economies towards intra-African trade, and proceed to have zero tolerance towards French shenanigans on the French continent.

Thank you.

G.N.U Tips

2009-02-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Oh yes indeed, there is a venal cabal of Zanu hardliners who have no intention of ever seeing this Unity Govt succeed. They will do whatever it takes to derail this GNU. If I were some of the main opposition players I would take packed lunches to work and avoid the sumptuous buffets being offered in the "Chef's" cafeterias. When possible, please use public transport - E.Ts & taxis.

Those who insist on using Ministerial Mercs must always check their tires (and brakes) before they depart. And if you have to drive to your rural homestead, avoid using rural side roads and dirt tracks; stick to the main roads (whatever the condition they're in). And finally: I'll advise against night-time travel at this critical moment in time, for things tend to go BUMP in the night. Whatever needs to be discussed at night can always be discussed during the day.

Tsvangirai & Mugabe: Impossible Characters

2009-01-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

SADC is meeting for the umpteenth time to discuss the Zimbabwe situation. This time President Mugabe is holding hands with President Mothlanthe and not Thabo Mbeki. The SADC heads are meeting behind closed doors - once again - to thrash out a solution to the Zimbabwe problem. Once again, nothing will come out of this meeting, and President Mugabe will have free reign to do as he pleases in Zimbabwe.

The problem here is that President Mugabe detests Tsvangirai with passion, and until those two combatants are separated, nothing will come out of any unity talks. You see, politics is more than just about ideology and policy; it's also about personalities. Mugabe detests Tsvangirai; Mutambara detests Tsvangirai; Thabo Mbeki detests Tsvangirai; Kgalema Mothlanthe detests Tsvangirai; Jakaya KIkwete detests Tsvangirai; Armando Guebuza detests Tsvangirai; Tsvangirai's only ally is President Khama of Botswana - and he's a political nonentity.
When there is such a personality clash, then it's better - for the benefit of the nation - to bring in a different personality as head.

In Apartheid South Africa, it became obvious to the Nats that PW Botha would never concede to majority rule. That's why they roped in the relatively malleable, FW DE Clerk. It was the malleable De Klerk who chaperoned majority rule into South Africa.
If "Die Grote Krokodil" PW Botha had remained at the head of the Nats, with the support of his hard-line supporters in the security services (Constant Viljoen, Magnus Malan, Kobie Coetzee, Jannie Geldenhuys) then we will still be fighting for majority rule down South.

It's time for far-seeing MDC officials to survey the situation, take notes, and then come to their senses. For the benefit of Zimbabwe, they have to replace Morgan Tsvangirai. The opposition does not belong to him alone. Another leader will then be able to take his rightful place as PM in a unity government. Then we could sort out Zimbabwe's problems.

James Chikonamombe

80 is not the new 60

2009-01-02T23:26:00.000-08:00

To all the African leadership I want to offer this piece of advice: don’t believe everything that you see on TV, or hear on the radio. Fifty is not the new thirty; forty is not the new 20; and, no, 80 is definitely not the new 60.! Don’t think that an 80 year old man who marries a 29 year old bride automatically drops down in age to 60. No! 80 is still the same old 80, and forty is still the same old forty.

Part of the reason why Africa is in such a mess is that we have a gerontocracy in leadership. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is now 80. On TV he looks like a walking mummy. He clearly has no solution to the problems of Egypt’s teeming masses. President Kibaki of Kenya looks clueless on TV. He loses himself when giving speeches and he is forever tired. President Biya of Cameroon is in his mid-seventies, and President Bongo of Gabon is also in his seventies. President Biya is forever visiting French hospitals to cure his many ailments. In fact, he spends more time in France than in Cameroon. Why not just step down to allow a younger leader to take over? Same goes for President Bongo. How someone who acceded to the Presidency in 1967 is still the President defies any sense of realism and common sense. Mzee Bongo is apparently in good health, but he just prefers living in France to his own Gabon. Why be the President of a country when you would rather be elsewhere?

Do forum members still remember the last days of Le Vieux, Houphouet-Boigny? To this day I still don’t know whether his aides had just been propping him up on a chir and that he had actually been dead along. His eyes were glazed, there was no hand-movement and he had a fixed smile. He looked dead to me, and yet, nevertheless, he was still the President. Meanwhile, his loyal deputies such as Konan Bedie, were busy wrecking the country. It’s been downhill ever since and I doubt Cote D’Ivoire will ever recover from its problems in one piece.

What about Ngwazi Mawawa, Kamuzu Banda, In Malawi. In his last years he was still ruling Malawi when he was over 100years old. He was now wheelchair-bound, always pushed by his "assistant" Mama Kadzamira. And yet he still was the President, spitting into a spittoon as he wondered what the hell was going on in this world. Meanwhile, the familyof his "assistant", Mama Kadzamira, were busy helping themselves to the state coffers. I can also add the late President of Guinea, Lansana Conte, who had been bed-ridden for ten years or so, suffering from diabetes and other ailments.

Leaders in their early forties to mid-fifties should be in charge of African countries. To have leaders in their mid-70s and early 80s has proven to be disastrous for all African countries affected, and this must cease to be. We need relative youth and dynamism at the top.

James Chikonamombe

We Are Our Own Worst Enemies

2008-12-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

First of all, we will not be bamboozled into military invasion and conflict. Africa's most powerful nation - South Africa - is next door and will never allow a fellow Southern African nation to be invaded by foreign powers. Secondly, the activities of the likes of Wouter Basson, The Portuguese Secret Service and the Rhodesian Special Branch are well-known; there is no need to go over their hideous activities here.

Now, back to the cholera problem. Zimbabwe, other African countries and all entities that subscribe to African civilisation are ultimately responsible for their own destinies. Yes, the British, Americans, French, and even the Portuguese have always had vicious designs on Africa. That's to be expected, and we need to deal with that reality. In the Darwinian jungle out there, the strong will always prey on the weak.

The Zimbabwean Health Minister, David Parirenyatwa, stated that a lack of cleaning chemicals for Zimbabwe's municipal water supplies, had led to outbreaks of cholera. This fact is plain and simple. Outbreaks of cholera had absolutely nothing to do with the British, although the British have used the cholera outbreak to further their own machinations in zimbabwe. This was simply a failure of local governance. By African standards Zimbabwe is not a poor country. We have an electricity distribution network that is supposed to deliver electric power to urban areas, and yet - due to a lack of electricity generation - whole ares go without power for hours, even days. Most of our urban areas are connected to sewage systems, and yet we've now had an horrific occurrence of cholera. All these problems are not the problems of the British; we brought these problems on ourselves.

Ultimately, all countries are responsible for their own destinies. To blame the British is to implicitly acknowledge the British as the providers of the solutions to all of our problems. BUT NO! DAMMIT! THAT CANNOT BE! The British have their own problems. We Zimbabweans are an independent nation and are heirs to a proud, African civilisation. We will solve our problems in our own way. We must excuse President Mugabe for blaming the British; he's now an old man of 85, and has a weak grasp of reality.

A country's internal problems will be multiplied by external machinations, if a nation's rulers fail to tackle a nation's urgent problems. Chairman Mao, said the same thing in his treatise "On Contradiction". This is what he said, " ............external causes become operative through internal causes. The fundamental cause of the development of a thing is not external, but internal. Furthermore, social development is due chiefly not to external, but to internal causes."

I hope I answered your queries.
James Chikonamombe

A New Paradign For Africa

2008-11-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

The editors at the "Economist" are capable of extreme, Orwellian double-speak. Keynesian, fiscal stimulus is great if you have the monetary resources to inject into your economy. However, most African countries are too poor to dabble with Keynes. We Africans need to widen our scope of economic modeling, and experiment with ideas that were working, but then were rejected in the 80s. Here, I'm talking specifically about scientific socialism (or African Socialism). We need to reform agriculture; put millions of Africans to work, making the things that we actually need for our daily necessities; increase literacy and numeracy; introduce relative technologies; and finally, we need to get rid of the clownish leadership that has made Africa the world's laughing-stock. We need a technocratic, development- minded elite at the helm. Compare the Chinese leadership of Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao to Blaise Compaore in Burkina Faso, and Obiang Nguema in Equatorial Guinea. The former are trained hydraulic engineers and physicists who have led China steaming into the 21st century. The latter are doddering idiots. In normal times, Blaise Compaore would be selling mangoes on the dusty streets of Ouagadougou. HE HAS NO BUSINESS BEING AT THE HELM OF BURKINA FASO. The same goes for that cannibalistic clown in Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema.

Back to scientific socialism: we are now seeing that the Western world's economic system is going through rough times. If this system is having a hard time in it's own blood-stream, in it's own, natural environment, how the hell can it succeed in Africa? If you are having a hard time growing rice in a paddy field, how can you grow rice in the arid Sahel? Under the shrewd leadership of Thomas Sankara; Burkina Faso introduced adult literacy programs; checks on desertification; and the Burkinabe actually started to produce the clothes that they wore on their backs. In Zimbabwe - from 1980 to 1989 - we went from a low educational base to having Africa's highest literacy-rate and a well-functioning health sector. This ended in '89 when the IMF got wind of this successful experiment, and then proceeded to knee-cap our state-led development program with their own genocidal, "structural adjustment" program.

We Africans must not blindly follow the economic models of the West. To have a decent standard of living for the bulk of the African masses, we must introduce scientific socialism. It has worked in the past and it can work in the future. It will allow the African masses to begin to produce, and then to consume what they produce. It will also allow the riches of Africa's natural resources to actually benefit ordinary Africans. Africa's present economic structures are not working. Now is the time to bring about viable change by introducing different, economic structures. I'll leave you with a Chinese intellectual, Minqui Li, and his thoughts on Socialism, " It is well-known that the state, socialist countries have been more successful in meeting the people's basic needs (nutrition, health-care, education, housing), and improving women's conditions than other countries with similar levels of economic developmen."

Thank you
James Chikonamombe

From The Economist - The 'Not-So-Hopeless Continent'

2008-10-18T02:55:00.000-07:00

Netters: you might still remember an infamous cover of The Economist Magazine about 7 or 8 years ago, with the title, "The Hopeless Continent". This was during Liberia's civil war, and the cover featured a child soldier holding a bazooka. Now The Economist is at it again; the same people who constantly lambast Africa are now singing its praises, "There Is Hope In Africa", blah, blah, blah! Of course, reading between the lines, you will know that the industrialised world is now entering into an economic depression.

They will use Africa - once again - for its cheap resources, cheap labour, and open markets, to REGENERATE THEIR OWN ECONOMIES. Africa - once again - WILL NOT BENEFIT FROM THIS ECONOMIC REGENERATION. Once the Western World kick-starts its own economies in, say, 3 or 4 years, it will then revert to lambasting Africa at every opportunity, and completely ignore Africa. This has been done time-and-time again. Read you history.

The African leadership - as usual - have no idea what's going on; nor are they aware of the vicious designs that others have on their countries' resources. Do King Mswati (of Swaziland) and Obiang Nguema (of Equatorial Guinea) know what a "credit crunch" is? I doubt it.

Let's brace ourselves for even more plunder.
James Chikonamombe

Office Of Auditor-General

2008-09-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a unity govt in Zimbabwe we urgently need to deal with the pertinent issues at hand. I am proposing that the office of Auditor-General be handed over to a foreign national – preferably African – and not be given to a Zimbabwean native. From 1980-90 things worked in Zimbabwe because we had capable administrators from other African countries at the helm of important administrative positions. We had Kenyans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Guyanese and others handling key administrative posts. We need to do the same thing today.Zimbabwe is just too small a country for an “apolitical” Auditor-General to be chosen from within. The size of the educated elite is small, and of that elite, relationships overlap. In short, it’s a very incestuous situation.

Small countries like Gambia and Sierra Leone have always used skilled administrators from Nigeria and Ghana to man key, administrative positions. Many Zimbabweans have also been asked to man key posts in Gambia. We Zimbabweans need to do the same thing and recruit from Africa’s highly skilled population.The Auditor-General must be independent of Presidential authority and must answer to Parliament only. Parliament itself must have a bi-partisan (Zanu-pf/MDC) Parliamentary Affairs Committee that looks into the affairs of the Auditor-General’s office, and must proceed with public questioning to view the conduct of the Auditor-General.

An outsider manning the Auditor-General’s office will be free of ethnic chauvinism, and will not have to take family relations - and other such nuisances - into consideration when performing his duties. He will be free to pursue the proper running of his office. Moving from underdeveloped to developed status is basically about good governance, and we must bring this culture of good governance into Zimbabwe’s administration.

James Chikonamombe

Italy's Colonial Debt To Libya

2008-08-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

OK, let's peer through this story with a microscope and see what we find. Libya has Africa's 2nd highest reserves of oil & gas after Nigeria. The too-clever-by-half Italians know exactly what they're doing. They need to secure their future supplies of oil and gas. They know that the French, the Americans, the Russians and the good 'ol Brits are fishing in the same waters and will beat a path to Ghaddafi's tent in a jiffy, looking to lock up Libya's oil & Gas.

Now, let's move on. The Italians will pour $5 billion into Libya, and I can guarantee you that Italian companies will be at the front of the line in getting all those contracts that come out of this endeavour. Of that $5 billion, $25 billion will return to Italy in the form of (excess) profits, and value-added returns.

And finally, at the bottom of the story, you'll read that "our Condi" Rice will pay a visit to Libya soon. Alas, she too must take care of America's economic interests. Don't expect her to weep into her Chanel bag over Libya's colonial suffering; she'll do no such thing. She's there to appease the Libyan government so that U.S oil companies (and big business) can move into Libya un-hindered. So, those of you who were wiping away tears of gratitude that a colonial debt is being re-paid, can now put away your hand-kerchiefs, and stop sobbing. This "deal" is about big business and national interests. It has got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Italy's past wrong-doing in Libya.

I Thank You
James Chikonamombe

Now What?

2008-07-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ah, those were the days! Below is a photo from a frontline summit of '85, with Presidents Kaunda, Mugabe, Machel & Nujoma. If only we could get back to those days. President Yar'Adua - as the President of the "Giant of Africa" - should take the initiative and call for a special Africa summit on Zimbabwe. That way, some basic principles can be laid down for "talks about talks". I'm not naive: there is no way that Zanu-pf will ever unite with Tsvangirai's MDC. However, interested parties, influential outsiders and progressives from all the political sides must be given a platform to express their wishes for a future Zimbabwe.

If such a platform is not available then Zimbabwe will just lurch from problem to problem, with no end in sight. The mindless clashes produced by such a stalemate can only be harmful, and yet meaningless at the same time. In Shona we say, "Kutungana kwe-mbudzi!" ; that is the futile clashing of goats. That's precisely what is happening when Zanu-pf's hardliners in the J.O.C and the MDC's camp are each trying to seize the high ground. Let's call a time-out to this nonsense.

The photo is below
James Chikonamombe

http://flickr.com/photos/ernstschade/337225955/

Not Invited To A Banquet In Our Honour!

2008-07-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

We cannot even get invited to a banquet in our honour. They probably discussed Africa between the 6th and 7th courses (between the white asparagus and the truffle soup), and yet the Presidents of Senegal, Tanzania and Ethiopia were not even invited to the epic, 8-course meal being served to other dignitaries. Maybe they thought that President Zenawi would slurp in his soup, and President Kikwete would not know how to handle a knife-and-fork. Why do African Presidents even bother showing up to these meetings? It's embarrassing. Two days ago, they had the Presidents of six African leaders lined up in Hokkaido -like clowns - ostensibly to talk about aid; and yet the "aid" once pledged, never actually arrives. If it does come it's in dribs-and-drabs, and with horrendous strings attached. At the most, the African nations should let either Nigeria or South Africa represent the continent at these meetings. At least they have enough clout to be respected.

James Chikonamombe

2008-06-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

Now is the time for Zanu-pf to make a strategic retreat and – if they lose the upcoming Presidential run-off – concede defeat graciously to the winning party. You see, what we’re up against is just too big to defeat. We’re not fighting Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC. No, they’re just bit players. We’re really fighting global capital, corporate interests, The Trilateral Commission, the Bilderburg Group, The British Establishment and their allies in the West. Zimbabwe is too small a country to fend them off any longer.

They said that WE WILL SCREAM! And yes, scream we have! Oh yes indeed. The “silent sanctions" applied against Zimbabwe (and the gross incompetence of top govt officials) have reduced Zimbabwe to penury. Like in cricket, let’s now play for a draw – so that we can live to fight another day. It’s now imperative that another party be allowed to form a new govt - or at the minimum, a govt of national unity.The skilled millions of Zimbabweans living overseas will not return unless there is a move towards renewal in Zimbabwe. And IT’S THE PEOPLE of a country (especially the skilled) who always produce its prosperity, and not the resources that are located in that country. Africans always say that “we have diamonds, oil, copper etc” And, so what? Crude oil isjust black muck in the ground until skilled engineers lift it out of the ground and turn it into jet-fuel and diesel. A diamond is nothing but a shiny stone to someone who does not know how to cut-and-polish that diamond. Any battle-field commander will tell Zanu-pf to withdraw from the field right now; mass suicide is not an option. Just as Nkrumah was fighting for the whole of Africa, and not just Ghana, so RGM and Zanu-pf are fighting for Africa’s destiny.

Fighting to the death is silly; we’re Africans and we don't do that. Strategic withdrawal is imperative right now. Let’s pull back a little so that we can live to fight another day. We in Zimbabwe can consolidate our gains in education, Land-Reform, ethnic and racial harmony, to move things forward once the dust settles.

James Chikonamombe