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.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Ageism
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.
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.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Acoustic Africa
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.
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.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Cricket World Cup 2011
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 its 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.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Zimbabwe: how we got to where we are.
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.
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.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ivory Coast Pt 2
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.
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.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Raila Odinga #Fail
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".
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".
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