I did not have too much respect for Obama before he came to our shores. But honestly, he hit the nail on the spot that drives it home. Africa is for the Africans, and we must not live in the past. We cannot blame the west for "all" our ills. Surely we have contributed in part to our present predicament. Zimbabwe plotted its own downfall! Coming from a black American of African descent, I think the lean boy has all the chance to say whatever he wants. We have been used for far too long to painting our arguments in black and white.
I agree with you Pen Powder and don't get me wrong. I have a copy of Obama's speech and that should tell you how much it means to me. But I believe we have heard this message before from numerous people except that we don't listen. The ordinary man on the street can tell you this. Kwame Nkrumah said this together with the unity that Europe is pursuing but we branded him, ill-treated him and overthrew him. This is us! Obama's speech is inspiring but I bet you it won't stand the test of time because our people lack the political will and vision to do it. They have known, since time immemorial, that Africa belongs to African's but what have they done? Absolutely nothing! I do not see anything changing. Besides, with respect to Zimbabwe's case I have my own opinion. I guess no one who is part of the over 70% of the population would want to sit idle and watch when that 70% owns 30% of the land the the minority 30% owns the majority 70% of the land. Besides, if the banks (which is in the hands of the whites) refuses to lend money to the blacks (the new owners of the land) there would definitely be problem. My only concern with the Zimbabwe issue is how the land grabbing was done. The people (natives) were not trained and equipped with the necessary tools required to farm and this led to disaster.
ReplyDeleteI am a Ghanaian but I don't think I would be happy if this injustice is perpetrated against me and my people. But I would agree with Obama that we cannot blame the past for all of our woes as much as the Jews cannot blame the holocaust for all of their woes. The point is most wars in Africa are financed from the Corporations in the world's capital like Washington, Montreal, Moscow etc. The war in DR Congo is one such example but who are those involved in the fighting? Africans! The few greedy people with the courage to fight take some few dollars from them and hand over the national resources to them. They kill their own people and steal their common resources, hand it over to these corporations and in turn use those few dollars to purchase military accoutrements to kill the more. What I don't understand is how they enjoy the dollars they make. Do they have their peace of mind to enjoy their loot, when they are busy shooting? We are the cause of our own problem because we are greedy and selfish. It is as simple as that!
@Nana Fredua-Agyeman,
ReplyDeletewhat you say is about the Zim case; the land and the banks and all is not only your opinion!
it is a TRUTH that cannot be rubbed by Obama pretending or trying to drive home a point!
we all know that African's must make Africa just as Americans made America!
but you see what you say is the reality! the hard core facts that the Europeans must also be held responsible to their contribution of the failure of Zim.
this point cannot be over emphasized! Americans made Amarica what it is but we all do know too well that therein was the contribution of the slaves! same way the Europeans who contributed to ensure that Zim was a failure must be held to account!
Obama says good things but sometimes too he clouds reality with half-truths! he can't tell us under no circumstances that the west are not to be blamed some! that is an insult bourne out of a lie! a blatant lie!
and then there was the rubbish that he visited Ghana because of democracy! what childishness if not rubbish! how different is that illogical statement birthed so by his other travels from the ones who say he should have visited Kenya first bcos that's where his dad hails from. or Nigeria first bcos that's the 'whatever' of Africa! sheer nonsense!
no matter what we want to achieve, we must not be blinded by 'half-truths'!!! or must we?
no matter what Africa achieves, success or failure, the truth will stand!
You have made very important points gentlemen, and I agree with you to some extent. I am glad you brought out the zim issue, yet again. This issue will be with us for some time to come.
ReplyDeleteIt is undeniable that some 30% owned 70% of land. It is also true that this imbalance needed to be corrected. But there are two fundamental points we need to consider:
1. The timing; and
2. The method.
It baffles the mind the Mugabe and his goons were so comfortable with this situation for two decades, only to spring into such crazy action when their power base was threatened. Mugabe was so happy to receive the white peoples money for two decades, and he regarded them as allies until Morgan Tsvangirai opened the eyes of the people to Mugabes brutality. The other fact is that, the whole world was oblivious to Mugabes intolerance, the killings that were consistently taking place, the lack of respect for basic fundamental human rights. That is my first problem.
And just in case we get carried away, Zim is not the first place on earth where there was an uneven distribution of resources and not even one country has taken this route.
Secondly the manner by which this reform was done was chaotic, disruptive, violent and out of this world. far from redistributing land, Mugabe systematically embarked on an excersise to anhilate any dissenting voice. Thousands of black people were displaced, killed, raped, maimed, totured and all sorts of inhuman treatment you can think of. What had that to do with land reform?
The Zim situation is fraught with political antics that the whole African continent has never taken time to understand. The west did some wrongs things, but we are ultimately responsible for much of what has befallen us. The simple truth we can give each other is that we need to take responsibility for our actions first before we can look at others to blame.
@Novisi: I agree with you. Obama never came to Ghana because of some 'democracy'. Then why not Bostwana or Senegal; then why Egypt, whose president we all know to be synonymous with autocracy. I am an Obama fun but I would not be bamboozled into believing that his arrival on our shores has nothing to do with our oil. America has permanent interest and no permanent friends. That is what they themselves say.
ReplyDeleteAfrican slaves, taken over a period of 300 years, leap-fogged America into development. No one can tell me this is not so or it didn't make any difference. That's why Marcus Garvey called for the repatriation of Africans in the Diaspora to Africa. Because it is only then that we can amass the necessary resources: human and natural, for the ultimate development of the motherland. We have been fooled for far too long and we must wise up.
@Pen Powder: I can't argue with you on the method but I can on the timing. Have you heard of 'better late than never?' That's what I believe in. The fact that he didn't do it for a long period of time doesn't mean he shouldn't do it at all. What we must realise is that no matter how long it takes, nature always seeks to balance things out. There is a saying in my local language which says that if you immerse a toad into water it would definitely croak. Look Le Chatelier's principle tells us that if any of the conditions that put a body in equilibrium changes then these conditions would change in order to restore the original equilibrium. The fact that there are countries with imbalance in landholdings doesn't mean that something need not be done. Mugabe has ruled for too long and must go for another person to come but let's not be confused into believing the Morgan T is an angel and that he is not being influenced by the West. If he is I would prefer Mugabe to him. If he isn't so be it he can rule. Let's look at Mobutu Sesseseko. He was overthrown but that didn't bring peace to Congo Kinshasha. A lot of opposition leaders have deceived the populace that they are for them with their vituperative invectives but upon assumption of power had not lived to expectation. It is my ardent desire that Mugabe would leave office soon, so that we shall see who Morgan T really is. Is the puppet of the Colonizers or is he a master of himself? Let's wait and see. I want to see him succeed.