July 18th has been declared Mandela Day in South Africa. Seen as an iconic figurehead in the fight against apartheid, "Madiba" is reverred across the globe for his ability to hold together a fragile black and white fusion of South Africa Society in 1994.
Whilst some hardliners argue that he has not spoken out enough about white dominance, I unreservedly respect him for his ability to let go go of power when the whole world wouldnt have minded him being in power till death. He is indeed, a very great man.
Doing 'La-pour' in the City of Accra
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When I was a curious, capering child street-sauntering at Achimota School,
there was an obliging, octogenarian gardener with no known name. People
called h...
8 years ago
Yeah...one of a few in Africa,in terms of presidents and heads of states. I respect him a lot. I have a poem on him but because it is in my manuscript I wouldn't post it. He stands above all others, a living legend. May be we can talk about Botswana but I think after going through what we went through he has given a good account of himself. We hope others would follow suit and not be misguided.
ReplyDeletePen Powder, have you heard that the ICC wants to step into the Kenyan post-electoral violence and prosecute the perpetrators? Can't Kenyan's do it themselves? Have they become the world court prosecuting left right and centre? Can they extend it to other countries where there are violence...even in Mexico on the drug Lords? and many others...I am hating this ICC people!!!
I have heard about the Kenyan post election violence "potential" ICJ prosecutions. The ICJ has said, it just want to be ready, in case the Kenyan "process" which is being overseen by Kofi Anan fails. I have even blogged about this in my previous post talking about an eventful week.
ReplyDeleteNana Fredua, are you aware that under the auspices of the AU, we have an African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights which is supposed to deal with these issues. However, this commission has been trampled upon and flouted by almost every African despot whose path the commission crossed. That has in essence made this commission very ineffective and rather redundant.
President Obama spoke about Africa needing strong institutions rather than strong men. This is where that statement becomes very relevant. Because we have strong men, they cannot follow the dictates of their own supposedly democratic weak institutions. In the end, the delivery of democracy is non existant.
Frankly speaking Nana, I dont really mind who prosecutes who, all I want is accountability and upholding justice. Whoever was responsible for the post election violence in Kenya which resulted in the deaths of over 1000 people must be brought to book. If the internal Kenyan commission is being adulterated by the Kenyan authorities, and if our own African Commission is toothless, then yeah, Let the ICJ take on these political morons who kill our mothers, brothers, sisters and children.
The politics of apportioning blame whilst catrating our own societies through the excuse of the west or whoever wanting to impose themselves on us is a luxury we cannot at the moment afford. Our own people must learn to respect their own institutions, if they want other people to respect them. They also need to be accountable to the people before they can start complaining. If the ICJ does not do this, tell me who in Africa will protect the innocent from their own leaders, WHO?
Well you have made your point but 'why shouldn't the ICC charge Bush and Blair for the atrocities they are committing in Iraq?' Are you saying that the Iraqis are no human? Why should they concentrate on us? Let me tell you, we Africans have made ourselves look like evils but are we? Do you know the number of people who died during the slave trade? Have you heard of the witches' hammer (Malleus Maleficarum)? Look we have our shortcomings but that does not make us human. I have seen forgiveness shared between a Hutu and Tutsi even when one has committed a crime against the other. I am not saying that the anyone shouldn't be charged, but was the ICC set up only for Africans? You don't care but I do! I care which monster we are creating; I care about the new colonisation that is taking the shape of the ICC; I care about the biases and the partiality of the world; I care about everything that bring back memories, everything that has a modicum of colonisation but we cannot sit down and be fooled once again by some ignorant men and women. You are talking about 1000 deaths in Kenya...well the perpertrators should be brought to justice but this is an internal affair...soon they would take over the judicial system of every African country especially those in the SSA, and we would again be ruled by them. Do you know the number of Iraqis who have died as a result of Bush's lies and ill-informed and ignorance? They are more than 1000 my dear friend. They are! So next time you are talking about justice, look at it in its entirety for Africans do not lay claim to violence and violence is not our partner.
ReplyDelete