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In the 1960s, the biggest political names garnering major media attention in Africa included Kwame Nkrumah, Julius K. Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, Ahmed Sekou Toure, Abdel Nasser, Ben Bella, Jomo Kenyatta, A. Milton Obote, Kenneth Kaunda, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa and others.
These were the heady days shortly after national independence.
The big question of the day was what path these big players would choose towards national economic development; national liberation of the white-ruled Southern African countries; Pan-African unity for a continental African state; and, what economic and political systems to pursue.
Nkrumah advocated immediate unity of the newly-independent African states with a continental government and army; he argued that as the years went by and the new nation-states consolidated identities it would become increasingly difficult with each passing year to attain African unity.
He shared a philosophy of African socialism as the means of economic development, with leaders such as Nyerere. However, the two big players differed on continental unity; Nyerere supported a more gradual continental unity that focused first in regional integration.
Moreover, the new regime in Africa was supposed to end discrimination against Africans; to afford Africans access to education; access to economic upward mobility; to bring an end to the psychological vestiges of race discrimination and second-class citizenship to Africans; to end physical exploitation and abuse of Africans; in other words, to afford Africans the basic needs of human beings - security of life and property.
Very few sensible people can today argue that there have been an acceptable levels of success in accomplishing these goals.
Decolonization was never completed.
In the early years, when Europeans feared that Lumumba would eventually steer the Congo away from Western control - meaning possible loss of the country's immense resources - mercenary forces were recruited to instigate insurrection and to partition the Congo. Lumumba was murdered in the process. In Ghana military officers were encouraged to overthrow Nkrumah. Similarly, in Uganda, Idi Amin overthrew Obote; the country has never regained political composure and stability.
Wherever an African country seemed to excercise too much independence or tried to move away from the European orbit, attempts were made to undermine the regime.
While European symbols of control, such as White Governors in Africa disappeared, control over the continent by the industrialized West never receded. One might even argue that in subsequent years the control increased; the industrialized West now dictates economic and political terms throughout Africa by exercising control over African countries' access to capital through the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Even with all the turmoil, African countries scored a spectacular success; by working together diligently and relentlessly, these countries marshaled the required political, moral, financial and material resources to eventually destroy the racist regimes in Mozambique, in Angola, in Rhodesia, in Namibia, and finally, in South Africa itself.
It was proof evident that if Africans focused on an issue that had continental resonance and appeal, they would do whatever was necessary to achieve that goal.
Africans wanted the continued humiliation of colonial racist regime in Southern Africa to end; they did whatever was within their might to contribute to the destruction of those ugly regimes.
It also helped that in those days there were leaders of uncompromising moral rectitude such as Nyerere, Kaunda, and later on Samora Machel and the earlier version of Robert Mugabe.
Today, there are few big names on the political stage that evoke pride and confidence in Africa even though there are a host of issues and afflictions wearing down the continent.
The men who dominate the news headlines today are people like Mugabe, who, while definitely not the worst transgressor in Africa, has been outmaneuvered by hostile Western media and cast as devil incarnate, because he waited too long to co-opt domestic opponents such as Morgan Tsvangirai into political governance.
Others dominating global headlines are Western-backed Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, and his partner in crime, Joseph Kony, who leads the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; both have presided over a genocidal conflict within their country. Museveni has also exported his death machine to Rwanda and Congo, leaving perhaps eight million skulls, as a result of his marauding army's interventions. The Ugandan president has also mid-wifed two individuals, Gen. Paul Kagame, and Laurent Nkunda, who will continue his legacy long after he is gone.
The big names who tried to lead Africa towards a better future are all gone.
In South Africa, beacon of the continent, a rapist is poised to become president next year.
So, who will spearhead the fight against the HIV/Aids pandemic?
Again, Uganda's Museveni, initially lauded as "the one," has now been exposed as a militaristic fraud and war-monger. In terms of individuals that have been responsible for the deaths of more Africans through genocidal campaigns, Museveni -- with a combined nearly 10 million deaths in Uganda; Rwanda; and Congo -- perhaps ranks second only to King Leopold of the Belgians, whose colonial killing fields, ironically, was also Congo.
Who will spearhead the quest for continental African unity without which the continent cannot enjoy economies of scale and enhance its bargaining power with the industrialized economies? The primary campaigner has so far been Libya's Muamar al- Quadaffi; but many doubt his sincerity and question his motives, based in his past militarist interventions and mischief in Chad.
Who will wear the big shoes once worn by people like Kwame Nkrumah? Where is today's Patrice Lumumba; a national leader willing to sacrifice himself (or, herself, for that matter), for the betterment of Africa?
Where is Julius Nyerere? Who is the next Samora Machel? And the earlier Robert Mugabe?
Who will be the Sekou Toure of the 21st Century? Who in the Arab world still believes in Pan-Africanism or has this mantle been ceded to the dubious Quadaffi by default?
Readers Comments:
22 Dec 2008
1.
Dear RK,
Once again I would like to thank you for the work you are doing. the work you are doing is Pan African work. I am Congolese and i have written to you before and i enjoy reading your articles.
In the 21st Century, we do not need all these killings in Africa but due to either greedy for money or evil feelings, some of our African brothers like Museveni, Kagame, Nkunda, etc have fallen in the trap and they have become murderers. I know they are not only the ones because I know many in the Congolese governement who have committed atrocities and yet they are rewarded instead of being prosecuted.
Former rebel leaders like Jerome Kakwavu Salumu Mulenda, Bosco Bahemuka, etc who have been promoted in the Congolese government should be prosecuted otherwise we Congolese may continue to doubt President Joseph Kabila's relationship with these Tutsi rebel leaders very much hence another uprising which will never bring peace. Remember those who talk of peace should know that peace comes where there is justice otherwise there will never be peace if all those who have committed crimes are not punished. This includes Museveni of Uganda, Kagame of Rwanda, rebel leader Nkunda, former rebel leaders in the congo who have been promoted, all those army commanders of Uganda like Salim Saleh, Kazini, etc and Rwanda's army officers who were in Congo. All these have to brought to justice by the ICC.
If ICC needs more evidence after the world has seen what happened to Congo, then let them come to meet Congolese people not through middle men otherwise you will scare people not to tell you all the stories since they fear for their lives and many don't now even trust the UN or USA, or the western world in general since they have done little to stop the death of so many of their loved ones.
We Congolese thank God for what have gone through and pray that God's justice may reign in Congo and indeed Great Lakes Region. We kindly request President-elect Barak Obama to change our situation by not supporting these war-mongers but instead fight for justice without strings attached for those who have not known it since independence.
Thanks, Benoit Ariwara-DRC
2.
Dear RK,
Thanks for the excellent news coverage you manage to gather and disseminate. I have been following closely your reports and I find them compelling and reasonably well researched. I do not care much about the few factual errors from time to time--all media are prone to such.
I particularly like the issue raised about the lack of leaders for Africa in the 21st Century. It is evident that Africa has a serious leadership deficit--better call it a poor governance syndrome (PGS). The only hope might be the rise of Obama in the US who might inspire a new generation of hope-filled young leaders born after the 1960s. It is also hoped that Obama will have a different foreign policy approach to Africa. Leaders like Raila Odinga of Kenya might seize the occassion and challenge our reigning dictators with the hope the Obama will listen to such progressive and genuinely radical voices from the Africa.
The other possibility is to have very articulate Africans who are right now in diaspora and who fled from tyrants at home, to return home armed with the new optimism of Obama and with modern liberal skills of leadership. This cadre of Africans can turn the continent around. Recall that Nkrumah and Namdi Azikiwe were well trained in the US and got radicalized while they were doing university studies in the land of liberty.
But this consciousness has to be developed by local and international media such as RK. As Karl Marx once said: "Philosophers have hitherto described the world, the issue however is to change it." Yes, we have described Africa's reality for long, it is now time to change it. And this change has to begin with one country at a time. In our case it is to begin with Uganda, then the Great Lakes Region. The likes of Museveni and Nkunda--war mongers who unleash every imaginable form of violence on fellow Africans cannot claim to be liberators.
Africa is a very intriguing continent. There must be great leaders who escape the headlines. They operate underground for obvious reasons given the hostile and violent atmosphere that the likes of Museveni create. If it were not the resilience of such committed underground leaders, Africa would have collapsed long ago. Unfortunately, it is the big men and dictators who color Africa's public image.
I salute RK for unearthing rare information that can be used to identify who is truly committed to bring about genuine transformation in Africa. Let this forum be a meeting point of all dedicated Ugandans and Africans so that we can end our long night of savagery and self destruction from those who claim to be our leaders. One sure way to develop African leaders for the 21st Century is to pass on quality and reliable information as RK tries to do.
Just a curious question: what it the readership of RK like now? What numbers are we talking about that are hooked on this news outlet?
Keep up the good work.
Nyebi T
US
Mr Nyebi,
about the readership, we are not regular so it fluctuates depending on whether there is story. But roughly those people who count these things tell us we get an average of 10,000 unique visitors per day, give or take. In the three years of operation the total is about 10.47 million hits.
Even with the extremely poor connectivity, we are told over half of these are from Uganda.
To keep reporting, we need to stay alive and in the system, which boils down to religiously practising good op-sec. Unfortunately this is at the expense of thorough stories, sometimes we have to give only vague hints as you can imagine what will happen if you go around asking questions for Radio Katwe.
So ours is a covert and very humble effort. We do the best we can, but certainly not perfect.
We hope for the best but historically, the United States has a very poor record on "exporting democracy" especially to Africa. Ultimately, our future is in our own hands.
Keep reading. Comments, contributions and criticism always welcome.
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