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Steve Biko As the African National Congress (ANC) celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is time for us to reflect on what they have achieved. However, I am less prepared to do a report today. I came across this article which might me of interest to those who want to know of the least-talked about student of South Africa's struggle against white supremacist rule (or apartheid) as the West looked on, supporting the government of the day in trade whilst murmuring their opposition against segregation and oppression. What history has thought us, and which most Africans still don't want to accept it, is that the West is never after true democracy. They are only after governments that will work in their interest. If such a government happens to be a dictator, like Saddam in the early 80s, good or like Mubarak, until his overthrow, better. They have words to describe every scenario. Yet, I won't talk much. Read this article about Steve Biko, the student leader who became a tho...

Revolutions are inevitable; moreso when the ruled feel that the rulers are appropriating to themselves and their cronies the resources meant for the nation. There is no way one can subjugate a group of people forever. It is as impossible as squeezing water from stones. A proverb in my local language translates as if you submerge a frog in water for long, it would definitely croak.  Consequently, the croaking of a large portion of people have been heard across North Africa and the Middle East. A unique feature of these affected governments is the number of years they people have ruled. A cursory glance at Africa's Top 10 Long-Serving Head of States , which I compiled in 2009 shows that all the 'croaking' countries in Africa - Tunisia, Egypt, Libya - are on this list and the average number of years they have ruled is 32 years. Ever since Tunisia erupted in demonstrations, which led to the flight of Ben Ali, the flame has raged across autocratic states, lighting one cou...

Some people have everything; some people have nothing; some people have hopes and dreams; some people have ways and means - Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley Like life, Literature is marked by epochs. Such epochal categorisations are important if one wants to understand the culture that influenced or shaped the general body of thought of painters, writers, sculptors, musicians and the literati in general. For instance English Literature could roughly be categorised as being of or belonging to the Elizabethan Era, Jacobean Literature, Augustan Literature, Romantic Movement, Victorian age, Modernism, Post Modernism and other such categorisation. Though my reading of South African Literature is limited and so I cannot describe myself as a cognoscente of South African Literature nor even expert in chicken Literature – all that I am is a simple reader who does not, perhaps, qualify even as a bibliophile – for the purpose of this article, let’s say South Africa’s Literary oeuvre could be class...

Last year, when I became more active on this blog, I started writing articles, reviewing books and posting poems. This blog became an amalgam of posts with no clear direction. The motive behind this was to get as many readers as possible and to provide a wide range of reading materials for my followers. In this way if my reading is affected, as it has been now, then I would resort to other posts to keep the blog running. However, I realised that I needed a direction, one major vision to which all posts would gravitate. So I posted a poll (which by the way is still running) for readers, followers and visitors to express their thoughts and vote for the direction of this blog. As it stands now, only 9% of my readers are interested in articles on politics (the least percentage). Thus, to continue with this post I must apologise to my readers. I am sorry for taking you to politics though it least interest you. However, like Socialism and Capitalism, there is no absoluteness of visions. Mixt...

Is this a self-fulfilling prophecy, a threat or a statement of peace? These are the words of the newly elected president of Gabon, Ali Ben Bongo, son of the late president Omar Bongo, who ruled for 42 years. I have already discussed this issue together with other pressing political issues on the continent with respect to the gradual transition of democracies and autocracies to dynasties. Read my comments here under the heading ' Dynasty- sation of Africa's Democracies and Autocracies '. This morning, the Daily Graphic, Ghana's leading daily newspaper, has reported on its 'Inside Africa' page the riots that has unfortunately marked the aftermath of the Gabon election. It is a pity and sad to know that greed has taken over the very fabric of our being. Omar Bongo, is alleged to have enriched himself with his country's oil revenues, and as a result and before his untimely death, was being investigated or facing trial with Denis Sassou - Nguesso (of the Repu...

On Tuesday June 16, 2009, in the 17944 issue of the Daily Graphic, a list of Africa's top 10 'old men' was published. This followed the demise of the longest serving African president, President Omar Bongo of Gabon, who had, until his (un)fortunate demise, been in power for 42 years. Already, I have discussed the issue of ' Dynasty-sation of Africa's Autocracies and Democracies ' on this blog. So whilst waiting for another book review (the book I am currently reading is so surreal that I just don't know how to review it), I decided to reproduce this list whilst adding few details to them. 10. President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia (21 years) : He was born on 3rd September 1936 and has been in power since 7th November 1987. He was appointed Prime Minister by President Habib Bourguiba on October 1, 1987. However, after being in power for 5 weeks he had the President declared unfit for the duties of the office and assumed the position of a president in ...

I am someone who is passionate about the sufferance of a people or an individual and no matter how dire the circumstances may be or how much it may cost, I believe that human lives must be saved. Thus, saving lives should first our actions and be second to none. Hence, it is only with happiness and glad in my heart when the International Criminal Court was established in The Hague. I was even more glad when Ghana ratified the bill establishing this court implying that whoever commits human atrocities, wherever in the world, and finds his/her way into the country, Ghana has the obligation to arrest this individual and hand him over to the ICC to be trialed. What a philosophy! What a way to prevent rogues and arrogant people from snatching lives from people and fleeing from their actions with impunity. I was even more glad when Professor Kunyehia , a Ghanaian female lawyer, was called up to be one of the court's first prosecutors. However, just after Ghana ratified this bill, afte...

When Laurent Kabila -led forces were marching all the way to Zaire (DR Congo) I was in the Secondary School and we used to joke with it. We would draw the approaching military and write beneath it '10 km away from Kinshasa ' and we would laugh at Mobutu Sesseseko . A friend by name Prince or Little use to do these drawings and we were happy that that man who was 'famed' to be richer than his country is finally going to be thrown out. Our happiness was affirmed by the confirmation of the resulting overthrow. Mobutu died shortly whilst in exile in Morocco. So Laurent Kabila became the president of Zaire renamed it Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and all were jubilant at least peace shall return. But it never did. Kabila was also assassinated and his son Joseph Kabila took over. A dynasty was then formed. Should the son succeed the father? I have no objection so far as the son has the necessary qualifications to become a president. Where my problem lies is whe...

For some time now, every election which has been conducted has in one way or the other been alleged to reek of rigging and fraught with voter intimidation and oppression. It is not uncommon to find sitting governments complaining of rigged elections (as occurred in Ghana). However, complaints from oppositions have dominated the gubernatorial and parliamentary electoral scenes. One cannot forget so easily the Orange Revolution that shook Ukraine, which led to dioxin poisoning of the main opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko . There was a re-run of the election and Yushchenko won, but not without complaints from the government in power. Similarly, one can talk about the civil unrest that brought Thailand to its knees. These occurred in three phases. First there was a coup on September 19 2006 and led to the overthrow of Thaksin Shinawatra . During this period, supporters of the the ousted Prime Minister--The 'Red Shirts'--frequently held rallies and protests against the m...

Title: No Easy Walk To Freedom Author: Nelson Mandela Genre: Current Affairs/Politics Publishers: Heinemann, African Writers Series Pages: 189 ISBN: 978-0435907822 Year: First published in 1965; this edition published in 1990 Country: South Africa "... Africans had no vote, no freedom of movement or civic rights, and they were being steadily deprived of their land. Africans (called 'kaffirs') had to take off their hats when passing White men and they were pushed off the pavements into the gutter if they did not know their place..." Editor's Note (page 17) "The Minister of Native Affairs, Dr Verwoerd, has been brutally clear in explaining the objects of the Bantu Education Bill. According to him the aim of this law is to teach our children that Africans are inferior to Europeans..." Nelson Mandela, NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM, (page 26). The world loo...