UNITED BUT PERISHING: 50 years of a haphazard African Union
Written by Z. ALLAN NTATA
In 1963, expounding his vision regarding the Organisation of African Unity Kwame Nkrumah declared, “Independence is only the prelude to a new and more involved struggle for the right to conduct our own economic and social affairs; to construct our society according to our aspirations, unhampered by crushing and humiliating neo-colonial controls and interference.”
Warning that Africa must “unite or perish”, Nkrumah insisted that without true unity, Africa would “sink into that condition which has made Latin America the unwilling and distressed prey of imperialism after one-and-a-half centuries of political independence.”
As the African Union celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is rather disturbing that the African condition can only be described as united but perishing.
It is surprising that the African Union seemed to have defined its vision then as supporting liberation movements in the erstwhile African territories under colonialism and Apartheid. To be sure, this was a worthwhile cause, but it was only part, and indeed only a minor part of what Kwame Nkrumah had envisioned at the inception of the union.
Perhaps more in line with the original Nkrumah vision was the position taken by Thomas Sankara in the 1980s. When Sankara seized power in Burkina Faso in a 1983 popularly supported coup at the age of 33, his goal was to eliminate corruption and the dominance of the former French colonial power. Sankara immediately launched the most ambitious program for social and economic change ever attempted on the African continent. His foreign policies were centered around anti-imperialism, with his government eschewing all foreign aid, pushing for odious debt reduction, nationalizing all land and mineral wealth, and averting the power and influence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. His domestic policies were focused on preventing famine with agrarian self-sufficiency and land reform, prioritizing education with a nation-wide literacy campaign, and promoting public health by vaccinating 2.5 million children against meningitis, yellow fever and measles.
Commenting on the 1987 assassination of Thomas Sankara, Ulises Estrada declared, “Sankara’s assassins were guided by imperialism, which could not allow a man with the ideas and actions of Sankara to lead a country on a continent so exploited for hundreds of years by international imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonial governments that do their bidding. Sankara’s political ideas will endure, like those of Patrice Lumumba of Congo and Amílcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau, also assassinated by traitors at the behest of the empire.”
In 1999, The African Union Heads of State issued a declaration with a view to “accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalization.” It had taken the African Union close to 40 years to finally appreciate the heart of Nkrumah’s vision behind the formation of the Union.
Nevertheless, the African Union today considers its vision to be that of ““An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena”
But it is this vision statement that explains the reason for the haphazard nature of the African Union’s success in its programs. In that speech in 1963, Nkrumah highlighted the fact that the success of African Unity would be built, not simply on states achieving political independence from colonial masters, but also economic and social success that appreciated the vast bestowment of resources that Africa had as compared to the rest of the world, and the overriding need to effectively manage those resources. It is, therefore, the fact that the vision of the African Union has failed to recognize this need for a united resource management that perhaps explains the failure of the realization of Nkrumah’s dream to date.
The importance of a united effort on safeguarding African resources can never be overemphasized. Africa is the only continent with enough resources to sustain itself even if it were shut out from the rest of the world. It is the exploitation of these resources that has caused wars and grand corruption across Africa, leaving the continent that is the richest in resources as the poorest on the globe. How the safeguarding of resources can be left out of the African Union’s vision is a curious question. Could it be that the framers of the vision are concerned about the message that will give to the global community; the message that the Union is prepared now to take issue with the exploitation of the continent it is charged to look after?
An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa as envisioned by the African Union vision will only be created if the vision incorporates within it the need for a united management of Africa’s vast resources which have hitherto been exploited first by the western colonial masters, and in modern times by the Chinese.
The African Union that celebrates 50 years of its existence needs to renew its vision and realize that only an African Union with enough muscle and bite to promote its Pan-African Ideal can truly promote the continent into becoming the “dynamic force in the global arena” it dreams about.
In order to achieve that lofty ambition, the Africa Union needs to take the lead in loosing the shackles that bind African states to colonial powers and other economic oppressors. This necessarily requires a re-invention of the mandate of the union in order to incorporate prominently the need and role of an African Defence force that will be mandated to safeguard the resources of Africa. In this regard, the African Monetary Fund, and institution of the African Union, needs to be more prominent and given enough power to promote Afro-centric structural programs fashioned in Africa for the interests of Africa. There is no longer any doubt that the model works. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
The IMF should not be more powerful in Africa than the African Monetary Fund. Indeed, it could be argued that the so called economic development assistance provided by the IMF and the World Bank could be best used suited to the African vision if there was a way of ensuring that the African Union was involved in the setup. An African Monetary Fund with powers akin to those of the IMF would give the continent more control over the economic policies of its members, and have the power to steer the direction of the continent’s resources in line with the African Ideal. This is what President Gaddafi of Libya believed. Gaddafi was a major funding source of the Fund. His death, which would have been avoided if the African Union had been able to defend the continent as it should, deprived the African Monetary Fund of much needed funding, to the advantage of the western powers.
Celebrating 50 years of celebrating the existence of the African Union is celebrating 50 years of an organization that has seen its once grand vision become one dimensional, sabotaged by conflicting interests of selfish and corrupt leaders and external powers, neo-colonialists and global organizations and corporations with hidden agendas. The African Union 50 years after its birth is an organization that talks and talks, but frequently fails to walk the talk. It’s vision lacks the necessary inspiration as founded in its inception, and its role is by and large more symbolic and idealistic than practical.
The organization is seen by many as inconsistent and sometimes even powerless; sometimes united, sometimes not. Many of the leaders of its members have personal if western agendas. Although its peacekeeping missions have sometimes been commendable there is a need for a more powerful African military force that could be called to stop bloodshed in many African countries. The African continent should be able to defend any African country from any foreign attack. The example of the recent events in Libya, where the African Union was simply powerless to do anything is a case in point.
The African Union has not facilitated the seamless cultural and economic integration of African countries that was eagerly expected. Smaller blocks like SADC are doing much better than the mother body. Questions still remain, for example, as to why an African should be required to get a VISA into another African country. Some wonder why Africans have problems to pass through each others’ borders when doing business. These are the basic issues that the AU should have tackled long before 50 years of its existence had passed.
The African Union wishes to be seen to be taking a strong stand against imperialists and neocolonialists, yet this depends largely on the leaders of the Union at any particular time. When the leadership changes to other countries, various drives and policy positions quickly lose steam. The structure of the AU should be strong enough to ensure that no new puppet leaders can change the its core vision and policies. It is a sad testament to the weakness of the Union that ever since the death of Thomas Sankara there has been very little said against neocolonialism.
The African Union celebrates its 50th anniversary on 25th May, 2013. In Malawi, on 24th May 2013, the day before the 50th anniversary of the African Union, Malawi’s minister of Finance, Dr. ken Lipenga stood in Parliament to present his budget. He told Malawians that 41% of the budget would be funded by developing partners. Kwame Nkrumah and Thomas Sankara must be turning in their graves!
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Malawi prophet Austin Liabunya goes deeper again: 'I see breaking news on television….red cars running fast
Written by PROPHET AUSTIN LIABUNYA
PROPHECY
What I can say on Malawi is: Lets just be committed in Prayers because I saw a dark cloud. Lets pray against the spirit of death of leaders.
Cut the Chaff: Why is OPC dithering on Kalebe, Kutsaira?
Written by EPHRAIM MUNTHALI
Weekend Nation's award winning columnist Ephraim Munthali in ‘Cut the chaff‘ argues that politicians shouldn't masquerade as public servants implementing government programmes . Here's the full article as it appeared in Weekend Nation:
'It nuh good fi stay inna white man country too long!'
Written by WISE ONE FROM THE EAST
This is the theme from the poem "White Man Country" by Mutabaruka - the inimitable Jamaican dub poet which has inspired this write-up.
News and reports that President Joyce Banda has re-invented “Theba”; after others before her had promised to deliver something similar and failed, is welcome news for the youths of Malawi.
It is good news because this seems to be a timely though somewhat temporary and unsustainable intervention with which to address the increasing plight of youths in Malawi.
The background, it should be written, is that there is increasing unrest and hopelessness amongst the youths in Malawi as a result of unemployment and scarcity of options.
The increasing unemployment can be narrowed down to roots:
· a shrinking job market (the industry can no longer absorb school finishers) and
· insufficient training (some of Malawi youths just happen to be unemployable due to the archaic curriculum pursued by the country).
There are others. I could, for instance, make a case that some old people who should have retired sometime back are clinging to jobs, and hence denying youths their rightful role, but I will not go in this direction. For now am content to let Mlaka Maliro’s civic educate such veterans with his “Gologolo mu Mtengo” hit.
Whatever the root cause, this lack of gainful employment is resulting in increasing delinquency and crime. And both these, are high on the list of ingredients that cause social unrest, anarchy and chaos.
This “Theba” is therefore, for the time being, a good (but temporary) solution as the country waits for a miracle that will see Malawian youths leaving the country out of their own volition; not obliged by dire circumstances.
Having said that, there is need to pause and reflect why the poet Mutabaruka – someone who knows about life in the diaspora more than all of us, having been born there - courtesy of the slave trade that ravaged Africa – is advising against staying in foreign lands for too long.
To be more specific: what are the hidden traps in this expedition to the east?
This is the question that Wise One, having some experience of life in the east, seeks to answer, to forestall surprises for the prudent of the Malawian youths who will be making their maiden oriental voyage.
East, West, East is Best
Of course this is total baloney; the real proverb says east, west, home is best. There are basically two categories of difficulties that anyone venturing beyond the borders of Malawi for a while has to ponder and come to grips with. I will call the first, “psychological” and the other “physical”.
Both these, have a bearing on one’s state of bliss or despondency in the diaspora. And while there are studies by “experts” on this subject, I will not make any reference to research because I have been there and have seen people contented or miserable, depending on how prepared or unprepared they were when they set out to embrace the “American Dream”.
On one hand, we have many Malawians who have quit well-paying jobs in the diaspora because of failing to adjust and come to terms with the psychological detachment from the mother land; and on the hand we know many Malawians who are living in abject poverty in the American Dream, making the Biblical prodigal son’s suffering look like a picnic.
Whenever I meet Malawians that have stayed years and years in foreign lands, I lift my hat to them. Why?
Because even after years and years, and even when I am enjoying spectacles, functions or happenings that in Malawi I could only watch on TV, my sub-conscious inevitably wanders to thoughts like: “had this been back home....?” “If so and so were here….?” etc.
This is just one of the things that require a lot of effort and inner strength to surmount. Failure to overcome means you will be on the next plane home, or worse you will fall sick.
You have to remind yourself constantly why you happen to be where you are, how hard you worked to get where you are, and move on. To someone who has never been away from mother Malawi for over a year, what I am describing here is difficult to comprehend.
But believe you me, those who have been there, and are there, know what am talking about. And you know what? This psychological torture happens to be the easiest to handle because all it requires is you to stay focussed and goal minded.
The second psychological torture comes about when you think in terms of the African (Malawian) extended family and in diaspora you realize what the song “Some guys have all the luck means” when it says: a person can be alone in a crowd. In fact when you come to think of it, even for a whole family in the diaspora, time comes when they feel alone in a crowd!
The overwhelming feeling of isolation that can swallow you when you are – for a long time – in a crowd of people on their homeland; celebrating and living their own culture can only be understood by a diasporan.
The family, the immediate family and a few Malawian or indeed African friends surrounding you; can never replace the feeling of belonging that one feels when at home in Malawi celebrating let’s say a joyous family gathering or even when mourning.
What can one do when faced with these psychological tortures of feeling “alone in a crowd”? The answer is = stay focussed. Although this is easier said than done; the youths trekking east need to learn to be mentally strong, very strong. And since I am as a brother warning them beforehand, they will have no excuse if after a month they start crying for Mama!
Failure to be mentally strong results in sickness which inevitably negatively impacts one’s productivity. When this happens to our footballers for example, this is when they spend more of their time warming the bench, before eventually being relegated to watching their clubs’ game from the stands; before being offloaded, one way or another.
I will now move on to the easier of the problems and this is the physical discomfort or risks. There are several catalysts and I will dwell on two: when you encounter racists or have financial problems.
I will, first, dispense with racism. Awareness about racism has been raised in almost all countries. And generally people are now accommodative of people of other races in their societies.
But no one should make a mistake about it: if any Malawian ever told you that in their life abroad: in America, Europe, the East or even South Africa they never once ever experienced racism of some sort, they were cheating you.
Once in a while, and when you least expect it, you come face to face with racism, either subtly or very violently.
How do you deal with this?
In most countries, on paper, there are laws. You can report to the police. My advice however, is that unless it is life threatening or becoming too frequent, you are better off learning how other people in your situation have dealt with these than reporting to the police. Once you report to the police, you become marked – I will clarify on this later.
If you attract attention in a country where your difference (skin colour) makes you stand out in a crowd of thousands, where by implication there are bound to be some hard-core racists, life can become unbearable if not outright dangerous.
I will dwell on this for a while because this involves physical danger although it is easier to deal with when compared to the mental torture.
They key, the way forward to surviving in a foreign land is to become anonymous. The question is how can an African become anonymous in South Korea?
The answer is by avoiding actions, speeches etc. or anything that makes you more prominent than you already are. The second is to learn the host language, as fast as you can so that you can be aware of what people around you are saying.
This is why on how to deal with racism I strongly recommend using the police as a last resort; and an option to use only when you are leaving or about to leave or when the racism is getting to life threatening proportions.
On finances, the one thing that living in the diaspora does is either to spoil you – with the credit cards, or teach you discipline.
While personal fiscal discipline means after a couple of years you can return home to Malawi much better off, financial indiscipline could see you deported or worse. I will leave this at that.
I know that I have not exhausted all angles; I will happily provide free advice via my Facebook or blog to those who want more or specific help or references.
When all has been said and done, the bottom line is that a stay abroad can be very rewarding, both financially and professionally and is worth taking a risk for.
How else would you know what you are capable of if you do not undergo the extreme test, in foreign lands? Come to think of it, the temptations of Jesus Christ, if I remember correctly, did not happen in Bethlehem!
A trek to the east is manageable and worth it’s while. Mungo Park did it, and before him the Biblical three wise men from the east did not go east, but rather trekked west and made it in a more hazardous era, on donkeys or mules or whatever.
Why should our youths fail to do it in the twenty first century when “home” and “friends” are within a Blackberry's reach? And more, why should they be intimidated when they have brother Wise One from the East to mentor them?
At your service, go for it Malawi youths! And welcome to the diaspora, “in the east”!
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Not a hero! Give Malawians a break on tinpot dictator Kamuzu: Columnist Kasakula
Written by GEORGE KASAKULA
Newspaper columnist George Kasakula writing in ‘My Diary’ published in Weekend Nation on Saturday May 18 says founding president Kamuzu Banda wasn't a hero but a tinpot dictator, who, for 31 years, terrorised his own people to serve his overgrown ego and those close to him. The column is re-posted below, full text:
Lessons from the Sunday Times opinion poll for MCP: Embrace new blood or become irrelevant
Written by PEARSON NKHOMA & WISE ONE FROM THE EAST
OPINION
The outcome of The Sunday Times opinion poll published on May 5, 2013 speaks volumes about the aspirations and frustrations of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) followers that participated in the poll.
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