Today, 30 June 2008, will go down in Africa’s history as a start of Africa’s Third and Final Struggle for Freedom. The fight to end the oppression and waste of Africa’s black ruling elite and dictators like Mugabe!
The First Struggle for Freedom was the fight to end the scourge of slavery. Millions of Africans rounded up like cattle mostly from West Africa sold and shipped in the most appalling and inhuman conditions to distance lands were they were forced to work for no reward. The Africans slaves played a major role in their own their own emancipation along side the whites nationals who had profited from slavery. Those African who had played a part in the whole sorry trade, if they were not themselves in turn sold slavery played no part. Still to this day all Africans hang their collective heads in shame that an African should have sold another fellow human being much less one’s very one brother and sister.
Abraham Lincoln talked there being “no shame in being a slave but shame in being a slave owner!” The greatest shame however is surely must be in one who sells his own into slavery.
The Second Struggle for Freedom was the fight to end white colonial exploitation oppression of Africa. At the beginning of the last century, not long after the abolition of slavery, Europe carved up Africa in what is now called the scrabble for Africa for the sake of exploiting the continent’s wealth. The indigenous people were treated as second class citizens denied a say in the governance of their land and a fair share in the rich harvest of its wealth. Africa was not the only continent that was colonised but without it was in Africa that colonial powers were particularly brutal in their treatment of the Africans. The Africans were considered savages and treated accordingly.
Africa’s fight to end white colonial rule started in 1950s with the Independence of Ghana. The release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 marked the end of colonial rule.
Unfortunately in our fight to end white oppression and exploitation Africa lost sight of the real price freedom, peace and economic prosperity for our people. The populous were duped into believed that all these things would follow once national independence was achieved. Of course it rarely ever happened, as rule Africa moved from white colonial oppression and exploitation to oppression by a corrupt and incompetent ruling black elite. On the economic front most African countries have become even worse off than they were before independence.
For nearly 50 years now it has become almost impossible to bring about any meaningful change in Africa and end this strangle on power by the select few. Reform from within was almost impossible as there was no such thing as free and fair elections in Africa. When outsider tried to pressure individual Africa regimes to carryout meaningful political reforms Africa leaders closed rank accusing the outsiders of interfering in African affairs and of neo-colonialism.
Today on 30 June 2008 in Egypt Raila Odinga broke rank with his fellow Africa leaders and pointed out something they have all pretended for years to see: that the Emperor was naked!
When the African leaders formulated the rules on the conduct of free and fair elections and even appointed and mandated the Pan-Africa Election Observer Team even dictators like Robert Mugabe endorsed these on the basis of some unspoken gentlemen’s agreement that none of these rules will be taken seriously. And true ensure so far it has been business as usual: each leader has done whatever they deemed necessary to win and AU has endorsed the result.
So each leader has tried in his own way to retain political power and suppressed the free expression of his people in his own way and for as long as possible. Still it was accepted that when the ground swell for change became unbearable then one to go. Again each leader was expected to do so although the rest would make their departure as bearable as possible.
For some people like Mugabe they simply do not know when the game is up. Mugabe’s political machination is clearly the worst the world has ever seen; it must have been ever some of his seasoned dictators in the AU blush. Who would have guessed anyone could be so desperate!
No doubt Mugabe had pen off one of his anti West and anti British speeches for the AU summit only to find everyone was avoiding him like a leper. Whilst the majority of the African leaders are trying to save his face by forcing a Government of National Unity headed by Mugabe down the opposition’s throat. Prime Minister Odinga, himself a victim of a similar arrangement, is calling for free and fair elections.
After all he has done in Zimbabwe the last thing Mugabe would want right now is to face the electorate again much less a free and fair election. The results will simply be too humiliating for him. Mugabe will accept anything else rather than that, it would be the worst electoral defeat, a total knock out, in history!
Zimbabweans are determined to have a government that will start addressing their many problems. They know any regime with Mugabe in it will be self saving.
Prime Minister Odinga has made a lot of busy bodies at the AU summit really uneasy. Instead of blushing at Mugabe they now were saying to themselves “But for the mercy of God, there goes I!” They knew, from now on they will have to face their electorate and if they do not they will find nowhere to hide.
It is not only Africa’s corrupt ruling elite who should sit up and listen those countries who have continued to back them such as China; they too had better pay heed. Many unscrupulous businessmen have grown fat off the misery and anguish of Africa; they too should be warned. Mark my words; from today Africa will never ever be the same again!
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