Mugabe wants 51 % of all companies to go to Zimbabweans

From the recent NY Times article (06/27/07) that Zimbabwe’s government wants 51% stake in virtually all publicly traded companies to be transferred to Zimbabweans, one could be tempted to think that Zimbabwe has finally reached the promised land. A land where Africans are self-determining, sovereign, and where virtually all or the majority of African resources are for their betterment. One could be tempted to think that finally, political independence has precipitated an economic dimension that is more than just changing guards from colonial masters to Africans while the masters still own and control everything for nobody but themselves. And given the ills of colonialism, racism, and all other schisms that have condemned the African to the periphery of economic progress, it is easy to understand why one would be tempted to want to congratulate His Excellency for paving a road that no other leader, expect, perhaps Idi Amin, has dared pave. You would understand. But, before the temptation strongly gets hold of you, let me exorcise it in the name of my ancestors, history, Zimbabwe, and the future of my children. I command the temptation to let go of you. Zimbabwe is not free, it is falling.

It is not just falling economically, but also spiritually and in character. Zimbabwe is fast becoming un-African by repeating the mistakes that we have condemned for so long- stealing people's property. Whether the victim is white or non-African does not serve our goals. We are Africans. We are a spiritual people. We have Ubuntu and what the government is doing now, is un-African.

What kind of people have we become that we have lost all moral character, integrity, wisdom, self-respect, and the dignity of our ancestors? What kind of people have we become that we sing a chorus of pillage with clowns, boot lickers, and " revolutionaries" whose idea of revolution is about burning down the village of their mothers and children.

Until and unless we Africans learn to distinguish the sham of pseudo-freedom and exchange, from freedom and change, we will always be in an economic, political, and social pendulum swinging between the comfort of political speeches about a false tomorrow, someday, and the concrete reality of poverty and social strife today.
Change is not about exchanging positions with murders and oppressors. It is not about exchanging the wisdom and humanity of our ancestors-"ubuntu"- for stolen wealth, bigger cars, and better demonstrations of how loud we can sing the song "revolution."

So, if you were ever tempted to think that Zimbabwe has finally overcome, I caution, warn, and command you to stop. Stop dreaming! Do not go about composing songs that His Excellency has bigger balls than Tony B-lair, and singing the song " we have overcome.

" Stop! Now sing....

We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome the day

Oh deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome the day when we become true Africans.

True Africans know that society precedes the self, that village is more important than the hut, and that the pot is better than the plate. True Africans know that the individual is supposed to work for the common good of the community. So, what kind of Africans are our leaders who do not know that destroying the village destroys the self. Leaders who loot from the village, who kill their own families, and who have grown younger rather than wiser with age.

Forget the White man, the enemy is us, and the war must be against us! Us who put self before community, us who no longer have a sense of self-respect, the wisdom of when to come and go from politics, and the African humility to say I have failed, please help me.

Nigerian President opens new chapter in history

Curse in mind, cursor in hand, I was just about to go on the offensive on Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua for his seemingly suspicious invitation to work with the opposition party. My simple reason being that I found it appalling that he wants to have a few opposition party members to be in his government. I still believe that African opposition parties need not be swallowed by ruling parties and that there should be separate funds to help them be a pain in the government's behinds, if need be. What we have seen in the past has been the big parties swallowing the opposition only to defecate praise singers, choirs, and discomfort for the masses. And of course I was mad at the news of his working with some opposition members as a solution to an election that seems to have left a lot to be desired!

But behold, I witnessed my own lips parting involuntarily in defiance as I read the news that the Nigerian President, His Excellency Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has declared his assets valued at 856,452,892, including 19 million belonging to his wife, Turai. Do not be carried away, the denomination is in Nira, not dollars or pounds. The man is no Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NYC, but still, he is a millionaire with about US$ 6,727,831.00, not counting his wife's money.

If this declaration is indeed what it is, then I declare it a great stride in political maturity. What the President has done will go a long way to show his seriousness to fight corruption. And all I can say is, it is about time! It is about time we got a new kind of politics out of Africa so we can stop being the laughing stock in the world. It is about time that the thieves, crooks, and their accomplices started spoiling their pants as the spotlight of truth disturbs those fattened stomaches of ill-gotten spoils. Of course not every Politician is a thief, but if we keep the bright lights on long enough, we will see the darkness of theft and murder by extension, begin to melt away. And I am waiting.

Nigeria and indeed Africa has too many children scattered abroad who are waiting to return home tomorrow if they are assured- through deeds, not empty words- that their eggs can be stored at home with assurances that they will hatch life and prosperity. It is not a lack of investors that is hampering investment, but the bankruptcy in political will to do what is right among our so called leaders. Let the leaders lead instead of trying to stifle even things where they have no business.

So, to his Excellency Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, I say your children abroad are pleased and they are waiting for a second serving from the pot of political maturity. And now that Nigeria has set the trend, African leaders, who is next- do I hear Mugabe? Ok, pardon the man, he is on his way out, but, do I hear Kibaki or somebody? Come on give us something. Let us not do it for show or to please anyone, but because it is the right thing to do for us and for our children. So, will the true African Patriots stand up. http://africanviewpoint.blogspot.com/

CIA had Plan to Assassinate Lumumba- did they do it?

You would think that by now the CIA would at least be humble enough to admit that yes, indeed, they assassinated Lumumba and his dangerous dreams for " economic independence, social justice and political self-determination, and his hostility to a political setup based upon tribal divisions, which the colonialists had effectively used to divide and rule Africa," as the Rwanda News Agency reports. Recently declassified documents say that they had a plan, which makes it sound like they did not do it, when everyone else knows they did.

Then you also have the November 2001, Belgian government commission's report, which " concluded that authorities in Brussels and Belgium's King Baudouin knew of plans to kill Lumumba and did nothing to save him." They did nothing "to save him"- what a travesty!

If the CIA cannot simply apologize, let alone admit, for these acts of terrorism, it leads one to wonder whether the so called declassified documents are a facade of a facade. Think about it!

Poisoned Ivorians reject payout-What an insult.!

It comes as not much of a surprise that, for the nth time, Western Companies who treat African countries like dumping grounds or exploitation fields, depending on their mood, have again gotten of the hook. The Dutch oil-trading group Trafigura agreed to pay pay $198m (£102m) for a clean-up and investigation for dumping toxic waste that killed children in Ivory Coast. The families of 16 people who died when the waste was dumped in Abidjan were offered $200,000 (£100,000) each, with smaller sums to thousands who fell ill. And that amount is less than half the total allocated to the government.

It is such an insult that the government would treat its people like this. Though I understand the need to retain some money for the clean up, the government owes the people justice. It is mind boggling how on one hand governments want respect from teh West and on the other they show none to their people and even the dead. Of course no amount of pounds could bring back the 16 lives stolen by the quest for profits, but for the Ivorian government to go so far as just giving these people $200 K is insulting. More insulting is that these companies are just treating this as collateral damage or an unfortunate business expense, and I would not be surprised if they did this again elsewhere. But unless and until Africans demonstrate that African lives are worth more than a business expense, we will not in any way gain the respect we need and deserve. And I am yet to see what the Nigerians will do with Pfizer for coming in to the country to kill for profits that Nigeria will never enjoy. Are not these the same companies that do not want to release HIV AIDS drugs to the continent? What an insult to our collective self.

Gaddafi may just have a point.........

The news canvas of Africa today shows Pfizer wining an early Nigeria battle in which a Nigerian court, presided over by a Nigerian, refused to allow more cases to be added to a lawsuit against Pfizer. The Nigerian government wants $7bn in damages and compensation for the families of the children who died or suffered serious side-effects during improper drugs trials on children.

In Zimbabwe, prices are going through the roof as people on the ground claim that some Americans where out in full swing buying Zimbabwean dollars, which then creates a shortage. At the the World Trade Organisation (WTO) the Doha Round of international trade negotiations has collapsed and African governments have been the most vocal in expressing their disappointment at the difficulties in reaching agreement. Then comes in China with a $1billion dollar fund to trade with the continent.

I am beginning to wonder- is Gaddafi right that we need a United States of Africa, without which there seems to be a number of problems single states cannot resolve on their own. While all of these changes are taking place, I can see carrots and sticks flying on the continent as the powers seek to maintain their relations with the motherland. Watch the cancellation of debts.

Behold, the AU shalt conceive and bring forth the United States of Africa

They say our names make us who we are. And if names are anything to go by in terms of determining one's calling in life, then believe me, His Excellency Robert Gabriel Mugabe may be up to something very historic. I know the press has been suppressing his middle name Gabriel just in case people connect him to Gabriel the Angel. But there are too many coincidences for me to ignore, more so, because we live in historic times. Think about this Biblical passage from Luke:
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel said unto her, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS.

Fast forward to this week. We are in the 6th month. And a wise man from the East, Muammar Gaddafi said that "For 40 years all the African Union summits have failed." Yes, he said 40 years, which is the number of years the Lord's chosen people spent in the desert on their journey to the promised land. Could Africa be on her way to the promised land? Judging by Gabriel Mugabe's government bill to move 51% of "public companies and any other business" to black Zimbabweans, only time will tell.

Though I am not sure what the significance of Mugabe and Gaddafi's prophesies mean, I am confident that something is brewing in Africa. Behold, the AU shalt conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name the United States of Africa." He shall be 51% Black.

The US Farm Bill, poor African farmers, and Koffi Annan.

If you picked up a newspaper in the last few weeks you may well be aware of two separate, but equally significant events- the US Farm bill proceedings in Congress and the announcement of Koffi Annan's new role as chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution. While proceedings in the US Congress elicited criticisms of US farm subsidies and calls for policy revisions to "save" the poor African farmer, Koffi Annan's $150 million initiative to increase the productivity of millions of small scale farmers in Africa should have come as a great relief and a cause for celebration. But for some reason, it did not. Instead, it seems that Koffi's initiative, which is still in its embryonic stage may somehow be a still birth that will never bring a better future for the poor African farmers.

Already, there are internal misgivings about the authenticity of the initiative, given that it is financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, whose intentions are at best taken with a grain of salt. Some people even characterize this external funding as Koffi outsourcing the future of African decision making to non- Africans who will be pulling the purse strings. But, more worrisome is what may happen because of the lack of buy- in owing to the perception that this is another initiative to milk Africa of its resources.

In most of Africa, the authenticity and suitability of any idea to local problems is the currency with which to garner collective buy-in for development initiatives among people all the way from governments to gunmen. When people feel that the idea is not only foreign, but also being pushed hard by the results oriented foreigners who often want to see change at any cost, they simply take the "donor money" and go, leaving the idea just a shell resembling what could have been. Many good ideas have died this fateful death and Western donors descending on the continent with green backs and blue prints for a better future for Africa are yet to learn that lesson. So in the case of farming, if people see that they will quadruple yields with no profitable market to sell them, they will directly take the little donor money today instead of wait for the money to grow in the farms- something that may not happen if the kind Angels and ancestors withhold are unwilling to urinate from the heavens to wet the fields. I will not be surprised to see some Africans buying cars and mansions abroad with Koffi and Bill's money. Foreigners call this corruption and locals call it common sense. And common sense is not common.

Outside the continent, the future for the African farmer is under assault from the current US Farm Bill discussions to maintain subsidies to US farmers, even before Koffi's idea germinates. While Bush has been trumpeting his determination to bring economic opportunity to the people of Africa, he has also been inflicting damage on Africa's small farmers by the $190-billion agriculture bill he just signed into law. The billions of dollars doled out to US farmers contribute to global overproduction and downward spiral of world commodity prices, making it more difficult for small, unsubsidized African farmers to compete. This inability to compete is what has elicited chants and cries of US policy condemnation by many self-ordained ministers of African development carrying the message that everyone should “help poor Africa.” Though most of them are well-meaning, I worry that the chorus of saving the African farmer is not only falls on deaf ears, but in fact overlooks the fact that the US as a whole has more to lose economically and socially at the expense of a few agro-corporations who get the largest chunks of the subsidies.

The image of the poor African farmer has unveiled a curtain that continues to cover the American vision of what subsidies do to their economy and communities as a whole. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, " the farm bill gives American farmers subsidies that help determine which crops and animals U.S. farmers produce, the prices of those crops, and subsequently which foods processors, distributors and retailers ultimately get into the mouths of consumers." Though Americans may feel sympathetic to the cause of poor African farmers, many do not see how " agricultural policy directly affects public health, by determining the food choices provided by the food industry, which in turn impact what they eat." American subsidies perpetuate the corn-based junk foods industry that is one of the reasons why America has entered the age of obesity, unprecedented pollution, disease, depression, and the abuse of migrant workers as "cheap" labor. Subsidies are the reason why the large corporations who receive them at the expense of the small traditional American farmer are gobbling up small farms and turning them into mega-farms. These in turn are the culprits guilty of massive soil degradation, pollution by toxic fertilisers, pollution by animal factory wastes, depletion of aquifers, and indifferent cruelty to animals. Today most of these toxins are in the eco-system and we continue to gobble whether you are Vegan, vegetarian, or very meat-loving.

While the corporate food supply basks in the shadow of the poverty of poor Africans farmer to continue its degradation of America, many Americans are in lala land pertaining to subsidies. They think their cry for saving Africa is a cry for Africans, when in fact it must be a cry for their own salvation from corporate control of food, which is now more susceptible to bio-terrorism as a few companies control almost all the food that ends up on dinner tables.

So next time you hear an American talk about the poor African farmer in a sometimes condescending tone, tell them to talk about the poor American citizen whose food may end up just being a pill if the corporations figure a way to do so to cut costs and increase profits. America should do the right thing by reducing harmful farm subsidies, not as a matter of compassion and charity toward the African farmer-who stands to benefit less anyway, but for her own good. America must shed tears for the removal of subsidies for America's sake, and not crocodile tears for the poor African farmer. Reducing the subsidies will go a long way to make America a healthy, safer, and better place to live in. And may be, and I mean just may be, it may help compensate Koffi Annan for all the favors he gave the US while at the UN.

Zimbabwe's currency crashes- we are in a catch 44

The value of the Zimbabwean dollar is said to have suffered its worst crash in memory. According to New Zimbabwe, "Black market exchange rates -- fueled by the central bank buying at the illegal rates to pay the mounting debts of crumbling state fuel and power utilities -- rose to upward of 300,000 Zimbabwe dollars to one U.S. dollar in large offshore deals." And "people are holding out for the highest bidder and mentioning as much as 400,000-1 which could be tomorrow's price."

These rates of exchange will probably not mean much to many people unfamiliar with life in Zimbabwe. But think of this: today you can buy a bottle of soda for $1 and tomorrow $1 does not buy anything. And I do not mean because the soda has become $1.20. No, I mean because it has become $3000. That is how bad things have become. And worse, the salaries never move an inch.

Anyone who has picked up a newspaper in the last few years is well aware of intensity of the voices calling for Mugabe's exist as the basis of salvation for Zimbabwe and indeed Africa. Many people believe that Zimbabwe's problems directly stem from one man and that were he to go, all would be great. But, to many Zimbabweans, Mugabe or no Mugabe, life has become so unbelievably tough beyond even my imagination. Though I can not imagine what things have become, I know that God and angels are busy at work in Zimbabwe. For how else could one explain how people survive with salaries that do not buy anything. Imagine what you would do if your salary could only cover your transportation costs to and from work. If you are a domestic worker, your salary can only last five days if you spent it on a loaf of bread and milk, which are not always available.

Take my family for instance. I have no idea how they manage to go through life in these times. Even though I send money home, the Zimbabwean situation is really beyond my imagination. A few weeks ago I sent money home to help with the expenses of my uncle's funeral and transportation costs for those who came from the villages. Fast forward to this week, prices for commodities have gone upwards of 500 % and some of the people can not afford the bus fare since the price they had paid for the bus is now only 20% of what they need to travel back.

Funerals are no longer as long as they used to be. A while back, you die, people come and mourn for at least a few days. Today everything is different. You die today, they bury you tomorrow, just to save costs. For those who have relatives abroad, they can at least afford to call every day to explain their dire situation and emotionally appeal for help. It is a hardship that has bankrupted even those of us who cannot fathom having money in a bank while our countrymen and women suffer. At home, people no longer keep money in the local currency. And that is part of what is fueling the crisis our country is facing today.

As citizens are hoarding all foreign currency, much of it never goes through the central banks to enable us to buy goods like oil from abroad. Instead, deals are made in living rooms and Western Union is becoming richer by day. Western Union takes foreign money and pays it out in Zimbabwe dollars. In the process, they buy the local currency, keep the transaction costs, plus the any results of currency fluctuations.

While the country languishes in shortages for money, a good number of citizens have enough cash stashed away in US dollars and other currencies- money that could be used to buy national essentials. So it is not surprising that the central bank is now on the street hunting for foreign currencies with tonnes of now- worthless Zimbabwean dollars, which further drives down the value of the local currency.

Though Mugabe has become the definition of the Zimbabwean problem, many people tend to ignore the contributions of Zimbabweans on the decline of the country. There are the rich who are hoarding away money and buying away anything of value, which drives everything up the roof, no, the sky. You have people who will buy US dollars from people abroad at exorbitant rates that fuel speculation within the country. Then you have local government officials who will buy US dollars from the central bank, turn around and sell the money at ridiculous prices or use it to pay tuition for their children abroad. Then you have the people abroad who will buy and sell commodities in Zimbabwe without the money actually reaching the country. The amount of external transactions going on abroad is unbelievable. Fuel and food is sold abroad in foreign currency for people to pick up at home and that money stays here.

May be Zimbabwe will win the prize for being the only place where a car's value appreciates. But for the time being, our country continues to go down while Mugabe gets all the blame. May be it is a chicken and egg problem since people have lost confidence because of some government policies. But, I am sure that unless Zimbabweans all take the moral high stand to help the county, Mugabe or no Mugabe, Zimbabwe will continue to burn. The only problem is, how does one sacrifice only to give to vultures or to not see the benefits. How does one send money through formal channels when that money may end up in a bar as a stipend of a friend whose parents are in charge over there? How does one sacrifice for the country when the immediate family could be better off- FOR NOW- with just a little bit of a boost in the black market rates? We are in a bind, a bind that is yet unknown. Indeed, we are in a catch 44.

A human right with a bad RAP

What is the difference between a slave who knows that he is a slave and one who does not know that he is a slave? Ok, forget that question. But still, what comes to your mind when you hear or see the word slavery? If you are like many black people, your mind may be trapped in a dark corridor of awful images at the mention of that word. slavery conjures images of a people owned and sold by others in chains. Cotton fields. Not peaceful cotton fields with birds singing, and the sun shinning brightly, its rays sparkling on the grass blades, but fields of violence. That specific form is known as chattel slavery. But, forget the graphic imagery and the disturbing sound effects. Think basic economic slavery, no slave markets, no cotton fields, no whips, and chains. May be chains and fields in a metaphoric sense. It may sound far fetched or even seem like I am taking the experiences of slaves lightly, but I believe modern labor markets where workers cannot get value for their work to be modern day slavery. This is why I am mixed about the strikes in Nigeria and recent ones in South Africa.

Economists will be quick to point that the abundance of labor reduces the price employers are willing to pay for labor since employees compete against each other, which drives down prices. In other words supply affects prices. Nonsense! The truth is that people have been socialized to not demand their value's worth, especially for labor. I have always been struck by the bad rap given to people who go on strikes to demand a fair share for their contributions to the economic system that is supposed to be equitable in the first place.Fundamentally, what slaves of the past have in common with most workers today is their lack of freedom to sell labor at a reasonable and sustainable cost.

In the United States, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution makes involuntary servitude illegal under any US jurisdiction whether at the hands of the US government or in the private sphere, except as punishment for a crime. And yet, it is illegal for an employee of the United States Federal Government to strike. Prospective federal employees must sign standard form 61, an affidavit not to strike. I wonder why people cannot exercise their God given right to demand their value's worth. History is full of events demonstrating the suppression of employees by government. President Ronald Reagan terminated air traffic controllers after their refusal to return to work from a strike in 1981. Last year Judge Theodore Jones sentenced the Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint to ten days in jail in New York City following the breakdown of negotiations for a new contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) over retirement, pension, and wage increases.

Whatever happened to the idea that people should be free to choose a wage that they feel captures the value of their contributions? If it is hard to think about people's inability to even voice their discomfort or withdrawing their labor from the market as slavery, it is because we have normalized the abnormal. In other areas of life, you do not exchange goods if you deem the value of what you are getting in return to be less. But with labor, we seem to be so afraid to demand our worth so that people who do so are chastised as being selfish. Some people will argue that if we all demanded our fair share then the system may collapse since the perception of fair share is so arbitrary. They see one's ability to sacrifice a little bit of labor as a necessary contribution to nation-building. Fair enough. My only problem is that the argument for nation building is only used when it is time to give, but when it is time to receive, oh no. Would it not be nice for corporations to also sacrifice for nation-building by paying people reasonable wages that can see them send their children to school and pay for health, shelter e.t.c? I guess I am disturbed by the state of affairs particularly when I reflect on the fact that multinational banks such as Citigroup and Goldman Sachs often threaten governments to get subsidies to create jobs.

BBC News reported in "Bank subsidy for Ground Zero move" (6/14/2007) [1] that JPMorgan Chase struck a deal to receive large incentives and subsidies from the City of New York and the State of New York to ensure that the company does not follow through on threats to leave downtown New York for Connecticut. It is said that, " New York City officials have already paid Goldman Sachs $650m (£330m) to build new offices in Battery Park City. [...] But the paper says that JP Morgan Chase will receive an even better deal, with tax breaks, discounted electric power and rent subsidies worth $100m from city and state authorities. And it says that rent subsidies will amount to $50m per year for 15 years, or $750m. Citigroup, the first US bank to accumulate more than $1 trillion in assets, has repeatedly played state against state and locality against locality to attract at least $285.9 million in subsidies in just the four states. In 2006, it had net income of $21.5 billion.

So tell me how it is that banks are allowed to threaten and get away with chunks of our tax money when we the workers are in fact penalized for demanding a measle increase in salary. What peace is there in poverty and injustice? Do not tell me about demand and supply, because like my mother says." I do not eat demand and supply."

It is unconscionable that people are expected to settle for less because of the threat that they are disturbing peace. If you want to strike, know that you are neither the first nor last to do so. Towards the end of the 20th dynasty, under Pharaoh Ramses III in ancient Egypt in the 12th century BCE, the workers of the royal necropolis organized the first known strike or workers' uprising in history. So let the strikers strike from the streets of Lagos to Long Island. Let the Nigerians and South Africans strike! Withholding one's labor is a human right!

What we should learn from Nigeria

I do not condone violence, but have heard it said that violence is the language of the unheard. So, perhaps we should start listening to violence as a means of coming to peaceful solutions. By listening, I do not mean accepting and celebrating it, but simply finding out what it is saying-from whence it comes. For the past few weeks I have been thinking about the violence in Nigeria's delta region. I have listened to this violence in the context of finding a lesson of peace that African can learn. And I am beginning to see that Nigeria's children, like most of Africa, must learn to play well with others--they must share resources.

I know it would be an insult to simplify the violence in Nigeria, but still I believe there is a grain of truth in the statement that the a conflict stems from the unequal distribution of resources. Indeed, Nigeria, like many African countries, still suffers from the colonial mentality of appropriating resources from one region to another without regard to those people under whose feet, noses, and huts the resources are being plucked. And it is not Nigeria alone either. If you ask some Sierra Leoneans, they will tell you that the unequal distribution of resources was to the war like gas is to a burning flame. Congo will tell you the same story and so will many other African countries.

What boggles my mind is how governments never seem to learn from their neighbors as well as from history. Africa must and should revert to our traditional values of sharing and simply adopting the golden rule.

If there is anything we can learn from the most populous country, it is that Africa must find ways to manage her resources to benefit the maximum number of people, rather than a few. It is a disgrace that many Nigerians and Africans for that matter are thirsty in a sea of resources that could mend a lot of troubled hearts.

The US Farm Bill, poor African farmers, and Koffi Annan.

If you picked up a newspaper in the last few weeks you may well be aware of two separate, but equally significant events- the US Farm bill proceedings in Congress and the announcement of Koffi Annan's new role as chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution. While proceedings in the US Congress elicited criticisms of US farm subsidies and calls for policy revisions to "save" the poor African farmer, Koffi Annan's $150 million initiative to increase the productivity of millions of small scale farmers in Africa should have come as a great relief and a cause for celebration. But for some reason, it did not. Instead, it seems that Koffi's initiative, which is still in its embryonic stage may somehow be a still birth that will never bring a better future for the poor African farmers.

Already, there are internal misgivings about the authenticity of the initiative, given that it is financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, whose intentions are at best taken with a grain of salt. In most of Africa, authenticity is the currency with which to garner collective buy-in for development initiatives among people all the way from governments to gunmen. When people feel that the idea is not only foreign, but also being pushed hard by the results oriented foreigners who often want to see change at any cost, they simply take the "donor money" and go, leaving the idea just a shell resembling what could have been. Many good ideas have died this fateful death and Western donors descending on the continent with green backs and blue prints for a better future for Africa are yet to learn that lesson.

Outside the continent, the future for the African farmer is under assault from the current US Farm Bill discussions to maintain subsidies to US farmers, even before Koffi's idea germinates. While Bush has been trumpeting his determination to bring economic opportunity to the people of Africa, he has also been inflicting damage on Africa's small farmers by the $190-billion agriculture bill he just signed into law. The billions of dollars doled out to US farmers contribute to global overproduction and downward spiral of world commodity prices, making it more difficult for small, unsubsidized African farmers to compete. This inability to compete is what has elicited chants and cries of US policy condemnation by many self-ordained ministers of African development carrying the message that everyone should “help poor Africa.” Though most of them are well-meaning, I worry that the chorus of saving the African farmer is not only falls on deaf ears, but in fact overlooks the fact that the US as a whole has more to lose economically and socially at the expense of a few agro-corporations who get the largest chunks of the subsidies.

The image of the poor African farmer has unveiled a curtain that continues to cover the American vision of what subsidies do to their economy and communities as a whole. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, " the farm bill gives American farmers subsidies that help determine which crops and animals U.S. farmers produce, the prices of those crops, and subsequently which foods processors, distributors and retailers ultimately get into the mouths of consumers." Though Americans may feel sympathetic to the cause of poor African farmers, many do not see how " agricultural policy directly affects public health, by determining the food choices provided by the food industry, which in turn impact what they eat." American subsidies perpetuate the corn-based junk foods industry that is one of the reasons why America has entered the age of obesity, unprecedented pollution, disease, depression, and the abuse of migrant workers as "cheap" labor. Subsidies are the reason why the large corporations who receive them at the expense of the small traditional American farmer are gobbling up small farms and turning them into mega-farms. These in turn are the culprits guilty of massive soil degradation, pollution by toxic fertilisers, pollution by animal factory wastes, depletion of aquifers, and indifferent cruelty to animals.

While the corporate food supply basks in the shadow of the poverty of poor Africans farmer to continue its degradation of America, many Americans are in lala land pertaining to subsidies. They think their cry for saving Africa is a cry for Africans, when in fact it must be a cry for their own salvation from corporate control of food, which is now more susceptible to bio-terrorism as a few companies control a large parts of what ends up on dinner tables.

So next time you hear an American talk about the poor African farmer in a sometimes condescending tone, tell them to talk about the poor American citizen whose food may end up just being a pill if the corporations figure a way to do so to cut costs and increase profits. America should do the right thing by reducing harmful farm subsidies, not as a matter of compassion and charity toward the African farmer-who stands to benefit less anyway, but for her own good. America must shed tears for the removal of subsidies for America's sake, and not crocodile tears for the poor African farmer. Reducing the subsidies will go a long way to make America a healthy, safer, and better place to live in. And may be, and I mean just may be, it may help compensate Koffi Annan for all the favors he gave the US while at the UN.

Zimbabwe 'collapse in six months'

Zimbabwe is drunk. And in exactly six months, it will collapse- or so the BBC says.

Six months from today is supposed to be Christmas. In many parts of the world, that is right about the time when people are in a jovial mood, looking forward to a new year. Some people make resolutions, others make tonnes of money, and yet still others make tonnes of presents. Generally, it is a time to be Merry! But, I wonder what Zimbabweans will be doing then. The BBC says they will be in a chaotic state of emergency owing to the collapse of the country.

Though I cannot even imagine what the collapse of a country is supposed to look like, I can smell the craziness already. A few weeks ago the Zimbabwe dollar was 1: 2500 on the official market and 10 times on the parallel market. Fast forward to last night, it was 20 times that. The money is only mathematically humongous, but it ain't worth a dime!

So, I wonder where I will be when the country collapses. I hope that I will not be in a bar, drinking. But before the country collapses, I am wondering how and why the world has left Zimbabwe to intoxicate itself to the point of near collapse. While I cry for Zimbabwe, I am cautious about South Africa given that it is beginning to exhibit some of the problems Zimbabwe faces/ faced.

Is HIV Truly the Cause of AIDS?

Before you accuse me of foolishness, insensitivity, being too gullible, and sheer madness, please take this as my quest for knowledge. Some Nobel prize winners say that HIV= AIDS hypothesis is a hoax!

I do not mean no harm if you have lost a loved one from HIV AIDS. If it will save as any consolation, a way for you to understand that I am not just writing from my brain (you may think from my rear), or may be some evidence that I do not take this lightly, I want you to know that I too have been through that road. A few weeks ago I lost my uncle, who by the way I said to have died of AIDS. But of course I do not know what really killed him. What I know is that I have lost three uncles thus far, all of whom have died in exactly the same manner. They have been said to have died of AIDS.

And the moment they came to our house, it was as if my family knew that this was their last good bye. They came with different illnesses, and in the hope of gaining better health care, which they did, they started suffering from the same exact problems. They are family and so we did all we could. And since my country is undergoing unprecedented levels of economic problems, I naturally had to foot all the very expensive funeral bills, which ran into, well, it's not about the money. It is about family!

As I write, my tears have not dried. Instead, they have continued to flow into a river that has swept my heart into a quest for an answer to the question- why did they die? One of my uncles was the very religious type and I can certainly attest to him not having had multiple partners and so the whole issue of HIV AIDS as being the cause of his death is really taking a toll on me. May be it is my limited knowledge of the subject- which is why I am searching.

There are a lot of things that just do not add up, among which are the fact that three people - who have since died- complained of exact similar symptoms after taking medication for different conditions. Then there is the gradual decline that they went through so that my mother once described my uncle as being in his final stages because the previous uncle was behaving like that in his final days. Perhaps I should start believing in magic. But, for now, all of this has just left me questioning so many things to which answers are hard to come by. It is in this spirit that I am reading and reflecting on these articles below. May be books and articles are not the place to look. I really do not even know what the truth will do at this point, but there is in me a deep feeling of wanting to be enlightened. May be it is my sheer search for a bigger meaning in life and an inability to simply accept that life does come to an end. After watching a youtube video, it makes me wonder about AIDS. I am wondering more so because I once wrote a paper for a non profit management class on how HIV AIDS is undermining accountability in the non profit sector in Southern Africa. You can read it if you request it.

So, I stumbled upon these articles and sites. Though I am happy to read them, I remain unsure of the validity and authenticity of anything I read online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO9pFFanbCQ&NR=1

http://www.hanalulus.com/hank/dues.sci.am.cancer.pdf

http://aras.ab.ca/articles/legal/parenzee-bauer.html

Mr. Bush, give justice a chance and Libya some space

No, this is neither about Paris Hilton nor about Gonzales. Oops, the list is long. Then there is the black kid from Georgia who was in prison for stuff that he is not to be locked up for. Then there is the men who have been unjustly locked up. Then there are, is..... Well, before I am misquoted, let me say emphatically and unequivocally that every cell in my body opposes the death penalty for whatever reason. I am Catholic. There you have it!

I am appalled from learning that Bush called on Libya to free nurses that were sentenced by a court of law. Is this not the democracy that they have been preaching all along, that governments should not interfere with the judiciary? What makes el Presidente an exception? Or was it just a non-committal diplomatic statement when Bush said: "We strongly support the release of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya - it's a high priority for our country. "Our hearts also go out to the children that have been infected by HIV and Aids," he said.

While I am opposed to the possibility of Libya killing these nurses or making them a bargaining chip, IF they are innocent, it is equally appalling for Bush to go out there to interfere with Libya's justice system. If it is true that these nurses indeed killed innocent children, it is a great injustice to humanity for the US and EU to deny Libya its sovereign right to prosecute these people. That said, killing these people will not bring back the children! In fact, I am disgusted by the notion that they would ask these people to pay compensation to the families as if to say you can kill Africans as long as you can pay the right price. What a shame! But, then again, I understand that there may be no other option. But still, it is immoral to equate a life stolen with a dollar or a pound.

It scares me to imagine that some of these so called volunteers who go to Africa to save people may have sinister and dreadful motives. How on earth can people live with themselves after injecting children with the HIV virus? Speaking of HIV/ AIDS, I have been reading some disturbing articles about the whole issue of AIDS. Do not take my word for it, but I am not so sure what to believe anymore sometimes, especially with the whole drug industry corporations being so driven by money and greed.

http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/data/cfinc.htm
http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/index.htm

With all the killing, the lying and injustice of humanity, I wonder what God will do to set us free from the burden of ignorance and sin. Speaking of God, I heard somebody say that God may be in some prison. Reason? Well, when people are locked up, including Paris Hilton, they always seem to find God! He must be in there somewhere.

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has won the Man Booker International Prize

This year must be year of Nigeria. Two international literary prizes, elections- hey I did not say they were free and fair, and the satellite launch. I think we deserve to celebrate, if not to melt away the sadness transpiring in other countries including Nigeria's Delta Region. Doesn't it seem like another totally different country?

Anyway, forget the Delta for now. Congratulations to Chinua Achebe. To Achebe I say, congratulations, you make us proud!!!!!!

Who is lying in Zimbabwe?

If I was not the culprit, this would have been an opportune time to say " aha I told you so." But as fate would have it, I am on the hot seat. So I have nothing to say. I feel like such a fool after ululating over the unripe and unsubstantiated news that the powers that be in Zimbabwe finally saw the light and were now gravitating towards some sense to quell the political insanity. It was said- with full quotes in Shona about how we are all one people who eat Sadza (ugali, nsiima) and Mathumbu- that the elders gave farm machinery even to MDC people including some leaders of both factions. I was so psyched. But now I am wondering whether it was the Sadza and Mathumbu that made me taken over so easily for a rough ride.

Now it seems that somebody stretched both their imagination and words about who got the machinery for farms. So, I am at a loss as to whom to trust after reading news in an anti-government paper that Arthur Mutambara, said to be one of the beneficiaries of farm machinery, denied the charges leveled against him.

Arthur Mutambara, leader of one of the factions, is quoted as saying, " I have never been offered any such land or equipment by the Zanu PF government. If offered, I will reject it with contempt. " And here is the kicker in the words Mugabe has previously directed at Blair, " Mugabe and his patronage system can go to hell and hang."

Beautiful Zimbabwe. What a lovely country! Country of of lovely dances. One step forward, ten steps backwards.

Zimbabwean President Robert G. Mugabe reaches out to MDC

In a home where there is discord and fighting, the peaceful words of an elder are like water on a wild fire. Naturally, it pleased my eyes to read that Mugabe was reaching out to the MDC. This is what Africa and Zimbabwe needs, not the politics of war. We need to move beyond the politics of name-calling to the politics of letting ideas fight.

As much as I would like to celebrate, I would be more happy if this show of political maturity by the MDC and Zanu PF is not like the rain that comes to announce the drought to come. Weird as it sounds, but if you have ever lived in a dry region you may know that there is a certain kind of rain that comes up shortly before a dry spell. It is the kind that gives people so much hope, they go out and plant seeds that only die to never rise again and give life to the earth and people around it. But, hopefully, Mugabe's words will be like the rain that falls today to wet the ground's appetite in an announcement that, be ready...great things are to come. I do not want to shower too much praises because that is what they were supposed to do. It is expected of elders to talk peace when the house is divided, to cool the heat when it is too hot, and to bring wisdom when foolishness prevails. So all I can say, is, it is about time!

Bashir must be locked up. But, what about Bush & Blair?

Judges of the ICC issued a warrant of arrest for President Omar Al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan. In light of this expected development, I wonder whether Sudan will finally know peace.

What about those responsible in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Gaza?

Many will point out the hypocrisy of the ICC in issuing this warrant while George Bush walks free in Texas, while others will note that this warrant highlights a new form of colonialism. But, I have always wondered why African blood has always been in such a fragile vase that continues to break. And if you are African like me, you should be wondering whatever happened to African solutions for African problems.

I wonder what a child who has never known their parents or parents whose children have vanished because of this war will say. I wonder what the girl whose innocence has been stolen from her by some gun-carrying, horse-riding-soldier will say. And what are you going to say?

Should n't the Darfur situation be a thing of the past only to be found in the history books? Should not the mission of every leader and country be to defend the well being of their people against all threats, not to take lives away in pursuit of power? The suffering in Africa has gone on for far too long. The length and breath of our continent is covered in blood and tears. Tears that continue to flow into a red river whose source never seems to run dry. Why?

Perhaps the sun will dry our tears? Perhaps global warming will burn through the fog of impunity and dry away the red rivers? Perhaps this is something for you to pray about and go about your day? Perhaps this is something for you to protest about? Perhaps this is something for you to sing about? When will Africa know peace? I wonder!

South Africa: signs and symptoms of a maturing African democracy.

South Africa is beginning to exhibit the signs and symptoms of a maturing African democracy. Mature democracies have problems with paying their workers and they lose staff to the West, which further sets the economies backwards since most qualified personnel are out in search of greener pastures. Before the backwards movement, first the signs of displeasure manifest themselves in strengthening trade union movements. The workers are generally so hopeful of change that they are on the streets protesting (asking/begging for change) because they still hope that a solution lies in some government office.

Just last week, there were strikes for pay raises, which makes me wonder what is to come next. I am deeply worried too about the protests in that we are beginning to see the South African government now coming to terms with using rubber bullets and the police against their own people. A few years ago, it was almost impossible as everyone remembered the bad Apatheird times, but now, I wonder what gases and bullets will follow as the government tries to deal with a discontented population.

The discontent and government inability to address these issues satisfactorily are just but the weakning of the immune system. Sooner or later, it may become the norm to see people striking and government being put in a tighter corner where gases and bullets will make more sense as a means of self-defence.

Interestingly, the advocates of democracy fail to acknowledge the unique problems that face these young democracies. So when they fail, the only thing they can say is " we told you so!"

G8 leaders reach $60bn Aids deal

Before you go out celebrating with palm wine, umqomboti,Changa, or Chibuku, please wait a minute. I know the headline that " G8 leaders reach $60bn Aids deal" sounds like we have finally arrived. But we have not. The G8 have PLEDGED. And it is only a PLEDGE, which is why I am not going to celebrate. History has shown that these guys are emotionally abusive because they always trample on the hearts and hopes of the poor. On a sunny day, they say we are committed, and then do nothing to actualize that commitment. In the end all these promises, promises, lead to nada, which is why Hugo Chavez is pissed off!

I do not always like to be the cynic in the room, but I know that we have a long way to go. These guys can't even agree on greenhouse emissions that may also wipe out their own children through all kinds of skin diseases and cancers. And you would have me believe that they are so committed to Africa's cause of serving people that they have colonized, stolen from, enslaved? Give me a break!

While I do not want to trash everything that is promised and in some cases given, I still have my reservations. I wonder whether these billions will only translate into foreign policy carrots and sticks. I wonder why African countries are pitted against each other to get access to this money. I wonder why the billions will go to Africa, if at all, in medicines bought from the West. I really wonder. They have made promise after promise on how they will help Africa by doubling or tripling aid, cancelling trading rules, but will they deliver this time? I wonder what will change to ensure that the money gets to where it is intended?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction

I was about to say it's about time for Africa but then realized that doing so would almost be an insult to the brilliant writers on whose shoulders Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stands. The writers who have won numerous awards of such repute. Nevertheless, we must and should, in the spirit of oneness, gratitude, pride, and peace, wish Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Amhlophe, Makorokoto, congratulations for winning the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. I am not going to speechify this great achievement, but still want to celebrate the sister's achievement, she has done all of us proud. I am sure there were people out there who thought she may not make it or those who thought, what in hell is she studying writing for, instead of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant. They too must celebrate.

Still on Nigeria...I am also proud of the recent case in which they are suing Pfizer because it really is about time that we held these multi-national companies accountable for their actions in Africa. I am positive this act will encourage other people to follow suit, whether Nigeria wins, loses, or decides not to pursue the case.

A call to African Unity.......

Have you ever imagined the/a United States of Africa? What about a free Africa, a free African people, a united African people? I have been searching the corridors of my mind to see the origins of my imagination of a United African village, nation, state, continent and people. Perhaps it is my inexperience or the tiredness of my spirit that clouds my vision. But I am lost. What must, should, can, will a free Africa be like? Though my imagination runs wild and my preoccupation with Freedom and Unity has sent me places, I am still without an answer. And the fact that my parents named me Lwangunuko-meaning Freedom, does not help either. Ah, perhaps that is where I must start my quest- at the doorstep of my name and identity. But, my middle name only speaks about a state of being untied. And that does not seem to fully encompass the aspirations of my imagination. So, I am sitting here, still wondering what exactly it is that African people want. Perhaps it is not even right to ask what African people want as if we are just one or a small group, when in fact we represent so many needs, aspirations, wants, and more.

For so long I have heard people talk about a United Africa in a physical sense of countries joined together, doing business together, perhaps speaking the same language, perhaps not under the yoke of neocolonialism and perhaps... I have always tried to imagine a scenario that is presented by a physical unification of the continent. And I am beginning to think of it in the context of a union between people. The Africa that many talk of is like the purely physical union of male and female. It can produce life, misery, and nothing whatsoever. The Africa that is missing is a spiritual Africa where freedom is a right and a responsibility, where unity is more that the fact that we are black or that you my broda and sister. It is a unity that transcends economics, politics, but rather lays the ground for these to thrive. It is a unity based on values, not merely geographic boundaries that are meaningless without the necessary spiritual infrastructure to mend them together.

It does not matter how much money, AID or no AID that we receive from whomever or the dollars that we get in loans, grants, ransom, pledges. We need to ask ourselves whether we are cultivating the values that will bring us to freedom. Freedom, not just from hunger, nakedness, and peril, but freedom of spirit. Lwangunuko.

Today is Hunger Awareness Day

If you are one of those people who rely on the mass media to know what is going on around you, then you may not know that today is Hunger Awareness Day. If you did not know, well, now you know. I just read a USDA estimate that 96 billion pounds of food are wasted each year in the United States. This occurs in the midst of an estimated 35.1 million Americans that are food insecure; meaning their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.

For many people it is hard to conceive of the fact that hunger is a problem in the United States given the so called opportunities that exist. This image of plenty is perpetuated by media outlets which often frame hunger and poverty as problems that are only characteristic of Africa and other countries out there. To the extent that people have bought into this fiction, I have on many occasions heard friends say, "oh do not throw that food away, there are kids starving in Africa." True, there are kids out there. But, there are also kids starving in this very country. Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are alive in this island of hope that is the United States.

So next time you think of throwing things away or wasting food, think, not just of the kids in Africa, but of the silent millions who go hungry everyday in this country. Charity begins at home and so does change. It is only when we can begin to conceptualize hunger and poverty as a universal problem stemming from the unjust distribution of the world's resources that we will appreciate that, indeed, change must start here. It is no good trying to fight a war abroad when the house in which we live is on fire. And yes, I said it, America needs help too.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: How to help Africa? Do business there

I just finished watching a speech by the former Nigerian Finance Minister, the Honorable Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She was talking about the positive government reform initiatives taking place even as negative images of Africa dominate the news: famine and disease, conflict and corruption. The speech was great in its appeal to investors to come to Africa and invest their money in industries such as the telecommunications. I know Nigeria does present a great opportunity that people like Strive Masiyiwa, a Zimbabwean founder of Econet Wireless, have taken advantage of. That said, I always wonder why we only hear of these so called African positive changes aimed at foreigners in conferences. Is it because even Africans themselves have a negative image of their homeland. Why don't African governments ever embrace their citizens scattered abroad to come and invest back home? Is it because they are afraid that these people know that the progress politicians talk about is meant for conferences and not for reality TV? I will not mention names, but I know that many governments see their diaspora as enemies of the state. But unless and until governments think about creating conditions for their citizens to thrive in all spheres of life, then the positivity will always be fodder to be enjoyed at conferences where people are looking to be inspired.

I am not saying there is no progress at all in Africa, but Good God, can't we do better than this? Can't we do better than to rush out to the West to celebrate what we were supposed to do in the first place? Yes, we are supposed to arrest thieves, reduce inflation, return the people's money, and promote a sustainable social, political, and economic environment. But for some reason, many of our governments suffer from an identity crisis. They do not know what they should be-- whether to be defenders of Western interests who are happy to get the crumbs from the West or to simply be Africans. It is fact, not fiction that foreigners in any African country are more likely to get business licenses way faster than locals. Foreigners are more likely to be successful, not because they are better, but because they often have a bigger pot from which to invest and bribe at the same time. Foreigners are always well equiped with extra muscles in the form of African governments and their foreign governments to support them in the event that somebody plays funny tricks. They will bring in a little bag of capital and guns to safeguard their money and squeeze out resources in host countries. On their corner, they have foreign ambassadors who are quick to publicly rebuke African Presidents to safeguard the interests of their citizens, even if Africans can never dream of dreaming about doing the same in the West. When was the last time you heard an African ambassador reprimanding George Bush for his actions that affect our interests? But, when African citizens go on strike to demand better governance, you better believe that government bullets and tear gas cans are the answers they get. So in the end, all we Africans ever bring is capital and hope. And when governments take away this capital and trample the hope, many people become discouraged. Instead, they invest in foreign lands where even thieves are willing to stash their loot.

For Africa to prosper, we first need a brain wash to rid us of the inferiority complex. Then we need to have a sense of self-value and embrace local solutions for local problems. It is only then that bread produced by a local bakery will be bought instead of foreign brands. It is only then that many people will not expect African business people to conduct their affairs on the buddy buddy system in which they cut some slack because we are brothers. I know governments who do not pay their local debts and yet they expect business people to succeed. How? That has done nothing to advance any community.

If governments embraced their mission to create an equal playing field for everyone and invest their energy in ensuring that the environment is conducive for business, then money will not be a problem. And if truth be told, there is enough money out there among honest Africans, thieves, crooks, and politicians both at home and in the diaspora to boost up economies. There are many African business men and women who are dying at the opportunity to invest money at home for good returns. What is missing, is a conducive environment to enable people's ideas to thrive. It always pains me to see press conferences of governments celebrating a mere $50 million dollar investment from foreigners because I know that there are Africans out there who can produce more money than that, if there were conducive environments.

So, instead of statistics of progress and all this rhetoric of African solutions for African problems when African solutions are disregarded by Africans themselves, we need to have a bedroom conversation amongst ourselves. Forget the conferences. Let us sit down and ask ourselves why we prefer foreign capital to local capital. Is it because government officials know that the West can throw some crumbs their way in thanks for securing those contracts? Is it because we have such a huge psychological inferiority complex that allows us to disregard even the most qualified of our own people? A complex that will have us sacrifice our own people in defending our resources that are in the hands of foreigners? A complex from which people think foreign is better than local? Well, let me tell you this: Local is lekker.

Personally, I am tired of the song " we shall overcome someday." Give me a time table of the real changes we need to see from governments. Business is business, and governments must embrace that paradigm and provide a conducive environment.Even birds prepare their nests before they can lay eggs. And for governments to think that economic development and prosperity is simply just going to hatch from rhetoric is insane. Palm trees do not produce apples, and neither will conditions that stifle local innovation and contributions produce economic progress. So, let governments produce what they are supposed to produce- and people will follow suit.

But, one thing I know for certain is that the sun will rise and shine tomorrow. And I have a dream. I have a dream, that one day African crooks, thieves, and honest men and women will have the confidence to put their money in Africa. It behooves any and every African, even thieves and crooks, to work for that which will perpetuate his or her village, community, nation, and people.

Sierra Leone air crash kills 21

No matter what the cause, the loss of human life is always a sad event. And when you have a personal connection to either a place or a family that loses a life, the pain can be very devastating. On that note, my condolences go out to the families and friends of the 21 people reported to have lost their lives when a helicopter ferrying passengers to Freetown airport in Sierra Leone crashed. My condolences go to the Togolese people who lost more than a match on their visit to Sweet Salone on an international football match.

My finger was already wagging in the air in search of a culprit as I was contemplating the insecurity posed by some of the flights on African airspace. I have been on that helicopter and I remember sitting next to a container of fuel at the back of the helicopter from Freetown to Lungi airport. I am sure there will be a time to blame and point fingers, but for now, first things first. And my condolences go out to the families of those who lost their lives.

Niger: Parliament Sends Government Packing

Amazing! The Associate Press reported that Niger’s government dissolved after a no-confidence vote led by an opposition group in Parliament. Reason? Well, somebody took the money from the cookie jar provided by Europeans. They say Prime Minister Hama Amadou "chopped de monie" like my friends in Sierra Leone would say. In a country taht relies on AID for many programs, the embezzlement scandal and allegations that Mr. Amadou stole $1.2 million in international aid intended for Niger’s impoverished schools are and must not just end in small talk and reprimands.

While the situation is very sad, I hope other Africans adopt this simple idea- chop the money, out! For many of these corrupt officials who steal, they do not see that they themselves are responsible for deaths, malnutrition, and lack of education. I wish African governments would make public funds fraud a very serious offense to deter the criminals. Problem is that some of the criminals are very high up and well connected, which is why law enforcement and the justice systems should be strengthened and made independent.

I would love to see some of the NGOs that are interested in promoting start financially supporting institutions of democracy like the courts, prisons, law enforcement e.t.c. If these fools are locked up in those maximum prisons, then may be, and just may be, we may begin to see some change in here.

Zimbabwe dehorns Rhinocerus to deter poachers

What is a Rhino without a horn or an elephant without its tasks? I caught myself asking this question after reading of Zimbabwe's plans to de-horn the Rhinos and elephants before poachers get to them. "We want poachers to know that if they kill any rhino in Zimbabwe, they will not find any horns. We are keeping them all in highly secured places for our future generations," Henry Madzikanda, chief ecologist for Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, told the local Herald newspaper

I am not a conservationist to know the latest strategies of safeguarding animals, but my instincts tell me there is something untoward about the whole idea of de-horning these animals to save them. It seems like these animals are really in a pickle- whether it is the poachers or the government, either way they lose their horns. I thought these horns were used for protection and so am wondering how the rhinos are going to protect themselves.

Is interesting that while the collective population decline of Rhinos in more recent years has been caused by the poaching of rhino for their horn, the international ban prohibiting horn trading in 1976 actually contributed to massive prices increases in horn during the 1970s and 1980s, which subsequently increased the incentive to poach rhino, in turn leading to accelerated declines in rhino numbers. So the protection only helped the government by creating extra revenue sources for their conservation efforts.

Humans. We go into a quiet place, mess it up, and then try to find strategies to bring it back to its natural form. Had we just left the Rhinos and not encroached on their territory, I think they would be fine. If I was an elephant or a Rhino, this would be the time to protest or even go crazy on those national parks rangers.

But, the more I think about it, I feel that this inability to coexist with animals, is not only un-African, but is part of why the whole country is losing its mind.
Whatever happened to the days when our ancestors used to revere and protect these animals? We even have clan names like Ndhlovu (meaning elephant)to show the importance of these animals.

But, this whole domination and destruction of nature may very well be the reason we find ourselves so poor and unable to provide for ourselves that we have to rely on AID from the West. Sometimes I even think that these animals are better off because they still had that ability to defend and provide for themselves in their environment. And now we are taking it away from them.

What is next- statistics on Rhinos who need AID and the World Bank because they are so incapable of meeting their own needs? The best way to protect these animals is to leave them the hack alone. They do not want this economic driven pseudo-protection. I mean, what do the rhinos get in return for their horns? We Africans are losing our important values, which is partly why we find ourselves in so many problems today. There is so much our ancestors learned from animals about life and we have shut all that knowledge in pursuit of economic prosperity. And to think that we have nothing to show for this prosperity that has led us to destroy our lands, is so sad.

But, I got an idea. How about we give these Rhinos a medal of Patriotism and may be a purple heart for showing such bravery and putting themselves in harm's way to defend the human race against, shoot, the human race? Everything is becoming so absurd!

Misery: the secret to happiness

The truth that we have known for millenia is finally out: the key to a happy relationship could be accepting that some miserable times are unavoidable. According to the BBC, expert "therapists from California State University, Northridge and Virginia Tech say that accepting these problems is better than striving for perfection.And they blame cultural fairytales and modern love stories for perpetuating the myth that enjoying a perfect relationship is possible."

Wow, who would have thought? Perhaps it is time to give my grandmother and uncles their props for having made this discovery long before these experts came out. It has always puzzled me why relationships today have become so complicated. People are looking for heaven on earth, especially in highly technological societies that have learned to tame nature in a way that gives the illusion that in just a few years we may be Gods. Even within the African context, I have seen all kinds of interesting views on the rights and claims of the individual within the institution of marriage.

My parents have been married for almost half a century years and I always wonder what the secret is. But perhaps the secret is the whole humility that resides in the fact that for the most part, people raised when the value of family was so important will commit to that idea come what may. Today, our young generation is so preoccupied with individual satisfaction that a small problem such as a decline in your bank account may cost you your spouse.

Yesterday an Italian friend was telling me of another friend who was on the verge of divorcing her husband when his income suddenly fell and he was no longer able to provide. What ever happened to the till death do us apart? May be the whole thing should be revised to: till my portfolio do us apart?

I think the whole idea of heaven on earth precipitates from our illusion that we are so in control of what happens to us, when in fact we simply have influence. In many ways this makes me appreciate the lessons that a poor upbringing helped me appreciate. In societies where you sometimes are without food or shelter, one learns to know that not everything is in your control. And this teaches humility- a characteristic that sometimes helps one to even appreciate many things.

With the changes that I have been born into, I wonder what the world will be like in the next 100 years when science will be so advanced and the illusion of our control over nature so perverse.