The biggest story out of Africa his week has to be the xenophobia raging down in South Africa.
Justice Malala, one of South Africa's leading commentators opened his piece in yesterday's Times of South Africa with the following words:
"President Thabo Mbeki and his ANC successor Jacob Zuma were refugees in London, Zambia, Nigeria, Swaziland and Mozambique, among other places, between 1962 and 1990.
I mention this for those of my countrymen and women who have short memories. We should be ashamed that it is us who are today raping, looting and killing foreigners apparently because they “steal” our houses and “our women”."
The rest of his column is here
The highly regarded Charlene Smith weighs in with a revelation that the source of the violence against foreigners can be traced to the upper echelons of South African society.
"The attacks on foreigners have brought shame to our nation. And again, it is the result of not acknowledging a problem, as well as one of xenophobia within the cabinet. A senior member of cabinet told me shortly after returning from exile, “we must never allow Nigerians into our country, they are criminals.” Another privately referred to the dignified wife of one of our most revered statesmen as a “kwerekwere” — disparaging slang for a foreigner"
Christi van der Westhuizen goes for the jugular: Listen to her
"This is us. No miracle nation. No rainbow nation. Just us: violent; intolerant of difference — hitting where it hurts. Let’s not try to sweet-talk ourselves. This is who we are. Let’s look ourselves in the eye."
Some of the heavyweights of the Nigerian Commentariat are out in full voice today. Though not about the events in South Africa. They rather focus on issues closer to home:
Pat Utomi (The Guardian): Nigeria's public space and reason embattled
Tunji Bello (Thisday): Power Probe: The Obasanjo Defence – An Appraisal
Azu Ishiekwene (The Punch): The shocking truth about power
Olatunji Dare (The Nation): Ogbulafor: Only 60 years?
Showing posts with label Commentarati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commentarati. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
Commentariat Index - 050508
FROM THE AFRICAN PRESS:
Justice Malala (The Times, Jo'burg): Wake them up before you go-go
"This is a great country. It is great that journalists like me practise without fear. We raise our voices high and loud. We are ignored by power, but we are free.
What do we now need to make this country better? We need a leadership that peels off sentiment and begins to lead with purpose and resolve. We need a leadership that must pick a course and stay with it."
Mahmud Jega (Daily Trust, Abuja): Too many Cooks...
"Although there have been many spectacular probes at Federal, state and even local levels in Nigeria in the last 50 years, most of the reports ended up gathering dust on shelves in bureaucratic offices. In Nigeria here, thousands of people who were indicted by probe panels over the years are still walking the streets as free men and women; more than that, many of them ended up in even higher positions of authority, often through the instrumentality of "ill-gotten wealth," to use General Murtala Mohamed’s favourite phrase."
Edward Mulindwa (Daily Monitor, Kampala): Opposition Politics in Africa
"If Africa as a continent has to become “democratic” as per the West’s dictates, this policy must be across the board! Looking at the recent Zimbabwe’s elections, the West is not concerned about democracy in Zimbabwe at all.
All they want is to show Mugabe that what he did in 2000 about the land reforms did not please them and so, they want to have a Morgan Tsvangirai to right the wrongs. Democracy in the image of the West is good for Zimbabweans, but not for Ugandans, Gabonese, Egyptians or Libyans!"
Ebrahim Harvey (Mail & Guardian): What is the 'black struggle' really about?
"Mngxitama says 70 000 black children die before they reach the age of five. He implies that is purely because of continuing white racism. But it is, rather, the result of a much more complex story of deracialised neo-liberalism since 1994, which has produced Motsepes alongside gruelling black mass poverty"
Sam Omatseye (The Nation, Lagos): Comedy of Fear
"Laughter is closer to the darkness of our civilization than we may imagine.
"The difference between tragedy and comedy," remarks Aaron Allstoy, "tragedy is something awful happening to somebody else, while comedy is something awful happening to somebody else." Spot the difference."
Justice Malala (The Times, Jo'burg): Wake them up before you go-go
"This is a great country. It is great that journalists like me practise without fear. We raise our voices high and loud. We are ignored by power, but we are free.
What do we now need to make this country better? We need a leadership that peels off sentiment and begins to lead with purpose and resolve. We need a leadership that must pick a course and stay with it."
Mahmud Jega (Daily Trust, Abuja): Too many Cooks...
"Although there have been many spectacular probes at Federal, state and even local levels in Nigeria in the last 50 years, most of the reports ended up gathering dust on shelves in bureaucratic offices. In Nigeria here, thousands of people who were indicted by probe panels over the years are still walking the streets as free men and women; more than that, many of them ended up in even higher positions of authority, often through the instrumentality of "ill-gotten wealth," to use General Murtala Mohamed’s favourite phrase."
Edward Mulindwa (Daily Monitor, Kampala): Opposition Politics in Africa
"If Africa as a continent has to become “democratic” as per the West’s dictates, this policy must be across the board! Looking at the recent Zimbabwe’s elections, the West is not concerned about democracy in Zimbabwe at all.
All they want is to show Mugabe that what he did in 2000 about the land reforms did not please them and so, they want to have a Morgan Tsvangirai to right the wrongs. Democracy in the image of the West is good for Zimbabweans, but not for Ugandans, Gabonese, Egyptians or Libyans!"
Ebrahim Harvey (Mail & Guardian): What is the 'black struggle' really about?
"Mngxitama says 70 000 black children die before they reach the age of five. He implies that is purely because of continuing white racism. But it is, rather, the result of a much more complex story of deracialised neo-liberalism since 1994, which has produced Motsepes alongside gruelling black mass poverty"
Sam Omatseye (The Nation, Lagos): Comedy of Fear
"Laughter is closer to the darkness of our civilization than we may imagine.
"The difference between tragedy and comedy," remarks Aaron Allstoy, "tragedy is something awful happening to somebody else, while comedy is something awful happening to somebody else." Spot the difference."
Yesterday's Commnetarati
In spite of the usual saying that yesterdays newspaper is only good for wrapping today's fish & chips (or Boli & Suya in my case), I gleaned some interesting thoughts from 3 of the commentarati heavies that appeared in yesterday's papers. I've considered them worthy of sharing today beacuase they are sure worth a lot more than holding my chips and suya!
Ali Mazrui (East African Standard): African development, Islam and Afrindian experience
"While I do think cultural factors are profoundly relevant for development, I have been advising African policymakers and educators that it does not follow that more Western culture in Africa will mean more development. A combination of Western technique with indigenous culture is the secret of dramatic modernisation and development. Higher cultural westernisation in the Third World has not necessarily meant higher economic and developmental returns."
Thomas Friedman (New York Times): Who Will Tell the People?
"If all Americans could compare Berlin’s luxurious central train station today with the grimy, decrepit Penn Station in New York City, they would swear we were the ones who lost World War II.
How could this be? We are a great power. How could we be borrowing money from Singapore? Maybe it’s because Singapore is investing billions of dollars, from its own savings, into infrastructure and scientific research to attract the world’s best talent — including Americans."
Shashi Tharoor (Times of India): Were the doomsayers right after all?
"This has finally begun to stir the consciences of the world's politicians. Finance minister Chidambaram has called environmentally-justified crop-substitution a "crime against humanity". Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi recently declared that "something must be done to ensure [that] both the United States and Europe stop producing fuel in competition with food". Prodi was blunt about the political motivations for such heartless policies: "People can no longer be allowed to starve to death in Africa simply because some people in the United States or the European Union consider that the votes of farmers or landowners are worth more than the survival of millions of men and women." "
Fred Khumalo (Sunday Times, SA): All grist to the mill of Obama-bashers
"The US has got much to offer the world, and that excludes war.
That’s all Obama tried to convey in that memorable speech of his. It’s a message which, like Martin Luther King jnr’s “I have a dream” speech, will unfortunately not be appreciated today. But future generations will pay it the respect it deserves, by which time much damage would have been done by political administrations with an oil-and-conquest mentality."
Gary K. Busch - nigeriavillagesquare.com: When a Drum Begins to Play a Higher Pitch, It's About to Break
"Tsvangirai and Biti announced, to the horror of the security chiefs in the Army and the Police, that the MDC would give back the farms which had been taken from their owners by ZANU-PF. Irrespective of the merits and morality of such an action a precipitate dislodging of the current occupiers would present the authorities with a security nightmare they knew they couldn’t control.. It was a recipe for conflict which no one could control. The security forces were alarmed. Even worse, when the issue of a transition to a possible new MDC government arose at the meeting in Lusaka, the MDC leadership told the African presidents that there were British Special Forces standing by at a ‘secret airbase’ in Botswana run by the Americans who would come in, arrest the Zimbabwe security chiefs, and take over internal security until order was re-established."
Ali Mazrui (East African Standard): African development, Islam and Afrindian experience
"While I do think cultural factors are profoundly relevant for development, I have been advising African policymakers and educators that it does not follow that more Western culture in Africa will mean more development. A combination of Western technique with indigenous culture is the secret of dramatic modernisation and development. Higher cultural westernisation in the Third World has not necessarily meant higher economic and developmental returns."
Thomas Friedman (New York Times): Who Will Tell the People?
"If all Americans could compare Berlin’s luxurious central train station today with the grimy, decrepit Penn Station in New York City, they would swear we were the ones who lost World War II.
How could this be? We are a great power. How could we be borrowing money from Singapore? Maybe it’s because Singapore is investing billions of dollars, from its own savings, into infrastructure and scientific research to attract the world’s best talent — including Americans."
Shashi Tharoor (Times of India): Were the doomsayers right after all?
"This has finally begun to stir the consciences of the world's politicians. Finance minister Chidambaram has called environmentally-justified crop-substitution a "crime against humanity". Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi recently declared that "something must be done to ensure [that] both the United States and Europe stop producing fuel in competition with food". Prodi was blunt about the political motivations for such heartless policies: "People can no longer be allowed to starve to death in Africa simply because some people in the United States or the European Union consider that the votes of farmers or landowners are worth more than the survival of millions of men and women." "
Fred Khumalo (Sunday Times, SA): All grist to the mill of Obama-bashers
"The US has got much to offer the world, and that excludes war.
That’s all Obama tried to convey in that memorable speech of his. It’s a message which, like Martin Luther King jnr’s “I have a dream” speech, will unfortunately not be appreciated today. But future generations will pay it the respect it deserves, by which time much damage would have been done by political administrations with an oil-and-conquest mentality."
Gary K. Busch - nigeriavillagesquare.com: When a Drum Begins to Play a Higher Pitch, It's About to Break
"Tsvangirai and Biti announced, to the horror of the security chiefs in the Army and the Police, that the MDC would give back the farms which had been taken from their owners by ZANU-PF. Irrespective of the merits and morality of such an action a precipitate dislodging of the current occupiers would present the authorities with a security nightmare they knew they couldn’t control.. It was a recipe for conflict which no one could control. The security forces were alarmed. Even worse, when the issue of a transition to a possible new MDC government arose at the meeting in Lusaka, the MDC leadership told the African presidents that there were British Special Forces standing by at a ‘secret airbase’ in Botswana run by the Americans who would come in, arrest the Zimbabwe security chiefs, and take over internal security until order was re-established."
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