Trials and Hopes for West Africa
Trials and Hopes for West AfricaWritten by Dr Kenneth D. Kaunda
Monday, January 05, 2009 5:52:00 PM
SO Lansana Conte has died in Guinea, his country, on Monday
December 22, 2008. He was aged around 74.
For someone at that age, he must have known about those great freedom fighters in West Africa. I am here referring to Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Modibo Keita of Mali.
There was in Nigeria Nanmdi Azikiwe and his prime minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria, and indeed Ahmed Sekou Toure of Lansana Conte’s Guinea Conakry and quite a few more in the region. Together with others in other parts of Africa, the freedom fighters made great contribution to the freedom struggle.
Sekou toure was Guinea’s first president from 1958 to the time of his death on March 26, 1984 at a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, in the USA. Nonetheless, without any authority, in April 1984, a few days after the death of Sekou Toure, Lansana Conte took over Guinea’s political power. Conte was there until a few days ago when it was announced that he died on December 22, 2008.
And on December 23, 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, also without authority, announced a takeover. Reports from Guinea Conakry tell the rest of the world that there were generals and colonels around but this young man took over political power. We remember that that great freedom fighter Kwame Nkrumah was in 1966 out on a state visit to some countries in the Far East when some of his generals took over political power.
Nkrumah was received and looked after by his brother Sekou Toure in next door Guinea. He received him as head of state and was given title of co-president.
In the West Africa region, there have been many other military coups. Liberia is one other. How can we forget its neighbour Sierra Leone? Ivory Coast was at peace for a long time until a few years ago after the death of the founding father, Felix Houphouet Boigny, in December 1993.
The people of the Ivory Coast now appear to be settling down, moving towards an agreement between people of the South and the North of the country.
Central African Republic has gone through similar ups and downs. What do we know about the Sudan, another great sheet of soil on the continent of Africa which is still going through terrifying tribulations? Somalia continues, ever since 1991, after Siad Barre, to be a source of many worrying manifestations.
Its recent president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, after having fired one prime minister, tried to do the same to the one who took over from the one fired. He got into trouble with his parliament. He had to resign. And he announced his resignation a few days ago on December 29, 2008.
In Ethiopia, after the 1974 overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia by the Mengistu Haile Mariam regime, there was instability. North Africa has suffered a few military coups but even with that, there has been more stability on that part of the continent than West Africa and other countries I have referred to.
Where are we today, in our continent of Africa? Chad has had its own problems. We hope that the current leader, having chased away the rebels with the help of the French government, has brought stability to that country.
Democratic Republic of Congo, with neighbours in the Great Lakes Region continues to suffer measures of instability. And after the tragic events around the Great Lakes, when Africa lost close to one million persons, mainly of Tutsi origin, as a result of the divisions planted by the colonialists, Rwanda, under the leadership of Paul Kagame, and its neighbour Burundi have been moving towards some stability.
I have written before that negotiations seem to be going on well between the Peoples Republic of China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo under President Joseph Kabila. I do sincerely hope and pray that these negotiations, if they succeed, will go a long way in helping stabilise that otherwise great country. It is a country with great potential.
Congo has a big population. Some of the greatest populations of animals and wildlife on this continent are in the Congo. What about those wonderful rivers, some of which come from Zambia. The lakes, and the mineral wealth. The potential for development in many fields, given the opportunity, is real.
If China and DRC should agree to open up that great country by building roads, railways, airports, harbours and ports – and in our world today, only China can help in that field – this will enable president of Congo Joseph Kabila to begin organising for a real national development.
Please, governments of Congo and China, continue and help organise for God's children in that otherwise great country.
Only this approach will help us get over what Africa has inherited from those who believed Africa belonged to them and was there for their exploitation.
May I here express hope, and indeed prayer, about what I learnt recently through the BBC that Congo, Uganda and Rwanda worked together to try and clear the mess caused by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. I want to believe that president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, was right to invite one of our very able and dedicated Pan-Africanist, former president of Mozambique Joachim Chissano, to come and help Uganda's rebel leader to sign for peace.
The leader of this organisation had agreed, on many occasions, that he would come, but never showed up. I can only hope and pray that peace will come to Uganda.
Kenya fought for its independence from British colonialism through Mau Mau. After independence, the country enjoyed a lot of peace, until the recent disturbances which we hope and pray will not take place again.
Gabon has enjoyed peace and stability under Omar Bongo. We hope and pray that this will continue. Congo Brazzaville had some hard times but, thank God, they have managed to begin to recover.
In Southern Africa, we have continued to enjoy peace and stability. We count Tanzania under that great son of Africa, Julius Kambarage Nyerere. Changes have taken place in accordance with the constitution of the republic. Next we have Zambia, where changes in leadership have continued to be done peacefully. West of Zambia, Angola, a former Portuguese colony, is stabilizing after civil war.
East of Zambia, Mozambique, after civil war, is also stabilising.
For Zambia, since 1964 when we became independent, in implementing our policies, UNIP, the party I was privileged to lead, very much believed in the two fundamental commandments:
Love God your Creator,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
This is how we relate to God. The second commandment taught us to “love your neighbour as you love your self.”
So we supported our neighbours, our brothers and siters, in the fight for independence and liberation. Working together with Zambia’s people, we were also able to build Zambia’s development capacity in many fields. We used the national wealth for the benefit of the people.
I thank God that the people of Zambia, throughout even difficult tough days, stood by this commandment, “Love thy neighbour as thy self.” This great commandment can only be said to be understood and obeyed when those responsible interpret this commandment by giving it meaning.
One can only show how much one loves his or her neighbour as himself or herself by doing unto others as he or she would have them do unto them. We will have to do unto them as we would have them do unto us.
Indeed, we thank God that what we did helped in bringing independence about in many countries in Southern Africa.
However, the general situation in Africa is that countries which went through divisions and turmoil are beginning to recover.
Let us hope and pray that where there is turmoil now, they will follow the examples of Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone and others will stabilise. Let us hope the same thing follows in North Africa, East, as indeed is the case in many countries in Southern Africa. Let Zimbabwe stabilise.
For Guinea and West Africa, Africa’s experience gives example that, working together with all in the nation and others elsewhere, there is hope to go from great trials to stability. We need peace and stability to defeat Poverty, Hunger, Ignorance, and diseases such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, TB, and, now, cholera. Who says we cannot achieve these objectives? Again, I must quote what my young brother, Barack Obama, incoming president in USA, has said: “yes, we can!”
Labels: KENNETH KAUNDA
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