Foreigners should not divide Africa - Matoka
By Abigail Sitenge
Sat 26 May 2012, 12:45 CAT
FREEDOM fighter Dr Peter Matoka says Africans should not allow external forces to divide the continent. In an interview in Lusaka after the commemoration of Africa Freedom Day celebrations at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Dr Matoka said foreigners should not divide Africa again.
"…We are now building the African unity for the rest of a happier future for our young people," he said.
Dr Matoka who is also Copperstone University chancellor said Africa would not be divided by anyone once the continent remained united and ran its affairs in a proper way.
"Unity is strength…We should be proud of our continent Africa," he said.
Dr Matoka said Africa Freedom Day celebrations should be encouraged because they bring about unity.
"…And young people should learn that they don't just belong to Zambia but to Africa as a whole," said Dr Matoka.
And during the same occasion, dean of African Diplomats and Botswana High Commissioner to Zambia, Ditlhabi Oliphant, said Africa Freedom Day was born as a result of the desire and commitment by African leaders who had a vision for the liberation, independence, redemption and unity of the African continent.
Oliphant paid special tribute to the gallant freedom fighters of the Zambian Liberation Struggle, both past and present.
The celebrations attracted freedom fighters among them Grey Zulu, General Malimba Masheke, Bernadette Sikanyika and Christina Mulunolika.
Meanwhile, foreign affairs deputy minister Effron Lungu said there was need to fully harness the economic potential and promote intra-Africa trade as well as investment within the continent.
Dr Lungu said Africa must strive towards attaining economic cooperation both at bilateral and multi-lateral levels, having been freed from the bondage of colonialism.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, PANAFRICANISM, PETER MATOKA
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Democracy can only thrive where there's zero tolerance to corruption, says Sata
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Fri 25 May 2012, 13:30 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata says democracy can only thrive in an environment where there is zero tolerance to corruption. President Sata said corruption was a cancer that robbed countries and citizens of their dreams and resources.
As part of this year's Africa Freedom Day celebrations, President Sata ordered the release of 2,314 prisoners countrywide.
"In strengthening democratic principles, my administration is also alive to the fact that democratisation goes hand in hand with zero-tolerance for corruption in all its manifestations," President Sata said in his message to the nation on the eve of Africa Freedom Day.
"Where corruption is rife, people are denied their right to receive education, health care, clean water and proper sanitation as well as business opportunities. To this end, I re-affirm the commitment of the Patriotic Front government to the continued fight against corruption, with vigour and total determination."
President Sata praised Zambians for last year's successful transfer of as the move had helped to inspire other African countries.
"One of the positive aspects of our continent is the desire to broaden and deepen democratic rule," President Sata said.
"No part of the continent is now immune from calls for democratisation. Last year, Zambia demonstrated to the rest of the world that a peaceful transfer of power was possible in a democratic election when the PF defeated the MMD and this has allowed the Zambian people to be governed by a party of their choice."
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA
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Ngondo denies having attended Africa Freedom Day celebrations
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sat 29 May 2010, 04:01 CAT
ALL Peoples Congress (APC) leader Ken Ngondo has said he did not attend the Africa Freedom Day celebrations because President Rupiah Banda’s government is following the footsteps of the Frederick Chiluba regime.
Briefing the press in Chipata on Thursday, Ngondo refuted media reports that he attended the commemorations that were held in Lusaka on Tuesday.
“I want to comment on what came out in the public media especially the Daily Mail also on ZNBC television that All Peoples Congress president attended the celebrations. This is a lie, I wasn’t there. I have been in Eastern Province since last Saturday,” Ngondo said.
“I did not attend Africa Freedom Day celebrations as Ken Ngondo and my family that was invited by the government of the day because I feel President of the Republic of Zambia Rupiah Bwezani Banda and his government of the MMD is following the footsteps of the Chiluba government where they never respected the freedom fighters.”
He said it was bad that the government did not care for the people who fought for the country.
“Hardly a month ago, we lost Honourable Haswell Mwale, one of the founders of UNIP and the founders of this nation. He was among the gang of the people who produced UNIP. The men never got respected by the Chiluba government, neither the Rupiah Banda’s government,” Ngondo said. “He late Mwale was in UTH, the President of the day never visited him. I don’t know, he couldn’t be sent to South Africa for major spinal operation. At the same time he was in Intensive Care Unit I was also in Intensive Care Unit for pneumonia. Now coming to Haswell Mwale, it pains me so much. If we talk of Africa Freedom Day, these are the people the government should respect. Yes, they are entitled to state funeral but I would have expected the Head of State, to have him at the graveyard, to bury our colleague, but it was only Dr Kaunda, myself and others. To me they do not care about these freedom fighters.”
He said a few days after Mwale’s death, Vice-President George Kunda was flown to South Africa for medical review.
“As I am talking to you now in Eastern Province, we have Dr Siteke Mwale who is still working as Ambassador Great Lakes Region. He is very sick; he was taken to South Africa by a son. He has come back, he is not well. He is at home. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. The government of the day has not even considered to continue with the medication that he was getting in South Africa,” Ngondo revealed. “Can we say we love each other? Can we say we are not tribalists? Can we say we love the people of Zambia? Can we say we love freedom fighters? So to me Africa Freedom day for this year does not make any sense at all. It’s one of those calendar days that have no meaning and this is why I didn’t attend. I have been attending all Africa Freedom Days in the past.”
He said the government needed to reflect on Africa Freedom Day and its meaning.
Ngondo also said briefcase companies had invaded most parts of the country because of the government’s delays to start buying crops.
“We have seen briefcase companies buying maize. Where is the government of the day to buy the maize? We are seeing figures of US $150 million provided, but they are not buying maize from the people. They are telling them to wait until it’s dry, it’s too wet. Meanwhile, the so-called briefcase companies are assisting our people. Our people have got hospital bills, school bills and other bills to pay,” Ngondo said. “What can we do? Tell me young people of today. Is this the government that is caring? We need a deep reflection of what is going on in the nation. The judiciary when it wants to act it acts, but this interference from the executive will create chaos.”
He said although the three arms of government appeared separated in theory, they were practically not.
“Anybody who criticises the government of the day is an enemy, let’s not forget this is a multiparty country. We need people who can provide checks and balances. Let’s not, because of poverty, regard those in opposition to be enemies of Zambia. Let’s persist in protecting everybody. Let’s have everybody have the freedom of speech,” Ngondo said.
He also said APC did not participate in the Milanzi by-election because it was called at short notice.
Ngondo said he was seriously preparing for next year’s general election.
He said the politics of the Chiluba government who thought that money was everything needed to go.
“We are preparing seriously for next year. We are all recruiting young people. Why young people? There had been so many policies by the government assuring empowering of young people. Tell me, who has been empowered? Citizens empowerment that is being talked about, tell me how many people have been empowered.” asked Ngondo. “So politics of compromise have to go, politics of provinces they have to go, politics of Chiluba government who thinks money is everything has to go. We know that during elections money is dished anyhow, young people should think about this. Is this what you want your country to be?”
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, APC, KEN NGONDO
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Freedom is not just absence of war - Fr Msipu
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Fri 28 May 2010, 03:30 CAT
CHIPATA Catholic Diocese vicar general Fr Gabriel Msipu has observed that freedom is not just the absence of war and armed conflicts. Reflecting on Africa Freedom Day, which fell on Tuesday, Fr Msipu said there should be no misconception on the understanding of freedom.
“I would like to thank and pay tribute to those who fought for the freedom that we, as a country Zambia, and indeed other nations are enjoying and remembering. But then what is freedom according to our understanding because there might be a misconception that freedom is simply the absence of war and the absence of armed conflict,” Fr Msipu said.
“I think freedom is more than that.
Today, we should be talking about the inner freedom. How many people in our society within our country are free today? What is the source of the whole joy that we are celebrating and remembering today? Are the people that are celebrating and observing this day really free?
“This day to us is a challenge because we are celebrating this day in the midst of so many challenges like the poverty that is there in most families in society today, what is the meaning of freedom to such people who are living in extreme poverty? And when we look at the high levels of unemployment, there are people out there who are looking for employment. What is their source for celebrating this day?”
He said there were so many questions that needed to be asked on Africa Freedom Day.
“There are so many diseases including the incurable diseases. There are so many people that are sick in homes and in hospitals, what has this day got to do with them? And again we are looking at many families that are really bereaved, those families that have lost the beloved ones.
Does this day have any meaning to them? Or it’s just a commemoration without much significance to them? And in the midst of rampant corruption, what is the meaning of Africa Freedom Day? Looking at the plight of farmers who are stuck with their produce, what is the meaning of celebrating this day?” Fr Msipu asked.
He said the day was a challenge to government leaders, church leaders and all those holding leadership positions.
“Are we in a position to say we are free people? Apart from maybe the absence of war, absence of armed conflict compared to what other nations in certain parts of the world might be experiencing. To me, I think freedom goes beyond this aspect of absence of war in our nation but it challenges leadership at different levels when we reflect seriously on freedom,” Fr Msipu said.
He called for higher respect for human dignity in the country.
“…And this calls for balanced sharing of the country’s resources. If we look at the society today, you find that while some people are languishing in their poverty there are also individuals or families who might be swimming in riches. So the difference that is there sometimes would be questioned if really what… the unbalanced sharing of resources is really promoting freedom in its true sense. It challenges us also because we saw in some areas where we had by-elections, there was violence.
Some people even lost their lives, some people were left with permanent injuries and this violence I don’t know, if it is really signifying what we mean about the freedom that we are supposed to celebrate today,” Fr Msipu said.
He said Zambians should work towards minimising the political violence but should instead promote unity in diversity. Fr Msipu said Zambia needed freedom that would promote integral human development.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, CATHOLIC CHURCH, GABRIEL MSIPU
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Mugabe calls on Africans to defend their peace
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Thu 27 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
Africans must strive to defend the peace that prevails in their countries, President Robert Mugabe has said.
President Mugabe said this at celebrations marking Africa Freedom Day and the lighting of the Flame of Peace at the Harare International Conference Centre on Tuesday afternoon. He said Africans should strive to safeguard the sacrifices made by the continent’s young people during the struggle for independence of African countries.
“Of course, when we talk of peace and security we are doing so against the background of sacrifices made by our own young men and women to bring about the correct environment, the process of decolonisation that brought about that peace,” he said.
“On one hand, we talk of peace, on the other we must talk of defending that peace.”
President Mugabe urged Africans to express gratitude towards the continent’s founding fathers such as Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie, Ghana’s founding president Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who championed the total liberation of Africa, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria and Tanzanian former president Julius Nyerere.
“These men and many others like them deserve our eternal gratitude for their contribution towards African unity,” he said.
He said African leaders, on their part, were committed to creating an enabling environment for the fight against poverty, disease and underdevelopment.
“Africa’s leaders are determined through the mechanism of the Africa Union Peace and Security Council to resolve and manage the continent’s conflicts so that we can make real progress in our fight against poverty, disease and underdevelopment,” he said.
He said peace and development had proved to be the prerequisites for economic development throughout the world.
“All over the world, experience has shown that peace and stability are necessary preconditions for lasting socio-economic development. This is why the last Special Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government held in Libya in August last year, decided to declare 2010 the year of Peace and Security in Africa,” he said.
“In that context, the lighting of the Flame of Peace, which is here today, is one way of giving expression to this undertaking and it should be followed by the implementation of the various other peace initiatives proposed for the Year for Peace and Security.”
President Mugabe said as the continent hosted the soccer World Cup for the first time ever, they must embrace a culture of peace and togetherness.
“Soccer has been an important part of African culture for many years. And by bringing people together, it has fostered an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among our people, thereby contributing to peace and security on the continent,” he said.
“While ethnic and religious differences have sparked sectarian conflicts in Africa, soccer more than any other sport has helped people to look beyond their differences and celebrate instead the human spirit’s natural yearning for success, recognition and excellence.”
It was in recognition of the important role played by sport in general that the AU Commission had said this year’s Africa Day celebrations be held under the theme, “Building and Maintaining Peace through Sport in Africa.”
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, MUGABE
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The cause of our forefathers has been betrayed – Kazabu
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe and Masuzyo Chakwe in Lusaka
Wed 26 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE cause of our great forefathers has been terribly betrayed, UPND chairperson for education, science and technology Luxon Kazabu has observed. And General Malimba Masheke has appealed to the leadership in the country to work and maintain the cause of those who fought for independence to get Zambia free from poverty and create employment for the people.
Commenting on the Africa Freedom Day, which fell yesterday, Kazabu said freedom fighters engaged in the struggle to
ensure that after attaining independence, the country’s resources were properly harnessed to benefit everyone.
Kazabu observed that currently, no one could confidently stand and say that the country’s resources were benefitting every citizen.
“Most of our people are living a hopeless life whereby they hardly know where the next meal will come from,” he said.
Kazabu added that in a land of plenty like Zambia, it was a paradox that people should be wallowing in so much poverty amidst plenty natural resources.
He called on all citizens to reflect on the reasons why the country’s forefathers went into the freedom struggle.
“If our forefathers had to come back to life, they would have very harsh judgment for us for having betrayed their noble cause,” he said.
Kazabu said the current generation especially those in leadership still had a chance of cleansing themselves by doing things that would add value to every citizen as opposed to focusing on their own narrow interests.
He said when God gave Zambia all her natural resources, He did not mean that they should only be enjoyed by a few.
“Let us re-focus and remember the many people out there who need to be helped. We should ensure that when our people go to hospitals, they find adequate medicines, we should ensure that there are motivated nurses and doctors to treat them, we should ensure that our children go to schools where teaching and learning can be done effectively,” he said.
Kazabu said there was need to create an environment conducive for living.
Kazabu said issues of sanitation, clean drinking water, and better standards of living for people could be achieved if resources were properly harnessed.
And Gen Masheke, who is former prime minister in Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s government, congratulated Zambia for reaching this far.
He said those in leadership should work and maintain the cause of those who fought for independence to create employment for the thousands of youths who were queueing up during the recruitment of police and Zambia Air Force (ZAF) officers.
Gen Masheke said those in authority should not throw away wealth to investors without Zambians getting something out of it.
“I wish we owned something in the mines,” he said.
He said he was very encouraged with Australia’s Prime Minister who said from 2012, all mines would pay super profit tax which is supposed to increase Australians’ tax revenue collection from the mining sector.
Gen Masheke said in 1969 when he was out in the bush, Zambia was getting something from the mining industry, which was the biggest economic field.
He said there could be no development if the government did not control the mines. Gen Masheke said if the government did not control the mines at the time, there would be no tarred roads and clinics in all the country’s districts.
He said currently, the government did not own anything, as there were no industries in the country. Gen Masheke said everything had been sold out and the government only depended on tax from a few people in formal employment.
He said what comes into the country in terms of foreign exchange was beneficial only for a few.
Gen Masheke appealed to the Zambians not to allow wealth to disappear from the country. He said there were so many young Zambians who were unemployed.
He urged the government to create industries and share the country’s wealth equally.
Gen Masheke also appealed to those in leadership to work for the people and not for themselves.
The country joined the continent to commemorate Africa Freedom Day yesterday and several people were honoured by President Rupiah Banda.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, LUXON KAZABU, MALIMBA MASHEKE, NEOCOLONIALISM, WINDFALL TAX
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Africa Freedom Day
By Editor
Tue 25 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
ON this day, May 25, the day on which we commemorate Africa’s freedom, we are reminded of Nelson Mandela’s observations on Africa: “For centuries, an ancient continent has bled from many gaping sword wounds. No doubt Africa’s renaissance is at hand – and our challenge is to steer the continent through the tide of history. The people of the continent are eager and willing to be among the very best in all areas of endeavour.
The peoples of the resurgent Africa are perfectly capable of deciding upon their own future form of government and discovering and themselves dealing with any dangers which might arise. We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful; those in command of immense market power and those who dare to fashion the world in their own image. Africa, more than any other continent, has had to contend with the consequences of conquest in a denial of its own role in history, including the denial that its people had the capacity to bring about change and progress.
It would be a cruel irony of history if Africa’s actions to regenerate the continent were to unleash a new scramble for Africa which, like that of the nineteenth century, plundered the continent’s wealth and left it once more the poorer. Conflict threatens not only the gains we have made but also our collective future. The African rebirth is now more than an idea – its seeds are being sown in the regional communities we are busy building and in the continent as a whole. Can we continue to tolerate our ancestors being shown as people locked in time? Africa yearns and deserves to redeem her glory, to re-asset her centuries-old contribution to economics, politics, culture and the arts – and once more to be a pioneer in the many fields of human endeavour.
One destabilising conflict anywhere on the continent is one too many. For as long as the majority of people anywhere on the continent feel oppressed, are not allowed democratic participation in decision-making processes, and cannot elect their own leaders in free and fair elections, they will always be tension and conflict. A continent which, while it led in the very evolution of human life and was a leading centre of learning, technology and the arts in ancient times, has experienced various traumatic epochs, each one of which has pushed her peoples into poverty and backwardness. We cannot abuse the concept of national sovereignty to deny the rest of the continent the right and duty to intervene when, behind those sovereign boundaries, people are being slaughtered to protect tyranny.”
Clearly this commemoration shouldn’t become a mere routine that is simply repeated every year – rather, it should be a critical commemoration of our continent and our people’s freedom, the freedom for which so many people died to attain. But this being a historical event, it should be analysed with historical objectivity. And our analysis should not in any way be inspired by any feelings of hatred toward any country that once colonised us. Rather, this critical approach should be inspired by certain key values that are undeniable.
Therefore, the commemoration of Africa Freedom Day may prove useful, to the extent that it serves to bring out the cultural, historical and ethnic values that all African countries have in common, together with our shared traditions and customs. Everything that helps to enhance those shared values forms a shield that protects us against those who threaten us. To the extent that we can reaffirm our awareness of our identity and increase our people’s spirit of unity, we will be defending our right to have a place in the world of the twenty first century.
In a world that is being pushed toward uniformity and in a world where this uniformity is even being announced as a means of depriving the peoples of their historic awareness, we Africans must have a clear sense of our identity and diversity; proclaim the beginning of a new history of integration; include in it the enormous, silent masses of our people, poor people and all who have been pushed aside in our sorrowful republics and once again make them protagonists in history – which is far from having ended and in which they are still being exploited.
Therefore, we must see to it that the commemoration of Africa Freedom Day doesn’t simply become a whitewash. If that were to happen, we would be condoning the conquest that Mandela is talking about, colonisation, slavery and the dissolution of the awareness of our identity and history. Now, when some people once again want to re-colonise and conquer us, albeit in a new way, we must have an awareness, we must have ideas and an outlook with which to defend ourselves against those real dangers.
All of the solemnity and enthusiasm that we may contribute to this commemoration shouldn’t lead us to ignore the negative historical purposes that were associated with colonialism and haven’t entirely disappeared as yet. We cannot forget that we are being subjected to forms of neo-colonialism that are sometimes worse than the old colonial methods, that unequal terms of trade, the destruction of our environment and the plunder of our resources by the developed world still continue. Now there are more of us – 750 million of us – and we are more productive than in the past. All the gold, copper, oil and other minerals and resources they have extracted from our continent in the years of colonisation is worth less than the wealth that leaves our countries now every year.
For us Africans, the best Africa Freedom Day commemoration would unquestionably be one in which unequal terms of trade have been eliminated and our peoples have the possibility for development and hope. Only thus would this commemoration have a truly meaningful dimension and positive value for our peoples. Freedom without social justice is worth nothing. Political freedom is an empty formality if not accompanied by economic freedom.
We, however, should take advantage of this opportunity – of this Africa Freedom Day holiday – to once again promote reflection on the national liberation of our peoples, chained by backwardness and balkanisation.
We haven’t sought to be cruel to anyone. At worst, we are only giving vent to an old resentment and inviting those who used to colonise us to join us Africans in seeking mutual understanding. We are not interested in judging the men who were behind our colonisation because we cannot judge the men of that time by today’s ideas, by the ethical precepts of our time.
This sums up our basic thinking on this subject – which is based on the need for us to observe Africa Freedom Day to be a critical day rather than simply a whitewash.
And as always, on this day we should not forget the generation that struggled, that fought for our liberation – a generation now reaching the end of a long and heroic struggle. They fought a noble battle and lived their lives in a pursuit of a better life for all follow. The Africa in which we bury them and honour them is the sweet fruit of their lives of struggle and sacrifice.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY
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America, Europe must give Africa equal trade and investment opportunities - Cuban minister
By Larry Moonze in Havana, Cuba
Tue 25 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
AMERICA and the developed Europe must give Africa equal trade and investment opportunities, Cuban deputy minister Marcos Rodriguez Costa has said. Rodriguez also said Africa remains the first priority of the Cuban foreign policy.
In an interview ahead of Africa Freedom Day which falls today, Rodriguez said while Africa had tremendous challenges, the continent today had a large number of “very wise African leaders that would know by themselves, and together with the people how to solve their problems.”
“It is very true that like all of us, Africa has tremendous challenges… challenges of development, challenges of governance, Africa has to fight poverty. It has challenges of infrastructure, solving internal conflicts but we have always said that there is a large number of very wise African leaders that would know by themselves and together with the people how to solve their problems,” said Rodriguez who is in charge of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
“Like any developing country, Africa has got its own troubles. But You should never forget that Africa went out of colonialism only 50 years ago. What is 50 years in the history of a country? I think there are many things to be done in Africa and I am sure that the African people, African leaders and politicians will be able to achieve their goal of putting Africa in her real place in the international community.”
He said it was for that reason that the US and European powers should help Africa get to its feet.
Rodriguez said while there was great optimism when US President Barack Obama won the presidency, it was still too early to judge him.
“I think that Obama expressed both in his campaign as well as after the election his intention to bring change, to look at the world differently,” he said. “Not from a unilateral position but to work more from a multilateral point of view. But the real possibility and capability for him to bring about change is yet to be seen. There are still very conservative forces in the American political establishment that you have to take into consideration. And so you are seeing their policy towards Latin America, you are still seeing how America is keeping its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Rodriguez said President Obama has only been to Ghana while his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has travelled more extensively in Africa.
“We have to hope and raise hope that America can do more for us the same way we feel that Europe and the developed world have cause to settle that big debt with Africa,” he said. “The European powers drained Africa for so many years and now they have the moral obligation to help Africa to stand on its feet. I feel that America can do a lot for Africa. They can help Africa to stand, not only with aid, but by guaranteeing equal opportunities for Africa in trade which is something that Africa is asking for. For equal opportunities for development, for investment by big companies in Africa but not to take away their resources but develop their own countries. I think this is a big challenge not only for Obama but also for European and other developed countries.”
He said as for Cuba its policy was not to give leftovers with Africa.
“We share the little that we have,” Rodriguez said.
He said this year Cuba joins Africa in celebrating the Year of Africa as 17 African countries observe their 50th independence anniversaries, the 47th anniversary of the creation of the OAU presently the African Union and 50 years of diplomatic relations between Cuba and some African countries.
Rodriguez said Africa was an integral part of the Cuban nationality.
He said future relations between Africa and Cuba were brighter.
“We are seeing a great development because I have to say that there have been very important changes in the last 10 years. There is, for instance, a complete new generation of African leaders who are younger, leaders of the new generation of Africa,” Rodriguez said. “We are seeing also that some of the political and economic structures in the African continent have changed since 1990 following the demise of the Soviet Union and the demise of the socialist camp. I’m sure you remember how the multiparty system was applied in Africa since 1990 and how Africa is moving step by step and little by little to place itself in the new world economic order which is taking place. I have to tell you in spite of these important political, economic and social changes in Africa the solidarity and relations between Cuba and Africa have been kept safe. We are members of the third world, we are part of the developing world and we are going to continue fighting together in all the battles that the developing world has to fight at present in the middle of the tremendous economic and financial crisis that is severely affecting us. No matter the changes, no matter the new generation of leaders in Africa, no matter the different changes everywhere, I see a very prosperous relationship between Cuba and Africa. Maybe some of the modalities of cooperation will change because definitely there are problems in Cuba and we have economic difficulties. I think also that in the future one of the shortcomings in our relations with Africa that of development of trade will be sorted out. This is something we have to work on together. You also have to take into consideration the more or less similarities of the African and Cuban economies as developing world characterised by very little export products, no infrastructure, poor countries… I think that the development of trade and investment is an outstanding subject in the relations with Africa.”
He said presently almost 4,000 Cuban professionals were working in Africa.
Rodriguez said 2,700 of them were in the health sector.
He said on the other hand almost 35,000 African youths have graduated in Cuban universities over the years.
Rodriguez said Cuba after 1959 fought side-by-side with African freedom fighters for independence in which 2,000 Cuban soldiers died.
He said relations between Cuba and Africa date five centuries ago when Africans were shipped to Cuba as slaves.
Rodriguez said with time, those Africans were involved directly in the Cuban independence wars.
“In 1868 one of our main patrons Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, on the 10th of October 1868, gave freedom to his slaves and together they started the first independence war in Cuba,’ he said. “Then you can say that the period between 1869 and 1959 when finally Cuba got its independence the participation of the descendants of the African slaves was fundamental in the struggle for the independence and sovereignty of Cuba. That is why we the Cubans have a feeling of extreme gratitude to Africa. We feel that we are the ones who are in debt to Africa because Africans played a very important role in the independence of Cuba and the formation of our nationality. It was logical that the first act in our foreign policy after 1959 was to help Africa. In 1990, when Namibia got its independence from the jaws of apartheid one of the first move by President Sam Nujoma was to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. But I personally witnessed that in Pretoria on the 11 of May 1994 one of the first moves in foreign policy of Comrade Nelson Mandela in the free South Africa was establish relations with Cuba. I remember that because I was personally there.
And you remember that Madiba was inaugurated on the 10th of May and at 11:00 a.m the following day we signed diplomatic relations. There is a natural line since 1959 concerning Cuba and Africa. We have to say also that the first cooperation of Cuba abroad, the first action of cooperation abroad was with the African continent when in 1963 a medical brigade of Cuban doctors went to Algeria to help the combatants and fighters of Algeria to continue struggling for their independence and to help them in the health system. We started so well this line of protocol and friendship between Cuba and Africa and when you take into consideration that the Cuban revolution is going to be 51 years old this year there has been a constant line of priority of cooperation with Africa in all fields. We can talk about the historical event of Che Guevara in Congo, the former Zaire from April to November 1965. We were in Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, in Guinea Bissau… almost 300,000 Cubans participated in the struggle for Africa’s independence. Africa is a clear reflection of Cuba and vice versa. Today, there are 140 friendship associations with Cuba and 75 committees for the liberation of the Five Cubans in US prisons. These are great features. The issue is that there has been constant change of gratitude in our relations. What Africa did to our independence Cuba was doing it in the 20th century in Africa.”
Rodriguez said Cuba today had relations with all African countries except Morocco which suspended its diplomatic links.
Cuba has 30 embassies in Africa while there are 22 African missions based in Havana.
Rodriguez said it remained Cuba’s firm position and part of its foreign policy that Africa should have a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
He said it was abnormal that Africa with 53 countries and a population of 750 million had no permanent seat in the UNSC.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, CUBA, MARCOS RODRIGUEZ COSTA
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Freedom only meaningful with peace and development - KK
Written by Agness Changala, Mutale Kapekele and Maluba Jere
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 2:03:45 PM
DR Kenneth Kaunda has said freedom can only be meaningful under conditions of peace, economic and social development. And the dean of the diplomatic corps in Zambia Ambassador Khalifa Omar has said Africa's liberators did not just want independence from colonial masters but to unify the continent under one government.
Addressing members of the diplomatic corps on the eve of Africa Freedom Day at Nigeria house, Dr Kaunda said Africa was facing many daunting challenges.
"Africa has challenges of poverty and underdevelopment, which are giving rise to incidents of tension and instability in some of our countries," Dr Kaunda said. "We still have challenges of illiteracy and ignorance. Challenges of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS. Challenges of looking after millions of orphans as a result of the AIDS pandemic. Challenges of graft, corruption and exploitation of man by man. There is no doubt that these are daunting challenges which demand our collective efforts to overcome."
He said there was a great need to preserve the legacy of the founding fathers of the continent who believed in succeeding generations to build on their aspirations.
"They [founding fathers] led us to freedom in the most remarkable way in the belief that their succeeding generations will build on their foundation and aspirations to attain sustainable social and economic development," he said. "In their honour therefore, we have a duty and responsibility to rise above the many challenges we face in order to make our continent and its people prosperous. I would like to add that the founding leaders I am talking about were visionaries who conducted themselves with the highest degree of dignity, honour and humility...Their legacy is legendary and therefore worth preserving for posterity."
Dr Kaunda also said the success of the continent greatly depended on the promotion and support of the manufacturing industry.
"The key to our success will to a large extent, depend on the steps we take towards promoting and supporting the manufacturing industry," he said. "This sector will no doubt enable us create wealth and jobs for our people and ultimately to improve the levels of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our countries. We also have great potential in the tourism industry which has the capacity to create many jobs."
He said the continent's development agenda could only be achieved if infrastructure development was sped up.
Dr Kaunda called on governments to strengthen partnerships with the private sector to create "conducive conditions for the people's participation in the economies of their countries and enable our nations to register positive growth which is sustainable as well as regional integration which will lead us to prosperity."
He urged Africans to uphold principles of peace, harmony and development.
"The responsibility to develop our continent rests with us as a people," Dr Kaunda said. "I believe that the decisions we make today and not the chances we take, will guide our destiny."
Earlier, Ambassador Omar, who is also Libya's envoy to Zambia, called for strengthened cooperation between African countries as a step towards a union government.
"The freedom fighters never stopped at just getting independence for their respective countries but struggled to achieve the union and unifying the people of the African continent," Ambassador Omar said. "We need to enhance cooperation between our countries in all sectors for the sole purpose of development and prosperity. The African continent has proved to the whole world with its strong desire and determination that it can manage to realise the dream of her leaders by establishing the African Union, which is considered as the real beginning of the formation of the African Union government."
And Nigerian High Commissioner to Zambia Folake Marcus-Bello, who delivered a message from Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, pledged continued support to the peace keeping missions on the content.
"As a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Russia will continue to support efforts to establish foundations of collective security in the region, including efforts to create its indigenous peacekeeping potential," pledged Medvedev. "In that connection, we significantly increased our assistance to African states in the area of training their national peacekeeping personnel."
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, INDEPENDENCE, KENNETH KAUNDA
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Africa is not completely free - Father Pikiti
Monday, May 25, 2009, 13:32 Econo
A Catholic priest in Kasama says Africa up to now is not practically free despite many countries gaining Political Independence from their colonial masters.
Saint Johns Parish Priest Fr. Rudolf Pikiti in his morning homily at cathedral church in Kasama today said most African countries are not practically free because they still depend on Western countries to service them financially.
Father Pikiti observed that even if most countries were independent, some African natives mistreat their fellow Africans due to positions they hold in the society.
He called on Africans to remain united and fight for peace to gain economic and social independence to make Africa a better continent admired by the Western world.
Father Pikiti expressed concern over some developed countries which have decided to withdraw medical aid to Zambia due to the loss of the K10billion in Ministry of Health because many innocent people’s lives are going to be lost.
He also called on Zambians to join hands in developing the nation on the principle of love for each other.He said freedom fighters liberated the nation and lost their lives in the hope of a better nation.
The Parish Priest urged Christians to pray hard for its national leaders not to be selfish but to work hard to serve their people in order to develop the nation.
He also urged Zambians to strive to work hard and attain economic independence to enable the nation fends for its self in all its needs.
Father Pikiti pointed out that freedom fighters who died would not forgive Zambians if they would not put their efforts to better the nation.
ZANIS
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, RUDOLF PIKITI
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Zambia commemorates Africa Freedom day
Monday, May 25, 2009, 16:00 He
Zambia has today joined the rest of the African continent to commemorate Africa Freedom Day which falls on 25th May every year.
The occasion was graced by President Rupiah Banda who led service chiefs, members of the diplomatic corps and freedom fighters in laying wreaths at the freedom statue to commemorate the Africa Freedom day in honor of the freedom fighters.
The occasion was also attended by Second Republican President Fredrick Chiluba, opposition All Peoples Congress Party (APC) President Kenny Ngondo, cabinet ministers and their deputies.
President Banda who arrived at the Freedom Statue around 8:20 hours was accompanied by his wife Thandiwe.
The occasion to commemorate Africa’s freedom and the fallen heroes was characterized by solemn music and gun salutes by the Zambia Army.
Zambia Army Chaplain Colonel James Phiri then read the bible before Zambia Police Chaplain Assistant Superintendent Lawrence Kayando led the gathering with a prayer.
And speaking in a sermon on freedom Zambia National Service Chaplain Reverend Major Henry Matifeyo said noted that freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion.
He said freedom must be well used in order to obtain meaningful benefits adding that freedom must not be taken for granted.
Rev. Major Matifeyo also urged Zambians to continue embracing the Ubuntu concept that calls for unity instead of individualism.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY
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Restore human dignity
Written by Editor
AFRICA Freedom Day continues to remind us of the great strides that our country, and many others on the continent, have made towards political independence. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a country and undoubtedly, it is a significant day especially that freedom and independence were distant dreams for Africans.
But it is important to remind ourselves that the political freedom that our country is currently enjoying has not led to economic freedom or sustained economic growth and development. The absence of economic freedom has consequently continued to compromise the essence of the political freedom, which was secured after great sacrifice and determination. Political freedom alone cannot be desirable for our people and there is need for our leaders to reflect on this matter seriously.
For years now, our people have continued to face numerous challenges ranging from poverty, disease, unemployment, illiteracy and marginalisation. The gap between the desperately poor and the rich has continued to widen. The fact that there are a few people in Zambia leading opulent lives, especially in urban areas, should not be taken as an indicator of economic progress. These few people are living well amid grinding widespread poverty.
However, we know that our countries are too poor to give our people great material wealth, but they can give them a sense of equality, of human dignity. Human dignity refers to the worthiness, the importance of every person. The principle of human dignity is a universal affirmation and starts from the book of Genesis in the Bible where we are told that human beings are created in the image of God. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 also states that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. However, it is difficult to fathom why people, especially the poor, have continued to be exploited, why they are treated as second-class citizens in their own countries, why governments continue to make decisions that put our people's livelihoods at risk, why those in power still think that violence and threats are the only way of handling divergent views. There is need to ensure that people are respected and given back their dignity.
Our freedom will mean very little, if not nothing, if it is not accompanied by the setting up of governments that truly arise from the people, are closely linked with the people, have the genuine support of people and struggle for the people and the people's interests. Our people need to be free to elect their own leaders, they need to have a greater say in the manner in which they are governed. Democracy entails people being free to choose their leaders and to hold them accountable for their policies and conduct in office. In this case, government is purely based on the consent of the governed. There is need to ensure that the people continue to be the highest form of political authority and power should flow from the people to the government leaders, who hold it temporarily. For as long as the majority of the people in our country or anywhere on the continent feel oppressed, are not allowed democratic participation in decision-making processes, and cannot elect their leaders through free and fair elections, the essence of the political freedom we are commemorating today will continue to be less appreciated.
We have always said that our freedom should imply the defence of all the rights of citizens, including the right to national dignity and honour. There is no democracy that can function without guaranteeing fundamental rights of citizens. Yes, citizens have an obligation to be informed about public issues, to watch carefully how their political leaders and representatives use their powers, and to express their own opinions and interests. Our people have a right to association, expression, religion and assembly among others. These inalienable rights are inherent and fundamental and should be protected, defended and respected as opposed to what we are currently experiencing where governments choose to trample on these rights to consolidate their hold on power.
We need to remember that to be free, to have freedom, is not merely to cast off one's chains of colonial bondage, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the lives of others. People need to be free to determine their own destiny. Democracy can only be an agent of freedom if it gives people the meaningful voting choices and if it ensures that people have accurate and unbiased information to make an informed choice that is in their interest.
As a people, we are perfectly capable of deciding our own future and dealing with any dangers that might arise. We need to exert ourselves that much more and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful; those who dare to fashion the world in their own image.
As we stand on the threshold of a new African era characterised by democracy and sustainable economic development and a re-awakening of our rich cultural values and heritage, African unity should remain our watchword and the African Union a guide. Let us teach our children that Africans are not one inch inferior to Europeans, Americans or Asians. The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy and all of us, descendants of Africa, know too well that racism demeans the victims and dehumanises its perpetrators. We should not in any way pin our hopes on the kindness or benevolence of our former colonisers, or imperialism and its lackeys. We will only triumph by strengthening our unity and persevering in our struggle, of course anchoring our long-term goals on determination to extricate ourselves and the continent from the shackles of underdevelopment and exclusion.
We can determine our own destiny, we can at least start today by giving back our people their sense of equality and dignity.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, ECONOMY, INDEPENDENCE
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Africa Freedom Day
By Editor
Sunday May 25, 2008 [04:00]
On this day, Africa Freedom Day, we remember what Kwame Nkrumah once said: “Seek ye first the political kingdom, and everything else will be added unto ye.” We also remember the speech by that internationalist par excellence Dr Enersto Che Guevara at the Second Economic Seminar of the Organisation of Afro-Asian Solidarity in Algiers on February 26, 1965:
“Each time a country is freed, we say, it is a defeat for the world imperialist system, but we must agree that liberation, or the breaking away from the imperialist system is not achieved by the mere act of proclaiming independence or winning an armed victory in a revolution. Freedom is achieved when imperialist economic domination over a people is brought to an end.”
For centuries, our continent has bled from many gaping sword wounds. No doubt our renaissance is at hand - and our challenge is to steer the continent through the tide of history.
The people of our continent are eager and willing to be among the very best in all areas of human endeavour.
The peoples of the resurgent Africa are perfectly capable of deciding their own future form of government and discovering for themselves ways of dealing with any dangers which might arise.
We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious circle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful; those in command of immense market power and those who dare to fashion the world in their own image.
Africa, more than any other continent, has had to contend with the consequences of conquest in a denial of its own role in history, including denial that its people had the capacity to bring about change and progress.
It would be a cruel irony of history if Africa’s actions to regenerate the continent were to unleash a new scramble for Africa which, like that of the nineteenth century, plundered the continent’s wealth and left it once more the poorer.
Conflict threatens not only the gains we have made but also our collective future.
The African rebirth is now more than an idea – its seeds are being sown in the regional communities we are busy building, and in the continent as a whole.
Can we continue to tolerate our ancestors being shown as people locked in time?
Africa yearns and deserves to redeem her glory, to reassert her centuries-old contribution to economics, politics, culture and the arts; and once more to be a pioneer in the many fields of human endeavour.
One destabilising conflict anywhere on the continent is one too many.
For as long as the majority of the people anywhere on the continent feel oppressed, are not allowed democratic participation in decision-making processes, and cannot elect their own leaders in free and fair elections, there will always be tension and conflict.
A continent which, while it led in every evolution of human life and was a leading centre of learning, technology and the arts in ancient times, has experienced various traumatic epochs, each one of which has pushed her peoples into poverty and backwardness.
We cannot abuse the concept of national sovereignty to deny the rest of the continent the right and duty to intervene when, behind those sovereign boundaries, people are being slaughtered to protect tyranny.
We should treat the question of peace and stability on our continent as a common challenge.
As we dream and work for the regeneration of our continent, we should remain conscious that the African renaissance can only succeed as part of the development of a new and equitable world order in which all the formerly colonised and marginalised take their rightful place; makers of history rather than the possessions of others.
As we stand on the threshold of a new African era characterised by democracy, sustainable economic development and a reawakening of our rich cultural values and heritage, African unity should remain our watchword and the African Union our guide.
Let us teach our children that Africans are not one iota inferior to Europeans, Americans or Asians.
The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy.
All of us, descendants of Africa, know only too well that racism demeans the victims and dehumanises its perpetrators.
And as we go about various duties and assignments, let us not forget what Chinua Achebe wrote in A Man of the People (1967): ‘A man who has just come in from the rain and dried his body and put on dry clothes is more reluctant to go out again than another who has been indoors all the time. The trouble with our new nation…was that none of us had been indoors long enough to be able to say ‘to hell with it’. We had all been in the rain together until yesterday. Then a handful of us - the smart and the lucky and hardly ever the best – hard scrambled for the one shelter our former rulers left, and had taken it over and barricaded themselves in. And from within they sought to persuade the rest through numerous loud speakers, that the first phase of the struggle had been won and that the next phase – the extension of our house – was even more important and called for new and original tactics; it required that all argument should cease and the whole people should speak with one voice…’
But let us not forget also what Saint Just said: “He who makes a revolution by half digs his own grave.”
Lastly, let’s get rid of impotent thinking from our minds. We shouldn’t pin our hopes for progress on the kindness, benevolence or sensibleness of our former colonisers, or imperialism and its lackeys. We will only triumph by strengthening our unity and persevering in our struggle.
There is no revolution that ever comes to an end.
Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, KWAME NKRUMAH
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