So for those who think that this whole African man phenomenon is exaggerated…enjoy this   letter that first came out during the 2008 ACN.

Dear Wife, Partner, Girlfriend,

 1. From 20 January to February 10 2008, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the African Cup of Nations, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the African Nations Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don’t mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I wont have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the African Nations Cup month.

 4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell on the floor….It won’t happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! If you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say “get over it, its only a game”, or “don’t worry, they’ll win next time”. If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called “words of encouragement” will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying “one” game; hence do not use the African Nations Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to “spend time together”.

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don’t care if I have seen them or I haven’t seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because: a) I will not go, b) I will not go, and c) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily African Nations Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying “but you have already seen this…why don’t you change the channel to something we can all watch?” because, the reply will be, “Refer to Rule #2 of this list”.

 12. And finally, please save your expressions such as “Thank God the Nations Cup is only every 2 years”. I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, FA Cup, etc. Thank you for your cooperation.

Print this and place it besides the TV so that madam or your girlfriend can see so that we all enjoy the African Nations cup and save some misunderstanding.

This makes me laugh every time. Never fails, because it is so true.  I am sure not every African man subscribes to this, but I doubt I will be hearing much from my African male friends for another couple of weeks.

But what is there to really celebrate?

The last fifty years have given little to celebrate about. Africa has been the epicenter of wars, famine, pestilences, and some very very bad leadership. The African is no better off than he was under the colonial rulers. The land is not his own, the food he produces is not enough to give him income, and the leaders he trusts to look out for his interests steal whatever little is left and puts it in an off-shore account. This is not to mention international players including governments that are in pretense of caring only to depress that African even more. And don’t forget the corporations who use him as means of cheap labor. – yet, he is INDEPENDENT. ( There must be some other meaning of independence other than being able to navigate freely etc).

Indeed, other than being alive, and having been well endowed with complex nature and beauty, the African has little to celebrate as far as independence goes. -maybe being a live is enough reason to celebrate?- It it not a total catastrophe off course. There are things to be admired (otherwise, it would be rather depressing). There are cities that have been modernized and they seem to be working with some sort of efficiency. This is to say that it is not all gloom, but for the 90% that is rather dark, there needs to be solutions. Sadly, while it would be entertainingly pissy to blame all of Africa’s problems on international players and the African leaders, the people are also to blame. It might be time to realize that Africa is not a monarchy, nor a family business. Africans have to take a stand, for the AU has miserably failed them. If the African man is to have something to celebrate about, it will be up to him make that happen.

Africans are known to talk about politics. In fact, in African societies or communities, politics embody every aspect of life.  At the dinner table especially, Africans will gather and lament on political issues that affect their communities. They will come up with solutions that never leave the dinner table. At the  of the day, nothing gets done and the next day, the dinner talk resume.

With new revolutions rising, and having seen the Arab Spring come into a fall too soon, maybe it is time to take the Dinner talk into action. Young Africans might need to really put their words into action or else doom is the word of the day.

The only problem with that statement is that we have heard this very sentiment before. Echoing the sentiments of Fannon, Ake, Ngungi Wa Thiongo,  Mamdani, even on a broad spectrum, Amin.  We are quiet aware that Africa’s production of knowledge might not be as extensive as that of the west. After all, the West has managed to dissect every part of their society in writing, and that has been the support of many policies.  Let us not explore the historical evidence that Africans were at the center of knowledge production. Whether they were the subjects of writings, or the authors, Africans continually play an important role in the way that Knowledge is produced and disseminated.

To be fair to the author, there is a need for increased scholarship on Africa by Africans. It should not be that the expert for Burundi is not Burundian, but a Belgian- this in itself presents a conflict of interest. Nor should an expert on Benin, Rwanda, Congo etc- be outside of that country.   Hence in agreement with Zambakari, there is an intellectual battle at hand. But it is not a key to physical growth, but rather a component of growth.

Yet, this disparaging need to reform the way knowledge comes into Africa, is the same problem that causes us to re-examine the so called “poverty in knowledge production”. Years later after Independence, there is an elite, that considers themselves the best that Africa has to offer. The basis of this off course is that they are educated in the West, and have been compelled to “go back home”.  One is to imagine that Zambakari might consider himself part of this elite.  However, no matter the need for African scholarship to expand, or for the expansion of knowledge, one cannot ignore what history indicates. African history, especially in the last fifty years has shown that the problems of Africa, especially those of leadership have been concentrated on this elite group that consider themselves as the “saviors” of Africa. Least we forget that most of Africa’s “esteemed” leaders were transported from the West. These were the elite who felt they needed to go back and “change” Africa. Fifty years, one can see the results of such movement. Mugabe practices ethnic cleansing in the name of black power, and slowly starves his people to death. Nkrumah,  a well-quoted and respected leader collapsed the economy of Ghana, refusing to listen to the people. -God forbid these uneducated citizens would know any better than their very educated president. Toure, a self-made student of Marx  and Lenin- remains a disdained leader at home for his mass arrests. These might be very few examples, but a stream of African leaders, and businessmen received their training in the West, and on the basis of “good will” returned to Africa, causing mayhem. Unfortunately, this narcissistic tendency still continues today.

Mamdani might write on the seemingly diactotomy between “saviors and survivors” where the west plays the saviors,  bu it seems that there is a missing link in the African elite who consider themselves the ones to carry the mantle of leadership in Africa. The only problem is that being educated, and having the willingness to go back home and “help”.  Which is probably why, outside of Africa, there is a rage on “brain drain”, “image restoration”, “knowledge production”  and ” changing africa”. The only problem is that unless one is actually on the ground, these words mean nothing. It is easy to want to produce “homegrown” knowledge, but one should not feel a self-entitled sense to use “western” modes as the basis of determine what solutions in Africa will look like. Such sentiments should come from the ground.

There is a danger in having scholars turn into politicians. For theory and practice are two different entities. Being smart does not necessary conclude to good management and sound judgment- key skills in governing.  Therefore, a word to Zambakari- Africa might need to put a foot forward with knowledge production, however, this should not be confused with forming solutions. His words should be taken into account because Africa does lack a strong presence in Academia.  However, to state that Africa’s growth depends on its knowledge production is a rather over-exaggeration.  The task at hand is not disjointing practice and theory, but rather emphasizing the error in the automatic conclusion that education, and theories equal to good practice, good judgment or good leadership. There are many examples where this has not been the case. Contextualization of the problem does not at times require that a problem be under the microscope over and over again- using the same equation. Infact isn’t insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome? Hence: 1. producing knowledge in Africa is not the sum of the total but rather part of the equation. And 2: producers on knowledge should not consider themselves worthy of the mantle of leadership, for pen and paper does not necessarily produce quality action.Knowledge, and any kind of scholarship should be there to guide policy and not dictate solutions.

It seems that African Activists, love them if you must- have forgotten the one problem that is not helping them along- the cloud factor.

Everyone seems to be on the African Bandwagon. We speak of Africa trending, but that is not particulary a good thing. You see for every trend fades away, and sometimes, the ramifications are not always so glorious.  Every Activist is trying to make a case for themselves. Every activist wants the world to know that their people are the ones that suffer the most.

The stories you see are about the “little boy who was killed on his way to school”. or the girl somewhere in an african conflict-zone raped.  Again, these stories are a dime a dozen.  For there are a lot of people who died, who had no reason to.  Again cloud factor. They forget that each country has their problems, and that whether people are dying in the congo, in somalia, Cote D’ivoire, or even in Zimbabwe, there is someone that is making noise.  So what should the world be paying attention to?  Even more specific, what should the west be paying attention to. ( always a puzzle why every activist is shouting to the west, and not the AU)

This is rather sad. Activism is like marketing. Your find your target, and make it concrete. You never want to sound like the other “guy”. you find that by making your case, you distinguish your problem from the rest of Africa.You do not want to go in the streets holding signs, or having petitions, or rallies, with no end goal. and no plan.

African Activists have to fight SMARTER. STRATEGICALLY! Because, if you are fighting for the Somalians, there is a chance your cause might be confused by that of the Congo, or even, that of Ethiopia. After all, some people still think that Africa is one country.

But all that is changing slowly- Right? innovation is taking root in Africa. Young people are rising up and making great strides in leadership. Education is slowly catching on….

Yet, what should be the hope of innovative ideas has turned into a Hollywoodesque drama in the African Diaspora. It is rather sad actually, to be fascinated by a culture  that is slowly taking ours away.  A few media powerhouses- using that word really lightly- have decided that they need to change the image of Africa, or reinvent Africa, and they are caught in the American dream, they forget that where it is all happening is at home. Where change is happening is not so much in the diaspora- but at home.

Forget remittances- forget brain drain- Think of Africa, where rubber meets the road; that is where the real action needs to be documented, highlighted and celebrated.

This is rather a rant- the frustration of seeing that only few individuals get the glamour of being “Most important Africans”- yet those who are working hard, and doing real work get sidelined. Lets make it clear- if you are in the diaspora, and you have the resources to make some real changes in Africa- then you have no excuse not to. No accolades are owed to you.  However, there should be encouragement for those who struggle to do some good, those who go beyond their means to make real change happen- those are the ones we celebrate- those are the ones we give awards to. – Yes, by all means let us honor those who have started projects in Africa. Let us celebrate their work- but let that be the exception and not the rule.

But then again, isn’t that the story, that those who actually work hard to realize the dreams of a people are always on the sideline.

But maybe, just maybe, it is time to change that. Recognize great work, by great people going beyond the two or three people who everyone seems to be awarding left and right.

So next time you think of celebrating the African people, changing Africa’s image, or reinventing Africa- think twice. Unless off course you have the license to do so….

So what now? Kick out all the Europeans? According to a particular individual that we will refer to as James, only those with a darker skin are Africans. And Africa, belongs to Africans. Hence, kick out all the Arabs, whites, Indians- Kick all of them out and give the land to blacks.  Only problem? Well what do we do with North Africa? What about South Africa? – and who exactly is going to orchestrate this mass immigration?  And what about those “Africans” abroad who do not particularly want to go back to their “homeland?” – The silver lining here? – African history is full of migrations, as most people in Africa are settlers. They moved from one place or the other, and settled in a land, and created societies.  So then who has the right to tell these people, regardless of their color, where they should go?

So here is James, a hot-blooded young African radical. You hear him speak and you feel your insides churning because you know, if he was in power, he would leave a trail of dead bodies and blood will be his bath.  You hear him speak and you think of the many “whites” who will be victimized, generations later- all in the name of “correcting a Wrong”?  What does this mean? Correcting a wrong? Should those Africans who have been wronging Africans be “corrected” too? Or is this going to be very special treatment for those “non-Africans” with a different pigmentation?  You want to try to see the reality of James. For him, as a young African, he knows one thing- White bad- black good. The only problem? This won’t solve any issues in Africa. Which by the way can’t be completely blamed on the Europeans or Americans.

You see, our friend James is of the mindset that anyone who thinks that Mugabe is an evil man who has made his people suffer, should be hanged! Or anyone who thinks that the whites in South Africa are not necessarily the problem- well those people should be put on a stage and be beaten to death. – Although one has to wonder, when has it become that Africans cannot freely express their opinions without being called traitors and sell-outs. – So you have to wonder why African scholarship is below par. Digressing on that point- let us ask ourselves as Africans, if we really want the metanarrative of our continent to be that of a people who can’t hold it together for even a minute, to spearhead development.

Will making the continent purely “African” make us better of? We know that to be completely bollocks. Maybe if we were in the 15^th century- but we are in the 21^st where globalization has taken over every aspect of our lives.   Will killing off those we call traitors, or those who think differently, make us a better people, or even a united people? Not even close. Let us not forget that we are killing each other with our own hands, and the use of some very powerful weapons.  We do not want to admit that we are prideful, hateful, and sometimes not a very peaceful people. If our history is of any indication- wars were among us many years before the White man came into play- we just made it easier for them.

We do need better leaders, better development plans, entrepreneurship, innovative ideas and most of all, an engaged society.   We need to improve our education system, and even the simplest of all- we might want to start with generating electricity.  No problems will be solved by us, (Africans) becomes oppressors, just because we have the need to “correct a wrong” or because we were once victims. This is not to take light of the serious problems that countries like South Africa are facing, with a small number of the population owning the majority of the land. Making it worse- it is the White South Africans that own the land- which is inciting the rage of the Black South Africans.  We won’t belittle the problems in Africa- they are huge, and the task ahead to tackle these issues is daunting. This is why we need rational actors, not radicals who will incite fear, and helplessness in the minds of Africans.  Revolutions are good, but they have to be reasonably marked to make a difference.

The generation of rising leaders has not been victims, at least directly, of the white man- but victims of their own leaders, their own people, and their own systems. So should they be seeking to correct that wrong too?  Thankfully, only a few like our friend James, feel that way. The rest of the young people are majorly working to make sure that as they become increasingly aware, they are also taking steps to make sure that action is taken as Africa develops.  The mantra these days is that “IT IS AFRICA’S TIME”- what that means? No one has been able to articulate it. But if it is Africa’s time, then let us make sure we don’t waste it trying to find ways to victimize each other- regardless of the color of skin.

I am an African.

I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.

My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope.

The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blooms of the citizens of the veld.

The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soil-coloured waters of the Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the theatre of our day.

At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito.

A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say – I am an African!

I owe my being to the Khoi and the San whose desolate souls haunt the great expanses of the beautiful Cape – they who fell victim to the most merciless genocide our native land has ever seen, they who were the first to lose their lives in the struggle to defend our freedom and dependence and they who, as a people, perished in the result.

Today, as a country, we keep an audible silence about these ancestors of the generations that live, fearful to admit the horror of a former deed, seeking to obliterate from our memories a cruel occurrence which, in its remembering, should teach us not and never to be inhuman again.

I am formed of the migrants who left Europe to find a new home on our native land. Whatever their own actions, they remain still, part of me.

In my veins courses the blood of the Malay slaves who came from the East. Their proud dignity informs my bearing, their culture a part of my essence. The stripes they bore on their bodies from the lash of the slave master are a reminder embossed on my consciousness of what should not be done.

I am the grandchild of the warrior men and women that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, the soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom.

My mind and my knowledge of myself is formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandhlwana to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and as the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert.

I am the grandchild who lays fresh flowers on the Boer graves at St Helena and the Bahamas, who sees in the mind’s eye and suffers the suffering of a simple peasant folk, death, concentration camps, destroyed homesteads, a dream in ruins.

I am the child of Nongqause. I am he who made it possible to trade in the world markets in diamonds, in gold, in the same food for which my stomach yearns.

I come of those who were transported from India and China, whose being resided in the fact, solely, that they were able to provide physical labour, who taught me that we could both be at home and be foreign, who taught me that human existence itself demanded that freedom was a necessary condition for that human existence.

Being part of all these people, and in the knowledge that none dare contest that assertion, I shall claim that – I am an African.

I have seen our country torn asunder as these, all of whom are my people, engaged one another in a titanic battle, the one redress a wrong that had been caused by one to another and the other, to defend the indefensible.

I have seen what happens when one person has superiority of force over another, when the stronger appropriate to themselves the prerogative even to annul the injunction that God created all men and women in His image.

I know what if signifies when race and colour are used to determine who is human and who, sub-human.

I have seen the destruction of all sense of self-esteem, the consequent striving to be what one is not, simply to acquire some of the benefits which those who had improved themselves as masters had ensured that they enjoy.

I have experience of the situation in which race and colour is used to enrich some and impoverish the rest.

I have seen the corruption of minds and souls in the pursuit of an ignoble effort to perpetrate a veritable crime against humanity.

I have seen concrete expression of the denial of the dignity of a human being emanating from the conscious, systemic and systematic oppressive and repressive activities of other human beings.

There the victims parade with no mask to hide the brutish reality – the beggars, the prostitutes, the street children, those who seek solace in substance abuse, those who have to steal to assuage hunger, those who have to lose their sanity because to be sane is to invite pain.

Perhaps the worst among these, who are my people, are those who have learnt to kill for a wage. To these the extent of death is directly proportional to their personal welfare.

And so, like pawns in the service of demented souls, they kill in furtherance of the political violence in KwaZulu-Natal. They murder the innocent in the taxi wars.

They kill slowly or quickly in order to make profits from the illegal trade in narcotics. They are available for hire when husband wants to murder wife and wife, husband.

Among us prowl the products of our immoral and amoral past – killers who have no sense of the worth of human life, rapists who have absolute disdain for the women of our country, animals who would seek to benefit from the vulnerability of the children, the disabled and the old, the rapacious who brook no obstacle in their quest for self-enrichment.

All this I know and know to be true because I am an African!

Because of that, I am also able to state this fundamental truth that I am born of a people who are heroes and heroines.

I am born of a people who would not tolerate oppression.

I am of a nation that would not allow that fear of death, torture, imprisonment, exile or persecution should result in the perpetuation of injustice.

The great masses who are our mother and father will not permit that the behaviour of the few results in the description of our country and people as barbaric.

Patient because history is on their side, these masses do not despair because today the weather is bad. Nor do they turn triumphalist when, tomorrow, the sun shines.

Whatever the circumstances they have lived through and because of that experience, they are determined to define for themselves who they are and who they should be.

We are assembled here today to mark their victory in acquiring and exercising their right to formulate their own definition of what it means to be African.

The constitution whose adoption we celebrate constitutes and unequivocal statement that we refuse to accept that our Africanness shall be defined by our race, colour, gender of historical origins.

It is a firm assertion made by ourselves that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

It gives concrete expression to the sentiment we share as Africans, and will defend to the death, that the people shall govern.

It recognises the fact that the dignity of the individual is both an objective which society must pursue, and is a goal which cannot be separated from the material well-being of that individual.

It seeks to create the situation in which all our people shall be free from fear, including the fear of the oppression of one national group by another, the fear of the disempowerment of one social echelon by another, the fear of the use of state power to deny anybody their fundamental human rights and the fear of tyranny.

It aims to open the doors so that those who were disadvantaged can assume their place in society as equals with their fellow human beings without regard to colour, race, gender, age or geographic dispersal.

It provides the opportunity to enable each one and all to state their views, promote them, strive for their implementation in the process of governance without fear that a contrary view will be met with repression.

It creates a law-governed society which shall be inimical to arbitrary rule.

It enables the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means rather than resort to force.

It rejoices in the diversity of our people and creates the space for all of us voluntarily to define ourselves as one people.

As an African, this is an achievement of which I am proud, proud without reservation and proud without any feeling of conceit.

Our sense of elevation at this moment also derives from the fact that this magnificent product is the unique creation of African hands and African minds.

Bit it is also constitutes a tribute to our loss of vanity that we could, despite the temptation to treat ourselves as an exceptional fragment of humanity, draw on the accumulated experience and wisdom of all humankind, to define for ourselves what we want to be.

Together with the best in the world, we too are prone to pettiness, petulance, selfishness and short-sightedness.

But it seems to have happened that we looked at ourselves and said the time had come that we make a super-human effort to be other than human, to respond to the call to create for ourselves a glorious future, to remind ourselves of the Latin saying: Gloria est consequenda – Glory must be sought after!

Today it feels good to be an African.

It feels good that I can stand here as a South African and as a foot soldier of a titanic African army, the African National Congress, to say to all the parties represented here, to the millions who made an input into the processes we are concluding, to our outstanding compatriots who have presided over the birth of our founding document, to the negotiators who pitted their wits one against the other, to the unseen stars who shone unseen as the management and administration of the Constitutional Assembly, the advisers, experts and publicists, to the mass communication media, to our friends across the globe – congratulations and well done!

I am an African.

I am born of the peoples of the continent of Africa.

The pain of the violent conflict that the peoples of Liberia, Somalia, the Sudan, Burundi and Algeria is a pain I also bear.

The dismal shame of poverty, suffering and human degradation of my continent is a blight that we share.

The blight on our happiness that derives from this and from our drift to the periphery of the ordering of human affairs leaves us in a persistent shadow of despair.

This is a savage road to which nobody should be condemned.

This thing that we have done today, in this small corner of a great continent that has contributed so decisively to the evolution of humanity says that Africa reaffirms that she is continuing her rise from the ashes.

Whatever the setbacks of the moment, nothing can stop us now!

Whatever the difficulties, Africa shall be at peace!

However improbable it may sound to the sceptics, Africa will prosper!

Whoever we may be, whatever our immediate interest, however much we carry baggage from our past, however much we have been caught by the fashion of cynicism and loss of faith in the capacity of the people, let us err today and say – nothing can stop us now!

The euphoria is over, and South Sudan is facing an urgency in problematizing the state, and hopefully mapping out a plan that would sustain the state for the next couple of years- Atleast that is the gist of the article written by Christopher Zambakari, an African scholar from South Sudan. In his article for Pampazuka, he states that the citizens are waiting for a dream where “freedom from oppression and domination, justice and equality, democracy and economic prosperity, peace and tranquillity” would be the norm.    He further articulates the urgency for the state apparatus to find a way to reconcile the past, by finding the reasons behind the violence. To the author, expressing the opinions of scholars before him, there is no moving forward without find the reasons behinds the actions.  Hence, being that the state is young, keeping an eye on the process would be a crucial element in critiquing the development of the  young state.

The article off course, like his suggestions, offers a few of the problems.  The lack of unity, thus divided in citizenship, the land disputes- and the list could go on.  Perfectly so, South Sudan comes into statehood with many challenges ahead. Leadership might be one that is sidelined by the need to focus the dividing lines between those who “belong” and those who “don’t belong”- One can imagine that lines between the two have blurred over the ears.

While this article brings about many good points, and possible solutions to the problems indicated, the author devotion on problems seem to take away from a real problem that needs to be addressed: Leadership.  Zambakari touches on Garang and the work of this leader. Respectfully so, the man was a great leader in his own sense- although his relationship with Museveni might be considered an error in his judgment.  However, South Sudan needs to realize that Garang is dead.  It seems that most scholars, and idealists would focus on a leader much like Garang, and leave no room for new blood in leadership. Otherwise, the South Sudanese will find themselves facing the stagnation of the past- much like the Lumumba situation in Congo, the Che Guavaras- and the Nkrumah issue in Ghana (if not the rest of West Africa). Bottom line, South Sudan needs to get over its romance with Garang, move on and upwards(hopefully)

The politics of leadership in this new state have to be so that they is careful intergration of all aspects of society. This means that in the elevation of spirits in finding freedom, South Sudan needs to set an example to the rest of Africa, by the inclusion of both gender, race and age in the new leadership bloc.

Much to the sentiments of the author, there is an urgency for South Sudan to form a strong state. There problems are many, and they come into statehood in very confusing times as far as world politics go.  The good news is that there is really no way to go but up- for they have at a point, hit rock bottom. But let the scholars, politicians and activists be advised: South Sudan is not an exception to Africa’s problems.  For as they fight for recognition, they have neighboring countries that are fighting the same problems, with the same unrealized dreams.  Let them be advised that the rest of Africa is still fighting for the dreams of  “freedom from oppression and domination, justice and equality, democracy and economic prosperity, peace and tranquillity.”  Their expectations should be that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but before that, there are dark days ahead.

But even more than that is the contrasting opinions that really make for a good read.

Recently, there was an article that was written G. Pascal Zachary on South Sudan and the need for the rest of Africa to Divide and Conquer. Now, Mr. Zachary’s opinions are well taken into consideration but lets us examine his sources. He is an educator who teaches on Sub-Saharan Africa, although to one’s understanding he has not spent any significant amount of time in Sub-saharan Africa to understand the conundrum of problems that afflict this region, let alone stand to be an adviser on Africa for the Gates Foundation- although to be fair, the Gates Foundation and the many other western foundations have lacked the wisdom to actually acquire significant and experienced African experts to be their advisers.

But that is the man, what about the content of this article? He suggests that African countries, specifically Nigeria, Somalia and Congo, should learn the lesson of seceding. in other words SPLIT! To his credit (or maybe not) he quotes Alex Perry, and Pierre Englebert to be his supporters of his theory that Africa should indeed split. There are too many problems in African countries that are as he says “too large”.   He has several examples, and while his argument stalls on the Scramble for Africa, he does not seem to offer a solution on how these African countries are to exactly split from each other.

The theory of “there are too many problems in Africa so let us chop it into pieces” does not really stand. Neither does a theory of “it is happening here, so it will succeed there also” apply.  Let us not forget, South Sudan just separated. Before that, Bashir was raining bombs and shelling bullets to these southerners while they were preparing for independence.  Furthermore, the problem of Darfur still persist. So how is this country that is, well… barely 6 days old, to be the shining example of what Africa should be?  And how is Mr. Zachary’s  suggestion better than the Scramble for Africa that divided these nations in the first place?…The only difference is that the Africans will be holding the saw that divides the nations. Lets be honest, if Nigeria was to split, the egos of many would deflate, the economy will be in shambles, and worse that it is now.  They are so loyal to their “tribes” and homelands that what would have been an “ideal” solution would turn into a nightmare for a lot of people.  Congo? why split them again? Didn’t Leopold do enough damage? Oh, and for the lack of sensitivity, Zachary points Belgium as a shining example. Belgium, whose economy is thriving at the expense of that of the Congo. Somalia might be a good example for the argument for splitting…but then again, who is going to solve their issues?

But then again, Africans are not really helping in the matter; are they?

Sure, there is the OAU that turned into the AU…but that “unity” is much a joke than a reality.  Africans have lost the concept of unity, and probably while turning the blame on the rest of the world, there should be some self-analyzing.

Lets take one instance and one region: African Organizations in NYC.  Each person has the great idea to create an organization that someone else creates an idea or forum for. At the end,  you have Nigerian and Ghanian with at least least 10+ organizations…and then the other countries have maybe 1,  if not two.  There is no communication, and collaboration is a pipe dream.

But there is something else occurring. As South Sudan celebrates independance, there is a sense of hope, yet, let us not rejoice too fast. For lurking in the shadows is another Scramble for Africa. In this world of new colonization and debauchery, one can certainly agree with scholars like Mamdani and Amin.  Indeed, Africa is being divided and raped of its resources openly, all in the name of peace and development.

So please, lets not be too fast to divide Africa into pieces…wait until we see what exactly happens to South Sudan. It is too early to use the new nation as example of what Africa should be.