African unity are the words many African rulers like to say whenever they appear before the masses or in front of cameras. I recently heard some African rulers who attended national committal rite for the fallen Chadian dictator, Idriss Deby Itno–––before being bundled in the plane to be buried in Amdjass his ancestral town. Derby died recently fighting off rebels who were coming for him. On the said occasion, almost every speaker regurgitated the words such as liberation, union/unity of Africa, development, sovereignty and many more hoo-hahs. Then, I asked myself. What do they mean. Maybe, if you’re listening like myself, you’d have asked the same question or more. That’s because despite these honied words, Africa’s never been united. Do they real meanings the words or their opposite? If they mean true meanings, why, then Africa’s still disunited as the colonialist moulded it? Who’s fooling whom including him/herself? Africa, truly unite or perish. This is what I told myself sadly and sarcastically. What did Derby personify in the first place if not despotism and nepotism? Like other rump-fed leviathans in Amin, Bokassa and Mobutu, Derby was a Marshall! How many do we still have in the upper echelons of power replicating the same sin of arresting Africa’s development and unity because of the greed for presidency? Who’s stopped them to reclaim Africa unity that was felled in 1884’s Berlin Conference that demarcated Africa into modern feeble and fickle states? Those begging states that have failed to utilise abundant resources that God endowed them with. Because of this, our shameless letdowns pointlessly and shamelessly go cap in hand begging as if they’ve no resources of value! Monkeys live in the jungle but don’t own anything. They don’t know that the minerals in the forest are valuable. Elephants fall big trees but don’t have a house to call home. Birds, despite having small brains, are better than elephants. For, they’ve their cozy nests they lay their eggs and call home. The need sews many cloths though it dies naked.
They talk about democracy but rule undemocratically through rigging elections, tampering with and changing constitutions to remain in power doing nothing but pilfering, abusing and misusing public offices, funds and properties. Despite that, they shed crocodile tears when they talk about the miseries of Africa as if they aren’t part and parcel of its quandaries.
Alas, they don’t only talk about Africa’s unity but also about liberation of Africa. Who held Africa at ransom if not they vis-à-vis true liberation of Africa that the harbinger fought for to end up becoming a pipedream? Who arrested and delayed the true liberation which can be seen thorough true union of Africa as a bold and antithesis step against colonial formation of Africa? Who stand on the way of the true liberation and unification of Africa if not they? Whose interests–––however frivolous they’re–––have stood in the way of true liberation and unification of Africa?
To make matters worse, such rulers talk about development and equality as if they deem themselves to be equal to those they lord it over. Who arrested African development and created inequality? They talk about peace while they use their private and public armies to create chaos in their countries? They talk about justice while they use injustices to cling unto power. They talk about democracy while they rule undemocratically. They talk about accountability while they rule unaccountably and irresponsibly. They meal-mouthily condemn corruption and avow to fight it while they’re corrupt through and through. They condemn tribalism while they use the same to divide and illegally rule their people.
African modern time colonisers or call them black colonialists talk about sovereignty while they always are the controlled by their former and emerging colonial masters? Are African countries sovereign in the true meaning of the word? They go hypocritically deep and further to talk about cooperation while they’ve totally refused to integrate Africa by abolishing their colonial borders, passports and visas. They trade with foreign countries by avoiding their sister colonial enclaves aka countries that have never been. Can such bêtes noir be serious or be taken seriously? How if at all they’ve always put the cat before the donkey and expected to move forward?
They congregate in Addis Ababa or any appointed place under the auguries of the African Unity (AU) chicanery annually to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. They beat their chests that Africa is moving forward while it’s always moved backward! They’ve internalised and institutionalised their greed, myopia and uselessness as if they’ll live forever. If Derby had relinquished power timely, he’d have still enjoying life in retirement with his young wife, many doxies and the respect that goes with retirement from high office. Again, his greed, myopia and uselessness became his source of demise. His arrogance-cum-ignorance of time became his good sources of death. How many rulers view this greed like I see it? How many’ll get a lesson from such a tragedy for Deby, which’s supposed to be a triumph for Chad and Africa?
They talk about democracy but rule undemocratically through rigging elections, tampering with and changing constitutions to remain in power doing nothing but pilfering, abusing and misusing public offices, funds and properties. Despite that, they shed crocodile tears when they talk about the miseries of Africa as if they aren’t part and parcel of its quandaries.
Alas, they don’t only talk about Africa’s unity but also about liberation of Africa. Who held Africa at ransom if not they vis-à-vis true liberation of Africa that the harbinger fought for to end up becoming a pipedream? Who arrested and delayed the true liberation which can be seen thorough true union of Africa as a bold and antithesis step against colonial formation of Africa? Who stand on the way of the true liberation and unification of Africa if not they? Whose interests–––however frivolous they’re–––have stood in the way of true liberation and unification of Africa?
To make matters worse, such rulers talk about development and equality as if they deem themselves to be equal to those they lord it over. Who arrested African development and created inequality? They talk about peace while they use their private and public armies to create chaos in their countries? They talk about justice while they use injustices to cling unto power. They talk about democracy while they rule undemocratically. They talk about accountability while they rule unaccountably and irresponsibly. They meal-mouthily condemn corruption and avow to fight it while they’re corrupt through and through. They condemn tribalism while they use the same to divide and illegally rule their people.
African modern time colonisers or call them black colonialists talk about sovereignty while they always are the controlled by their former and emerging colonial masters? Are African countries sovereign in the true meaning of the word? They go hypocritically deep and further to talk about cooperation while they’ve totally refused to integrate Africa by abolishing their colonial borders, passports and visas. They trade with foreign countries by avoiding their sister colonial enclaves aka countries that have never been. Can such bêtes noir be serious or be taken seriously? How if at all they’ve always put the cat before the donkey and expected to move forward?
They congregate in Addis Ababa or any appointed place under the auguries of the African Unity (AU) chicanery annually to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. They beat their chests that Africa is moving forward while it’s always moved backward! They’ve internalised and institutionalised their greed, myopia and uselessness as if they’ll live forever. If Derby had relinquished power timely, he’d have still enjoying life in retirement with his young wife, many doxies and the respect that goes with retirement from high office. Again, his greed, myopia and uselessness became his source of demise. His arrogance-cum-ignorance of time became his good sources of death. How many rulers view this greed like I see it? How many’ll get a lesson from such a tragedy for Deby, which’s supposed to be a triumph for Chad and Africa?
Source: Sunday Monitor today.
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