onsdag 23 april 2008

The Mis-Education of the African elite!

Every child should have the right to think and dream in his/her native language. The colonial languages English, French, Portugese are the official languages in many African countries. I feel that the failure in terms of education, development and democracy in many countries can not be undestood holistically unless the aspect of language is embodied in the whole picture.

Carter Godwin Woodson explains in his famous book: "The Mis-Education of the Negro" the fact that the "educated negroes" have the attitude of contempt toward their own people because in their own as well as in their mixed schools, "Negroes" are taught to admire the Hebrew, the Greek, the Latin and the Teuton and to despise the African......

Those who speak one of the colonial languages fluently and have obtained western education are regarded as "the best ones" and given special treatements. This stems from the way Europeans have dealt with black people for many centuries.

"When you control a man´s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to tha back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His questions of education makes it necessary."

Leah Taylor asserts that although published more than six decades ago, the impact of these poignant words by Dr. Carter G. woodson in The Miseducation of the Negro has continued to resonate throughout the minds and hearts of Black people around the globe. With an equal if not greater level of pertinence than it held in 1933, it enlights each reader on controversial issues such as revers dicsrimination, reparation and affirmative action....

Education in vernacular languages is the key for emanicipation from mental slavery and for total human freedom. Vernacular refers to the native language of a country or locality. In general lingustics, it is used to describe local languages as opposed to linguae francae, official standards or global languages. The panafricanist professor Kwesi Prah is working hard to make all education in Africa in vernaculars. We have to help him to this end.

fredag 4 april 2008

The revolution is not gonna be televised! It is your thoughts that matters, brothers and sisters!!!

Eritrea is not a failed state in terms of democracy, respect for human rights and socio-economic prosperity. The revolution in fighting poverty and diseases is not being sent on TV. Eritrea is actually one of the few countries in the African continent to be able to reach the united nations millenium goal!!! It has been almost 17 years since liberation and independence but so much has already been achieved in such a short time.

Eritrea was described as "the new hope of Africa" in 1991 and its Leader Issayas Afeworki belonged to "the new generation of African leaders" with an anti-corruption policy as his trademark. The guy has not changed that much but the west´s perception of  him and Eritrea has changed a lot since then.
This audacity of hope and dream has not been crushed in Eritrea as yet. Eritreans are of course feeling frustrated and dissenchanted by the so called international community as never before. The country is in a constant state of war after the latest conflict with Ethiopia which erupted once again in 1998.

The Eritrean population is estimated to be around 3.5 million and 10 % (350 000!)of it is recruited in the Eritrean army through a compulsary military conscription. All men between 18-44 years old either are in a military or national service for an unlimited time. You can imagine how devastating the human and material cost is for every Eritrean and the country as whole but the question is,  does Eritrea have any other option? The threat from Ethiopia and USA remains  real and this fear should be taken seriously if any earnest dialogue is going to be possible with the west which has sided with Ethiopia.

The No War and No Peace situation in the current stalemate is having a tremendous negative impact on the population of both countries. Young people are doing everything possible to survive the situation. Eritrea and its population has been taken  as a hostage due to the border tension with Ethiopia.

The state  of war and conflict has engulfed the country for over a decade now. People are sick and tired of the situation where  territorial integrity and sovereignity has demanded a lot of sacrifices so far. Ethiopia has manuplated the whole situation to its own regional and continental interest.The population in Ethiopia is  more oppressed and saphocated  than in Eritrea but the western media is not interested in portraying that reality. Ethiopians are generally  showing an indifferent reaction and signs of resignation.

It is now about time for all Eritreans and peace loving people to take a stand against the status quo.The descion of the border commision should be implemented immediately. Eritrea had taken a courageous initiative to diffuse any immediate confrontation by allowing the united nation to create a  25 kilometer buffer zone inside the country but it was to no avail.

The UN has failed entirely and is not doing enough to solve the conflict. International law has been sidelined and double standard is being applied. The establishment of the buffer zone has literally been in vain and Eritrea rightly  questions the relevance of UN and other organizations/individuals associated with it. The Eritrean people who  have struggled for freedom and justice for all citizens, feel betrayed once again.

I have been an outspoken and a critical citizen against the injustice for some time  but I feel now that it is high time that I joined forces who have the same vision, values of humanity, democracy and freedom and application of international law.

I have not seen any international response to the current stalemate between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The indifference is very much concerning. The border commission has finished its job and has  given the assignment of demarcating the border to the concerned bodies. This actually happened in april 2002 when a virtual cyberbased border was delineated on a map and sent to both countries.Period!

Working out some policies on issues of reconciliation and conflict-resolution is something grassroot organizations should be invoved about. Compensation to the victims of the war and the deportees is another burning issue.

The general situation in the horn of Africa is highly impacted by the outcome of the conflict.The detailed policies and programmes of a post-war relationship need to be hammerd-out. I am not sure if these issues were being outlined by the border commission members but an African managed conflict resolution that involves the whole of the horn of Africa  is a must. Proposals and ideas to get out of the stalemate has got to be presented and debated across the region.

An African  revolutionary movement as HUMANIA and pan-Africanism  could  not be other than a party for the people whose human dignity and rights have been violated by colonialists and imperialists for centuries. Ethiopia has become a puppet state dictated by the CIA which makes it look like a pawn in a chase game being played by a giant.

You are therefore  urged to join us and share your contribution to this noble cause. The evolution needs to be revolutionized by non-violent resistance. Enough is enough. Do not forget the fact that the revolution is not gonna be televised and you can make a difference as long as you have the will.Whereever there is a will, there is always a way.........Robert Nestan Marley Ohem, Berhane Meskel, alias, Bob Marley has said that!Do not forget it!

torsdag 3 april 2008

Nyamko Sabuni och Birgitta Ohlsson skrämmer mig!

Folkpartiet fiskar i grumligt vatten och använder Nyamko Sabuni som täckmantel för att dölja sin främlingsfientliga politik. Nyamko Sabunis föräldrar kommer från Kongo-kinshasa och hon kom till Sverige som 12 åring 1981. Hon är en sekulariserad muslim och pratar om integration utifrån överklassens perspektiv. Hennes uppfattningar om muslimer är negativa.

Hon har gjort sig känd för sina ogenomtänkta utspel och uttalanden. Av hennes mest uppmärksammad utspel kan nämnas: obligatorisk gynekolog-kontroller på alla flickor för att komma åt problemet med könsstympning samt slöjförbud. Hon tillhör också de mest kritiska inom folkpartiet till religösa friskolor vilket i och för sig kan jag sympatisera med.

Hon säger sig ha bestämt sig för att bli politiker efter det rasistiska mordet på flyktingen från Elfenbenskusten Partic Gbeyo i Klippan 1995. Hon har självklart sina svaga och starka sidor som alla andra men att alliera sig med makten och sparka på den som redan ligger är dock inget jag förstår mig på.

Birgitta Ohlsson är en annan ung kvinna inom folkpartiet som profilerat sig på utrikespolitik. Hon förespråkar bl.a. införandet av republik i Sverige vilket gillas även av Humania. Hon har också rätt i sina feministiska antagande i jämställdighetsfrågor.

Hon går dock för långt i sin kritik av "diktaturer" ibland. Hennes senaste och mest flagranta övertramp är att svartmåla Mugabe och Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe har stora ekonomiska och politiska problem men att skylla allting på en gubbe och välja att inte se de övergreppen som folket i landet utsatts av Engelsmännen är att göra det lätt för sig. Maktskifte kan bara äga rum när folket vill det och tar kommandot själva.

Birgitta Ohlsson själv var i Zimbabwe nyligen och uppviglade folk till att demonstrera mot Mugabe. Hon filmade när valaffischer revs sönder och intervjuade människor som misshandlats. Hon berättade detta på SVT i söndags och beskrev Mugabe som en av historiens värste dikatatorer.

Vem har gett henne rätten att åka ner till Zimbabwe och ställa till det för folket? Tänk hur absurd det skulle vara om en poltiker från Zimbabwe skulle komma hit och förhålla sig som hon på en svensk valkampanj..?

Jag har nu polisanmält henne för uppvigling och subversiv verksamhet i Zimbabwe och hoppas att hon lämnas ut till polisen i Zimbabwe för att ställas inför rätta där.

För övrigt hoppas jag att Mugabe åtminstone vinner i presidentvalet när det nu är klart att oppositionen vunnit i parlamentsvalet!!!