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The Aftermath
of Obama in Ghana
 Ghana was on high for the entire
week, literally counting down the days until President Barrack Obama and his
family touched down. The energy was electric and no one could escape the
excitement, for it was contagious, spreading to the furthest reaches of our
borders. People began pouring into the capital early Friday morning, in
anticipation of America’s 44th President, hoping to catch a glimpse
of the great man. Unfortunately, for most, he swept in on a cloud of security
and was whisked from the airport to his safe house. To the disappointment of
the masses, there where no scheduled open air meetings, rather he held an
exclusive meeting, where he addressed the parliament and distinguished members
of the Ghanaian society. Nevertheless, we were all able to hear his speech word
for word, via the live wire.
A welcome change from a
Bush, who couldn’t even read through a complete speech, President Obama breezes
through entire speeches without glancing at his notes or losing a beat. He is
the Jay-Z of politicians, captivating his audiences both with his marvellous
flow and commanding good looks. Pride exhumed from the faces of the entire
audience as President Obama applauded Ghana as the pioneers of good governance,
leading Africa by example. He correctly criticized the corruption that is
common place in our society and encouraged a change of attitude among the people
to bring about the change that we seek in our time. He used himself as an
example, the son of an African goat herder, now the most influential man in the
world. It is not possible to listen to this man, as an African, without
experiencing the euphoria that comes from his victory, which we all share.
Furthermore, President
Barrack Obama showed true class and character when meeting and greeting the
people. He is a statesman of the highest calibre. And more
importantly, unlike his predecessor, he wasn't condescending, scattering crumbs
in the form of useless donations to buy his way into the hearts of our people,
who have associated any visit from such a high American official, with a hand
out.
However, there were two
statements that unequivocally revealed his true position on Africa and it was
for that reason that we were tuned in. Two sentences which spoke volumes,
nestled in between a flower garden of words.
Black lie # 1: “The West
is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last
decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.”
It is a known fact that
Zimbabwe has been subjected to “smart sanctions”, imposed by U.K. and the
U.S.A., which are a direct cause of their present economic woes. Not only that,
but President Robert Mugabe is the only existing leader on the continent who
refuses under-the-table deals that would swell his pockets in exchange for the
resources that his European counterparts insist on controlling, at the expense
of his people. And the wars that employ children to kill and maim, may have
black faces, like Charles Taylor at the helm, but they are fuelled by the
multi-nationals, who can only get our resources at such outrageous prices by
ensuring instability in the region. No where in Africa are we using children to
fight wars that aren’t focused on the control of minerals for export to the
West.
Black lie # 2: “And let
me be clear: our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the
continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of
America, Africa and the world.”
At least he admitted, in no
uncertain terms, that the Africa Command, established by Bush, is definitely in
progress. He even admitted that his primary concern was the security interests
of America, however, he lamely suggests that it isn’t to get a foothold in
Africa, meaning he doesn’t intend to manipulate our governments with the strong
arm of America’s might, instead, that ever imposing force will simply guard us
against the threat of genocide, terrorism and/or drug trafficking. The
benevolence of the Empire is once again upon us.
Earlier in his speech he
stated that the generation of Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lamumba and the rest of
freedom of fighters have given way to cynicism, even despair. I say,
inevitable, as we witness the watering down of a movement, the annihilation of
men of honor and the desecration of truth and rights. President Obama’s
isolation of men like President Mugabe and Fidel Castro is a bad sign, not only
for Africans and Latin Americans, but for the whole world. It stands to suggest
that he will maintain the policies of a country, whose history is more cruel
than any previous society, so long as they deny America the right to trample
their sovereignty under foot. Furthermore, he proves willing and determined to
carry out military occupation, be it active or dormant, to insure America’s
interest are secure, at the expense of the host country and the rest of the
world.
I am no cynic or pessimist,
matter fact, I am quite the optimist. I am certain that there will be change,
real and significant, but like independence, it will not be granted by our
oppressors in black or white face. It will not be determined by the West or
even our present puppets in power , but by us, the sons and daughters of the
movement, without titles or impressive degrees, just the countless labourers on
the ground, laying the foundation of a new day by doing the works, little by
little. The false prophets will be exposed and the strong men deposed, at the
dawn of Africa’s rising.
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