Revising the gerontocratic myths in African political leadership: A platform for youth revolutionarism.

By Williams Abobo.

In almost every African society, respect for the elderly seems to be an entrenched provision in the socio-behavioral code observed by that particular society. So before Moses wrote down the Ten Commandments enjoining the Israelites to respect their parents and by extension, the elderly, in order to have long life, Africans already knew of respect for the elderly. Respect for the elderly is so strong in Africa that it sometimes seem as though Africa is practicing gerontolatry—the worship of the elderly. It has been promoted by a set of dogma and mythologies; completely inimical to youth involvement in leadership at all levels of the African social strata.


A recurring myth in the philosophy of gerontocracy is that the older one gets, the wiser he/she becomes. In most paintings I have seen of God, His hair and beard are completely grey. I can only guess that the intension is to give Him the wise, peaceful and calm looks associated with the elderly class. On the other hand, Satan is depicted as a youth overflowing with destructive power. Ironically, when these same painters portray a person like King Solomon or Noah in the bible, they always have grey beard and hair. Meanwhile Satan according to the belief of most religions lived long before Solomon and Noah; and is still living. So who is supposed to be painted with grey hair and beard? Applying simple logical reasoning, I should think that Satan must also have grey beard and hair. The question that I ask myself when I see such paintings is: is it not possible to have a destructive, diabolical thinking, and a hopelessly ineffective elderly person?


I think that there are examples of such people in every society. Yes, the expectation is that the older one is, the wiser he/she must be. But it will be unrealistic for anyone to assign a positive truth value to any proposition which seeks to establish a direct link between age and wisdom. The point about gerontocracy is that age increases every year so once a leader is selected because of his age and associated wisdom, he/she is inclined to rule for life. The assumption is that he/she becomes wiser and more experienced every year which makes him the best person to rule. Omar Bongo of Gabon was one of the African leaders in this group. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has also fought courageously to keep himself in power. Museveni of Uganda, another gerontocrat has remained in power since 1986. The list may be too long for me to exhaust.


Another recurring myth in the philosophy of gerontocracy is the fallacy that the judgment of the elderly is always right. It is considered disrespectful for a youth to challenge the judgment of an elderly person. As a youth, the society expects you to be “religiously obedient” to everyone older than you regardless of the fact the judgments of the elderly may be out of favor relative to the peculiar challenges of the following generation. Therefore when the older generation forces its interests on the younger generation, the latter will be compelled to abandon its interests, leave its peculiar challenges unattended to and follow an established pattern of life prescribed by the former. I doubt if any society can ever grow in such a situation! In many African countries political leaders make choices on who they will like to succeed them. Often, supporters of political leaders accept the succession choice thus made by their leaders leading to, what I prefer to describe as a neo-dynastic political system. In Nigeria, outgoing president Obasanjo choice of who should succeed him was granted, at least by official account. Soon after the death of Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, worshippers of the gerontocratic cult quickly predicted what the leader would have done if he knew he was going to die soon. Their conclusion was that the dead leader’s son, Faure Eyadema, should be made the president. A similar situation took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


I have come to the conclusion, that for Africa to grow, one crucial thing to do is to revise, demystify and ease the obsession with age when it comes to electing people into political leadership. Merit-based rule is what is needed--one that allows people to become leaders based on their overriding merits rather than how old they may be. Under merit-based rule, the youth, interested in political leadership will have the opportunity of bringing into political administration, new ideas, creativity, exuberance and an unstoppable hope to succeed. This is what I call youth revolutionarism. Competent and self confident youth will be able to challenge the neo-dynastic political leaders into justifying their stay in office on merit or relinquish power if they lack merit. Under youth revolutionarism, gerontocrats will not be assumed to be wise; they will demonstrate it. Their judgments will not be assumed to be right; they will prove it. That is the only way the youth will be emboldened to venture into political leadership knowing that it is competence which matters but not old age.

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Morocco: Better luck in 2030

By Bouchra Kachoub, a graduate student from Morocco, currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics at Ohio University

In the minds of South Africans, May 15th 2006 is synonymous with great achievement and is a warm-up for a giant leap towards a global event: The 2010 World Cup. However, in the minds of Moroccans, this particular day may not make any sense for some while it may give a feeling of inferiority and underachievement to others, for May 15th 2006 marks the decisive day where the two competing African countries received the news of the verdict made by the FIFA executive committee.

The story did not start with South Africa and Morocco alone; it also included Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Egypt was optimistic enough that it stayed in the battle field only to obtain zero votes from the FIFA executive committee compared to 14 votes for South Africa and 10 for Morocco, while Tunisia and Libya withdrew for different reasons. Libya was a strong potential candidate, but ruined its participation when it started explicitly relating sport events to hot political issues, especially that of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Tunisia must have known where it stood and decided to withdraw so as not to upset its people, especially at a time when Morocco, a sworn enemy in soccer, was involved.

The fact that Morocco is known by its hospitality must have strengthened its feelings of being a potential host country. However, FIFA does not look at a country’s cultural profile or promises. On the contrary, it is more realistic and looks for concrete evidence rather than plans on paper or miniatures of a construction site to show what the event will look like. At the time of the elections, which were held for the seventh time in a row in Zurich, Morocco had only two big stadiums that needed renovation, while South Africa was already working on the construction of more stadiums impervious to whether it was selected or not. This act must have increased the trust of the FIFA executive committee on South Africa despite the spreading propaganda of high crime rate and diseases such as AIDS, which the majority of the Moroccans thought was a serious detractor. Furthermore, it caused many Moroccans to think that they were the only viable choice.

The prior experience of South Africa in hosting the rugby World Cup in 1995 and the cricket World Cup in 2003 added to the weight of its candidature and helped the FIFA committee in convincing themselves that their choice was sound enough. Moreover, the nine standing stadiums, in addition to the ones under construction, made the committee’s choice ineluctable. However, the 10 votes that Morocco received were not based on something tangible, but they were perhaps based on the emotions and experience of some of the members of the committee towards this country and the images of promise created when presenting their candidature. For Morocco to be ready for the World Cup in four years was very ambitious and may be impossible given the fact that hotels, roads, stadiums, airports, restaurants, attraction sites and much more still need to be built.

FIFA has proven to be more open-minded and in favor of celebrating the World Cup in happy Africa, unlike the International Olympics Committee that has never considered this continent to host such events. Also, FIFA has adopted a rotation system for the World Cup to ensure that all nations are involved. In fact, this was a great initiative for developing countries to push themselves to develop and enrich their economy. For example, million of dollars will be spent in South Africa and approximately 150,000 jobs will be created. This economic boost would not have come to South Africa were it not for the World Cup. Many Moroccans were left questioning what made the FIFA executive committee chose a country that is far south in the continent? They argued that Morocco is at the center which divides the distance between those who are in the northern regions of the world as well as the southern ones. Don’t all roads lead to Morocco? Many were also left wondering whether the FIFA executive members were sharing benefits with airlines? On the other side, other Moroccans thought that their local authorities, meaning Moroccan authorities, were too corrupt and half of the World Cup budget will only end up in their pockets.

The fact that Morocco did not secure the vote can be perceived as a positive aspect of this event because the country has indeed embarked in constructing all the projects that were on paper instead of taking a step backward as was expected by the majority. King Mohamed VI appointed a new Minister of Tourism who implemented a plan that aims at enlarging tourism projects such as the construction of hotels and attraction sights. Transportation has improved since then and roads have been maintained; however, stadiums construction is either very slow or unheard of.

Unfortunately, Morocco has not learned its lesson yet despite the fact that it was bidding for the World Cup a fourth time. On the contrary, South Africa has always been close to hosting the World Cup as it lost the bidding by just one vote to Germany for the 2006 World Cup because of New Zealand’s executive committee, Charles Dempsey, who abstained from voting. Overall, Morocco has moved forward since 2006 and even though it was not selected, hosting the world cup remains an African event which does not exclude Morocco from its benefits because it serves as the gate to Africa from Europe. Now that the rotating policy, adopted by the FIFA, will have the World Cup go around the world before it comes back to Africa in twenty years, all what we can say to Morocco is “Better luck in 2030!”

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Will West Africa be the next battleground for the War on Terror?

By Oumar Ba, a graduate student at Ohio University pursuing a Masters Degree in Political Science

Umar Faruk Abdul Mutallab, who allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit bound airplane on Christmas day, is a Nigerian national.  However, the reports seem to indicate that his self-radicalization and his potential ties to Al Qaeda occurred while he was studying Arabic in Yemen.  Nigeria experiences cyclic religious violence that often leaves hundreds of dead, the latest being the crackdown on the Kala Kato sect in Bauchi State on December 28 2009 and the clashes between the Police and the Boko Haram sect last August.  But this eruption of religious violence appears to be an issue confined within the Nigerian borders, in other words, it is not a transnational problem.  Therefore, it is not the subject of this post.
            
The object of this article is to ask questions about the probability of West Africa, especially within the Sahel-Sahara region, becoming the new frontier for the War on Terror. Within the last few months, many events that often went unnoticed by the western media, have nonetheless proven to be steps in the escalation of transnational violence, and have made the U.S and some European governments pay more attention.

Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abdelraman are three Malian nationals that were arrested in Ghana on December 18, 2009 by U.S federal agents and were extradited to New York to face charges of “narco-terrorism”.  They allegedly have some ties with al Qaeda and some cocaine connection with the Colombian FARC.  Of course, both al Qaeda and the FARC are on US terror list.  We do not know at this moment if and to what extent these three individuals are involved in narco-terrorism but the intriguing aspect of this issue is the unprecedented arrest of Malians in Ghana by the U.S. government.
          
On November 20 2009, a Boeing 727 with an expired registration from Guinea Bissau was found incinerated in the Malian desert, in the middle of nowhere. Though there are still many speculations about this unusual crash landing, the United Nations revealed that the airplane took off from Venezuela, went to Columbia, was picked up by the radar around the Cape Verde islands, then disappeared until it was found in the desert, burned to the ground, with no signs of the pilot or the crew.  Apparently, the crew discharged its load of cocaine there, burned the plane, and left the scene.  These events happened amidst US efforts to help Malian security forces to combat terrorism in the northern part of the country.
       
The border between Mali and Mauritania is the area where an Italian couple was kidnapped on December 18, 2009.  On December 28 2009, a group named Al Qaeda au Maghreb Islamique (AQMI) issued an audio message and claimed that it is detaining the Italian couple.  Three weeks earlier, the same group kidnapped three tourists from Spain in the South East region of Mauritania.  Since the start of its operations four years ago, AQMI is  responsible for the death of about 30 Mauritanian soldiers  but it was not until it killed four French nationals in Aleg, Mauritania in 2007 that it started targeting westerners.  Last June, AQMI claimed responsibility for the murder of an American citizen in the capital city of Mauritania and the suicide attack on the French Embassy in Nouakchott.  That was the first suicide attack ever in the region.
     
How will these events impact the local development?  What political consequences will there be? Do local governments have the means to face the threats from AQMI? What strings will be attached with any help from the Western governments?  How will the local populations react if there is an escalation of the violence?
     
Local tourism activities are already paying a hefty price.  The Western governments have issued warnings for their citizens who would be tempted to travel to the northern Malian cities of Timbuktu and Gao.  The political fallout of these events can be seen in the recent developments of the democratic process in Mauritania.  President Aziz removed the democratically elected President Sidi, and ran for the elections he prepared and made sure he won.  The western powers did not waste any time in recognizing the new regime as the legitimate government of Mauritania. A few weeks after his investiture, President Aziz paid Sarkozy a visit.  The political stability of Mauritania is a vital ingredient in any attempt to fight terrorism in the region. On December 24 2009, the Obama administration reinstated Mauritania in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program, which is a program of trade benefits for African countries that are meeting the threshold of democratic reform.  At the same time, Madagascar, Guinea and Niger were dropped from the program.

What are the geostrategic consequences of the war on terror in West Africa?  What does it mean for the central command of US military operations in Africa: AFRICOM? What about the French military troops based in Dakar?  Until recently, the French government was reviewing its military alliances with its former colonies and studying the effects of the potential closure of some of its military bases in Africa to reduce its expenses in this post-Cold war era.  The Commandant of the French military base in Dakar, General Paulus has said that “France maintains permanently a warship in the Gulf of Guinea to assist the French citizens.  If we would close one or the other base (Dakar, or Libreville), this warship would have to cover all 15 countries from Mauritania to Mozambique.” Obviously, the French military forces would not want to retreat from West Africa just to see AFRICOM establish a permanent base in the region. Will Mauritania offer to host a permanent American military base in its soil?

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Is Splitting Democratic Republic of Congo the solution for the Great Lakes Region? Reflections on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

Patrick Litanga is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in African Studies at Ohio University.


It has been 11 years since the second rebellion started in 1998; we, actually, know that it was not just a rebellion. Although the Congolese rebel, Jean Pierre Bemba, was gaining momentum in the region of Equateur, Uganda and Rwanda were deeply involved in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as they were attempting to “punish” their former protégée, Laurent Desiree Kabila. In May 1997 Laurent D. Kabila, a drop out mentee of Che Guevara, basically rode to power on the shoulders of Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni. Unfortunately, in 1998 Kabila’s collaboration with Museveni and Kagame went sour, a collapse that saw Uganda and Rwanda’s troops attacking the east of DRC. Since DRC was militarily and economically inadequate, to say the least, Kabila sought help from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola; this is how the Congolese second war came to be known as “the first African World War”. From 1998 to 1999 these six countries: Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola had active troops in DRC; they fought and mined whatever minerals they could, coltan, diamond, cassiterite (tin ore), etc. By 2000 all other foreign troops had left DRC while Kagame and Museveni’s troops continued their activities.

Today, 11 years later, 5.4 million deaths, countless internally displaced Congolese, and millions others in refugee camps in neighboring countries, the east of DRC is still unstable and Uganda and Rwanda are still involved. To put it into perspective, the Congolese conflict, the deadliest conflict since World War II, has taken away roughly 5 times more lives than the 1994 Rwandese Genocide, about twice the population of Eritrea, and way more lives than the Iraq, Afghanistan and the Kosovo war combined, yet the international community is doing almost nothing, and some are even proposing to split DRC in 3 or four countries, explaining that DRC is too big to be a unified country. This proposition simply implies that the Congolese people are incapable of dealing with their own issues; it also hides the fact that foreign companies, both African and European, are illegally mining coltan and diamonds, exploiting wood and many other resources in the east of Congo. From its genesis, the Congolese conflict was not simply a national affair, it was and it is still an international affair, therefore it requires an international approach.

However, my purpose here is to ask us Africaninsts and readers of Bokamoso Leadership Forum (BLF) blog if splitting DRC is the best option for peace in the Great Lakes region, keeping in mind that when Mobutu was backed by the CIA from the 1960’s until the beginning of the 1990’s very few people, if ever, had voiced the idea that DRC was too big and ought to be split. In addition, breaking DRC down in 2 or 3 countries would create at least one more landlocked country in the Great Lakes region, which has had armed conflicts since the 1960’s, and today some scholars have labeled it as the “corridor of war”. Third and most importantly, who should decide and what should be the criteria of splitting DRC?

These questions also arise as a reflection of the series that was run by the BLF blog on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs), and their possible role in the facilitation of nation building in African countries that are emerging from conflict. The TRC was part of the peace agreement signed at the Inter-Congolese Dialogue that brought the conflict to its ‘end’ in 2004, in Pretoria South Africa. As part of the institutions forming part of the transitional government, Joseph Kabila signed the TRC law that same year. The TRC’s responsibility was to establish the truth about the political, the social and economic violations that took place in the DRC between 1960- 2003 in order to promote healing and reconciliation. However, the president of the TRC Bishop Jean-Luc Ndondo in 2008 attributed the failure of the Congolese TRC to unfavorable political conditions, while the international community condemned the formation of the commission due to the continuance of violent events in places such as Kivu. Therefore, the Congolese TRC unlike the Liberian, South African had little international and domestic support due to the continuance of tensions in the country. One can argue, unfortunately, that its failure was inevitable.

Could it be then that the failure of the TRC here has led to this view that ‘splitting’ the DRC is a better alternative to nation building? If so, then does this mean that justice can only be established by destroying the rebuilding process? Would we not then be trying to foster nation building based on ethnic associations/ geographical locations that the TRC was trying to heal rather than political ideologies? Who is going to pay for the injustices of this “first African World War”? All these questions directly oppose the reconciliation and most importantly, and unfortunately, posit that DRC cannot be reconciled. Lastly, would the splitting of the DRC be setting a precedent for a future North and South Sudan as two different countries? And sadly, is splitting truly the only chance at peace for the African post-colony 50 years after colonialism? 

 

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International relations and diplomacy: Reflections on SA 2010 and the power of sports

by Kombe Kapatamoyo a former graduate student at Ohio University. Kombe is currently a PhD student at West Virginia University.

The World Cup next year will be South Africa’s largest sports event. It will not only bring many nations together in one part of the world, but the world’s attention will be focused on this particular country. Because of the attention received, many nations have used such sports events for political reasons. Now, South Africa as a host of the 2010 World Cup has the rare opportunity to foster beneficial economic and political relations with the visiting countries. This article seeks to highlight the role of sports in the consolidation of intranational and international relations.


Sports are a universal enterprise of all nations. The fans love the competition, love cheering for their favorite teams and just enjoy an atmosphere that is a break from daily issues. The great thing about sports is that it can be a pure pursuit that has a common basis. Therefore, sports can rise above international politics. Using football as an example, a player from Saudi Arabia will play the game in the same manner that a player from Mauritius or South Africa will. This gives an instant and common foundation that people can build relations on.  One might argue that sport is perhaps one of the few spheres where nations can wage war against one another and its over after 90 minutes, at least for football. In the one month it takes to complete the world cup, teams will compete to claim the prestigious title of World Champions. Competing nations invest a lot in these competitions and the fervency with which nations support their teams is almost as intense as waging a war between states.


Sports have also become a method for countries that are facing internal struggles to start diplomatic relations.  For instance, while Ivory Coast was going through qualification for the 2006 World Cup, its National Football Association was hesitant to support the team due to the political turmoil within the country that began in 2002. However, the Ivorian football team wanted to end the divide of the nation between north and south and believed that participation in the World Cup would bridge this divide.


At this point in time, we have a chance to seize upon the World Cup as a method to showcase to the world the power of South Africa as a nation and Africa as a continent. The notion that nations use international tournaments, like the Olympics and the Football World Cup as a platform to exercise ‘soft power’ is worth examining. The US in 1936 had Jesse Owens, an African–American man; participate in the Olympics as a sign to the German government of their lack of support for the Nazi regime and its anti-Semitic policies.  As the World Cup has worldwide media that follow the month-long event, how will South Africa together with her African partners use this opportunity to reveal the deep hope for a brighter future that most Africans have? How can this tournament be used to demonstrate the pride and dignity of a continent whose history, pride, dignity and innovation has long been undermined in international relations? How can this continent which has given birth to Mandela, Nkrumah, Biko, Mogae, Lumumba, Madikizela-Mandela, Annan and many other heroes show the world that so called ‘soft power’ is indeed good for the whole world not just Africans?


In light of the role that sports have played in international relations in the past, South Africa’s successful bid to host the World Cup has shown the country has come a long way since the days of apartheid. It has also given South Africa the opportunity to divert the focus from ongoing problems such as wars in Sudan and DRC, stagnant economies in different African countries and citizens who still lack basic amenities. This doesn’t mean that these challenges should be ignored, but this is an opportunity to show that change has also come to Africa through South Africa.


Additionally, the world cup is being held in one of Africa’s fastest growing economies therefore  it is important to note the huge potential that South Africa brings to the table in terms of politics, economy and other areas that can foster development. For instance, on December 7^th 2009, President Zuma visited his counter part President Banda of Zambia to establish and renew standing Memorandum of Understanding in the manufacturing, education and health sectors. This can be extended further not just to the SADC region but also to the entire continent and globe as well. Having risen from a past that was devastating on more than half of its population, South Africa can take the lead in roles of mediation and conflict resolution – the cases of Zimbabwe and Sudan, it can also solidify its role on the international scene as a heavy weight in international relations.


More questions will always be raised than answered when looking at an issue like the strength of a nation in international diplomacy and international relations. South Africa by being host of footballs’ greatest event must highlight the good that has been achieved in the country and on the entire continent. From successful democratic elections in Ghana, establishment of a government of unity in Kenya and the weathering of the economic crunch in emerging and established economies like Botswana and South Africa itself, Africa has and is still a resilient continent to contend with in all spheres.  Also, not only should the spotlight be on national governments but also on individuals that have dedicated their life’s work to the betterment of others. For instance, initiatives such as ‘The Elders’ brought together by Mandela is one that can be highlighted as one that has reaches outside Africa to the rest of the world.

Globalization has proved that politics of isolation are things of the past. International relations and diplomacy through sports and other mediums are the tools needed to forge a strong rainbow nation and continent. Regardless of the inroads we have made since the end of apartheid, South Africa has the opportunity in the World Cup to act as a shining beacon on the continent and once again, raise our voices in articulating Africa’s issues. As the song “My African Dream” states for Africa “there's a new tomorrow…there's a dream that we can follow.” And just like the slogan says, “Its Africa’s turn”.

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The Africa You Should Know: Reflections on HomeComing

by Dr. Andy Ofori-Birikorang. He is a recent PhD graduate of Ohio University

Five weeks after relocating back home to Ghana, am beginning to see the two ‘Africa’s’ that regularly contest for coverage in western media, ‘The Africa people know’ and the Africa ‘People should know’. I am an advocate of the latter. In the last five weeks since returning home to Ghana for good from the USA (I lived in the USA from August 2003 to October 2009), I have been trying to assess how palpable the two ‘Africas’ manifest on the ground. I must admit that this piece is limited by space to capture all the issues of the “known” and “should know” about the continent. But it presents brief illustrations from Ghana on some major, but current issues of contention on the two ‘Africas’.

In the spring of 2009 the African Student Union of Ohio University held their annual African Cultural Week; they organized a one day awareness exhibition on Africa dubbed “The Africa You Should Know”. The idea behind the exhibition was to highlight the beauty of Africa to counter the stereotypes and negative images which the American media regularly feed their audiences about the continent. According to the organizers, these negative portrayals have come to represent the ‘Africa people know’- the one that the American media have consistently portrayed on television and in the newspapers. The organizers of the event believed that for Africa to attract investors , improve tourism, and earn international respect for its citizens, Africans (and Africanists) living at home, and especially those in the Diaspora must seize every opportunity that comes their way to dispel the negative information that scare away investors and tourists, and present Africans as groups, who, without external Western support/aid, are incapable of managing their own affairs. Audiences need to know or must be educated on the other Africa: ‘The Africa people should know’- that beautiful, serene, communal and vibrant Africa. The effect of the exhibition on patrons of the event and the local media was not measured. However, individuals who are passionate about the continent agree that, to change such negative perceptions and elicit the desired positive responses towards the continent, the exhibition in Athens must be replicated in several countries and on regular basis by Africans living in the Diaspora.

Environment: The ‘known’ Africa will dominate headlines on coverage of the environment of the two major cities in Ghana. My personal experience with driving in the cities sent me back to school on how to drive defensively in lawless, chaotic traffic. In the past year alone reports indicate that 144 individuals in the Ashanti region of Ghana alone lost their lives in road accidents. Results from the 9 other regions have not yet been released. The chilling effect, on ones’ safe arrival home, of escape from fatality on Ghana’s major highways is one reason why religion has, in larges doses become opium of millions of Ghanaians. Who else is responsible for such escape but the God they serve? Since escape from the jaws of Mr. Death occurs round the clock, God should be praised 24/7. It is one reason for some of the all night-long cacophonous sleep-stalling blur of music and tongues speaking that have, in the name of freedom of worship, become nuisance to many peace loving citizens. Another spectacle is the way young boys and girls still criss-cross vehicles paths amidst the heavy traffic to trade and hawk their wares;some young enough to be categorized as child labor. Many are oblivious of their plight. Some fodder for the “Africa you know” pessimists.

Despite the filth that seems to engulf some notable suburbs of the cities, I am impressed with the incessant campaign to keep the cities clean. City officials have robustly tried to keep the cities dirt free and have intensified efforts to remove all unauthorized structures. Most of the highways have been rid of litter. Sanitation along some highways in the cities is comparable to some major roads in any millennium city anywhere.

Politics: This subject of scorn by African pessimists has some good news for the “Africa you should know” advocates. The level of growth and maturity in Ghanaian politics is comparable to any democratic practice anywhere, including the United States. The media have been at the forefront of this democratic growth regularly lubricated by renowned local politicians who cherish freedom of choice and of expression. The level of political awareness can be gauged by the incessant phone-ins from individuals located at all levels of the social structure to the various FM radio stations to discuss local political issues. Some of the discussions by these ordinary Ghanaians are so insightful that the American counterparts of “The Africa people know” adherents will sound apologetic on discovering the new high level of political participation by Africans. More important is the high level of internal democracy that has emerged in internal structures of political parties. The party in power, in the last couple of weeks, has taken more flak from its members than from the opposition parties. The constant criticisms against the President‘s style of governance from his own party activists which they have dubbed as “too slow” has rendered the main opposition party redundant. The Republican Party in the US, from this perspective, to me, does not perform better. One more issue- The current party honored some young men and women with leading cabinet and public office positions breaking away from the history of recycling rejected politicians. They dare not fail!

Sports: the fanfare about South Africa 2010 is still on in almost all African countries. Here in Ghana, people still revel in the fact that Africa is hosting it for the first time. The world cup has provided a chance for the western media a taste of the African sense of unity, communalism and oneness of destiny. Participating African countries would on individual basis like to win the cup. But the general feeling among the Ghanaian soccer enthusiasts is that they just want an African country to lift the cup. They care less about which country. What a joy to see the cup remain on the African soil. The live draw was beautiful, simple, and transformational. I hope the western media used the event to educate their audiences about one beautiful thing they should know about Africa. I share the sentiments of all Ghanaians and fellow Africans that 2010 is Africa’s moment of glory and we need to take that glory with grandeur. One major drawback and an arsenal for the “the Africa you know” advocates is indiscipline among footballers within African participating team. A canker that on more than one occasion killed team spirit during world cup preparations. Ghana’s soccer trio of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan have been cited for indiscipline. These players choose club over country and deserted camp without permission. Critics believe that this attitude can never happen in any European Country. Another illustration of “The Africa you know”!

Fashion: I really love this part of Africa. Africans love color - various shades and blends. Color has so much symbolic meaning and importance. But the beauty of seeing Africans, particularly our beautiful women in exquisite colorful designs from African-made garments and textiles, gracing the streets of our cities, offices, campuses, and churches, is marvelously captivating. Men and women of all ages wear with pride the African designed garment on all occasions including most formal events whose dress code used to be highly western in fabric and design. My two little daughters will rather wear their African designed dress than the western dresses I bought for them on my way home! They are so proud of it and love to cat-walk in them for the cameras! Young advocates of the “Africa You Should Know!”

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South Africa 2010 World Cup Preliminary Groups

The groups for the preliminary round of the World Cup have been selected and the groups are as follows

Group A South Africa Mexico Uruguay France	Group B Argentina Nigeria South Korea Greece	Group C England USA Algeria Slovenia	Group D Germany Australia Serbia Ghana
Group E Netherlands Denmark Japan Cameroon	Group F Italy Paraguay New Zealand Slovakia	Group G Brazil North Korea Cote D’Ivoire Portugal	Group H Spain Switzerland Chile Honduras

(African countries are in bold)

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