Fare Thee Well, Madiba

Africa and the world was hit with the sad news of the passing of one of the world's most revered and illustrious sons. he whole world was filled with so much grief and sorrow as the news started to spread. Many people thought this was one of the usual hoaxes that the media used to peddle so as to increase their customer base.

But this time the news was true and within some few minutes of Nelson Mandela's passing, the tributes started pouring in. The social media sites such as facebook, twitter, google plus, linkedin etc etc have been awash with tributes from all corners of the earth. These tributes were coming from world leaders, politicians and the ordinary men and women on the streets from Accra to Cape Town and from Moscow to Tehran, etc etc. 

Nelson Mandela indeed lived a life of forgiveness, reconciliation and in fact he had forgiveness in his blood. He had to endure torture and humiliation from his captors who did all things possible in their powers to break him down, but Madiba never broke down and also never gave up.

Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years in prison. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from prison workers. However, while incarcerated, Mandela was able to earn a Bachelor of Law degree through a University of London correspondence program.

A 1981 memoir by South African intelligence agent Gordon Winter described a plot by the South African government to arrange for Mandela's escape so as to shoot him during the recapture; the plot was foiled by British intelligence. Mandela continued to be such a potent symbol of black resistance that a coordinated international campaign for his release was launched, and this international groundswell of support exemplified the power and esteem that Mandela had in the global political community.

In 1982, Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison, allegedly to enable contact between them and the South African government. In 1985, President P. W. Botha offered Mandela's release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle; the prisoner flatly rejected the offer. With increasing local and international pressure for his release, the government participated in several talks with Mandela over the ensuing years, but no deal was made. It wasn't until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela's release was finally announced—on February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions.

This is the man we are all celebrating and not mourning for Madiba has lived a well fulfilled life. Will our African leaders be ready and willing to live by the ideals of this great man? Posterity will judge us all if we dont honor this great man by emulating his examples and walking in his footsteps. Madiba fare thee well and may our ancestors  give you a rousing welcome as you join them, and may God Almighty grant you a resting place in His bosom. The lion of Africa sleeps tonight, God bless Africa.

The Journey Of Death

My heart is heavy with grief and sadness as i write this post. Why should our brothers and sisters die such needless deaths in the Mediterranean sea in their quest to seek greener pastures outside the continent? Over the past two weeks the media has been awash with horrifying images of bodies of African migrants who got drowned while trying to journey in boats to the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that about 300 of the purported 500 migrants on board the crude boats died as a result of  the boat capsizing due to the bad weather on the high seas. More of these unfortunate deaths are still being reported as the days go by. What about those who died on the Sahara Desert? Most of these deaths go unreported and no proper burial is given to them. Mother Africa weeps for her children who embark on this "Journey of Death" to Europe. I sometimes ask myself why our brothers and sisters embark on this dangerous and perilous journey to Europe? One would say that they embark on these journeys to Europe to make sure they make some money and see to it that their families back home on the continent have a better life. But to me, i would say that this shows that we have a serious leadership crisis and failure in Africa as our leaders would rather amass wealth and stash huge sums of money in foreign bank accounts. Rather than see to the well being of their citizens, our leaders always have their personal and selfish interests always as their first priority. The citizens are just asking for good roads, better education systems, good drinking water, employment avenues and many more. If all these are done by our leaders, no African would think of embarking on this "Journey of Death" to Europe to live a better life as they are being made to believe. We should stop blaming the white man for every thing that goes wrong in Africa and put pressure on our leaders in Africa to do the right thing. The days of colonialism are fast gone and we as Africans can do better than the blame game we always stick to. Just to quote the words of Mr. Franklin Cudjoe of Imani Ghana, "Italy should not allow the Eritrean Government to convey the dead bodies of Eritreans back to the Dictatorial hell hole called Eritrea. That would be triple jeopardy. Please let the unfortunate brave political slaves die as martyrs and their souls rest for ever in Italy." May their souls rest in peace.

Globe View: Remembering 9/11

Globe View: Remembering 9/11: It all started as a normal day for me on September 11, 2001 which was a Tuesday. I had gone to talk to my dad about an important issue con...

Remembering 9/11

It all started as a normal day for me on September 11, 2001 which was a Tuesday. I had gone to talk to my dad about an important issue concerning my tertiary education. I was in Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. I came back to my Aunty's place which was in the same area as my parents residence. i decided to take a nap. Deep into my sleep i heard the house phone ringing, i picked it up and it was my Aunty's husband who was telling me to switch on the television for something tragic had happened in the US and it was being shown live by most of the major news networks all over the world. I did just that and i realized that the US was under attack by some cowards. I became glued to the television set as i watched the events unfold on CNN via our national television station, GTV.  I could not move out of the room as i did not want to miss any second of what was happening in the US. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were burning as two commercial domestic airplanes had crashed into them. The Pentagon had also been attacked as a plane also crashed into a part of it killing some of the staff. Another plane was also brought down as it was trying to make its way to another target.  By the close of the day, the whole world was waiting for any news on the perpetrators of such an atrocity. In all about 3000 people both on the four commercial planes and on the ground in the Twin Towers and scores of Fire Service and Security agents were killed. This tragic incident in my opinion could be said to be second to what happened at Pearl Habour on December 7, 1941 which also killed about 3000 soldiers when the Japanese launched a kamikazi attack on the American Naval fleet in the South Pacific. May the souls of all the victims of these cowardly acts rest in perfect peace as we remember the September 11 attacks on the US. Though so many conspiracy theories abound about who actually orchestrated this dastardly act, i hope those mistakes that made the perpetrators take advantage would not be committed again. God bless us all.

The Road To Damascus

Once again, the US and Britain are deceiving the world into believing the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its people. We all know what happened in Iraq where no WMDs were found but the country was invaded. This is a tinderbox which will set the Middle East ablaze. The world is watching. Who helped Saddam Hussein to gas the Kurds and also who gave chemical weapons to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s?The war rhetoric by top government officials in the UK and US on Syria has gotten to a high level. Its just a matter of time for the military intervention by these two powers to happen just like what happened in Iraq. The world is waiting and watching when the strikes will start. What will Assad gain from gassing his own people? We all know of the consequences of the US and Britain helping the Syrian rebels to overthrow Assad. Iraq should be a reference point. No evidence of WMDs were found in Iraq yet she was invaded. What's in for the US and Britain if they launch strikes on Assad's regime? It seems Bashir Assad was targeted to be overthrown the moment he refused to help in disbanding the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.  I also have a hunch that  Saddam Hussein's WMDs are alleged to be hidden in Syria so the so called "Coalition Forces" are on the "Road to Damascus" to make sure they find it. But i also don't support Assad nor the Syrian rebels in the entrenched positions they have taken as dialogue would have been the best solution to the Syrian Civil War. Assad will surely go very soon either into exile or by an air strike from the "Coalition Forces" which will eventually terminate his stay on this earth. I also foresee the "Road to Damascus" to be a very tortuous and dangerous one. Russia has a military base in Syria and do you think they will just sit down and watch the US and UK have a field day? We all know that this evidence the UN investigators are looking for was cooked up by the US and their collaborators just to give Bashir Al Assad a bad name and hang him. Any major intervention in Syria would surely affect the whole of the Middle East. The war hawks in both the US and UK are surely planning every detail of their military strikes in Syria. Why would the US Department of Defence authorize the sale of cluster bombs worth $641 million to Saudi Arabia? The last time i checked cluster bombs have been banned by the UN and we know where these bombs are heading to as Saudi Arabia is being used as a proxy in the Syrian Civil War. The rebels would use these bombs and later present them as evidence against the Syrian government. The UN is still in its "toothless dog" mode as they always do not conduct thorough investigations before coming out with a decision. What happened to the first UN investigation that found out that the Syrian rebels have used chemical weapons some months back? As usual, that report has been swept under the carpet as if it never happened.  We now live in a world where rebels are now seen as legitimate governments because the ruling group in a country refused to kowtow to the whims and caprices of a world super power. I guess by now, the Iranians are watching this unfolding threat of military intervention closely. The "Road to Damascus" will surely not be a walk through the park. The oldest capital city in the world, Damascus with its historical sites now lie in ruins. Lets find a political solution to the Syrian Civil War and stop escalating the conflict. God help us all.

Let There Be Peace In Ghana

Once again Ghanaians have shown to the whole world that it is better to resort to the rule of law to resolve disputes rather than through violent means. This was as a result of the Election Petition Case before the Supreme Court of the country. This has shown how democracy is gradually gaining grounds in the country and i hope other African countries are learning some lessons from what just happened in Ghana. Currently the Justices of the Supreme Court are yet to come out with their ruling on the Election Petition. As they take their time to come out with a ruling that will not jeopadize the nation's fledgling democratic dispensation, Ghanaians have been asked to accept the ruling of the Justices of the Supreme Court. The National Peace Council and the two political parties involved in the dispute have all taken it upon themselves to educate their followers not to resort to violence when the final ruling comes out.  The security agencies have also been put on alert to curb any form of violence that will arise as a result of the final ruling. I believe and hope that Ghanaians as peaceful as they are will accept the final ruling on the Election Petition and not plunge the nation into chaos and destruction. Lets all not forget that Ghana is bigger than any political party and any individual's interest.  Lets all do our best to ensure that the peace that we have enjoyed in this country is sustained and strengthened. We have only one Ghana and there is no place like home. God bless Ghana my homeland and make her great and strong.

Is Ghana A High Risk Country?

We now live in an “Animal Farm” world indeed. Ghana, Nigeria and India have been tagged as high risk countries by the UK Government. Therefore, any one from the aforementioned countries planning to visit the UK should be prepared to cough out an amount of  3000 pounds as deposit to serve as a bond to prevent such a person from overstaying his visit. If he overstays the amount will be used to defray the cost of overstaying in the UK. The UK Government is simply telling us that we are not welcome anymore in their country. If it is a matter of the UK Government needing money to shore up the economy, they should not be shy to let us know so that we contribute generously, for even the Holy Bible says that “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). What goes into the term “High Risk Countries”? The UK Government should give us a vivid explanation of how they came by that term. They colonized us, exploited us, sold our ancestors into slavery and made us producers of raw materials and we have remained like that ever since they set foot on African soil. They used our resources to build their country and now that they have seen that Africa is rising up, they want to find all means possible to take the little money that we have from us. This immigration policy must be reviewed as all the countries targeted are likely to respond appropriately. When did Ghana become a high risk country all of a sudden? Our government should review her foreign policy  relations with the UK Government and make sure the interests of her citizens are fully protected. All the countries targeted by the UK in their new immigration law are countries that had been exploited by the UK in the past, Ghana, Nigeria and India. They exploited, impoverished us and now they say we can’t even visit what was built by our resources!!!!!! What a world?

Africa (Dis)United.

Today, May 25, 2013 is Africa Union Day and once again our leaders from all over the African continent are gathered in Addis Ababa to celebrate with pomp and pageantry a so-called African Unity. In fact they are commemorating the 50th anniversary celebrations of the formation of the African Union( formerly Organization of African Unity). i will like to know the sort of unity they are celebrating and what sort of unity have our leaders achieved for the continent so far. I will call it African disunity as a result of the many factors that have gone against the successful unity that the African continent deserves so as to promote her development. As i write this post, Mother Africa is so sad as to why her children can not unite for a common purpose and goal. Our leaders continue to talk about African unity, but look on helplessly as the West loot our resources and even determine the prices of our commodities for us. We do not have control over our gold, diamond, bauxite, aluminum, timber etc etc. Even our own petroleum resources we are given only a small percentage and the West takes the greater part. Whiles our leaders condone and connive with the West against their fellow African leaders just to kill them or haul them to the ICC other judicial courts established in the West. Examples of those killed were Patrice Lumumba of DR Congo and Muamar Gaddafi of Libya, those sent to the international courts are Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivory Coast and Charles Taylor of Liberia. Why can't we try our own leaders rather than wait for the West to do it for us. This leads to more unrest and confusion on the African continent. A classical example is the Libyan situation which has generated a spill over effect into Mali and Nigeria. Why do we still move with difficulty from one African country to the other? Immigration officials still extort  huge sums of money from their fellow Africans at most of the border posts whiles our leaders always look on unconcerned. This hampers the movement of people and it also affects trading activities at the border posts. We talk about unity on the African continent, but we don't have a single common currency for the continent. Our leaders are forced by the West to remove subsidies given to farmers while they subsidize the products of their farmers. Our leaders sit down unconcerned whiles the continent becomes a dumping round for all sorts of inferior goods. Our water bodies are being polluted and all they do is wishful thinking. We live on a continent where we still don't have a common language. We live on a continent where our leaders loot state money and stash them in foreign bank accounts and the West also benefits from them. I see so much disunity on the African continent and the talk shop at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa still goes on. Majority of the youth on the African continent see the AU as an irrelevant organization. What has the AU done for the poor African? If our leaders don't change their style and stop kowtowing to the whims and caprices of the West, the much sought after unity they are striving for will forever elude Africa like El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. God bless Mother Africa. 

When Espionage Goes Wrong.

The world media was awash with news of the Russian Secret Service FSB's arrest and detention of an American CIA agent on May 13, 2013 in Moscow. He was trying to recruit  an agent of the FSB, but luck ran out on him and the unfortunate happened. The CIA Agent at the centre of this murky and embarrassing episode for the Americans was named by the Russians as Ryan Fogle. He was arrested and pinned to the ground by the same agent he was trying to recruit. Ryan Fogle should have known better as the Russians are now very alert of any suspicious activity in Russia, since the Kremlin's long tentacles can reach all corners of the world. A typical example will be the radiation poisoning and murder of a former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko in the UK some years back, and recently the death of  the Russian billioniare Boris Abrahmovic Bereszovsky. All these deaths are still being investigated and it is being alleged that Kremlin has a hand in these deaths. This current incident has caused so much embarrassment to  the Americans and they have accused the FSB of breaching protocol and naming the CIA agent. It seems the Americans  and the CIA in particular are mute and are crafting a carefully worded statement to assuage the disgrace this incident has caused to their image. The arrest of Ryan Fogle is just the latest twist in the long history of spying between the U.S. and Russia. Famously, 10 Russian sleeper agents were arrested in June 2010 and accused of spying for the Russians in the U.S. The best known is Anna Chapman who has become a major celebrity in Russia since being deported from the U.S. In the Cold War period, however, U.S. and Soviet espionage was often a matter of life and death. In 1985, a military officer Arthur D. Nicholson was shot dead by a Soviet sentry while spying in East Germany. One of the Cold War's major crisis was caused by the shooting down of an American spy plane in 1960 and the subsequent capture of its pilot.

Ryan Fogle should count himself lucky to be alive, he could have been injected with a lethal poison and rendered a vegetable for the rest of his life or could have been killed outright, and a nice picture would have been painted to make him look too guilty. In the world of espionage three words must always be in your head if you are a spook, these words are "Don't Get Caught", so what went wrong for Ryan Fogle? The U.S. and Russia still do not trust each other as they are still trying to learn each others secrets. God save this world.

Did Boris Berezovsky Commit Suicide?

Once again, another Russian has been found dead in his apartment in the UK. The man  Boris Abramovich Berezovsky was one of the Russian billionaires who made their fortune during the time of Boris Yeltsin. He had friends in top positions in the Russian Government, and even served as one time Secretary of Russia's Security Council. He later help bring President Vladimir Putin to power, but later fell out with him and had to flee to the UK to seek political asylum. He later had to loose out in a court case against his fellow Russian billionaire colleague Roman Abramovich, and he had to pay huge sums of money as a result of that court case.On 23rd March, 2013, he was found dead in his apartment and initial reports coming in alleges that the cause of death might be due to he committing suicide by hanging himself. But as to how it happened, if there was a third party involved, only God knows. We are all too familiar with the alleged murder of the former Russian FSB official Alexander Litvenenko some years back in the UK by radiation poisoning. With this death, both the Russians and the British Governments are blaming each other for the death. The question is, who did it.? We all know too well that in the world of the "Cloak and Dagger" one's death could be made to look very natural. Was he paid a visit? If so, we all know how these visits end up. In the case of Alexander Litvinenko, it is alleged that he was working for the Mi6 and the Spanish intelligence services. It was only after he had met his visitor and returned home that he realized he had been poisoned, by that time it was too late, and he died within a short time. So who is behind this new death? If he really took his life(Berezovsky), why did he do it? If someone paid him a visit, then that visitor is also a professional visitor who really knows how to do his job very well. The truth will surely come out one of these days. Who killed Boris Abrahmovich Berezovsky?

Dumb and dumber: A secret CIA drone base - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Dumb and dumber: A secret CIA drone base - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Game Time In Africa.(AFCON 2013)

Once again, the African Cup of Nations is just about to commence in South Africa. This is the 29th edition of a very prestigious football festival. The African continent abounds in many sporting talents and geniuses and these are going to be displayed when the games begin. There is no denying the fact that one of the powerhouses of African football, Egypt missed out once again in this celebration of football talents in 2013. All the 16 countries would be competing for one giant trophy which was previously won by the Chipolopolo(Cooper Bullets) of Zambia, as they shot all their opponents with their spectacular display of football. Each country's team is aiming for the trophy, but we all know that at the end of the day, only one winner would emerge with the losers going back home to the drawing board to strategise and come back another time. Tournaments like these bring to the fore the true sense of nationalism for one's country. Passions and emotions are at their highest levels when the games are being played. The missed penalties, squandered opportunities in front of goal, blunders committed by players, controversial refereeing decisions, the attitude of the supporters at the various stadia, the fight for screening rights, and a host of other football related matters will dominate the various media, both print and electronic for almost a whole month when this tournament commences on the 19th of January. The ability of the host country, South Africa to organize a good tournament would also at the end of the day be brought to the fore. As usual, the football scouts hunting for African talents would be at the various stadia to make sure they spot future stars for their teams in Europe and Africa. But as we embark on this emotional and passionate soccer festival, let us have it in mind that, in a game of football, three things are involved, a win, draw or a loss, and we as supporters of our respective countries must be ready and willing to accept any outcome. May the best team win the African Cup of Nations 2013, good luck to all the participating teams, let us ensure fair play at all the game venues. To the rest of the world from Africa, i say, we love our football, bring the game on.