The worst twin-evils of human history are slavery and colonialism, those who committed or perpetrated slavery and colonialism were and are the first terrorists, they committed the worst acts of terrorism, they were those who snatched and enslaved Africans, those who killed, maimed and brutalized Africans, those who branded Africans as if Africans were of less value compared with farm Animals.
Who in the world has not heard of Africans tossed off slave ships so that ship attains equilibrium? Who has not heard of Africans being hung on tree branches lynched and or burnt alive?
Those are the same people today, whose descendants pretend to be unaware of how Africans and people of African descent got to be the way we are today.
We have had these altruistic snakes, benevolent vipers and pythons with false claims to good faiths, broke our knees, just as they challenge us to a marathon, Marathon, for which we were unprepared, due to no fault of our own; but what is worse? Those who broke our knees are constantly mocking us, jeering at us, ridiculing our best efforts, with broken knees, psyche and all.
Slavery destabilized Africa, broke families, culture, religions and taboos, colonialism caused the extinction of languages, local brewing and bastardized the definition of brotherhood and citizenship in colonized societies, you are for example, either a British citizen born in England or you are a British subject (something less) if you are born of native peoples in the colonies and protectorates, and the offshoot of all of these, in modern day Nigeria, these pejoratives of classifications so inherited, becomes, indigene, settler or citizen in that conundrum sorts of order
Slavery, colonialism with their attendant brutalities, indignities and horror of terrors, demeaned Africans and peoples of African descent, and the sad truth is, the concerted efforts at devaluing Africans and peoples of African descent have not ceased
The suffering of the people of Haiti is a case in point, for daring to rise against the French and other foreign terrorists, Haiti was compelled to pay billions of dollars in today's terms in reparations to France, and this wrecked the hitherto bounteous Haitian treasury and buoyant economy, the crises in Haiti, the first independent peoples of African descent has continued ever since, and it is not remarkably different from the usurpation of the constitutional government of Haiti last February by a bunch of outlaws and murderers, who were urged on, by foreign supporters with unsavory utterances and pronouncements, coupled with strategic winks and nods, and assistance with money and weapons for the criminal elements in Haiti, which now spirals out of control as a failed state
Outside manipulations in the affairs of Haiti, is not in any significant way different from the outside manipulations that were perpetrated against Africans by invaders who entrenched slavery, colonialism and deprivations, our tormentors are studiously at work!
Outside manipulations have not really changed in matters of African affairs, fifty years ago, purposeful African leaders such as Patrice Lumuba of the Congo who was assassinated and replaced with a puppet called Mobutu Sese Sekor, who then did the bidding of his manipulators, and he was used and dumped by them!
In Ghana, the purposeful Kwame Nkrumah was eliminated after being undermined, so was Murtala Mohammed of Nigeria, and so were our brethrens in the United States, our sons, Dr. King and Malcolm X were cut down, for daring to advocate freedom and equalities for our people
Revisionists now ask us, why, we do not have genuine purposeful leadership? Why do they first break our knees and then proceed to challenge us to Marathon races and then mock our best efforts? Why do they denigrate us after wounding us so deeply, depriving us of healing, even as our wounds, sores fester and our scars remain? Why do they hate us so much?
John Perkins who wrote "confessions of an economic hit-man" informed us, through his book, that obsolescence were planned for Africans and most of the developing world, planned by outside manipulators. loans are given, but money in practical terms never really leaves the loan giver and projects are never really executed.
Monies are looted from public treasuries, say in Africa, looted resources are received and retained with the active connivances and collusions of American and European governments and institutions, such as banks etc
The highest courts in these lands of America and Europe, may deliver judgments, but such judgments are consciously disregarded by the Americans and Europeans, all and sundry outside of Africa. For instance, the highest court in Switzerland gave legal victory to Nigeria, but the Swiss introduced ancillaries and extraneous elements, outside the laws of their country and outside common sense, as the Swiss now gave Nigeria some new grounds, as new conditions for obeying their own laws, even as interpreted by the highest courts in their country! And the conditions is the requirement that Nigeria cede Nigeria's political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, by allowing the Swiss to monitor, or read, to supervise, the expenditure of the recovered loot in the coffers of Swiss Banks! Surprisingly, some Nigerians do not find this Swiss proposition offensive, but instead support the idiocy!
In real terms, this means, that the Swiss who are significantly and substantially liable and ought to be ashamed for being in connivances and collusions with public treasury robbers and looters, the Swiss, whose feet we ought to hold to the fire and furnace, are now seeking to play God and overlord, over Nigeria, Nigeria whose property was stolen!
Switzerland is and has been the repository of stolen goods and the keeper of stolen wealth, with full knowledge of the crime of the theft or loot, Switzerland is as liable as the principal engaged in the direct thievery! President Bush told the world after September 11, 2001 that those who provide safe harbor for terrorists are themselves agents of terrorism, just as I must say here, that those who provide respite, protection and succor for looters of Nigeria's resources, are as guilty as the direct participants perpetrators themselves.
In the United States where I live, monetary transactions of ten thousand dollars and above attracts attention of banks and government agencies, including the internal revenue service; Banks and other financial institutions in the US, therefore, routinely report lodgments of five to ten thousand dollars at a time, to the relevant governmental authorities or agencies, for them to cross check, to determine whether such monies are connected with or to, terrorism, money laundering, drugs and narcotics trafficking.
More particularly, monies and resources owned by individuals and organizations, even with the most tenuous of connections with Muslims and or terrors suspects, were summarily frozen and embargoed, until the legality is established, (as guilt was presumed, until innocence is proved) America and Europe acted arbitrarily, automatically and spontaneously after September 11, 2001, and without recourse to due process, fair hearing or the rule of law or any democratic pretense
Conversely, billions of dollars are allegedly looted by Nigeria's and Africa's prodigal sons, and lodged in American and European banks and institutions, these monies are not arbitrarily, automatically and spontaneously frozen or embargoed!
The looters are not required to establish the sources of their lodgments of these trillions of dollars, no enquiries are made to determined whether these monies are profits from successful candle making factories or beer breweries, no one in American and European governments and institutions, banks etc, seem to care ever, about best business practices, when known stolen and looted public treasury or national resources from Africa are lodged in American and European financial institutions
And then, when these monies are discovered by reformists and reform minded African governments, their efforts to retrieve these monies are fiercely resisted and thwarted every step of the way! Case in point, Nigeria successfully sued to retrieve looted funds from the Swiss banks, Nigeria paid stiff and extraordinary legal fees, and at the end, the Swiss would not adhere strictly to its own legal documents, legal system, due process and the rule of law, they are still refusing to relinquish the death defying hold, unto Nigeria's rightful ownership of looted resources, instead, the Swiss audaciously and arrogantly say, they want t o supervise and monitor how we spend our money? And yet, America and Europe would lecture us all, about corruption in Africa?
How many Nigerians feel insulted by these condescension, disrespect and the indignities that Nigeria is being subjected to for our own properties, when the Swiss, should be accountably ashamed for conniving and colluding with the thieves in the first place!
But instead, the Swiss with a straight face want to disregard or abridge our political and economic independence, our sovereignty and territorial integrity, just so they can monitor/supervise how we incapably spend the recovered loots? This would be hilarious, if it was not so screamingly insulting! And screamingly obvious in its patronizing spat and affront it commits against Nigeria! Sadly, some invertebrates or spineless Nigerians agree with the Swiss!
Nigerians and Africans should and must imbibe lessons of how the world works!
We ought to demand a universal rule, method or procedure regarding anti corruption crusade, we ought to demand specific agreement or protocol. We ought to demand single method or procedure that will be made known to all, for the fights against illicit or corrupt monies, whether such monies are drugs or narcotics trade related, or money laundering or monies in connection with graft and corruption, or monies derived or connected with terrorism as well, all governments, all banking and financial institutions worldwide, ought not make profits or look the other way, while retaining monies gained by some individuals through illegal means. We ought to point fingers at the thieves and their bankers, who provide safe haven despite full knowledge of illegalities involved
The Swiss knowingly helped criminals to conceal our properties, doing damage to us in the process, the pains and degradations which are still visibly with us Nigeria has more reasons to invade Switzerland than President Bush had for invading and occupying Iraq!
What is the population of Switzerland, compared with Anambra or Bauchi states?
They break our knees and challenge us to Marathons just as they proceed to mock our best efforts at such race? If you thought the above references to slavery and colonialism, Nkrumah, Muritala Mohammed, Patrice Lumumba and Haiti were ancient history? How about Mark Thatcher? Son of Margaret Thatcher, erstwhile Prime Minister of Britain, Mark Thatcher who planned and took significant and substantial steps to accomplish the commission of treasonable felony, to wit; violently overthrow the dejure/defacto, hence legitimate government of an African country of Equitorial Guinea for that African country's oil? He was tried in a lackadaisical manner was given a slap on the wrist upbraiding and allowed to jet to freedom to his wife in America! Just imagine for one moment, if Mark Thatcher was a Nigerian, African or an Arab man who treasonably tried to violently and undemocratically overthrow American, European government? Such African or Arab will receive trial as a formality, with penalty that will be possibly worse than the death sentence! As such Nigerian, African or Arab will be summarily castigated as a terrorist in today speak; What precisely is Mark Thatcher, if he is not a terrorist?
They interfere in Africa or Haiti or Grenada or Panama or Iraq and they go scot-free! They create chaos and anarchies, just so they will collect our resources petroleum oil, our diamond or uranium for free and we are not angry, but instead, we actually seem to participate in their illogic and revisionisms.
As they proceed to inform us that we have no contributions to human history and economic or cultural development, even as they strip us of such opportunities and resources, they sprightly inform us that we are incapable of sustainable developments and some us shout amen! They inform us, that we are the cause of our own deprivations, pains and sufferings, our plights and predicaments, and sadly enough, some us are complicit gullibly agree to these erroneous assessments
America ostentatiously, eloquently and repeatedly describes the challenges of poverty, disease and underdevelopments in Africa and among peoples of African descent, even as America and Europe continue to send their assistance, their support elsewhere.
Recently, the veritable newspaper, The New York Times, published an editorial by way of a research finding, which indicated demonstrably well, how governments in America and Europe, particularly in America, are apt to make loud pronouncements in connections with financial help for Africa, this spin doctoring, have in turn led to the false and erroneous conclusions by most members of the public to conclude that the bulk of foreign aid goes to Africans, but The New York Times pointed out how less than a tenth of a percent of what is believed is actually the aid amount in real dollar terms!
Strategic ambiguity...
About two years ago, President Bush promised fifteen billion American dollars in financial assistance to Africa and the Caribbean but none of these billions have been released by the American government, but in the public mind, so much has already been done for Africans some two years ago, to thunderous applause, including bipartisan support, and this is why, there is aid and donor fatigue.. This is why some may have the impression of intractability of African crises or challenges.
What is loudly proclaimed by president Bush for instance, have not been met with concrete actions, they were words, and still remain mere words, words that have not live up to their promises by way of actions! This is how also we must see debt cancellation controversies for Africa and other debtor nations.
Africans and other well meaning people must commend Prime Minister Blair of Britain, U2's Bono, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown of England, and public spirited persons such as Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University in New York with a recent excellent book on how to end world poverty, the selfless efforts of individuals such as Bob Geldorf and George Soros to name a few, are admirable.
But their efforts are quickly dwarfed and paled by the obscurantist declarations of President Bush, against debt cancellation for Nigeria and others, as he introduced standards and expectations of accountability that his administration in America is unwilling to meet in America or the American colony of Iraq. Bush is setting standards and expectations that Halliburton is unwilling and have repeatedly refused to meet as it does business that are infused and imbued with egregious conflict of interest issues in Iraq, Nigeria and America and Halliburton has unfettered access to the Bush's White House, which former vice president Al Gore famously called the Halliburton administration!
President Bush has demonstrated a pattern of conscious disregard and disrespect for Africa and people of African descent. He is the first American president in about 100 years who has refused to meet with or attend or participate in activities or events by National Association for Advancement of Colored Peoples or the NAACP, a premier American Civil Right organizations which is operated and headed by African Americans. Mr. Bush has established a pattern, demonstrably so a pattern of antagonizing everything to encompasses African and African American interests, such as Affirmative Action, Debt Cancellations and more and there is a clear connection and pattern, of mistreatments reserved for Africans and people of African descent, it all smacks of smudges of racism, and you do not have to be a fool or communist to see these links!
On January 15, 2003 he indicated his support for a pending private litigation a case that attacked African American efforts to redress historical injustices to people of African descent in America, Mr. Bush has been consistently hostile to our people, in America and outside of it. Would Mr. Bush or anyone similarly have attacked or antagonize the Jews openly without the fear of repercussions or consequences? Most American politicians always try to me more Jew than Jews, for their political benefit, but will be quick to sneer and jeer at Africans and peoples of African descent, including of course, African Americans.
Nigeria and the rest of Africa is always scandalized and maligned in world public opinion, as Nigerian-African abject poverty or HIV epidemic are loudly discussed, without concrete step being taken or intended by the loud discussants, whereas, five billion America foreign aid dollars goes to Israel annually, and whereas, Israel is not scandalized, maligned and ridiculed as a poor, helpless desperate country needing foreign aid, five billion dollars goes to the five million people of Israel yearly from America
Israel has on occasion spied on America, with this betrayal and all, Israel receives financial aid yearly without fail from America, Israel also received more than ten billion dollars loan guarantees, without having to go to IMF and World Bank for the growth-stunting stifling conditionalities that are usually reserved for Africans, neither America or Europe seeks to monitor or supervise or interfere in the domestic or foreign policies of Israel, even as Israel spends its foreign aid monies on weapons or the constructions of an Apartheid style segregation wall of a thousand miles! To separate Israel from Palestinians, and Israel has recently promised to pull out of some Palestinian territories, Israel states that it will demolish buildings vacated by Jewish settlers, instead of letting Palestinians inherit these properties as Israelis themselves inherited properties of Arabs in the 1940s, before, during and after Israel was created on Palestine lands in 1948, the world looks on, askance? As Israel plan to demolish and then leave craters of debris for Palestinians to clean up!
Israel continues its policy of "strategic ambiguity" or more precisely deception and defiance of the UN and the so-called international community. Regarding its possession of atomic nuclear weapons or its capabilities; As it fools IAEA and El Baradei who seem to have special preference for pestering Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea for atomic and nuclear weapons!
Whereas Nigeria and Africa is frequently portrayed in the most despicable, indigent, abject, desperately neediest of all the world, so agreed by all, so repeatedly described by all, unfortunately, the 880 million indigent, abjectly poor (agreed, to be so by common agreement or consensus) Africans never receive five billion dollars at once, from America on a yearly basis.
All through history, it is as if, they keep breaking our knees, they keep undermining us, as they are then quick to challenge us to grueling marathons, then they proceed to laugh at our heroic efforts, they mock our best efforts just as they neglect to account for the wounds, the festered sores and they remain happily oblivious of glaring scars, revisionist amongst them, revisionists amongst us, devalue and demean our losses through slavery, through colonialism and modern day continued manipulations, when they pretend and insist that we should forget the old because, the old is ancient history, or that we should under estimate the impact of current manipulations and intermeddling, which they say, are inconsequential? Our artworks pillaged by them, still reside in their museums! Our cousins snatched in kidnappings of slavery and dispersed worldwide are the evident peoples of African descent in Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti etc
It is time for those who broke our knees to pay reparations, so that we can heal our wounds, cure our festered sores and cover our enduring scars, we will rehabilitate ourselves and compete with their best in the toughest of marathons, we will excel despite their mocking jests and jeers.
They broke our knees, they continue to interfere with our treatment and rehabilitation efforts, as it were, and they proceed to challenge us, mock, ridicule and lampoon our best efforts, in the face of all the obstacles and impediments or odds created and put in our paths. They broke our knees; they deprive us of healing opportunities.
Let us heal ourselves, but even as we do so, we must never forget or overlook the details and glaring pervasive consequences of being challenged to Marathons with our broken and unhealed knees. They broke our knees!
http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/articles/680/1/Africans%3A-The-Way-The-World-Works