Africa's first Twitter War : the good, the bad and the ugly

Thursday, March 21st will be a day to remember. No, there was no earthquake, no Tsunami and no extraordinary bomb blast in the "bomb nations" part of the world. But there was huge violence. No, not just violence, it was war. The kind of war that strikes you with a boom. First because you never saw it coming, and second, by the time you realized what is happening.. things have really gone bad. Very bad.

It happened on Twitter.

The background is the reported « not so nice » welcome and hospitality that the Kenyan Soccer team received in Nigeria, in preparation for a match. News got back to Kenya and Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) decide to give Nigerians a piece of their KOT mind. And there was a return from Nigerians on Twitter (NOT). There was fire for fire.. The war is still on, and may not subside any time soon.

The Good

Can anything good come out of a war ? This time, I will answer "Yes, Social Media has made it possible".

For one thing, both countries were Twitter Trending Topics almost the whole day. It will be good to see the exact number that the tweets that had #SomeoneTellNigeria, #SomeoneTellKenya, #SomeoneTellNigerians and #SomeonetellKenyans or their close likes actually generated on Twitter. Some tweets received retweets in the thousands.

The other good thing is that for once, we can have a different kind of war. This digital or social media war has gone on with an arsenal made up of computers, tablets, mobile phones, and Internet connection. Make no mistake, there is a financial cost to it : hours of data package, bandwidth, electricity, phone credits and human energy were expended.

This is the kind of war for which the Security Council of the African Union will not have to meet. No Mediator will need to be appointed, no negotiation meetings will have to hold and no  MIS* or UNM* peace-keeping force will be needed. No world power will have to « take its responsibilities » and impose itself on the warring countries. All of that wont happen.

Yes, I was amazed at the mobilisation. At the speed at which tweets arrived and the intensity in the posts. Unbelievable !! Kenyans on Twitter, Nigerians on Twitter !! Irrespective of what they were saying, this was a clear demonstration of AOT – Africans on Twitter !! We followed.. from Cape to Cairo, Dakar to Djibouti. Ghanaians and Tanzanians did not want to miss it. And yes, Global Twittosphere, Social and tradition media cashed in !!

You know what I really found « good » ? The possibility that people have to bring out all the violence in them.. to out it.. without needing to purchase arms, shoot bullets or launch grenades. The violence was intense, and I was personally surprised at how much of it is latent …. seething underneath.. while we do emails that end with « best regards », post Bible passages, and exchange niceties.. all of that.. just waiting to explode.

The Bad

Did the people who launched into the war take time to find out what exactly the problem was? Did Nigerians and Kenyans get the full story ? Why will any African engage in trading insults on a sister country? Do people realise that the  "Internet never forgets? Twitter may have given people the opportunity to out their violent thoughts, but did they really weigh their tweets ? I got the impression, in reading some of the tweets, that some just saw the war, saw in it an opportunity to be a Twitter mercenary and got "Twirecruted". No matter the perspective from which we look at it, heaping insults on the Internet is a no-no. There may be boomerangs.

The bad here is that people are engaging in a war whose every bullet is seen, calculated, and recorded. These tweets may hunt people later, in ways and places that they will least expect.

The bad is also that football, instead of being the opportunity for  the consolidation of ties, of friendship and of humanity  is now being used to fuel violence.

The Ugly

The hate speech. Photos that should never have been online, characterising human beings as animals. I was scandalised to see people use skin colour as a weapon. These tweets, of Africans by Africans will fuel the wheels of racism. Even in war conditions, there is something called the International Humanitarian Law, something called crime against humanity. In this Twitter war, I saw Twitter-genocide, or should I say Twittercide.

There are criminal minds out there. There are individuals looking for the slightest provocation to go a rampage. There are extremists waiting for tweets like these to instigate physical violence.. Someone somewhere is looking for a valid reason for a violent retaliation. I have begun to ask myself if very soon we will not be having Twiterrorism.

Imagine if Nigeria and Kenya shared borders ?

Quo vadis...

I am asking myself questions. Is this current (Twitter) generation better than the one before? What has this generation learned about African Unity? With all the wars in Africa, have we not lost enough to be wiser? How come our use of technology, instead of being constructive, is increasingly becoming destructive; self destructive?

Moving forward

I have taken a line from the Kenyan, the Nigerian and African Union anthems and this what I see :

« The Labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain. Let all with one accord, in common bond united, dedicate ourselves to rise together to defend our liberty and unity »

VIVA AFRICA

Les Éléphants à la CAN2013: Quand nos adversaires parlent de nous, tendons l'oreille

Je suis arrivée à l'aéroport international Murtala Mohamed de Lagos le dimanche 3 février aux alentours de 15 heures 20, heure du Nigeria. Le match entre le Nigeria et la Côte d'Ivoire allait commencer dans une vingtaine de minutes.

Deux semaines plus tôt :

J'avais fait une prière au Bon Dieu que j'ai pris le soin de poster sur Facebook. Je confiais mon cœur à Dieu, car je ne voulais pas que « mon cœur meurt » comme on le dit à Abidjan.

Une semaine plus tôt

Au fur et à mesure que les matches se jouaient, j'ai commencé à imaginer la possibilité que les Éléphants s'affrontent aux Super Eagles un peu trop tôt. Au dernier jour des matches de poule B, il n'y avait plus aucune question. Le cauchemar allait devenir réalité.

Alors, je suis inondée.. sur Twitter, sur Facebook, par courriels, au téléphone, dans le quartier, à l'église. .. en tout cas, partout où les gens savaient que j'aimais le foot et que j'avais et le Nigeria et la Côte d'Ivoire comme pays. « Tu supporte qui ? ». « Tu es de quel coté ? ». « Tu regarde le match où ?... On attendait ma réponse.

Samedi soir, je dois faire ma valise. Demain, j'ai un voyage à effectuer sur le Nigeria pour le compte d'un client. Je sort mon maillot Éléphants. Il fait parti des ces choses que je voyage toujours avec. Je le regarde.. et pour une fois, je me rends compte que je n'allais pas avoir des difficultés à choisir. Cela m'a beaucoup étonné. A quel moment exactement suis-je devenue totalement ivoirienne dans mon affiliation sportive foot ? Ça, je ne saurais le dire.

Alors, maillot.. entre dans la valise.. ton pied mon pied. Et sur le champs, je décide même d'en acheter pour offrir. Normalement je voyage aussi avec le café "Made in Côte d'Ivoire". Mais cette fois-ci, il n'y aura pas plus grand cadeau que le maillot authentique des Éléphants. A l'aéroport, j'en achète.. pour ma sœur et pour mon client aussi. Sept mille Francs chacun, total 14 000.

Atterrissage à Lagos. Il ne me reste qu'une quinzaine des minutes. Je balaie le hall d'arrivé des yeux, pour me rassurer que je pouvais regarder le match là. Oui, il y a un poste Télé dans un bureau, mieux, il y un écran géant coté public. Le comble!!  Je récupère ma valise et je m'installe confortablement. Il y une foule : des officiers, des travailleurs, quelques autres voyageurs. Je change le dollar et j'obtiens le Naira. J'achète une carte MTN pour alimenter ma clé Internet. Je me connecte.. et je déclare sur Twitter.. que je soutiens les Éléphants.

Fin de match.

Je suis sonnée, complètement. J'envoie mes impressions sur Twitter 

 En suite je me interroge 

Je suis fatiguée, épuisée. Je me sens lourde. Et mon cœur continue de battre, pas en mouvement « woyo » normal, mais en « Couper- décaler ». J'ai pitié de moi. Moi qui croyais que j'allais offrir des maillots pour réconforter les gens au Nigeria. Pauvre de moi. Supporteur Maso.

Et là..

Et là, les nigérians commencent à analyser le match. Je ne sais pas pourquoi.. j'aurais du partir.. Mais malgré moi, je tenais à savoir ce qu'ils pensent des Éléphants. Et j'ai entendu des choses :

Ils se croient plus grands que les autres : Je ne sais pas, moi, mais en tout cas, les experts dans le domaine nous avait donné favori. C'est pas seulement la Côte d'Ivoire qui se levée un jour pour dire que la Côte d'Ivoire est favorite. Je ne sais pas si cela a apparu aux autres comme étant trop d'orgueil.. Mais je me souviens très clairement que le discours officiel a toujours été qu'il fallait respecter l'adversaire. Peut-être qu'il y avait un double discours. Je ne sais pas.

Ils se disent une grande nation de foot : Je ne comprends plus rien. De mémoire, la première fois que j'ai entendu cette phrase, c'était avec Son Excellence Jacques Anouma. Au temps de Dieng Ousseynou, on ne le disait pas. Cette phrase tire sa genèse de la qualification des Éléphants au Mondial 2006. Pour un pays qui a pu se qualifié en 2006, 2010 et 2014, est-ce qu'on avait pas un petit droit de se croire « une nation de foot » ? L'histoire du foot ivoirien peut ne pas égaler celle d’Égypte, du Cameroun, du Ghana ou du Nigeria. Toutefois, les faits sont là.

Ils croient tellement en leurs Stars : Et alors? Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Koné Touré, Gervinho, Kalunho. Il fut un temps où les Stars étaient des nigérians, des ghanéens ou des camerounais. A quoi ça sert une Star nationale si moi, je peux pas « faire mon petit malin » avec son nom. Est-ce les ivoiriens qui élisent les meilleurs joueurs africains ? Ou bien on s'attendait à ce que les Éléphants aillent à la CAN sans nos Stars. ?

Ils pensent que c'est  le classement FIFA qui gagne un match : Mais quand les autres pays nous faisaient peur avec leur classement FIFA qui est venu parler ? Pourquoi est-ce quand j'occupe la première place, du coup, on veut plus que le classement sert à quelque chose ?

Ils se sont foutus eux-mêmes de leur propre gueule, en offrant une si grande formation à un entraîneur-stagiaire : Bon, voyons. Le choix d'un entraîneur est fait en consultation, et surtout par un Président et un bureau de Fédération qui est élu. On peut pas faire confiance à nos leaders ?

Défaite ou Échec ?

C'est là le but de ce billet. Je ne m'attendais pas à ce que les Éléphants quitte la CAN de cette manière. Comme un ami me le disait, « on a pas perdu le match, on s'est perdu dans le match ». Les fans n'ont pas retrouvé le jeu des Éléphants. On avait pas vu cette rage de vaincre, le fighting spirit.., un engagement pour faire honneur à la patrie.. de la vraie fraternité. Je l'ai vu, cet esprit avec le Niger, l’Éthiopie, le Congo, l'Afrique du sud, le Cap Vert.. le Mali.. le Nigeria... et le Burkina Faso.

Donc de quoi s'agit-il ? De quoi souffrons-nous ? De quoi parlent les nigérians ?

Ils se croient plus grand que les autres : Non. Aucun pays n'est plus grand que l'autre. Les matches de foot ne se joue pas par apport au pouvoir économique d'un pays. Ce sont 11 joueurs qui s'affrontent. Ni plus, ni moins. Ne peut donc se dire plus grand que celui qui a su maîtriser son adversaire, et cela, seulement après le match !

Ils se disent une grande nation de foot : Peut être qu'il faut revoir cette phrase et la pensée qui est son fondement. La Côte d'Ivoire sera grande. Ça, je le crois. Mais pour l'heure, nous sommes en construction et en reconstruction. La grandeur est un poteau qui bouge chaque fois. Je n'ai pas beaucoup entendu des discussions de la demi-finale. On l'avait prise pour acquise.. Mais que nenni !!

Ils croient tellement en leurs Stars : Cette CAN 2013 a démontré que « Les Stars, on fait rien avec elles ». Triste et douloureuse vérité. Combien dans la liste des 11 de CAF sont encore en Afrique du sud ? Pire, les Stars que nous avons sont « en voie de retraite », sans que la relève ne soit préparée. Les stars ont certes l’expérience, mais les choses commencent à changer. Et elle doivent changer.. On ne peut pas toujours laisser le destin national du foot d'un pays aux mains des professionnels qui jouent à l'international.

Ils pensent que c'est classement FIFA qui gagne un match : Humm. On est numéro 1 chez FIFA.. mais le Cap Vert a su montrer à l'Afrique du sud « qui a mit l'eau dans coco ». Autant je respecte la FIFA, autant je sais que son rôle est politique. Au final, un match va se jouer entre 11 et 11.. dans des conditions qui ne sont pas les mêmes qu'en Europe. On a beau classer une équipe nationale mais tant que les joueurs ne mouillent pas les maillots, ne font pas la fierté du pays, ne s'engagent pas cœur, âme et esprit.. le supporteur que nous sommes « on fait rien avec ça »

Ils se sont foutus eux-mêmes de leur propre gueule, en offrant une si grande formation à en entraîneur-stagiaire : Je suis d'accord. En tout cas... Sabri Lamouchi lui même savais ce que la plupart d'entre nous pensaient de lui. Je n'ai jamais été convaincue par les raisons que le Ministre et la FIF nous ont donné pour le limogeage de Zahoui François et l'engagement de Lamouchi. On nous a dit de faire confiance.. et de juger Lamouchi par ses résultats.. Bon, candidat.. approche-toi !

2014 est l'année de la Coupe du Monde. 2015 sera l'autre année de la CAN. On viendra faire le post-mortem de la CAN 2013. On nous demandera de faire confiance.. de soutenir les Éléphants, de prier.. et tout ça. Comme les éternels masos, on va recommencer... Mais moi je dirais aux et autres.. parlons-nous, écoutons-nous.. mais surtout..

Quand nos adversaires parlent de nous, tendons l'oreille

Algeria.. the surge, and no apologies

This time last week the war on Mali was only a few hours old.  I had already asked my questions concerning it.  One of the questions was  on where the arms were coming from, or at the very least, where they were being transported from. Today, it is clear that the war is no longer in Mali alone.  One of my key questions has also found its answer.  There is a terrorist back channel in Algeria.. 

And the Algerian branch of the Nebula has shown itself in no uncertain terms.. and the Algerian Army has also responded in no uncertain terms.

The  story I:

On Wednesday the 16th of January,  very early in the morning, a truck load of armed men storm a gas platform in the South  Algerian desert  town of In Amena. Some 40 Westerners and hundreds of Algerians at the platform are held hostage.  The kidnappers request that "France stops its aggression in Mali" and "possibility to leave the country"

The Story 2:

A bit before the hostage, Algeria had closed its borders with Mali. When the news was made known.. I had a chill. . because in its history, I have known Algeria not to be a nation that negotiates with terrorism. It did not take  30 hours before the Algerian army responded to the terrorists.  Algeria responded with a surge. A surge whose first report comes to 34 hostages killed, 14 terrorists  dead, hundreds rescued.

Why?

No negotiation policy:  Algeria has always made it clean and clearly known.  The official policy of the country is  NOT to negotiate and NOT to pay any ransom.

There is no Army to train. I have been to Algeria and I am yet to see any Army or police that is as ready as the ones I saw in Algiers anywhere  in Africa. These ones are not like the ones in Mali, they are capable, equipped and  and ready.

No "international community" needed:  No, Algeria did not wait for the Maghreb Union to meet, and inform the UN General Assembly, to request the UN Security Council to vote..and listen to what the countries with veto will have to say. No, Algeria is not doing all of that. Because that is the time that terrorists use to re-arm and consolidate.

Sovereignty: Algeria has made it clear.  This is happening in my territory, against my people, in an Algerian company.  This is a problem that concerns me, even if some hostages are not Algerian citizens.  I will solve it my way.

The aim of this post is not to hail violence, or to make a light case of the human lives lost.  But just to note that Algeria has shown key qualities that have been lacking in many African countries:1) a clear policy, 2) preparedness of the defense capacity, 3) agile decision-making  and rapid response in emergencies, and 4) a clear sovereign responsibility.

There may be regrets later, there may be clarifications to nations whose citizens would have been among the victims, there may be explanations later to the larger Algerian populace..

But Algeria will never be blamed for not taking action when action needed to be taken.

It is in this that I agree with Algeria: Have a policy, Be Ready,  Decide, and defend your sovereignty.

Mali: How long will the war take?

War has started in Mali.  It started on Friday January 11, 2013. The French government, responding to a request from the Malian government kicked it off. In  his address, the French President, François Hollande said France will give its support to Mali in this war  "as long as it takes"

And that is the question. HOW LONG WILL THE WAR TAKE? When will it end?

For starters, where is Mali?

Located in West Africa, Mali (which means Hippopotamus) is one of the major Sahel countries. It used to be mentioned in studies related to illiteracy, Female Genital Mutilation, Gender and  desertification.  For music lovers, it is the land of Ali Farka Touré, Salif Keita and the legendary blind couple, Amadou and Mariam. 

Perhaps the old city of Timbuktu, of 333 saints, is even better known among scholars than the country itself. It is famed for being one of the oldest learning centers in human history. Its buildings are hundreds of years old and its sacred sites have been classified under the UNESCO's world heritage sites.

What happened to Mali?

Mali has had a turbulent past, but in the last decade or two, we were under the impression that its democracy was getting consolidated.  In fact, the country was already preparing for presidential elections in just over two months and ATT - Amadou Toumani Touré, the outgoing president, was not in the race.  Then out of the blue, on  March 21, 2012, in what seemed first like a mutiny, Amadou Aya Sanogo, a Captain in the Malian army announced that in a coup d'état, they have ousted the president and his government, taken over power, and are now the new masters in the country..

The key reason that Sanogo and company gave for kicking out a legitimate government that was on its way out? MNLA! 

Who is MNLA?

Mouvement National pour la Libération de l'Azawad. A national separatist movement for the northern Mali, which they called Azawad.  MNLA  had occupied a big chunk (the part in darker green on the map) of the country. They were armed and was breathing fire.. and Amadou Toumani Touré was not going to war.. he preferred to negotiate.  Sanogo and his men said they were ready for war.. not talk.

What is the problem in Mali?

MNLA is not the problem. ATT was not the problem. For all the trouble they were worth, MNLA  was not, or at least is no longer the problem. The separatist group has played out all of its cards and has run out of finances. At the moment,  it has even done a turn-around on its initial reasons for occupying the north.  MNLA no longer wants an Azawad, it  will be happy with an autonomy.  MNLA, in linking up with MUJAO -Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, bit off more than it could chew.

MUJAO, which may well be the other name of Al Qaeda in West Africa, is this nebulous group that has become a pot-pourri of  every terrorist group that has been looking for a geographic base.  MNLA, in its quest for "territory" has offered more than half the landspace of Mali to be a sort of Azawadstan.. where all extreme religious groups, kidnappers and sucide missionaries can call home! Having recovered arms from Libya, and with the influx of like-minded extremists from all over the world, it only took a few weeks for MUJAO to kick out MNLA, instal Sharia and begin what has become a real Azawadstan! That is the problem!

Captain Sanogo and the military are part of the problem! I cannot not ask the questions: what makes a military guy think he is more knowledgeable than the president on country issues? Why will the military think "war" when the Commander in Chief of the country is saying "negotiate"?  Why will a democratically-elected President be removed from office barely 2 months to the end of his term?  How long will it take for Africa to understand that a Coup d'Etat  has not solved any development problem anywhere in the African continent? Why will Sanogo not listen to ATT when he says that a lot more is needed in solving the MNLA problem, say he is ready to fight, take over power, only to begin to ask for international help.  If he had come to the same conclusion as ATT, why was ATT not reinstated? Sanogo is a problem.

Ego-cracy is a problem.  There is no doubt that  the selfishness of some self-serving, power-loving,  influence-obsessed individuals is at work here.  Whether it is masked as Coup d'Etat, MNLA, MUJAO, Al Qaeda or whatever.. People who use freedom, liberty, religion or political rights for selfish purposes. Men (mostly) who think their ego translate into the desires of a million others.. and lead thousands to death just to satisfy themselves, feel right, or get ahead..  These egocrates are a problem.

Arms dealing is the problem. A cursory look at the geographic situation of Mali shows that from all corners, the country is thousands of kilometers inland. It does not have any access to the sea.. unless it uses the permission of a neighbour.  So where are the arms coming from? Libya? Algeria? Niger? Where? Who is selling arms to MUJAO? Who pays for it?  Where?  How? 

What wont end..
Following a United Nations Resolution 2085, the war has started. But when will it end? At  the moment, support for the war is flowing in from all angles.  What we know for sure is that in the not-too-far future, the French government will have spent its belligerent libido, reach a political orgasm... and naturally withdraw.  So will all other "friends of Mali".  Will that be the end of the war?

The fights: The war will one day be formally declared as over.  Like in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Angola, Sierra-Leone,  and Côte d'Ivoire. But the fights will not end. The ethnic sentiments from the part of the country that lost the war will remain.  Ask the Igbos of Nigeria. The superiority sentiments of the group that won the war will not just go away.. The cleavage, the distrust and the anti-patriotic sentiments will not just go away.  These remain.. and last very long!

The loss: Before now, Mali was a poor country.  It is getting poorer. It will hit rock bottom and rebuilding the economy will take many years.  The loss in productivity, the bit that has been gained on the road to democracy, the international esteem.  All of that is lost for now. And the lives? How many families will lose loved ones? No matter what reconstruction or reconciliation will be put in place, some losses will take a long time to be recovered... and  may be NEVER .

The trauma: Ask anybody, the emotional scars of violence run deep. The sound of ammunition's as they go off leave indelible marks on people's minds.  Malians are traumatised: burnt homes, dead bodies, black military boots, the military uniform, the armoured cars, guns, RPGs,  bullets, blood.

The refugee-related issues: Hundreds of thousands of Malians are displaced. The refugee status is one that leaves its mark also. As a refugee, you live from hand to mouth, you do not save.  As a refugee you blame others for your problem, it is never your fault. A refugee basically depends on donors for livelihood. A refugee  is a pitied individual, once s/he can elicit more pity from you, the more s/he gains.  A refugee has little self worth, trust, esteem. Refugee women have had to use their bodies in exchange for means of livelihood. Refugee men have been forced to give up their women.. to be able to survive.  These refugee-related issues do not wash off.. They do not go away when warring parties sign off the war..

The war in Mali has started. How will it end? When will it end?  Will it ever end?

Madiba.. or when the sparkle begins to fade.

Dear Madiba, and through you, to my loved one, my loved ones..

Every time I hear that you have been taken to hospital, I have the same reaction. My chest gets heavy, my throat tightens, my feet drag. I literally have to swallow to be able to lighten my chest and clear my throat. I keep up late at night.. swaying between concern and worry, and praying through all of that.

I panic when the news is all over on the media. I try not to read them, but something inexorably draws me to every line, every image, every comment. This time, it is an infection, and President Zuma, originally says it is « nothing to worry about » . He says you will be okay.

But I cannot but ask myself.. How much more time.. for how long am I going to have you.. ? Against all reason and logic, I prefer to convince myself that you will be around for me, for my children and the children of my children. I dont ever want to think of the day when the fading sparkle will cease. I prefer to dream, I prefer to pray, I prefer to hope.. even when hope begins to go down like the setting sun

But my thinking part of the brain has been cautioning me lately, telling me this great truth :

Madiba is not eternal . Your loved one wont live forever.. 

Madiba, in my quiet corner, I prayed to God for you. I prayed when you were in prison. Though a yonger person then, I prayed to God for « this innocent man who is fighting for the freedom of his people ». I watched all possible media on the day you were released and danced on the streets like many other Africans. I do recall, that on the day you « took that walk », I offered a singular prayer :

« Dear Lord, please give him full 70 years, and an additional 27 years, to make up for the years he spent in prison »

I do not know if the Lord will answer « yes » to 27, but he has added 24 to the 70. I am grateful.

I am grateful that you came through Robben Island. I am grateful that you came through Robben alive. I am grateful that you had those prison years to think about the kind of leader you wanted to be, the kind of message you wanted to give to South Africa, to Africa and to the world. I am thankful to God. I am also thankful to you. Thank you for standing up tall, for preaching forgiveness instead of vengeance, for embracing and not pushing, for uniting instead of dividing, for building instead of destroying.

Most of all, thank you for leaving the presidential throne after just one term.

By willingly stepping aside from the power stool, you rose higher than presidency, you rose to a symbol, a brand. You rose from being just a South African freedom fighter to a world citizen, in fact, the greatest brand alive, greater than Coca Cola.

Madiba, I have some images of you that I have stored in the indelible part of my mind. Very few people make it to that place of my heart.. because once you make it there, you remain there. One image is that of you and Winnie.. taking that walk.. to liberty. I will cherish that one. The other one was when you were elected president and you spoke to South Africans, to Africa, to all humanity. But the image that I have tagged as « My Madiba » is of you in that cart, waving to the world.. on the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2010. You had risen over the death of your grandchild the night before and stepped out..

You stepped out in the Spirit of Sports, You stepped out in the Spirit of Umoja, You stepped out for Humanity.. I will forever be grateful for that.

Madiba, I keep praying that you will « last forever » but I know will not. So before the sparkle that is fading will shine no more, I want to let you know that :

You have been my inspiration

You have risen above so many difficulties to shine as a star

You will remain an icon, an unequaled brand for me, for many of us, for us humanity

Many more of you will rise after your sun sets

I love you, I cherish you.. and forever will.

Thank you, Madiba, thank you, my loved one, thank you, my loved ones..