Abidjan - Dar es Salaam - Brazzaville: Of elections and national conscience

I woke up in Abidjan this morning. A few hours before the voting for the first round of presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire opens. At this time, polls should be underway in Tanzania, since there is a three-hour difference. In Brazzaville, and across Congo, the population has been convened  to a referendum, whose results will determine whether Sassou Nguesso will continue to be President of the country or not.

While we do not know if Alassane Ouattara of Côte d'Ivoire will win the elections in the first round or after the run off, we are even more unsure if the ruling party in Tanzania will be returned to power. For Congo Brazzaville, like the blogger Anna Guèye said in response to a tweet of mine "I would not call it a vote".

Whether we are voting in Côte d'Ivoire, in Tanzania, in Congo or in any other part of the world today, election times are times of building a collective national conscience. And that explains why I am passionate about them, tracking them from Cape to Cairo, Dakar to Djibouti via Nairobi and Lagos... in this beautiful mother continent of Africa.

What I am passionate about is not necessarily who wins or who loses. Here are the 5 things I track:

The social audit
Election times are times for social audits. Political formations in and out of power take time to evaluate themselves. Citizens also evaluate leadership. It's the time for the big question "what has been done for the past xyz years?" The Nigerian election was one that got straight at me. The "Report Card" of Goodluck Jonathan was the topic in homes in Nigeria, in Nigerian homes in the Diaspora and even in many other spaces that are remotely Nigerian. By the time the election date itself drew near, the incumbent was desperate in trying to "make up" for mistakes made during his tenure. In Côte d'Ivoire, the government has gone ahead and published its own Report Card in a bid to prove to citizens that it did, indeed  move the country forward.

The mass education
Elections happen after every four or five years on the general.  At every election period, a new wave of voter is added. In most countries, 18 is the voting age.  For the new voters, it is  a rite of passage, a realisation of their political importance, and for some, a time to "test the political waters". What interests me the most is how the new voters are inducted into the system. Do they engage in a civil manner? Are they given all the information? Are they channeled into a one-party-system?  Whichever way, the need for education on electoral issues goes beyond the new voters.  In many countries the electoral agency begins an entirely new work of step-by-step education, sensitization and grooming of the citizens. Who can vote? Who can run for office? How and where to register to vote? When to pick up your voter cards. How to vote. How not to vote. How best to vote. Decorum for the period..

The citizen engagement
 Offline and online, this is the time that politically minded or interested people are obliged to listen to citizens, or at least, pretend to listen.  In many places, town hall-like meetings are held. During these meetings, candidates respond to questions from citizens. In some spaces, the national TV joins the game, creating "situation rooms", inviting  candidates, organizing live debates, taking  questions and generally dancing to the tune of the citizens. For those of us who "come from the Internet", the social media landscape is getting to be "the place" to be at these moments. It is a time for content creation, for analysis, for jokes and for serious engagement. Candidates are "tracked" and their speeches, dressing, governance plans and whole lives are meticulously dissected.  But beyond the candidates, voters also engage other voters, either as volunteers for one camp or another, or just as opinion bearers.

The Human Rights narratives
 The respect of fundamental human rights during elections periods is the yardstick with which I personally measure the process. Do opposition parties get air time? Does the ruling party bulldoze its way? Is the Election Agency autonomous? Are rallies free and fair? Are minorities allowed to show their support even when they are in the "stronghold" of their adversaries. How long is the campaign time?  How free is the media to do their work? Are citizens free and able to say exactly what they think of the power in place?   For me, once the human rights bases are covered, I am fine. Otherwise, frustrations are created, disenfranchisement follows and in many cases, the elections do not go down well.

The "Shift" after the polls

I still recall the major shift in Senegal when Abdoulaye Wade lost his third term bid, after all the "constitutional gerrymandering". The most recently is the ousting of PDP of Nigeria with Buhari's win. In Burundi, things have yet to go down as the killings are continuing. In the last edition of  Côte d'Ivoire's polls, it turned out into a full-scale civil war. 

Whether we look at elections from the political,  the engagement, the human rights or even the economics perspective, it is a time when a lot happens.  Except for the few African countries like Gambia, Eritrea, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea where authorities are doing all they can to suppress a national civic engagement while upholding the President as a demi-god,  this continent is gently changing, molting into a space of more regular social audits, massive increase in citizen education, web empowered engagement, and for a broader discourse on the rule of law. Elections are processes in national conscience building. It is  not so much about who wins  or loses at the polls, but whether the nation is more consolidated.

It is about moving forward or backward.

AU SECOURS!! Ils vont me voler mon projet.

Depuis quelque temps, j'ai eu à causer avec des personnes. Des porteurs des projets importants. 

1. Ce sont des personnes qui sont sures de leurs projets.
2.  Ils ne veulent pas en parler à beaucoup d'homme, par peur de se le faire voler
3. Mais ils avaient besoin tout de même d'une personne de confiance.. et finalement ils ont décidé que ce sera Nnenna.

Après une/des discussion/s "de haut niveau stratégique et d'une sécurité de niveau 10", je constate:

1. La plupart des porteurs des projets sont débutants
2. La plupart de ces projets ne sont pas encore écrits.
3. Les porteurs n'arrivent pas à bien les articuler en 5 - 10 minutes
4. Les porteurs du projet veulent une rencontre face à face, avec moi. Ils croient que je saurais les propulser...
5. Je constate que le milieu dans lequel ils veulent exercer leur est inconnu, pour la plupart
6. Pour ceux qui connaissent un peu leur milieu, leur expérience est de moins de 2 ans
7. 80% de ces projets prennent la Côte d'Ivoire pour le monde entier
8.  J'ai constaté un manque criant d'étude de faisabilité. C'est rare qu'on prend en compte des acteurs qui sont déjà sur le terrain.  J'ai pas vu un plan pour la concurrence
9. Les porteurs du projet manquent des contacts clés
10. La moitié de ces projets sont des illusions.

African Unity at 50 or the Burden of our Nationalities

It was a very impressive month of May for me this year. I followed the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity, now African Union.  The round tables, the semi-circles and the plenaries.  Most of the debates are decades old and the same questions that were asked 50 years ago are still on the  table. They have aged but are still alive.

Incidentally, I travelled to Stockholm, Sweden about the same time. Like is the case in many of these gatherings, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SIDA - The Swedish International Development Agency, the organisers of the Stockholm Internet Forum, had done a great job of  making sure that key Freedom of/on the Internet figures from Africa were there. From East to West, North to South, via Central.. they were folks from all across Africa. There were more Africans there, than we had at the Africa Internet Governance Forum in Cairo, last year.

I met Jacob Akol, from South Sudan, in Stockholm. He gave me a book, with a very provocative title. I committed to reading it and since I have been traveling since then, I have been reading bits and chunks of it.  It turned out to to be not just an impressive book, but also one that came in time. Akol, in his memoirs really did a region by region experience of Africa, recounting very sordid experiences of human suffering, resilience, wickedness and corruption. He has been to almost all 54 countries of Africa.

I am happy I asked for an autograph before even I opened the book to begin reading. I will cherish it. And yes, if you see "Burden of Nationality" anywhere, buy several copies, one for yourself, and for others.

My other May experience was in the visit of a friend. Of Zimbabwean origin, this friend had to visit a Francophone country in West Africa. Granted, that particular country did not have a consular representation in Harare. So my friend asked, and yes, you guessed right, she had to go to the French embassy to get this visa:

For frequent travelers, one can see that this kind of "République Française Visa" was the ones used at about the same time the Organisation of African Unity existed. Before France and other European countries started issuing  the Schengen travel visas.

I asked me several questions:

1. So in May 2013, an African national still goes to a European embassy to apply for visa to visit another African country?
2. So after so many years of "Independence", African countries are still being diplomatically represented by "colonial masters"?
3. What is the meaning of  Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) if ECOWAS countries cannot issue visas for sister countries in locations where they do not have consular representations?  In the case of my Swedish visa, it was issued by the Belgian embassy in Abidjan

My other "burden of nationality" story in May 2013 was that of  a Nigerian IT Professional, officer in a Pan-African Foundation for IT, who was booked for the eLearning Africa  Conference in Namibia. After having obtained the Namibian visa, he now had to obtain a transit visa from the Republic of South Africa. The total duration of his transit, going and coming, was not up to 24 hours and he was not going to be stepping out of the airport in Joburg.  He was certain the transit visa was not going to be a problem and packed for the trip, planning to pick it up and head straight to the airport for check in. He was refused the South African transit visa. Yes, the trip was called off.

This one really broke me. While Heads of States are feasting and congratulating each other on the 50th anniversary of African Union, or is Unity.. everyday Africans, like me, are asking questions:

1. What exactly is African Unity?
2. Why  do we still go through strenuous and humiliating visa procedures for travel within Africa, after enduring the humiliations inflicted on us by non-African countries?
3. When will African Union become a union of citizens and not of heads of states?

It is June 9, 2013 today. There is talk for a vision and an African  agenda  for 2063.  What can we say, if we look back from the scramble for Africa in 1884, to the days of the slave trade, the Independence of the 1960s,  and all these years of "freedom"...

The first  50 years are gone and next slate of 50 years is being discussed:

1. Will you be around and alive in 2063? Many of us will not
2. Will Africans still  be blaming their colonial masters for everything?
3. How many African Heads of state will still be battling "imperialists" and "Western neo-colonists"
4. When can  Africans travel freely, at least in Africa?

Simply put, when are we, in Africa, going to get rid of the burden of our nationalities?

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

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?

The African Olympics. Les JO africains.

Have you been wondering which African countries did what during the just-ended  London Olympics?  Here is a quick table.

Vous vous-êtes demandés comment les pays africains se sont "imposés" lors des Jeux Olympique de Londres?  En voici:

Rank/Rang	Country/Pays	GOLD/OR	Silver/Argent	Bronze	Total
	South Africa	3	2	1	6
	Ethiopia	3	1	3	7
	Kenya	2	4	5	11
	Tunisia	1	1	1	3
	Algeria	1			1
	Uganda	1			1
	Egypt		2		2
	Botswana		1		1
	Gabon		1		1
	Morocco			1	1

Si un pays qui a participé ne se trouve pas ici, cela veut dire que ce pays a eu 0 Or, 0 Argetn et 0 Bronze.

If a participating country is not on this table, it simply means the country finished with 0 Gold, 0 Silver and 0 Bronze.

The full medal Count is here.  La liste complète des médailles est ici

What did you buy for me?

You travel to places.  You change planes.  You rake up miles. You take pictures and put them up online. People get to know your face at the local airport. Sometimes, they get to ask you "where are you off to this time?" Some times you answer, some times you just smile.

Every trip is has its specifics.  Ups and downs. Long overlays at airports, lack of Internet Connection, luggage that does not arrive, the jetlag, eating stuff you would rather not.. but well, since you have to eat to keep alive..

All of that is not the problem of your loved ones. Friends, family, employees, colleagues, and people who think they know you.  What all of them have in common, though, is that one line "Buy/bring me something". I hear that line over and over and over again.

 You get to destination.  You are battling heat or cold, sleep, work, adapting to hotel, finishing your presentation, keeping up with the scheduled and unscheduled meetings. Depending on who you are traveling for/with, you may have a bit of financial margin to take you to the mall.  People at your destination expect you to shop anyhow.. The hotels always have those maps/brochures that show you where money can be spent.

You get 2 hours and you rush off to the mall.  You shop.  You find yourself parting with "a handful of 100s" of  $, £ or €. You  buy perfumes, shoes, bags, make up, clothing, jewelry, body care, chocolates, electronic gadgets etc.  You are calculating, not just the cash.. but also the weight.  You want to keep within the airline official weight limitation.

You get home and you begin to distribute. Everyone would love their gifts in a separate bag. If you are like me, you tell yourself that just one piece of gift item may not be nice for some loved ones.  You add a bar of chocolate to the bag, and a perfume to the shoes ... something like that. Some will collect theirs from your home, for others, you need to drop off.  In some cases, you need to arrange to have them sent.. at your own expense..

You get different feedback, depending.  The first group are exhilarated.  They thank you profusely.  You are happy that you have added value to their lives.  The second group says thanks and life continues. The third group, which is where many loved ones belong, just go quiet. You dont hear from them.  Some times, you call to find out if  "it arrived" just to double check. And they say yes. These days, I have come to accept this third group.. I dont worry about them anymore.  I just give, I dont expect them to confirm, I dont expect anything..

There is a fourth group. This is the group that you hear them say (either as an aside or as a 'behind') "So this is all s/he got for me?"  The feeling is.. you have gone all that way.. and this is all you think I am worth?  This group never cease to amaze me.  

Why do people think that when someone travels, it is "only them" that the person buys a gift for?  Why will you summarize a person's trip in the financial value of the gift the person gives you? On what grounds do you raise your expectation of gifts according to cities? When did a gift become a right?

As a frequent traveler, sometimes these things get back at you.  You are discouraged and some times, you swear never to buy gifts for anybody anymore..But as we say in Africa, loved ones (family) are like your buttocks, where ever you go, you go with them

Bon voyage!

7 Reasons Jean Ping needs to step aside as African Union Commission's Chair

In January, the African Union Summit held in its very new headquarters.  The one donated by China. One of the items on the agenda was the election of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Since the creation of the original Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which later became AU, the election or re-election of the Commission Chair has never really been a huge issue..... because consensus has been the order of the day.  But in January, it became and issue. Jean Ping, out-going chief did not secure enough votes to ensure his re-election. And the African Union executive leadership, is facing a democracy limbo.  If you did not follow the initial story,  the Guardian has a good account here

The tussle was first between Jean Ping, incumbent AUC Chair and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zulu.  Later the tussle was between Jean Ping and nobody, and Jean ping still did not get enough votes.

This post is from an ordinary Africa who thinks it is time for Jean Ping to quit  AUC Chieftaincy.  Here are at least 7 reasons.

His role in recent conflicts: Maybe because I live in Cote d'Ivoire. But I must say that the role that the AUC played during post-election crises in the country was a sorry one. The ping-pong politics of the AU increased the loss of lives.  Were it not for ECOWAS that stood up and stood straight.. we would still be in war now. During the Libyan one, AUC slipped into the reactive mode.. accusing others who "were doing something". For Mali.. I cannot even recall what the AUC position and pro-active initiative is.. and now there is Guinea Bissau..
My gut feeling here is that African issues are moving faster than the kind of politics that Jean Ping is used to. The everyday ping-pong, stomaching nonsense, and several diplomatic meetings-type of conflict resolution.  I may be wrong, but that is my opinion.

Second reason is one that may sound "weird".  Jean Ping is Francophone.  Yes.  He is from Gabon.  He has been AUC Chair since  September 2008.  He took over from Alpha Omar Konaré of Mali, who held the position from September 2003.  Konaré took over from Amara Essy of Cote d'Ivoire who was the last OAU Commission Chief, and transitioned into the AUC.

The third reason is the democracy one. If the constituency deems that an Incumbent has done well, at least 2 out of 3 will want him back.  Incidentally, that is also the quota fixed by the AU. Even after the rival withdrew, Jean Ping still could not win the 2/3rds.  Here is my honest opinion - "Your Excellency, please walk the talk".  Take a bow, and leave. Make room, give room and let there be space for another.

Confidence is my other reason. As the days come and go, the level of confidence is dwindling.  Even some delegations that said "yes" at the beginning are now saying "no". For this kind of post, the level of trust, of confidence, of comfort from the constituency is important. I think  all of that are on the downward lane. Insisting on remaining will be  akin to telling the African people "I quit when I want, and I dont care what you think"

 

 Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is the other candidate. Apart from being qualified for the job, I personally think that for the reasons above, she will have a better start.  A fresh clean start is more preferable to a rocky continuation. If it were a tussle between Jean Ping and just another political figure, maybe I would reconsider.  But Nkosazana herself is a huge reason that Jean Ping needs to step aside. You have an able leader take over.

The one other reason, which I also deem important is that the time is right for a lady to Chair the AUC. We have had enough men in that position.  Give a lady the confidence, let her in. We have a qualified lady. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has proved it. This continent needs to have more women leaders! The AUC itself is doing a good job at female Commissioners.  The time is right for a woman to be the face of AU!!  Just by the way, the next summit will happen in Lilongwe, Malawi.  In the very country where Her Excellency Joyce Banda is President of the Republic. 

The last reason why Jean Ping should not be re-elected is Jean Ping himself. In my consultations for this blog, a reliable source told me the following story. "Jean Ping is the one who came to South Africa, and canvassed for a South African candidacy.  He informed the government of South Africa that he was retiring and it would be a great thing for him to be replaced by someone from South Africa"

Whatever happened between the Jean Ping trip to South Africa and the elections is a story that Africans have a right to hear.

Suffice it to say.. that there are at least 7 reasons that Jean Ping should step aside as AUC Chairperson in July.

Open letter to MENA of NIGER

Yeah, so you qualified for the 2012 African Cup of Nations? Okay, noted. We hear you.

This letter comes as a reaction to the fact that instead of planning your friendly matches, you are touring the country from South to North, East to West.. celebrating your victory.

We are sure that you know that in soccer, one man's joy is another man's misery. One team's victory means another team's defeat. While you are on the “high” and doing your joy-tour, we wish to bring the following to your attention.

MENA is going to AFCON with 9 points! Yes, that is 50% of possible points. Cape Verde, Cameroon, Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi each have more than that and are home. It is only a reminder... we know you know.

We have a message from South Africa to you. Not only did you rob the Rainbow Nation of a place in the AFCON, you have dealt a blow on their national pride. You have exposed the “limit of the intelligence” of their Football Federation leaders. You have given them a very bitter after-taste. This blow is like pouring ash over the silver glimmer of the FIFA world cup which they so valiantly and brilliantly hosted.

There is also a message from from Nigeria. They have thousands of professional players. They had what it took to qualify and did not. Now everyone is comparing Niger and Nigeria. That makes Nigeria cry. The shared border makes it possible for people in Nigeria to smell your celebrations. Your victory reminds Nigeria of all of its failures.

Cameroon has sent their own missile to you. Niger does not have any “global star” like Eto’o. If you lost, there would not have been too much shame.. but now.. everyone is saying “Niger is there and Eto’o is absent’. Your victory is exposing the death of the old Lion.

Egypt says it wont forgive you. You must note that. In football, it may take 10 years, but some scores will be settled. In fact, Egypt will not only make you pay in soccer. In every sport where you will meet Egypt, be ready for a battle!

Finally, there is a message from FIFA and CAF. Yes. They have messages too. No, no, no. They are quite “congratulatory” about your qualification. They even have very positive things to say about you, and are actually hoping that you will go very far and maybe even show up for world cup in Brazil as you have started already dreaming.. Their message is simple: you only qualified for the competition. There are no trophies for qualification. The trophy is for the competition itself. Another way to say, this is only the beginning. You must now prepare for AFCON 2012.

Over here, we will fix our eyes on the draw of October 29. We are sure you know we are wishing you the “group of death”!


Signed: the miserable losers

Cote d'Ivoire: Government Ethics Charter

Government Ethics Charter

Preamble

The Ministerial function represents  a very important public responsibility at State level. It is based on confidence, on one hand, between the sovereign people  of Côte d’Ivoire and the President of the Republic and, on the other, between the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, Head of Government and each minister.

By our free adherence to the present Charter “Government Ethics Charter”, we, members of the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire,  show our engagement to be at the service of the President of the Republic and  the people.

Having received the confidence of the President of the Republic, on one hand for the reconciliation of Ivorians and the reconstruction of our country, and on the other hand, for the  sustainable socio-economic development  and the consolidation of a State of rights, we declare our adherence to the ten (10) cardinal values that follow:

1. Sense of State and  love of Country: Each member of Government shall uphold the fundamental values of the Republic: Union, Discipline and Labour. S/He shall, in speech, action, and behaviour, honour the Country and behave in conformity to the principles of our motto. The love of Côte d’Ivoire shall be upheld over regional, ethnic, political and religious particularities.

2. Respect for Dignity and human Life:  Each member of Government  shall consider life as sacred. Therefore S/He shall abstain from all manner of speech, and action that is susceptible to endanger dignity and human life.

3.  Primacy of the General Interest: All decisions, actions, or task shall be geared  and implemented in the perspective of the general interest, according to  requirements and standards in place and to  the quality which justifies the available resources. Conscious of the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of the our country, each member of Government  must make efforts at her/his  personal level as well as as  within the department under her/him  to only consider the  general interest.

4.  Solidarity and Cohesion:  All decisions and actions of the Government  are guided by the principles of collegiality and solidarity.  They involve each member in their elaboration and in their implementation. Members of Government are therefore  under the obligation of reserve and confidentiality  that behoves  government work.  The right of reserve shall include all debates in State Council, Ministerial Council, and in a general manner, all government meetings, as well as their  related correspondences.

5.  Good Governance:  Each member of Government shall seek to cultivate excellence and promote the practices of good governance in her/his ministerial department  and within the structures placed under her/his authority. The strict respect of the laws of the Republic is a national interest necessity on which depends  both the moral rise of our country and its sustainable and integral development.  In keeping with the right to information of the sovereign people, each member of Government also pledges to account for  the actions of her/his department whose results shall be imputed to her/him

6.  Responsibility: Each member of Government is the sole responsible of her/his ministerial department and pledges, in her/his being and conscience, to assume the charges and carry out the mission to which s/he has been called for the greater interest of the nation. Members of Government have an obligation to results. They shall assume the success or the failure of their actions and mission according to the principle of responsibility.

7.  Integrity and Probity: As a model for fellow citizens, each member of Government pledges to cultivate, at all times and in all places, the moral  and ethical values that shall induce higher morals for the Ivorian society: rightness, integrity, probity and incorruptibility.

8. Justice and Equity: In the respect of differences and particularism, members of Government work in a spirit of justice, of equity and of balance among them, in their respective departments and in their relations with users.  Equity shall be promoted in public practices.

9.  Permanent Dialogue and Availability:  Each member of Government shall consecrate her/himself, as a priority, to the exercise of the missions  that constitute her/his attributions and shall be wholly available to this effect. S/he  shall, by the way, maintain a permanent and objective  dialogue, based on republican ideas, notable with  other members of Government, the social bodies and other actors in the sector

10.  Civility, Courtesy and Moderation: Each member  of Government  pledges, in words and action, to the respect of the rules of decorum, courtesy and moderation which constitute the  fundamental conditions on which  group, organisational and societal cohesion is built.

We, members of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, pledge to respect this Charter  which we have freely given ourselves on this Tuesday August 9, 2011.

And consequently, we  sign in the presence of the President of the Republic

The official and original document is found on the site of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire.  This  English version is  graciously offered  by NNENNA.ORG

Travel by phone: how ICT adds zest to my life!

Yesterday I did a different kind of travel.  I traveled through the greater Accra, the Central, the Eastern and finally the Western regions of Ghana.  All the time, seated in front of my computer, doing research,  and drafting a paper for an African-Union related institution.

Where did I go?  I took off from Accra, to a place called Kade in the Eastern region.  There is a research facility in a tiny village off Kade and there was a meetup scheduled there.  The initial journey was okay.. and the business of the day was done.

But the journey back was the THE one.  "I" was no longer coming back to Accra but going to Takoradi, in the Western region.  So the challenge was to come from Kade to somewhere in the Central region, either to a place called Mankessim  or to Winneba junction.  I needed to go from Kade to Swedru and onwards.

It was raining.. and we were looking for a  nice restaurant too!  Then hopefully, short cut, to link Swedru to Mankessim.  We passed through the villages, all named "Agona" something, then finally to Swedru itself. I have always thought that Swedru was a big place.. but well.  When we stopped by to ask "How far is Swedru from here"?  The answer was  "This is Swedru you are in".. Ah okay..

Then that question, can we go directly to Mankesssim from Swedru or do we need to come back to Winneba junction before going on..  we asked three different groups on the way.  Two of them said you must go down to Winneba junction, one said maybe you can find a way. So we decided to go down to Winneba junction.

The rain let up a bit after Winneba junction, finally caught launch: fufu and bushmeat at a restaurant a bit before Apam junction.  Then hit the road again.  The rain came back.. by the time we passed by Mankessim, it was 5:30 PM but was a dark ast 7:30 PM.  The decision needed to be taken.  Do we continue to go all the way to Takoradi or stop in Cape Coast for the night?  By 7PM, we pulled into a nice little hotel in Cape Coast, not far from the STC bus station and checked in there..

Then the attendant looked and said: "Oh, Master, your tyre is flat"! Well, get some rest, the gas station is opposite.. we will fix all of that in the morning! And will be in Takoradi before 10 AM!

Nice trip huh?  Well, dont forget I said I did all of that on phone!  I was just speaking with the person inside the car..while they drove.. all of that distance..

Oh yeah! Phone call rates are getting cheaper..if you have a "preferred" number.. you can talk all day, talk all night.. and travel... on phone!

The next African leaders to quit power

It is the beginning of February 2011.

Tunisia has kicked off the year in grand style. Now the Egyptians are also protesting, asking that their President Hosni Mubarak leave power. Despite all that he has ceded and agreed to cede, the people still want him to leave.

And the question that has been making the rounds is: who next? Where next? How?

The rumblings seem to be shaking up places. Algeria, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen have felt tremors.. Even Gabon.

On what grounds can we, as Africans, support a popular call from citizens for their leader to step down? Here are a few reasons, that we believe should qualify the ousting of a president by the people.

If you have been in power for over 10 years or spent two terms

Then it is time for you to leave. A decade is enough time for you to achieve any initial goals you set for yourself, your party or your country. It is also enough time for you to lose contact with the real people, build a pseudo kingdom made up of your advisers, and live that unreal live in which these advisers only give you positive report, only show you where the country is doing great and hide anything that is to the contrary.

If you are 80 years of age

Honestly, that is way past retirement! Does your hearing still function 100%. How about your sight? How physically fit are you? Can you still do marathon work hours? Being a President is a heavy job, being an African president is doubly heavy! But an African President at 80? You may want to see the country as one where the population are your children. And you call everybody "my son" and "my daughter". No, that is not what we want in our President. Your grandchildren need you. Your family needs you. There are quite a number of non-presidential things you can accomplish at this age with a lot of dignity. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu are still alive, happily alive.

You may be afraid of the International War Crime Tribunal of the Hague, but that is only when you refuse to leave. When you leave willingly, every other thing can be negotiated.

If you did not win the elections

There is no point hanging on, trying to oppress the real winner. We win some, we lose some. The line that it is the "international community" or country x or y that is "against us" is as fake as the line that county A or B, that is a world power is behind you. It is not about who is against you or for you on the international arena, it is about the people who voted. Power belongs to the people not "the diabolical colonial masters" or the "strong global partners". If you did not win, quit power.


If you dont have a university degree

In the Independence years, there were not many educated Africans. But that has changed. To be frank, it is an insult in today's world to have you be at the head of a nation when you dont have a formal university degree. What you learn in University is constructive thinking, reasoning, scientific analysis of society issues, global issues and human relations. University education allows you to come out of your tribe, ethnic group, religion, region. You face the world, you make mistakes and you learn from them. You learn to sit and listen to others criticize your work, tear it down.. University education lets you understand not only how your own system works, but how others' systems also work. In 2011, if you dont have a world view, you should not be the President. Step down and go to school.

If your father was the past president

There is a problem here. How many people live in the country? How many families have raised their children to be leaders? How many families have had the honour of leading the nation since its creation? Why do you think that one family should have two successive presidents? Dont you think your family's quota is already used up? Others deserve a chance. Step aside!

People's Democratic Party - PDP (Nigeria) Presidential Primaries.

Here are the figures captured on Thursday's primaries at the Eagle Square Abuja as teh state delegates votes were being counted. The third Candidate, Mrs Sarah Jubril only had her own vote. So please start the count with Sarah Jubril 1 vote in Kwara State.

State	Goodluck Jonathan	Atiku Abubakar
FCT	24	3
Abia	80	1
Adamawa	76	31
Akwa Ibom	141	0
Anambra	47	8
Bauchi	46	44
Bayelsa	67	0
Benue	72	15
Borno	33	26
Cross River	105	0
Delta	114	7
Ebonyi	82	2
Edo	60	0
Ekiti	76	1
Enugu	89	9
Gombe	55	18
Imo	125	3
Jigawa	100	17
Kaduna	82	41
Kano	21	98
Katsina	147	11
Kebbi	44	33
Kogi	84	24
Kwara	61	26
Lagos	52	3
Nasarawa	53	8
Niger	16	94
Ogun	80	3
Ondo	69	6
Osun	99	1
Oyo	107	10
Plateau	70	5
Rivers	128	2
Sokoto	32	84
Taraba	62	16
Yobe	29	20
Zamfara	7	70
TOTAL	2635	740

The final official results were:

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan: 2736
Atiku Abubakar: 805
Sarah Jubril: 1