Of Election Petitions, Ghana, Africa and democracy: #TheVerdict

I woke up yesterday,  Thursday the 29th of August 2013, very expectant. The 9-judge Supreme Court of Ghana was going to give the verdict of the case that opposed the New Patriotic Party of Ghana and the National Democratic Convention of Ghana.  NPP had petitioned the court, alleging the following:

1. Overvoting
2. Voting without biometric verification
3. Absence of signature
4. Duplicate pink sheets
5. Duplicate Polling Stations
6. Unknown polling stations

For 8 months, the legal battle had gone on and August 29th was the "today na today" day for the whole of Ghana. On Social Media, #ElectionPetition, which has been the tag all along, was joined by #TheVerdict.

Facebook, but mostly, Twitter, went crazy. The tweets were arriving in droves. For my part, I was tracking them like my life depended on them.  I followed the stories.  Here they are:

The Ghana-man story:

As for Ghana-man, paaaa, he took the matter "personally". There were calls for peace. Everyone reminded everyone of the importance of Ghana. Nobody wanted anybody to be a refugee. And Yes, Ghanaians foresaw that #TheVerdict may be followed by confusion, disturbance and even war. But s/he did not want to be the one to start it. So stay off the street, stay at home. Almost everyone did. Result? An un-announced holiday. No, it was "better than that", you could go from Spintex to Kaneshie in a matter of minutes!!  Even Accra Mall, of all places, was deserted. The term was "Judgement Day" for many.

The Police story:
Eh! Ghana Police! They brought out all the arsenal (add United, City, Chelsea, Liverpool and all the Premier League teams if you want to). No, Seriously, I did not know that Ghana Police was capable of such mobilization. Every city had police presence. Accra had police on land, on water, and even in the sky above our heads.  Chale!! Guys were ready oo!!!  Did they also go underground? Just asking..

The Ghana Media Story:
This might perhaps be the best story. GTV  and GBC, the official national broadcasting services were ordered by law to give live coverage. Every media house that had a transmitter put it to work.  I think the Gold Medal goes to the JOY group. They were all over and all online. Ghanaians were given the opportunity to air their views. Anybody who had anything to say had a place to say it. Simply phenomenal!

The Social Media Story:
Oh là là, Ghana Tweeps nailed it. They took pictures, they reported. They tweeted, retweeted, shared, and kept the hype. While we waited for the judges to give #TheVerdict, we even got to the point of asking people to share what they were doing while waiting.. It will be interesting to see a MashUp of the tweets on both tags: #ElectionPetition and #TheVerdict.

The Nana Akufo-Addo Story:
I bet Nana did not sleep the night before!  The team was up very early in the morning. They had prayers and even a group photo. My take is that Nana raised the whole thing one notch higher.  He arrived in court himself.

The John Dramani Mahama Story:
I dont think he worked the whole day. Maybe that should be taken away from his salary on  pro-rata. But hey, how many Ghanaians did anything else but watch TV, wait  for #TheVerdict, hear it, then discuss it? He dressed up in white, himself and the Vice-President. And waited, and waited, and waited, and waited... for the judges and their decision ... just like any other Ghana-man.

The Atuguba Story:
Your Honour, you made us wait oo! Our hearts nearly disappeared from our chests. Eight  months, over 24 million persons, investments put on hold, police mobilisation, almost 2 million dollars in live coverage, even a quasi national 'Atuguba' holiday.. Anyway, he arrived, finally, with the 8 others. To give a verdict that lasted for about 1/3rd of a minute:

“The first respondent was validly elected and the suit is dismissed”
 

Asa! Chikena! C'est fini!  That is #THEVERDICT.  Only then did we exhale.. and actually noticed that we were literally holding our breaths!! I tweet:

Okay, so now what? What is New Patriotic Party saying?.  It did not take long:

And Nana Akufo-Addo himself?  It also followed suit:

And all eyes turn to President Mahama's Twitter account.  He, too, does not waste time:

And now, I can finally get up and go have breakfast! Yes, breakfast at lunch time.


The STORY of the stories :
That was the story. But what IS the THE STORY.  The STORY of the stories?  That is the most important aspect of this post. What I have taken with me. It is a simple and straight one. Ghana's democracy has indeed matured. You may not have noticed it but:

1. The Ghana-man story is the story of citizens who have realised that their country is all they have and it is their duty to keep it safe and peaceful. It is the story of citizens' Ubuntu. I am because we are. God Bless Ghanaians.
2. The Police Story is the story of a force that is living by its creed, is ready to do its work and is up and alert. God Bless Ghana Police.
3. The Ghana Media story is the story of inclusion, of freedom of information, of the right to expression, of citizen mobilisation,  of the freedom of speech. Ghana Media will  live long.
4. The Social Media story is the story of  what the Internet can do as a development tool. Its power to crowdsource information. The mobile, immediate, global, multi-lingual, cross-cultural and unifying power of the web; simply priceless. We have become "Homo Numéris"
5. The Nana Akufo-Addo  story is the story of an opposition that has decided to be democratic. To pursue differences at the appropriate places, in the manner set out by law, using legal and legitimate means. Nana, Ghana owes you.
6. The John Dramani Mahama story is the story of a sitting president goes ordinary. Wake and go to work. For the 29th of August 2013, wake up, dress up, pretend you were ready to work, watch TV, spend time talking to friends and family on phone, but most importantly wait. Wait, wait, wait and wait... for the Supreme Court to decide, just like every other Ghana-man. JDM, Ghana will remember your calm, your self control and your humility
7. The Atuguba (or Supreme Court) story is the story of a judiciary system that has come of age. A supreme court that reads the law, interprets it, and makes decisions based on the reading and interpretation of that law, without fear or favour. Your Honours, we waited for long, we lost some business during the wait, but it is well. You have spoken, and we shall go with you. Lead on!
   

Viva Ghana!

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.

Frequent Traveler? How to travel with Kenya Airways and NOT be miserable

It has been a long time  that I have not flown on Kenya Airways. That is, until this month, when I had to do two back-to-back trips on the airline.  My last two trips before those were on Ethiopian and Emirates.  Yes, Emirates.  That far. Abidjan-Dubai, Dubai-Nairobi.  And for my next trips, it will most probably be Emirates.  The question will be: "Why do that long distance?" And the answer will be: "Because I dont want to be miserable".

For many a Frequent Traveler (allow me to use initial capitals, in respect for those who do miles and miles in the air) what you want is to arrive and face the business for which you traveled. 

Anyway, here are pieces from my experience:

1. Dont buy a business class ticket
2. Buy travel insurance, if you can 
3. Leave 4-5 hours of transit time in your booking
4. Bring your own blanket 
5. As much as you can, do not check in luggage
6. If you are checking in anything, keep a day's provision of clothes in your carry-on
7. Please set yourself in "Patience, perseverance and no-worry" mode for the whole of the trip
8. Check in online
9. Arrive at the airport early, earlier than usual
10. Choose a seat up front, if you want to have a choice in the meal/drink service
11. Keep 1 kilo short of the allowed baggage 
12. Insist on getting receipts for all payments made
13. Please print "Final Destination [Airport Code]" for both legs of your trip
14. Wrap your bag, taking care to have the "Final Destination" tag visible
15. If on transit, insist they put the yellow  "TRANSFER" tag on the bag
16. Once checked in,  go and verify the boarding gate printed on the boarding pass/on the screen (especially if in NBO)
17. Ask AGAIN, at the gate, when they will open or start boarding and keep an eye.
18. Do not expect announcements in any other language other than English and Kiswahili
19. Make mental  time for  a one-hour delay in take off.
20. Do not expect the crew to be friendly, mind your business
21. Keep a credit {not debit} card or cash if you plan to buy something
22. Try as much as possible not to request  the attention of the crew
23. If on transit, and you need to ease yourself in NBO, make ample time, you may need to queue
24. If for any reason you miss your flight due to late arrival, insist that  the new booking be printed, especially if it is on a partner/another airline
25. Keep cash/cards handy. 

I have no plans to explain stuff I have written here.  You may still have  a great flight with KQ without doing any of the above..

Bon voyage!

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