We Live In a Post-Ghaddafi World Now.

Muammar Ghaddafi, Revolutionary, Brother Leader, Despot is no more. I am disappointed at the manner of his demise simply because I don't believe in rapid execution/murder, and I think he had a few questions to answer in a court of the people. The official position is that he died of wounds sustained during battle. Mh.

I was no fan of his, and no amount of "but Libyans have the highest GDP/capita, levels of education, standard of living, etc" argument will convince me that his rule was justified. Benevolent despotism is simply about building a gilded cage: you might "enjoy" certain "perks" but you are still a slave, and a prisoner. Anyways, that's what revolutions are for: to decapitate a polity so that it can hopefully grow a new head that is keeping with the values of the time. A form of social pruning, if you will.

Ghaddafi's death marks the beginning of the end of the independence movement era in Africa. As one of the chief Pan-Africanists, I think he has shown us how hypocritical and compromized many revolutionary leaders of the era turned out to be. They spoke the language of freedom and brotherhood, they practiced control, corruption and murder. They made promises with breath that smells of the blood of their own people. They leave their children and grandchildren names to be ashamed of in public. I can't imagine what they were thinking but I have heard that power corrupts and in the end Big Men are just men. Nothing more, nothing less. So can we get over our African penchant for Bigmanism already?

Let's see what Libya is going to do now that the man who built a nation in his own image is dead. I don't hold out much hope, it looks like the institutions of governance have to be reconfigured and that always results in opportunistic political conflict. But I wish them every luck and success. In the meantime, Mahmood Mamdani's piece for Al Jazeera says all there is to say about the other problem that Libya is suffering from: intervention.

Lord Palmeston said it best, and I paraphrase: in international relations there are no friends, yo. Yeah: the other playaz will play you, given a chance. There are those who are cheering Africa's "emergence" on the world stage*, but I am not one of them. Put simply, every time "the world" takes a deep interest in Africa, we seem to get royally shafted six ways from Sunday. The secret to China's success on the continent is their model: no BS, just barter. Seems to work. Now that Libya is firmly intervened with, and they have oil, they might want to look over at Afghanistan and Iraq which seem to have developed a severe neo-colonial infection. Their occupiers just can't seem to leave... (all that free oil behind...)

*ati emergence? We never went anywhere to begin with. Is this one of those silly things, like the way colonial explorers had a habit of "discovering" geographical features that the locals had always known were there? Mxiii. Let's call this what it is: the rest of the world now thinks we're cool enough to hang out with. Structural racism is taking a hit.

That's Miz Ambassador To You.

I has been so long since anyone has tried to recruit me online, I've been feeling a little neglected. Quite lonely, to be honest. So it was with great delight that I learned that I have recently been appointed Ambassador to the African Refugees from Libya and Sudan. And here is the letter to prove it:

IN COURTESY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA AND THE UNITED NATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION.

Attention!

I am Hon Dr. Johnson Williams, the United Nations Special Presidential Task Force Chairman for Refugees here in Ghana, West Africa.

I am tasked by the Forces mentioned above to pass this information to you that you have been nominated as an Ambassador to the African refugees from Libya and Sudan by the United Nations and the Honorable Members of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.

The meeting was held yesterday in the Osu Castle with five representatives from United States of America, New York and three representatives from United Kingdom, London respectively from the offices of the United Nations and nominated you to occupy the position of Ambassador for the Government of the Republic of Ghana.

By virtue of this act, the High Panel of the UN and of the House of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana demands that you forward your particulars to this noble office including a scan copy of your passport or driver's license or national identification card with immediate effect.
Should you have any question(s), please contact the UN Appointment Committee on:

We look forward to working with you soon.

Best Regards,
Hon. Dr. Johnson Williams
Special Presidential Task force Chairman
United Nations Head Quarters, Accra-Ghana.

Sorry people, got to rush. I am now a VIP: people to represent, Geneva to conquer, got my eye on TEDx, you know how it goes. Toodles. Oh, yeah and credit card information to impart, of course... Who says poverty doesn't pay. Heh.

Some Days.

I was watching the news this morning, getting my daily dose of Grim Shit From Around The World when I stumbled across a reporter for BBC in Tripoli who was talking to a Libyan supporter of the coalition thingy that's trying to oust Ghaddafi. After about five minutes of listening to this guy herding his interviewee into a coalition-friendly sound-bite (dude was only too happy to oblige) I heard him ask "...so do you think that this means that Libya will have to be split into two: Western and Eastern Libya?"

That's when I switched off the TV. There was something horribly formulaic about the whole thing. See Developing Nation. See Developing Nation's Despot. See Younger Generation revolting. See Despot Refuse to Relinquish Power. Watch Revolt collapse. See International Intervention. Watch World Leaders Double-Speak. Entertain self by noting which words chosen by International News Media to headline story: Disaster. Crisis. Revolt. Uprising. Coalition. Nato. Unrest. Opposition.

And this after they switched to a report about Japanese mothers in Tokyo who have been told not to give their young babies tap-water because of radioactive pollution? News: the 24-hour cycle of doom for those who are addicted to misery and fear.

TV dead, off I went to do my toilette where I discovered My First White Hair. Crisis! Disaster! Uprising! Let me tell you: this media-watching/development grinching work thingy that I do has an inbuilt negativity to it. The posts and articles I have been producing lately seem to be coming from a rather dark and dissatisfied state of mind. Obsessing about local politics and the odd international news story was never supposed to overtake the blog like this. So I'm rolling it back a little, time to recalibrate.

I'm battling not to read anything too pessimistic into the fact that Tanesco hasn't rationed power so far this week. I'm admittedly glad about a couple of other bits of good news, such as the fact that Dawasco water has been spotted for the first time in two months in our neighborhood. And the fact that the CCM Youth League actually look like they might take on the old guard in the coming year or so. And the fact that because there's electricity my barber was able to take care of a little problem for me today. So all is well with the world again, especially since I won't be staring at my Disaster, Death and Crisis Media-Induced White Hair of Despair for at least the next two weeks.

Hair, Politics, Endings and The Big Man.

I just finished a really nice article in the Financial Times where Alec Russell interviewed Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, about working with Mugabe. Both Russell and I were incredulous at Morgan's protestations that working with Mugabe wasn't hard at all (... dude. seriously?) and his various other attempts to conceal the realities of Mugabe today. Hm.

What makes this sinister is that Morgan is doing what I really hate about Generation Independence people: he's covering up Mugabe's present monstrosity as though his revolutionary past is enough to buy him out of jail forever. We make much ado about African Bigmanism but the truth is that there can be no Big Man unless there are Little Men around him stoking the fires of his ego and generally enabling him.

It's bad enough that power corrupts and that leaders are prone to losing touch with reality- do they really need any help from the peanut gallery? Take Ghaddafi, for example. If someone had told him at least ten years ago that the Jheri Curl was nasty and that it had to go, maybe his other delusions of grandeur could have been controlled. But nooooo. I bet all his people were like "Damn, Mumu, that's totally hot. And very fashionable. It's what all the despots wear these days..."

Bad hair, man. It helped to seal his fate. See, the minute he decided to get belligerent on the "rebel forces"- I bet you thought Dar is disorganized but have you seen the Libyan "liberation" front?- his fate was sealed. It was far too obvious, really: this is Libya we're talking about. Oil. It was only a matter of time before Napoleon... I mean Sarkozy got hopped up and then the rest of the EU and America stuck their oar in and now he's getting shelled in his own compound, cornered like a middle-aged rodent with stringy hair.

It is all so unnecessary. He could have gone for gold: "left power" nice and early and retreated into the shadows where he could keep a controlling hand on matters kind of like Mwalimu did. He should have cut that hair. He should have collapsed his ridiculous tent and retired in comfort to a tastefully ostentatious manor in the south of France. He could have died a Dear Leader and then been stuck in a tastelessly ornate marble mausoleum that would mock his people's poverty for posterity. He could have had it all. But he chose... the Jheri Curl and a shameful end.

Consider yourself warned.

*And I don't just mean Jheri Curls. I'm also talking to you, you with the boot-black hair even though we all know you're waaaaay past fifty. And you too. Put that fly-whisk/cowboy hat/dubious accessory away, nobody is fooled.

The King's Diary: No Revolution Here

Dear Me,

The uprising in the Arab countries keeps hounding me. Even the opposition is inspired by them, threatens me with popular protest and calls for change. I am not worried. Things are firmly under control. Except that … isn’t this what Arab King colleagues thought as well?

What might my people be upset about? Recently,

1. my police killed peaceful protesters,
2. power rationing was stepped up,
3. an army base exploded,
4. and we started harassing street vendors in earnest.
5. Meanwhile it turned out that kids in secondary school don’t learn a thing,
6. student loan corruption was exposed and
7. we sold our pride by begging the Great Nations for more free money.

Then there are the usual irritations of economic hardship, rising inequality, unavailability of clean water, traffic jams, rising food prices, no jobs, my buddies benefiting big time from mining contracts, huge tax exemptions for my supporters, a failed rail network, delays at the port, an exploding budget deficit and of course the never ending electricity arbitration saga.

But I also have things going for me. Let’s see:

1. the Kingdom is stable,
2. my efforts to distribute bed nets and to fight malaria work.

Hmmmm…, a bit unbalanced. Still I am convinced my approach to power will keep the lid on the situation. The TKP’s approach is so much more subtle and effective when it comes to repression than the overt repression the Arab Nations relied on. First we restrict economic opportunities such that the middle class remains small. Then the TKP uses violence only occasionally. And if we do, we announce it ahead of time giving the disloyal time to flee.

Instead of using violence, the TKP has perfected the art of creating fear. Announcing someone’s imminent death helps spread fear about how ruthless the TKP can be. And then there is the fear of poverty. TKP members know it is dead easy to get kicked out of the party and lose one’s benefits. It is simple for us to finish off a successful business by sending the Kingdom’s Revenue Authority (KRA), to ruin an obstinate peasant with a court case, to blacklist recalcitrant consultants and NGOs, to make sure the children of vocal citizens are denied access to school and to send the career of a civil servant into a nosedive by spreading rumors.

As long as the TKP uses these approaches sporadically but to great effect, it creates huge uncertainty. This combination of fear and uncertainty is really effective. It makes my subjects so unclear about my real powers that they prefer to swallow their pride and instead of speaking out they choose to self-censor and behave themselves.

Once the Arab disaster has settled I am sure other Kings would like to study the TKPs approach to staying in power. Till that time, I’ll keep quiet thus adding to the myth of being in control. Meanwhile I hope the Bedouin King holds out and throws his country into civil war. It will do wonders for my credibility when warning my subjects not to protest or face instability. Not that the latter is likely. My Kingdom does not have oil or diamonds worth fighting over and I don’t believe my army will support me when forced to choose between supporting me or the people. Hmmmm… maybe this is the right time to take some of my subjects’ grievances serious.