When Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, announced the leader of the “strong people” of Burkina Faso, and Ibrahim Traore, walked the independence square in Accra to a loud cheer, it was a signal that the people want a new direction. The second coming of Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has been described by some as a new independence, hyperbolically, I know. But this is because the continent has been ruled with intentional mediocrity to enforce a foreign imperialist agenda for the benefit of colonial masters and a greedy few natives.
It must not be lost on anyone that the fight for Africa’s sovereignty won’t be a pretty one. We won’t achieve anything with speeches in front of marble walls in a hall filled with careless people. If you doubt that, perhaps you can ask Emperor Haile Selassie, Col. Gaddafi, and our great Kwame Nkrumah when you meet them.
When Traore, fully dressed in an army façade with a visible sidearm, shook the hands of Mahama during his second inauguration, people took offence, but I beg to differ. That is not a sign of disregard or disrespect but a signal of awareness. He knows he is now the bullseye on a dart board, and he is not just for the trophy but holds a value of sustenance to his predators.
I have always been perplexed by France’s relationship with its former colonies, and I have often wondered why those in the continent’s power corridors have overlooked this issue. France isn’t an imperialist power in Africa; it is a colonial power, and I don’t have to bore you with the details because that cat left the worn-out bag.
In the late 50s, Ghana’s great son, Kwame Nkrumah, lit a torch that shone a spotlight on a rising black star, sparking a sense of awareness among black people in Africa, leading to an independence spring across the continent. But we were naive; we underestimated our value to the survival of our supposedly departing masters. And more importantly, we were ignorant of their survival instinct and what they were willing and able to do to protect their interests.
By the betrayal of some of our people, that sense of pride and flame of self-determination was quenched, making bed for our primal instinct of sustenance, mulched with depravity. Under the disguise of the corrupted concept of democracy, they continued to rob the continent to the detriment of its people. Voices of dissent have been vilified, and patriotic rebels humiliated and killed. So, when Traore walked Ghana’s Independence Square with a visible sidearm, to me, it was a symbol of a renewed fight against foreign imperial power and their sickened local puppets, some of whom were present at that square.
It is demonstrably evident that the concept of a rules-based order is a false ideology, and nations would have to project strength and employ force to protect their sovereignty and the interests of their people.
The issue with the French colonies has been the biggest blot on Africa’s sovereignty. And the fact that the continent’s bodies, which were supposed to be a uniform voice speaking and acting in the interest of the continent, watched idly while France robbed these countries, but have the effrontery to sanction them when they decided to fight for their interests, is the height of neo-colonial subordination.
In 2008, when the American electorate elected the country’s first black President, there was excitement among African Americans and people of African descent. It was a worldwide sensation, but this group of people carried a stronger sense of pride in the happenings because finally, they had someone who looked like them running the affairs of the then most powerful country in the world. Naturally, they thought this was the time for black excellence again and were hopeful that he would use his influence to better the lives of people who looked like him. Well, that didn’t happen, and as much as we don’t want to talk about it, Barack Obama not only failed black Americans but also joined and played a key role in the French shenanigans to topple the most recent hope for African liberation, killed Gaddafi, and plunged the Sahel into further and greater chaos.
It is no secret that Western powers have keen interests in African affairs, and in geopolitics, that is a fair game. For countries such as France, which can only sustain their heavily subsidized lives based on how much they can loot from Africa, you should expect them to do anything to protect their interests. We have been here before, and we would be unwise if they beat us again.
It is a conundrum. We are starting on the back foot. It is a fact that they have beaten us at this game for so long that we can’t trust them. But there is no way we can achieve advancement in isolation. The great news is that the world has evolved, and advancement has been decentralized. So, no longer do we have to look in a particular direction, but instead have multiple choices and can form new alliances to our benefit.
Recently, when I heard George Galloway refer to Traore as the new hope of Africa, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. I am pleased to see his people, the continent to a great extent, and the diaspora rally around him. It’s an indication that we are aware of the need for a politically and economically sovereign Africa. An Africa built by Africans and for Africa. This also signifies our awareness of their trickery, and we will be damned if they beat us again. (Repeated for emphasis.)
The global power plates are indeed shifting. And that powerful image of the young revolutionary captain, who stood amidst the leaders of the new world order to salute the souls of the unknown soldier? I guess the revolution has just been televised. But let’s not get carried away, this fight is greater than guard of honors, protests, and eulogizing social media posts.
There’s no free banquet in geopolitics; nations put their interests first. As much as we need to form new alliances and amend existing ones, we must identify our interests and align our foreign policies and relations to reflect our aspirations.
Burkina Faso and the AES can’t do this alone, and Traore definitely won’t survive this alone. It’s sad how a genuine intention to establish a unifying organisation that will represent the collective interest of the continent has been reduced to a tool of imperialism.
I read Lourenço wants an African-led solution to the troubles in the Sahel. Well, that is a good start, rhetorically. It is noteworthy that the Sahel would have been in tranquility if his predecessors had responded to Gaddafi’s SOS. Please, don’t repeat the sins of your ancestors; the repercussions will be unthinkable.
João Lourenço must draw closer to his fellow reformists who are disrupting the status quo and work to achieve his dream of an African-led resolution to the madness and suffering in the Sahel and other parts of the continent. It’s either that or his aspirations will remain a fleeting illusion. The issues in the Sahel cannot be resolved without the strong stands taken in the AES, and nothing can be achieved if we continue to allow outside interests to fester on the continent.
Asak233.com currently does not run adverts, and your contribution, no matter the amount, will go a long way toward sustaining the website and ensuring we continue to deliver on our work.
Why would a leader of this nation lack the will to stop what clearly has become an existential threat? Well, the simple answer is greed. They can construct impeccable English and cite several excuses as the hindrance, but the real Teflon is greed.
Our world has come a long way, and we, the people, must learn to change our thinking so we can realize our full potential as a race by coming together and working to fight common hindrances like poverty and disease.
The quality of a nation’s output is greatly determined by the quality of its education.
The car you drive in Formula One makes a great difference, even though this fact usually has different interpretations depending on the subject.
I met Ali in high school, and he played for the school team. Now, as a trained teacher, he is focused on introducing and teaching the game of basketball to children of diverse backgrounds and instilling in them a sense of responsibility, discipline, and the culture of nature conservation.