RDC: Declaration des Candidates President de la Republique suit au Cadre de Concertation Organise par la CENI le 13 Novembre 2023 (16.11.2023)

Ghana: “Call for Reparations a Valid Demand for Justice” – President Akufo-Addo (15.11.2023)

President Akufo-Addo stated that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which begun with some twenty (20) slaves from West Africa being forcibly sent in 1619 to the United States of America, was devastating to the continent and to the African Diaspora.

ACCRA, Ghana, November 15, 2023 – “Let me reiterate that the call for reparations is not a plea for alms, but a valid demand for justice. If reparations can rightfully be paid to victims and descendants of the victims of the Holocaust, so can reparations also be paid to the descendants of the victims of the Slave Trade. It has been four hundred (400) years, and we want closure to this tragedy.”

These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, when he delivered an address at the opening of the Accra Reparations Summit, held at the Kempinski Hotel, on Tuesday, 14th November 2023.

Delivering his address at the event, President Akufo-Addo stated that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which begun with some twenty (20) slaves from West Africa being forcibly sent in 1619 to the United States of America, was devastating to the continent and to the African Diaspora, as it stifled the economic, cultural and psychological progress of Africa.

But what we do know is that the African peoples built and contributed to the successes of the Americas, and even though they did not willingly make the journeys in the two hundred (200) years of the slave trade, once there, they were and have been an integral part of the success in their new homes, even though they have not benefitted nearly as much as they should have from their toil,” he said

The President noted, however, that reparations for Africa and the African diaspora are long overdue, with the question of reparations becoming a debate only when it comes to Africa and Africans.

When the British ended slavery, all the owners of enslaved Africans received reparations to the tune of twenty million pounds sterling, the equivalent today of twenty billion pounds sterling, but enslaved Africans themselves did not receive a penny. Likewise in the United States, owners of slaves received three hundred dollars for every slave they owned; the slaves themselves received nothing,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, “Take the case of Haiti, which had to pay reparations amounting to twenty-one billion dollars ($21 billion) to French slaveholders in 1825 for the victory of the great Haitian Revolution, the first in the Americas and the Caribbean which freed the slaves. It was a payment made under duress that impoverished Haiti throughout the 19th century till today.”

The President also indicated that native Americans have received and continue to receive reparations; Japanese-American families, who were incarcerated in internment camps in America during World War II, received reparations.

He added that Jewish people, six million of whom perished in the concentration camps of Hitlerite Germany, received reparations, including homeland grants and support.

So, it is time for Africa, twenty million of whose sons and daughters had their freedoms curtailed and sold into slavery, also to receive reparations. No amount of money can restore the damage caused by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and its consequences, which have spanned many centuries. Surely, this is a matter that the world must confront, and can no longer ignore,” he indicated.

And, even before these discussions on reparations conclude, President Akufo-Addo noted that the entire continent of Africa deserves a formal apology from the European nations involved in the slave trade for the crimes and damage it has caused to the population, psyche, image and character of the African the world over.

Whilst at it, the President pointed out that the subject of restitutions must go along with the matter of reparations.

The initiative for the return and restitution of African cultural properties to the continent must also be a major issue of concern for all Africans. We must call for the return of African cultural properties that were illegally and shamelessly transported from the continent,” he said.

The President stated that he was aware of the efforts made by countries such as Senegal, Nigeria and Benin in successfully regaining possession of some of their cultural properties that were illegally moved out of their territories.

Ghana, he added, has also successfully recovered some of its stolen cultural properties and relics, pointing to the collaboration of Government and elders of Ahanta to return the severed head of Nana Badu II, who was executed in 1838.

Other success stories, he stated, include the return of some family collections of the Ashanti Royal Family and an Asante Stool in 1985, by the British Government.

The return and restitution of African cultural properties to the continent will help Africans, and, in particular, the descendants of the communities, groups, and individuals who created and produced these cultural properties, to reconnect to their history, to their pioneers, to their knowledge and their skills,” the President added.

South Africa: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – CIC Julius Malema to Debate the Closure of the Israeli Embassy in the Parliament of South Africa (16.11.2023)

Syria: National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces – Syrian Opposition Coalition – On France Issuance of Arrest Warrant for Bashar Al-Assad and his Brother Maher (15.11.2023)

A look into Fred M’membe’s Statement before his arrest…

I’m ready for anything. I’m ready for calvary. But don’t forget that where there is crucifixion, there is always resurrection” – Fred M’membe (15.11.2023)

Lusaka and Zambia is changing, but more of the same. Maybe the current President and his party is able to sell a story overseas about the changes, but what is happening on the ground is a brutal tale. The former Opposition Leader who won the Presidency and whose now using the same authorities to stifle, silence and arrest opposition. That’s what the current President said the predecessor was doing and now he does the same.

That’s why I had to look into the statement of President of the Socialist Party of Zambia, Fred M’membe who is charged with “espionage”. That’s being done because he gave an interview to a Zimbabwean journalist for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Company (ZBC) after the Zimbabwean elections. That’s what they have charged him for, arrested him and detained him over.

This is why I had to look into his pre-statement ahead of the arrest. Because, there had to some wise words there about it all. Because, the authorities and the current regime is apparently of the rocks when they are doing this.

He starts with: “someone has lost his mind. Arrest and detain me for as long as you want, take me to Bweengwa or any other place you want. I’m ready for anything. I’m ready for calvary. But I can assure you I will be back!” (M’membe, 15.11.2023).

I can only say he has a fighting spirit and I don’t blame him for that. He surely knows that this is just another obstacle in life and he will survive this one too.

He continues: “And as a pan-Africanist, I’m yearning for the day when Zimbabwe and Zambia will be one country. With that belief and conviction, there is no way, I can allow anyone to harm Zimbabwe or to harm Zambia because these two territories are both my homeland. And the Zambia national anthem tells me that Africa, which includes Zambia and Zimbabwe, is my homeland. And I sincerely believe that the people of Zambia love the people of Zimbabwe as they love themselves. And I also believe that the people of Zimbabwe love the people of Zambia as they love themselves. They have got a common origin and are a product of a common struggle for national liberation” (M’membe, 15.11.2023).

It is true that there was a split of the nations back in 1911 that became the Northern and Southern Rhodesia. That was a colonial entities and should be proclaimed as such. For me its weird to see a Pan-Africanist wanting to revive this and in this calculation. Shouldn’t also Malawi enter? Or are they forgotten, as Nyasaland (Malawi) also became a part of it at some point. That’s why these sorts of mind-games doesn’t do you anything good. It is good to have good neighbours and bilateral ties that enrich both nations. However, strive for unification and a bigger state… that’s just reviving old beasts that could harm the population of both nations even more. They fought for liberation and got it. So, it is seems far fetched that anyone wants Harare and Lusaka under one flag in 2023.

More importantly he said this: “It is therefore nonsensical for anyone to accuse me of espionage in the interview I gave to a Zimbabwean journalist following that country’s elections. It doesn’t make sense at all. Such a charge can only be a product of class ignorance and a reactionary mind of a puppet of imperialism. And what was espionage about that interview? Someone somewhere has lost his mind and even the leadership of Zambia Police, if they have any sense of professionalism, fairness and justice in their hearts, they would not call me here and charge me with such a ridiculous and ludacris espionage charge. Espionage against who and for who? Zambia Police you are losing it. Be serious with your work. You are destroying a very important institution of our country and our people. A professional police service cannot engage in this type of cheap politics, full of vengeance and tyranny. Charge me and arrest me as you have been instructed but deep down in your hearts, you know very well that the man you are going to arrest today is an honest patriot who is being persecuted at the hands of a tin-pot dictator and a puppet of imperialism, holding power in this country today” (M’membe, 15.11.2023).

Here the truth of the matter comes out. The history lecture and the tales of Pan-Africanism is over sort of. M’membe is stating a clear distinction and a truth that the authorities cannot comprehend. They are clearly not found of someone speaking freely and to “foreign” press without the prior notification or acceptance by the state. Because, it is really unintelligent to charge and arrest someone for espionage over an interview. It just shows how the system is rigged and what sort of “free speech” there is in Zambia. A political leader isn’t allowed and endanger their lives over talking to foreign media. That’s the story here and the authorities should be ashamed by it.

Ending paragraphs: “Instead of fighting the hunger of our people and the poverty that is everyday degrading their lives and humiliating them, they want to turn on me to hide their failures in delivering to the masses of our people, the better life they had promised them. Arrest the high prices of mealie meal, not me. Arrest the high cost of living, not me. Arrest the high prices of fuel, not me. Arrest the depreciation of the kwacha, not me. Arrest the destruction of the Zambia Police, whose IG Musamba is today calling junkies. Arrest and detain me for as long as you want, take me to Bweengwa or any other place you want, for my detention but I can assure you, I will be back. You cannot intimidate me. I’m beyond intimidation. You can kill me if you want but that won’t help you much because a more revolutionary Fred M’membe will arise from the people and take my place and continue the struggle for a more just, more fair and more humane Zambia, Africa and the world” (M’membe, 15.11.2023).

Here he again went after the ruling regime and government. The President and the whole administration. As he should and as a proper opposition leader. He speaks the facts and arresting him doesn’t solve anything. Instead it only shows what the state is willing to do and avoid doing. They are not taking part or even trying. We know the President is a vagabond and prefers to look good for the international press. That is common knowledge. While the recent actions towards M’membe and other opposition leaders are worrying.

It is a sign of the times in Lusaka. HH and his party isn’t playing fair and using their power to undermine others. That’s what it does and it’s clear. This is the message his sending and the world should be watching.

Because, when is it ever espionage to partake in an interview with foreign press? If so… shouldn’t HH be in trouble too? He does it and everyone sees that. Peace.

Israel-Palestine: Jess Philips MP letter to Sir Keir Starmer MP (15.11.2023)

Opinion: Mzee’s bizarre take on the re-insurgency of M23 and the ADF…

It is true that the pigs of ADF in Congo had sent a few infiltrators to try to disrupt the function of the suspected sinners. Indeed, I hear that the panicking Americans and British sent out what they call advisories to their citizens not to come to Uganda. These are mistake makers. If the situation was so bad, it would be us to advise people not to come to Uganda, not the British and the Americans. We know what we are doing, always. Even if a mistake occurs, we know how to handle it. These advisories by some of these actors are another form of interference in our internal affairs by these elements” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (15.11.2023).

When you have been in power since January 1986, you would think the man was a bit more diplomatic and humble, but no. The man of the hour and in the time of need. President Museveni comes storming in like a bull in a china-shop and just wrecks it all. That’s what he does and he thinks people forgets. It is what his hoping for and that we don’t remember.

President Museveni and his allies has been interfering in the Kivu Provinces and the Ituri Provinces for years. There been usage of proxy-militias and other activities to benefit exports of conflict minerals, as gold and timber. Therefore, to read these words from the President. Well, he must think we have forgotten. As much as he was involved in getting rid of Mobutu and Laurent Kabila. We know and he knows. That’s why he should consider his stances on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with care. Because, we know he has supplied arms, ammunition and caused conflict there, which he has to pay reparations for even. That’s compelling and he wants to pin the blame on others.

Just take a look!

Moreover, part of the terrorism in Africa is either created or conserved by some of the actors that try to be global policemen. The chaos in Libya and the surrounding countries of the Sahel (Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, etc.) was caused by some of these actors. The terrorism conservation project in Eastern Congo, for the past 20 years, is by the UN, which is controlled by some of these actors through the undemocratic structures of that body, such as the Security Council. It is amazing how the UN can supervise and co-exist with killers of Congolese and Ugandans in Eastern Congo for the last 20 years, and they are not bothered at all. They have created free space for all sorts of empty-headed pigs to gather, train, steal resources of Congo, kill Congolese and, once in a while, kill Ugandans, as well as undermining the economic future of the people of the Great Lakes” (Museveni, 15.11.2023).

Yes, the United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has its fault and blame. They should carry their weight and their lack of actions, but that mandate has been voted for and accepted by a totality of the UN. The Blue Helmets are only as strong as the mandate and the will of the nations contributing to it. Meaning the Blue Helmets aren’t there in spirit of the nation, but out of the peacekeeping mission given to them. That is something the President should know and he expected much more of them, which is foolish at best.

The President should instead ask himself, why has he intervened? Why has he used military base(s) as training grounds and as logistical hubs for warfare within the DRC? That’s why I wonder about and he has done so for decades too now. He didn’t start yesterday and he has proxy-militias on his side. That has been fighting his battles and for his interests within the DRC. Therefore, reading this statement of his is a bit infuriating, actually. Because, he acts like his the Prince of Peace, but his just a fellow warlord lecturing the world… and he has supplied the bullets for years.

He continues…

It is unbelievable to discover that somebody known as Abu wa Kasi or something like that, an Arab from Tanzania, is the one who sent another pig known as Kamasu, a Congolese and the captured Njovu, to kill the children of Lhubiriha, the tourists, etc. How can such criminality go on in Africa? Is this what our elders- Nyerere, Nkrumah, Mandela, Musaazi, Lumumba, etc. fought for? Fortunately, present-day Uganda has the capacity to make a decisive contribution in, at least, the parts of Africa near us. We shall win. I call these parasite killers of ADF “pigs” because it is written in the Bible just like that. The book of Mathew 7:6 says: “Don’t give to dogs what is holy and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you”. These parasites who do not want to work for a living and prefer to use the ungoverned parts of Africa to steal, rape, etc., will pay with their wretched lives” (Museveni, 15.11.2023).

This is directed at the ones who killed in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The ones that is alleged to be the ADF. I say alleged, because whenever or whoever is a threat, they tend to become the “ADF” in the Republic. They are the ones and the natural scapegoat, even when the President has said he has crushed them plenty of time and said he banished them to God forsaken place within the DRC. Therefore, it is just splendid the way he describes them today. His rhetoric is just poetic in how speaks ill of ADF and how he has normalized this language. From a supposed statesman and “father figure” at that.

President Museveni before you pin blame on others for what is happening in the Great Lakes and the DRC. Maybe consider your own involvement and history there. Because, the ones who have followed and not fallen asleep in class. Has heard about your adventures, the UN Experts Reports and others, which implicates you in shady activity. If it isn’t the President, then there is someone lurking in the inner-circles or of high rank in the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF). That’s how these goes and he knows that too. Peace.

Palestine: Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations – Statement (15.11.2023)

Opinion: Kasolo needs a lesson of humility…

In future, government could pass a law in parliament whereby all the lazy-poor people would be given strokes so that they can also learn to work and become rich because we have discovered that some Ugandans need to be pushed into wealth acquisition,”– microfinance state minister Haruna Kasolo (Daily Monitor, 14.11.2023).

The two term minister for Microfinance and one term Member of Parliament, Haruna Kasolo have not understood or grasp humanity. There are levels to this and reasons for why people are the way they are. Everyone aren’t in the inner-circle or have options. Plenty of people are stuck in a rot and have very little wiggle room.

So, as a Minister who is lucky to retain his office after being defeated in the General Election in 2021. He should understand the plights of people. As a Minister he should find ways to inspire and get people active. Instead he wants to give them a capital punishment and incite more fear. That will certainly not give them incentive or reasons to change their lifestyle. It will only backfire and cause more resentment. As on top of their struggling day-to-day, the government would come with sticks and beat the living crap out of them.

Does the Minister have conscience or heart?

I hate to ask, but it only makes sense. He should try to use his office to reform and give people ways to get out of poverty. As a man of power and an office, he could actually help people out and make a difference. However, it is easier to be judgmental and practically lenient on your own watch. Surely, he decided when to show up and how busy his calender is. Not like he has to answer to anyone or if so… show up to a Committee and a Plenary Session every blue moon. So, he can take it easy and is off the hook.

That’s why it’s interesting that he says this. A man who spoken of the “prosperity gospel” so many times. A man who tried to speak and spread the message as he was told. However, it has apparently gone nowhere and he feels lost. That’s why his considering mental gymnastics and use of force.

To use brutality and violence will not give people the spirit or the drive to succeed. The state has to offer a lot more and plenty of other measures to make it possible. There is a need for change and reform, but not more violence. That is not a solution, but a way of showing the total disregard of fellow citizens or civilians for that matter.

The minister is forgetting who his serving and why he has an office. His there to serve the population and not be an intimidating figure. Neither be a man who orders pain or suffering. He should ensure the Microfinance schemes are working and actually helping the borrowers. Not only to serve and collect. Because, certainly this isn’t a good look…

Hon. Kasolo need to rethink his strategy. He needs another way and try to understand the minds and the spirit of people. Right now… his just one of them and his forgetting why people are in their situations. There is reasons for it and a beating will not help them. Neither is the humiliation or the pain, which they would suffer from it. They will only be more troubled and struggle mentally after it. Since they got beaten and they really don’t know why… and for what reason. That is a hopeless situation and one that could have been avoided, which means the Minister should have found another solution.

He should consider to implement reforms and open up the floodgates of bottlenecks, loopholes and other mechanisms to ensure people get out of poverty. However, his master and the inner-circle won’t do that… because that takes away their means to earn on a daily basis. Peace.

Zambia: Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) – The State of Rule of Law, Democracy and National Development in Zambia Today (15.11.2023)