By

Chike E. Okafor

Africans have always been at the receiving end of human abuse. Africans have always been taken advantage of, railroaded, not once, twice, but numerous times by different elite classes of parasites, domestic and foreign alike. There comes a time when Africans must stand up and say: enough is enough, just like Rev. Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights crusader used to say " I am somebody, respect me."

The so-called African leaders have just ended this century’s summer time blues or madness at Durban in South Africa where a plan hatched over the years by the African big men was translated into reality. This bogus ambition was called African Union, modeled perhaps like the European Union, although, not as quite and that is just one factor.

The second factor or intrigue was that the Libyan strong man and president for life, col. Gadhafi, according to the Chicago Tribune of July 18, 2002 has been running hard to be elected the leader of the African Union. The paper contended that Gadhafi was spreading his largess among the African poorest nations in return for support for his life long ambition to rule the African continent.

Before the actualization of this mid summer dream of unification and presiding over the African Empire by the various African despots, a burning question must be answered. What do the African people want? Do the African people want true democracy or authoritarian empire? Do they want food on the table on a regular basis or fulfillment of the ambitions of the self-anointed leaders of Africa? What is the value of the proposed African unity? What kind of image would its leadership exemplify by those seen from such leaders as Robert Mugabe, Gadhafi, Daniel Arap Moi, and Obasanjo who is rapidly towing in line of the life long presidents? What would the rest of the world think of Africa if Gadhafi bribes his way into power? Finally, would the new Union be totally pro Arab or pan African?

Values and images are very expensive commodities, which are very difficult to attain and sustain. African leaders seem to be clouded with misplaced priorities. According to all available reports and statistics, the African continent harbors the worst epidemic infection ranging from AIDS to hunger, the twin pillar, which makes up the worst human catastrophe of our modern time. The African leaders seems not to be rattled by this image by seeking solution to solving these problems, instead, they engulf themselves in self fulfilling ambition to rule a modern day African empire. Instead of saving the lives of their people, they are power intoxicated and fascinated with bringing together a disorganized, disillusioned and destitute continent divided by ethnicity, religion and color, the same problem that eluded solutions at the grassroots of each of these countries for years on end.

To illustrate how pervasive the African discord is, in Nigeria you have rivalry, which sometimes reaches deadly proportions between the various ethnic groups – Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Ijew, Kanuri, Gwari, etc, in addition to religious conflicts, which Obasanjo seems not to be able to handle. In Egypt, the Muslim vs. the Coptic, in Kenya, the Masai vs. Kikuyi and in Congo and Rwanda, the Hutus vs. Tutsi. More so, the Shwana vs. Ntebele in Zimbabwe and Zulu vs. Xhosa in South African political test of will.

Everywhere one looks across the continent, there is sea of either religious or ethnic conflicts. If the leaders of these respective countries cannot put their various houses in order, how can they be expected to unite the disunited states of Africa? Commonsense dictates that one have to pluck the speck in one’s eyes in order to be able to see clearly to pluck out the speck in someone’s else’s eyes.

If the continents continue in its present course, very soon, there would be no body to be governed, as hunger and disease would finish off those that escaped inter ethnic or religious warfare. Why must these leaders continue to live in the illusive assumption that unification of Africa is the panacea to Africa’s numerous woes?

Generally, it boils down to lack of leadership and selfishness. It is amazing that Africans never had the luxury to determine what is good for them. This goes back to a period of forced religious conversions, colonization, coup d’ etet and staged elections with predictable outcomes – Mugabe in Zimbabwe and possible re-installment of Olusegun Obasanjo for a second term in Nigeria come 2003 general election.

Just for the sake of argument, supposing that this illusion of one Africa State becomes fruitful compared to EU it becomes pertinent to look at where Africa stands. For instance, Europe has a well-connected transportation network: road, air and rail system and Africa does not. Europe has excellent commerce network that allowed free flow of products through a well-structured artificial boundary, and Africa does not. Europe respects human rights and Africa does not. European women can attain social, economic and political power where as most African nations especially the Islamic countries see women as personal property. Europe practice democracy where people decide the type of government they want, Africa is full of dictators and presidents for life. Europeans keep their wealth in Europe and Africans loot and store their stolen wealth in the Europe’s banking system and the list goes on.

That Gadhafi and those like him are gaining upper hand in becoming the next African emperor is because the west has written off the African continent. They bowed out of Africa as soon as they won the cold war. The end of the cold war was an end to competition between the West and East for support. It also meant the end of cash flow to the African nations, even though one would argue that such monetary support ended up back in the European banks where they came from when the African dictators use them as personal wealth.

Currently, the West is preoccupied with war against terrorism and containment of nuclear proliferation that has potential ripple effects if they wind up in the hands of terrorists like Osama bin Laden or renegade nations such as Iraq. The money that used to flow from the West to Africa has been diverted for the aforementioned purposes. The void created by the Western abandonment of African states is what ruthless leaders like Gadhafi is campaigning to fill.

Africa needs redemption and not domination. If the West fail to recognize the danger coming to Africa and help without re-establishment of colonization, in due time, it would cost billions in dollars to free Africa and perhaps with loss of lives as a result of blood shed given that those that are entrenched and profit from the new Union would not relinquish power without a big fight.

On the other hand, Africans from all over must make their views known, particularly, those who opposed the creation of a monster state governed by self-styled domestic despots ambitiously waiting to become Monarchs. This mid summer blues or madness can be reversed, but assuming that the clamor is ignored, then, their ideas must be imputed into the charters of the new African Union. According to news reports, African Union (AU) supersedes Organization of African Unity (OAU). Does this mean that the chatter of the OAU would seize to be enforced? If not, then the African intellectual community must come together and campaign for the need to end OAU chatters and introduce a new AU chatter developed with input from Africans.

Among the chatters that they would espouse for should include respect for human rights, the creation of an African court where nations, companies and citizens can pursue justice. Others to be included are – prosecution of any one or group that engage in forceful change of government other than by democratic means, trial of leaders who embezzle public funds. It should be made illegal for any entity that encourage capital flight from Africa to other continents be prosecuted as well as those leaders that engage in illicit activities such as drug smuggling. It should be stated that any leader aspiring to lead the new organ or hold an office must have a record that is not tainted from the list enumerated in the new chatters of the AU.

Finally, any proposal that would affect the lives of the African people must be thoroughly scrutinized and afterwards put to vote. External bodies must be invited to witness such voting process since the current African leaders have given reasons not to be trusted in matters of electoral voting. The participation should start with a vote on whether to actualize the Durban agreement that created the AU. Then, the next step would be to vote on the location of the central office. That would be follow by election of a leader and eventual acceptance of a final version of what should constitute its chatter. The African people should not allow the current group of corrupt leaders to run away with a quick establishment of a union that would adversely effect their every day lives.