For your reading pleasure.  It is a long but worthwhile and enjoyable
read.

Thanks,
Soffie
	
Letter to the Editor
My Ghana Visit: A Reaffirmation Of African Unity
By Ousainou Mbenga
May 27, 2006, 08:23

I have always held the belief, that the reasons why the three tragedies
of Africa; slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism still exist in their
various forms, is because we Africans don't know Africa. Consequently,
we take many things about ourselves for granted.
Indeed the three tragedies serve their purpose well first, slavery
depopulated Africa and scattered us all over the planet earth; then came
colonialism, the equally predatory theft, partition and control of our
land and resources; and finally, neocolonialism : "the last stage of
imperialism".
In my view, neocolonialism in which the colonialists were forced to
leave physically but left the colonial structures intact for continuity
by the "natives" is the deadliest of all tragedies. The pain and anguish
of seeing Africans continuing the work of the long-handed colonialists
by remote control is reason enough to demolish the stupid borders that
hold us hostage from each other- ourselves.

My Ghana visit reaffirm my belief and commitment to African Unity,
notwithstanding the horror stories I have heard from Africans crossing
these stupid borders from one "country" to another. In fact, it is
because of this senseless and self-dislike treatment of each other that
we need to know Africa and consequently treat each other with love and
compassion. It is only then we can defend and protect the interest of
Africa against our "home grown enemies" and their "partners in
development".
One of my desires as a youth was to be one of the "young pioneers" from
all over the continent of Africa who came to Ghana to work and study
following independence. This desire to visit Ghana came to realization
on September 30, 2005. Ghana, under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah and
the CPP was the first to subordinate their narrow, selfish nationalist
interest and welcomed Africans the world over. But there were also
dishonorable Ghanaians the ilk of Colonel A. A. Afrifa who, under Sand
Hurst and C.I.A tutelage preferred to restore the colonial status quo
ante Nkrumah. Since that eventful day of February 24, 1966 when the
Nkrumah government was overthrown in a coup d'etat, Ghana has never been
the same. It is worth mentioning that the period at which the "young
pioneers" were in Ghana was radically different from this period I
visited Ghana. Ghanaians have just recently gotten a reprieve and
breathing space after 20 years of suffocating military rule cloaked in
"civilian clothing". This period, rightly characterized as the "J.J.
Rawlings era" stirred Ghana way off the revolutionary path the great
Kwame Nkrumah envisioned for Ghana and Africa. It was a fatal irony that
Rawlings declared an "Ethiopian style revolution" in Ghana unleashing a
rule or ruin terror unprecedented in Ghanaian history. 
I felt at home right away for the two weeks I spent in Accra which I
attribute to what an ex-school mate of mine living in Ghana said when I
asked him, how is Ghana? He answered, Ghana is nice, it's cool; they are
just like Gambians, laid back and fun loving. It made me wonder if our
laid back attitude is what brought us Rawlings in Ghana and Jammeh in
Gambia respectively. Personally, I admire laid back people; my worry is
about people who are easily swayed by whim. As Ghanaians were swayed by
the "whimsical charisma" of Rawlings, Gambians on the other hand were
swayed by "I still don't know what"; for in Jammeh lies no charisma. I
hope we have learned our lesson from these unfortunate catastrophes and
never again to be easily swayed by "whimsical characters". We must put a
stop to the cycle of being tossed "from the frying pan to the fire"-
from the P.P.P regime into the belly of the monster APRC- or from the
AFRC to the PNDC and cultivate in us the ability to choose our best sons
and daughters as leaders who will be at the service of our people.
I can't write about my trip without mentioning the influence of Rawlings
on the Jammeh regime. Indeed, it is undisputed public knowledge that
J.J. Rawlings was sought after for his valuable advice and guidance at
the critical juncture of the coup. Since military coups became a feature
of changing governments in oppressed countries, particularly in Africa,
these "tin soldiers" developed a network of encouragement to wrong doing
in coup infested Africa. During the crawling days of the Armed Forces
Provisional Ruling council (AFPRC), they frantically roved the continent
seeking for advice and support particularly into countries under
military regimes. Their path crossed into Libya, Nigeria, Ghana and even
that of the late Mobutu of Zaire. According to a previous spokesperson
of the AFPRC, the encounter with Mobutu was the most disturbing. He said
the "old leopard" told him: "my son, don't turn into an animal. You see
me; this is what people perceive of me". Subsequent to that encounter,
the AFPRC turned into the animals that Mobutu warned against. To quote
one of Rawlings' victims, the AFPRC became the "remnants of humanity".
AFRC - AFPRC: A Comparative Anatomy
The coup events of 1966, 1972 and particularly 1979 and 1981 left an
indelible mark on the minds and hearts of Ghanaians. Correspondingly,
the abortive coup event of 1981 and the successful July 1994 coup that
lifted Jammeh onto the "saddles of power" will be forever etched in the
memory of Gambians. Ghana, by far is grossly impregnated with coup
experience than Gambia but all the same, we equally suffer the ruinous
consequences of military coups.
When J.J. Rawlings stormed into the consciousness of the Ghanaian people
on June 4, 1979, he baptized his regime as the Armed Forces
Revolutionary Council (AFRC); a decade and a half latter another
soldier, Y.A.J.J. Jammeh, rising from obscurity in the Gambia, baptized
the infamous regime of his Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council
(AFPRC). The close similarity of the acronyms AFRC-Ghana and
AFPRC-Gambia was not accidental; it was a calculated advice by the
Rawlings regime. Since Jammeh and his gangster regime are not
revolutionaries - neither is Rawlings- they opted for a "ruling council"
to avoid an exact duplication of the pseudo-revolutionary council in
Ghana.
The essence of this comparative anatomy is to expose the direct
influence and impact of Rawlings' advice on the coup-makers in the
Gambia. Gambia, like Ghana and the rest of the neo-colonial states are
equally pregnant with the same economic, political and social
contradictions of poverty and misery, the primary reasons coup makers
give to overthrow governments. Unfortunately, the masses that see no
relief in sight from the abject poverty and misery fall for the hidden
agenda concealed in pseudo-revolutionary slogans of the AFRC and AFPRC
respectively. Blinded by the anger and rage that poverty breeds, the
masses join in the jubilation for a "promised prosperity", a pipe dream
at best. 
Tragically, the equally impotent aspiring elite and the treacherous
intellectuals; the most unreliable sector of Gambian society supported
and condoned the barbaric behavior of these numbskull soldiers. In both
Gambia and Ghana lawyers aided in formulating decrees into "untouchable
laws" which ultimately replaced the "constitution".

If we recall the day of his ominous broadcast, Rawlings emphasized that,
"we shall not pursue justice using the path of unjustifiable vengeance".
Correspondingly, the ominous broadcast of Jammeh on July 22 1994 was "we
are soldiers with a difference; we are here to right 30 years of
misrule".
"Transparency, probity and accountability" became the "national anthem"
of both the Rawlings and Jammeh regimes. Once entrenched, their
senseless pursuit of wealth and power left a trail of horror, terror and
blood worst than the regimes they overthrew. In Rawlings' first coming,
his Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) paved the path to terror
and death with a vengeance against his senior military Officers.
At least in Ghana tremendous pressure was weighed on the AFRC from the
Ghana Bar Association and Student Unions in particular to hand over
power to a civilian government, which they did reluctantly after three
months of brutish ignorance on the Ghanaians people. This handing over
to a "civilian government" was short-lived when J.J. Rawlings returned a
year later with his Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) and
stayed for 20 years - "soldier go, soldier come".
In contrast, the AFPRC in Gambia withstood the timid and un-concerted
pressure to hand over power to a civilian government; instead they
jumped out of their military uniforms and "civilianized" themselves
after a treacherous transitional period to contest the 1996 presidential
elections under the most terrorized atmosphere, unprecedented in the
history of Gambia. Herein lies the rise of the present day beast; APRC.
All the while the Gambia Bar Association kept silent. 
On a final note; my visit was another spiritual awakening, it broadened
my wide angle lenses for a critical view of the African dilemma. It is
very true that traveling broadens one's horizon. It should be encouraged
and supported by African governments to demolish the myths and backward
traditions that are suffocating Africa.
The great Kwame Nkrumah was an ardent advocate of "work and happiness"
and Ghanaians still heed to this social therapy for relaxation.
Ghanaians make good use of their beaches and other recreational
facilities rather than leaving them to the exclusive exploits of
tourism. Minus the beer and the "Apetesie", Ghanaians sure know how to
recreate. I visited a few attractions in Accra first and foremost the
Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum, Makola market, the Castle in Osu and sight
seeing of the administrative centers. 
But of all the places I visited, Akosumbo impressed me most. For the
entire 70 km on the motor way from Accra, I saw no pot holes. Upon
entering the Akosumbo Dam complex, I was awed by the cleanliness and the
breath taking scenery. I quipped to my host that, whoever is responsible
for the maintenance and up keep of the complex should be given the
responsibility for the up keep of Accra.
Like other Africa countries, there is "mal-development" everywhere, the
classic "cart before the horse" development projects modeled on the
rotten advice of "our partners in development". The massive presence of
hawkers (excluding the beggars) selling cooked food, fruits, vegetables
and a variety of other products in the streets of Accra, the majority of
whom are able bodied youngsters is proof enough that they are not lazy
instead are looking for solutions for their problems. This ever
increasing "mobile market" of hawkers will rival the Makola market if
left unchecked. The government must find solutions to this wasting work
force.
From A.A. Afrifa to Busia; from Acheampong to Akuffoh; from Limann to
Rawlings, none of them measure up to Nkrumah's knees in the fight to
decolonize Ghana. In fact I say with utter confidence, that this relay
race of "soldier" handing over to "civilian" kept Ghana on a regressive
course of violence for over three decades. The great Fela Anikulapo Kuti
characterized it best: "soldier go, soldier come".
I am confident that Ghanaians have learned a painful lesson from three
decades of military terror when the Ghana army became a breeding ground
for gangsters, murderers, bandits and brute killers. Likewise, we in the
Gambian front of the African revolution learned an equally painful
lesson with the bandits of the Gambian army. With the risk to be proven
wrong, I am even more confident that Ghanaians will resist and
vigorously repel the return of Rawlings or his ilk in the Ghana army.
For us in the Gambia, our opportunity to end the tyranny of the Jammeh
regime will be in October 2006 when the Gambians take to the polls for
the presidential elections. We will prove to the African world that the
Jammeh regime was a setback and that a new beginning has dawned on
Gambia.
After three decades of flux in Ghana, all is not lost. There still exist
honorable and stalwart Ghanaians who never abandoned the struggle and
resistance against oppression and exploitation. They still champion the
urgent need for African unity and that another Africa is possible by our
own efforts and sacrifice. I had the opportunity to meet the Third World
Network - Africa coordinator, Yao Graham and his editorial staff; Peter
Owusu-Donkor, head of Programs at the Center for Democratic Development
(CDD Ghana) and two of his staff members. I also had the opportunity to
meet the publisher of the Daily Guide newspaper and its staff. All these
meetings were made possible by my hosts brother Saul Ndow and sister
Ndey Jobarteh. My visit deepens my love for Africa and African people. I
will return!

MEDASI! 


Copyright (c) 2005 The Gambia Journal LLC. All Rights Reserved. Power by
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