These are exchanges between me and a journalist slightly related to that topic which i am yet to complete a full write up on. The journalist has been kept confidential
Mr. XXXX
Once again, I come. Sorry it took me this long. I was too busy and never had time to read your mail.
But I marked it as a priority mail. Today i have had time for it and it looks I have a lot to debate with u.
Firstly, I appreciate your effort as one of the Cameroonians to go international in publishing.
I respect your opinion though i strongly and would die strongly disagreeing with you.
Let me point this out: Recognise me as an entity with integrity. I have a deep rooted conviction based on the common good of all and sundry.
I respect basic principles of democracy and morals and believe in civil liberties.
I believe in each leadership having a duty to its people, a responsibility they must live up to.
So do not, at any moment, in our debate, say, i am simply replaying what i get from the western media. Our underlying values and beliefs absolutely coincide.
I have my own convictions.So do u support Gadaffi and Gbagbo simply because you hate the France or simply because you want to say something different from the Western Media?
In this case, then you are being partisan and doing a disserrvice to africa, like they are doing.Perhaps, how do u feel if i claim you are also just replaying what these dicatators in africa are saying to continuously maintain their leadership and keep the people in bondage?
You know when AIDS began, many where quick to term it, "American Invention to Discourage Sex".
Today, who dares say that?
I think this drives us back to the point where u initially claimed that i have not read enough.
Well i got your points which u thought i have not read and i totally disagree with them. Let me address them one by one:
Firstly, I am not siding with the West. I am siding with the core values and basic
principles of democracy. If the West also cherishes them as I do, then we share
common values for the general good of our society. I am happy your struggle has
been for the youths who need to be given a chance too and that will not happen
with the Africa of Gaddafi and Gbagbo who resist change. Leaders who think their own people cannot hold them accountable.
Obama would never have been president under such regimes. U know one of the doctrines of Gbagbo was to brandish Ouattara as a foreigner.
You said this: "How could Gbagbo deceive his people when in 2002, his less than 2 year government was
disrupted by a French-Ouattara-orchestrated coup that made it impossible for him to
control the Ivory Coast territory, separating his country in two, imposing him French
troops (which destroyed the entire government's military air capabilities in 2004,
massacred revolted Ivorians in 2004 and 2005 before the nightmare of 2011), forcing
him to jointly govern with the coup plotters, and denying him the disarmament of the
rebels that was the main condition to holding "free and fair" elections? Did you go
through all those facts? You would easily understand that Gbagbo was not ruling Ivory
Coast since 2002, because he had no freedom to do so. France did, through UN resolutions
imposing to the country all that French presidents wanted." You got a point here.
No argument, but it looks i am a bit hasty to avoid getting into more debate here, but it seems you
have so soon forgotten how Gbagbo came to power. So, it is because all of that happened
during his rule that he should refuse to go after being voted out? I never said Gbagbo
did not do something good but his time was up and he had no choice than to go.
It looks you have also soon forgotten why the French military destroyed the entire Ivorian Millitary Air Capabilities.
Well, so you expected France or the UN to come in to disarm the rebels. Yes, the UN could do that with a mandate
but then what did Gbagbo himself do as president over all of that time?
Did he have to wait for the international community to come and disarm his country?
He preached nationalism but could not achieve disarmament. He deeply polarised the country and entrenched animosity between christian south and moslem north.
He even branded Ouattara as a foreigner to promote his selfish interest.
So how successful was Gbagno as a president?
As an ivorian, he could find a way to reach the hearts of those rebels without International assistance to disarm them.
That is the Africa we cherish to see, which he himself promoted whole heartedly. An Africa with no strings attached to the West.
Moreso, he had the military under his control. The best he could do was to order them to shoot armless protesting women to silence discent.
He might have failed as a leader and was looking for someone to vent his frustration on and today it is the international community.
I am happy he now sits back and sees how Ivory coast is moving on well without him in power!!! You must have learnt his deputy in his FPI party has resigned to form his own party, that the party has refused to change with the times.
Nobody is indespensable.This for sure remains a big puzzle to him. Gbagbo is now a dreamer in a real world.
He almost finished the final nail to ruin that hithotho Eldorado before leaving but it is steadily rising back on its feet.
(I believe you have read or you know Paul N'dre's Biography, the head of the ivorian constitutional council, not so different from the
stooge Fonkam Azuh we have in ELECAM. N'dre was a stooge to Gbagbo and he needs to face the ICC right away).
When African leaders rob themselves in so much blood, then they will want to cry back to the people that the ICC only targets them.
Yes, true, because Bush and Blair deserved to face the ICC, but then let them learn to
steer clear of crimes against humanity. There is no lesser crime against humanity.
You said this about Gaddafi, "Kadhafi changed dispersed nomadic ethnic group that were
the Libyan people into now
farmers on what was desert before, as he colonized and watered parts of the desert.
Libya was until February 2011 a country with quite zero unemployment, zero lines of
people begging food... like you see it in other African countries, which is why so
many Africans had migrated to Libya.
Kadhafi funded various African institutions and projects, faithful to former
panafricanists like Nkrumah. He has been restlessly advocating for the United Stated of
Africa, which discourse the West does not want to hear. You may find by yourself the
other revolutionary things Kadhafi did for his people and for Africa.
This, to say that your quoted sentence is totally wrong."
To respond to the much you said above, firstly, it is my statement and not my quoted statement.
Secondly, Gaddafi, I totally agree with you, has been an inspirational leader.
He is a panAfricanist. He is a leader with integrity and a vision. He has never been a stooge to anyone.
He has done a lot for his people and has brought Africa as a continent a lot of pride.
I took time to study his accomplishments esp those that give africa a true identity
and recognises it as an entity that can be treated on a basis of equals with other european countries.
I even learnt that he banned the teaching of foreign western languages and promoted arabic culture etc
I respect him for all of these. Yes I know Libya is one of the successful african countries
with a good economy, employment for the masses, high standards of life and very little to envy from the west.
I know many from sub-saharan african were migrating to Libya.
But excuse me, Mr.Ndzana; all these are not a license for him to entrenched himself in power forever.
The issue I advance is that Libya does not belong to Gaddafi and his son, and the people of Libya
must be liberate to enjoy the freedom of association, the freedom of expression,
the right to create and belong to political parties, the right to choose their leaders etc etc
Mandela did more than what Gaddafi has done but he understood that the new Africa had to move forward from the Apartheid era.
He left. On Gaddafi's investments in Africa, I support that. But you know what?
For my time in Cameroon, I have NEVER fueled my car at an OIL LIBYA filling station.
That will be putting my money to support dictatorship in Africa.
Can you imagine that a Libyan could have lived for 40 years without knowing anything as prresidential
elections or political parties? Is this the Africa you are fighting for, for the youths? This calls for laughter!
Afterall, as president of a very oil rich country, why would he not accomplish the much
he has accomplished? Why would he want to be leader if he cannot do that? By the way,
state money is not Gaddafi's money and it is state money he uses for all these operations.
Do u know how much he has siphoned and is still siphoning today?
Does he owe anybody an account, talk less his people and Libya is Gaddafi and Gaddafi is Libya?
Is Libya a kingdom? His son is there waiting to take over. This is the africa you promote.
His son makes policy speeches as much as his father the leader! What a country?
Imagine the daughter of Obama commanding the US army and giving them instructions in the
battle ground!
I believe in a rotatory power system. I condem western interference but we ourselves must be
responsible leaders. Power rotation can take place like in iran and russia without any
one being a stooge to the west. By the way, what often renders a person a western stooge? When he turns around and realizes
that his basic rights are being violated and as a drowning man, he hands on a snake to navigate his way thro.
So it is more or less the political climate in Africa that makes some of its mostly opposition leaders stooges.
I know there are some incumbents who are western stooges. They live that way to use the support of the west to suppress their
own people but the story is changing.
And do u know that all supporters of Biya support Gaddafi? So what do u mean when u say you
are fighting Biya by supporting Gaddafi? Just because Biya is a stooge to France?
Well, to me, you miss the point there.
I fight for democracy, i fight to let the people have a voice, i fight for equality
a fight for an Africa that evolves with the world.
Regimes like those in N.Korea are very repressive and the son of Kim Jong is already
earmarked to take over from him as leader. As it happens, the West has not attacked them, but they condemn it all.
But I quote this example to say that should other countries remain repressive and resist change and evolution, we
should not and must not accept to live under such tyranny in which we are mere shadows and and subjects.
I am happy Africans were wise when Gaddafi wanted to extend his Kingship to the entire
African continent in the name of United States of Africa!
I tell u that never a time, back in Cameroon, have I or will I ever drive into an OIL LIBYA
filling station to take fuel, because this will be funding resistance to democracy in Africa disguised in packages as resisting the West.
Do you know a 42 year old Libyan knows nothing about presidential elections, political parties?
Yes, Gaddafi says if u create or associate yourself with a political party,
that attracts the death sentence to you! What a country!What a leader!!!
You said this, "Did you ask yourself why only Gbagbo and Kadhafi? Why not all the other dictators in
Africa? Why not Biya, Compaore, Mugabe, Santos, Deby, and so many others. Why is it that
French and US president had teamed up to unseat only the African leaders who have been
advocating their country's independence from the West?You will be tempted to say their
turn is coming. Then you will be fooling yourself,
because that turn will not come. If you knew I am one of the few Cameroonians who have
been fighting over here since over a decade to get against the Biya regime what we have
just seen in Ivory Coast and Libya. Various answers I got may surprise you, as the US
government follows only French advice. I was told once that They trust Biya and it's
difficult to get their support in our struggle.That's why I said you need more readings.
Don't form your own opinion from what the Western propaganda through their media want
you to think"
This sounds totally funny. Just totally funny, I say.
Tell me one country in the new uprising, that Obama or Sarkozy have backed the incumbent or turned their back on the protesters.
Why bring in Biya, Compoare, Mugabe etc in here? Has there been any uprising in any of those countries
and America or France have not turned attention to support the masses?
Have they, even, turned to supported any of these incumbents in an uprising now?
So what is the point bringing them in here?
By the way, is your dependence on these two foreign powers to succeed in the struggle?
I beleive if the ground where level, if Gaddafi were not using state amory to fight his people, as
Gbagbo also did, these foreign powers would have no grounds for intervention.
i do not like them but i stand for democracy at any cost.
So to you, Obama, as the President of America, only follows Sarkozy's advice?
Soon you would say Sarkozy helped campaigned for Obama to become president.
Please, I pray you never say that any more. You are disgracing the legendary Obama
and robbing his name in mud. Just go back to Obama's inaugural speech and
read what he said about dictators and sit-tight presidents in africa. By then, Sarkozy
had no role in Obama's foreign policy. Why not say Cameroon and Obama follow Sarkozy?
So in short, the two share common values like i do with them.
When africans do wrong and are chased, they have ways to excuse themselves.
I cannot be party to that. I stand to see Africa liberated.
No one should say Africa can never practice true democracy. Democracy is not the preserve of the west.
No one should fool us that Western Styled democracy cannot succeed in Africa.
We all are human beings..we are only different in skin colour.
Someone said Africans are poor not because they do not have the resources but because
they are not intelligent. Well, that was his opinion. How do we prove him wrong?
We need modern african states in which the interest of one man called president must not
at any time surpass the interest of the masses or the people.
African states in which the military should be first and forement at the service of each
and every citizen, and fight hard to secure the territorial integrity.
No necessarily to be at the beck and call of the President who equally uses it for his selfish motives and interests.
Yesterday, Mubarak was all and all in Egypt - the modern day Pharoah---the Alpha and Omega of Egypt,
and did all the things u mentioned about Gaddafi in Egypt.
The economy and prosperity of the nation Egypt was admirable.
Today he is gone and Egypt is getting reformed! Egypt is getting better!!! Egypt is marchin on grandiosely!
You must have followed up that Egypt is turning its back against the IMF which is being
used as a tool for imperialism. Kudos to the new government and I support decision against the IMF intoto.
When you borrow from someone, you become his slave. He makes much interests on your sweat
and might choose to make u a beggar for ever since he needs someone to work for him all the time.
So without Mubarak, things in egypt have not worsoned. They are getting better.
There was never any foreign intervention there because Mubarak recognise that the people needed him no more.
He, at that time, put State interest was above he's and he quit.
Gaddafi needs to follow suit. I just learned an ICC warrant has been issued
against him and his son. AU might not enforce this for reasons which are meaningfully clear but then, the truth is that he has that warrant on his neck.
No NATO plane would have flown over Libya if Gaddafi made a timely exit.
Lastly, you said this: "More than most, I want Paul Biya to be overthrown by all means.
But don't tell me I would applaud that you leave Paul Biya and go cherry pick only
African leaders who have the support of majority of African people, massacre their
people and destroy their country, on the shaky ground of their supposed longevity in
power. It does not hold and I cannot be fooled by such lies.
Fortunately, most Africans agree with me on this."
Yes, most africans accept to be fooled by their own dictators. When you term longivity in power "shaky grounds", then that
puts a very very big question mark on what you really are out for. This further confirms my stance that your are doing a diservice to Africa. You implicitly condone that and find nothing wrong with it.
No doubt you get leaders who have spent 42 years in power in Africa. People remain fooled for a life time!
Cameroonians are soaked and blind to their own basic rights, privileges as citizens of a country. African presidents own the
country and their citizens are mere slaves. Modern day slavery exists in africa.
We need to free ourselves and our thinking. Our brothers have enslaved us.
Gaddafi has been the king slave master. To hell with him. He is holding us hostage and the entire Africa.
We are now envying Egypt and Tunisia but we remain slaves in our own countries!
I am sorry to still say, you are one of those helping to sway African opinion to suit dictators and that is why
the dictators can all join in the same song with u
that no interference on the internal sovereignty of a country, (which they then pocket)
since they know they have the gun and the military and can rule for as long as they live.
They claim the white man is here to steal. Yes, that is true. So you should leave when the people say
your time is up so that the white man find's no pretext to come in.
Lord, have mercy on Africa.
You say most Africans see with you. Yes, because they get brainwashed. The media in Africa like in Cameroon is controlled
mostly by the political rich class who promote their agenda of non-interference since they want to rule forever. That
is what CRTV sang every time and banned reporting on Ivory Coast but dared to comment and accept the new leadership when
power changed hands.The helpless masses exposed to the mostly state controlled media easily get deceived that the whiteman
is here for oil, so and the blackman (president) who must serve till he dies is there to fight them and him alone can fight them.
If you choose not to get fooled by the whiteman as u claim, then do not allow yourself
to get fooled by the african dictators.
I am working on a write up title: MISSED opportunity-why Africa will for sometime remain the black continent.
You are not the first person i have had a debate with on this issue. There are scholars who hold your opinion.
But you know a coin has two sides, but i strongly believe if we need to get rid of Biya, then we want the same outcome but
the roads to it, I do not trust them all. I have convictions in mine.
Africa has truly missed that golden opportunity to flush out dictatorship because of this sway of opinion against western
intervention. That is also why Biya quickly promised 25000 jobs to the youths and the time the first set was supposed to begin
earning their first salary has already passed with no recruitment list having been announced. For he owes nobody an account and
that heat that caused him to make such an announcement is almost over. If it were possible today, Biya could withdraw those
that promise of 25000 jobs. Afterall, this might be his last term, who knows, and he needs to amass more money in his foreign bank account.
He needs to spend more time holidaying in Switzerland etc etc.
--- On Mon, 6/13/11, akaba ajitum <ajitum@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: akaba ajitum <ajitum@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Pls
To: Mr XXXXX
Date: Monday, June 13, 2011, 5:54 AM
Dear Mr Seme Ndzana,
I am happy to read from you.
This means, you in person, read my mail.
We all fight for a new Africa, and I wish we got one not built on cynicism.
You have referred me to more of your articles. Before I reacted, it is because I have been closely reading almost every publication you make. That is why it got to a point where i felt, as a reader, I should let you know my opinion, just my opinion, about it all.
What even drove me bitter is because, because of the actions of Gaddafi and Gagbo, the win of change that had started blowing across North Africa is grinding to a halt and I think it will soon even halt. These People, who actually mount a fight for their own private interest even to the point of death (that Gbagbo has to be captured) portray themselves as fighting for the people...just really desceiving people whose destiny they have held hostage for decades for their private motives. So they say, that the West has interest (especially in oil) as if they themselves do not have interest.
We need to stop this impunity by any means of leaders thinking that they are God-sent and must be the only ones to rule, and they run the countries as if they were their private estates, calling people who stand up against their rule as rebels (rats, cockroaches) that the immediately turn their guns against them....I can say more.
So know that not all Africans are so blind and be more tilted towards a progressive Africa that ones under the tyranny of dictators and sit-tight presidents
Thanks
Akaba A. J
--- On Sun, 12/6/11, SEME NDZANA <seme@africanindependent.com> wrote:
From: xxxxx
Subject: Re: Pls
To: "akaba ajitum" <ajitum@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sunday, 12 June, 2011, 22:56
Thanks,
The only thing I notice is that you are ill informed about Libya and Ivory Coast wars orchestrated by France and the US. You probably need to read more articles at
www.africanindependent.com/news.html
I cannot restart here what I have been demonstrating since over 6 months.
Mr XXXXX
--- On Sat, 11/6/11, akaba ajitum <ajitum@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
From: akaba ajitum <ajitum@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: opinion
To: xxxxxx
Date: Saturday, 11 June, 2011, 19:58
Dear Editor,
My appreciations to your effort to construct a new Africa.
But I find your editorial policy very very misleading.
Your partisan support for the ousted Laurent Gbagbo and Gaddafi makes me wonder if u think Africa will forever remain the dark continent. In an era that the democracy wind is blowing across north africa, you are contributing hard to stop it and deprive the people of Africa of a golden opportunity to reshape their destiny. The time we used to blame our colonial masters for our woes is long past and you yourself need to wake up before attempting to lead people. Gadded having been in power for 42 years, no elections ever, and he came to power thro a coup, and attempted to extend his kingship rule across Africa, is the kind of leader who really helps to blacken the continent!
Please, try to be more constructive and do not support dictators in the name of African Independence. I read one of your articles last week in which you referred to Alasane Dramane Ouattara as a dictator - in a context that in itself lacked meaning in absolute terms.
One way for Africa to pursue and live its true independence is for it to allow its people to truly freely choose their leaders, not the likes of Gaddafi who behave as if they own their country and are GOD sent without them, meaning the country ceases to exist! We must in no way support this. We need to encourage responsible leadership, not the type Gbagbo led, taking his people to the guillotine for his selfish interest. Such leaders like Gbagbo even need to celebrate that they can do that in the more liberal Africa of today. In the early days, they would have been killed soon after capture, like Samuel Doe. Today Liberia is a stable democracy
I just wrote this in passing because i was no longer able to swallow your misleading articles.
Thanks
Akaba A. James
