Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
By Mweusi Karake
Trump has redeemed Tribalism
A few months back I had to call my niece Julie a graduate from a US university to find out what “tribalism” means in American English, she was dumb folded why on earth I was interested in American tribalism! In my young carrier path I trained amoung other things, to teach English as a first language, to East African Students.
Now all of a sudden I could not figure out the meaning of “ tribalism”! You see indoctrination is a very powerful tool. I grew up understanding tribes by the European definitions, according the Cambridge dictionary for example, a tribe is defined as “a group of people, often of related families, who live together, sharing the same language, culture, and history, especially those who do not live in towns or cities”. Tribe, as I had been made to understand, referred to those of us from “the dark continent” who must always thank the colonialists and their front hand men Christian missionaries for bringing us “ western Civilisation”! And tribalism would be an adjective derived from tribe. Not fit to describe the polished Anglo Saxons. All of a sudden America was repeatedly talking about Tribalism in Trump’s government and cliques. It did not occur to me that I would read books by American authors and see the expression used so often, in books, magazines and International media outlets like CNN to describe the four years of Trump!
Africa whose problems among others has been tribalism, and since many Africans still look at America as model , Trump has redeemed tribalism and many tribalists in Africa are and will in future be relieved that if the US can have tribalism then there is nothing wrong with it!
Washington District of Columbia (DC) or Africa DC?
The swearing of Joe Biden as the 46th president of USA and Kamara Harris as 49th Vice president on Wednesday 20th January 2021, turned Capitol hill into a garrison, of 25, 000 national armed national Guards patrolling the streets of Washington DC. FBI could not even trust the US army and vetting of guards had to take place. At least a dozen national Guards were vetted out. The fear had to do with domestic terrorism, not ISIS that Trump claimed to have whipped out, even not al-Qaida. There were more than 25,000 members of the National Guard on hand, many of them armed, enforcing “the largest perimeter ever established around the Capitol.” The National Mall, where crowds in the past have served as a barometer of popularity, was entirely closed. A rehearsal planned for Sunday 17th January was postponed because of security concerns. People were urged to stay away, not just from Washington but from state capitols like Minnesota’s because of threats leading up to the inauguration. It is so ironical that COVID 19 that has killed 400,000 people mainly due to arrogance in American top leadership, made inauguration manageable. Otherwise, Americans would have been crying ‘‘civil liberties”
Africa 2021
Just as Americans were finalizing all procedures to FIRE TRUMP, Uganda was coming out of presidential Elections and as usual the opposition crying foul. At least another 11 African countries will hold presidential election in 2021. Some of them like Gambia, Chad, Somalia and Zambia always claim that elections have not been fair and free. Washington DC is 184,827 km², bigger than some of the 12 countries that will hold elections in Africa in 2021. But as already indicated it is not just Capitol Hill that looked like a war zone but Washington and beyond. The Size of Kampala, Uganda’s capital is 189 km² ( just slightly less than 10% of Washington.) Lusaka , Zambian capital is 418 km², the entire of Djibouti, one of the countries that will have presidential elections in 2021, is 23,200 km², the entire of the Gambia is just 11,295 km² and São Tomé and Príncipe is 1,001 km². So Washington is not bigger than most African capitals it is bigger than some countries.
How will Washington dare preach to any of these politicians e.g. if Museveni decides to put the entire Kampala city on lockdown ahead of his inauguration? Similarly, the president of Gambia or Djibouti can decide to literally close the entire country and America will have no moral authority to tell them otherwise. They will simply say “when it comes to your security you do the same.”
Electoral colleges, Blanket pardons, and freedom of information
Several Africans and I are equally guilty, and tend to assume that the American systems are worth emulating. Before I got a rough idea about electoral colleges, I used to believe it was an excellent idea. I had been to countries and witnessed how people who can hardly read and write vote a crowd mover who promises milk and honey, when he (in reality) can hardly deliver water. I had seen it in 1970s in Zaire, when Mobutu spent time making speeches and bragging about vision 1980. I saw it in Zambia in one Michal Sata who promised to end poverty in his first week of election. He spoke on a very radio station that needed a commentator on every subject only to withdraw on face book once elected in office. We had seen it in Jacob Zuma, get into south African State house by singing and dancing. Men whose quality was simply to agitate masses. So I had come to believe that may be, a group of well-educated people should really make the final say on who governs a country. People who understand what is at stake. I stupidly argued that my watchman who cannot read and write should have less say on the future of the country. I was wrong. Little did I know that electoral colleges were created to favour white males and not leadership quality.
Four years ago when trump was running for president, which no body not even himself believed he could win, he said “the system was rigged.” I believe he was right. Where else in democracy years after years presidents win without winning the popular votes? They say the American people have spoken, how do they speak when a person loses with 3,000,000 votes and still wins? He has left the white house crying foul that the elections have been rigged. This time he is wrong. Joe Biden got the popular votes and electoral college votes. True the system is rigged, but that is what America has to offer to the world as a model of democracy. For the last 40 Years, only one Republican, Ronald Regan has gone to the white house having won the popular vote. So which people have spoken? So how will America look at Africans in the face and say “the people’s will must be respected”. Africa should think of a governance system that suits but don’t go for Electoral College for heaven’s sake.
Blanket pardons, and freedom of information
We are used to see African dictators appoint their spouses to the cabinet, and their sons as army chiefs. We didn’t expect this in America, but it has happened, another banana republic. But America gives excessive powers to the president. I honestly like our East African Son Barack Obama, whose father comes from the shores of lake Victoria. Africa, East Africa and Kenya in particular, are used to the fact that when your son is in high position there are trickle down effects. Wrong assumptions. When he came to Africa he preached to us about the need for strong institutions as opposed to strongmen. Well that was a well-meaning Obama. But with Trump we were left wondering whether actually strong institutions exist even in America. Where were these institutions when a 50,000 white extremist stormed Capitol Hill almost murdering the seating Vice president and speaker of the house? It is the strong men and women of twitter, Facebook and Instagram that saved America from a narcissist macho, not institutions. These tech giants would probably not have taken the same action if it was an African leader burning his own country. If you think I am wrong ask Rwandans, how many appeals were made to the US government to jam the hate radio -RTLM during genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, but were denied under the so called “freedom of expression!” So what will America tell to an African dictator when he says since Twitter will not do it for me I will do it myself: shut the entire internet.
In Trump we saw that he prefers strong men to strong institutions, and so he has given pardons to crooks, business associates, partners in crime, in-laws, and even considered pardoning himself and his children!
Well the American constitution gives him that right, what shocked many people however, is that the departing president is not obliged to publish the list of all the people he has pardoned. He can pardon himself, his sons or daughter, stamp it with the seal of the president of United State of America, keep it safe somewhere under lock and key, and once the court wants to charge any of them pull it out and say” halloo! I have presidential pardon!”
Now with the so called “freedom of information bills” that Americans have been promoting to our African NGOs and Journalists, shouldn’t we expect that Americans would demand to see the entire list of pardons? And for God’s sake how does one pardon any one for a crime that has not been tried? That reminds of my seven year old catholic self-liturgy, where one confesses for sin known and unknown “Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. Forgive me lord for what I have done and what I have failed to!”
I would not wish to be in Biden- Harriss’ shoes, an individual can leave a lasting damage to a country’s reputations.
Africa may have benefitted from Trump though.
Trump reminded Africans what they had almost forgotten, that the West always thinks of what serves their interests not what serves the interest of the world. Trump simply was mad enough to put it in black and white. Republicans always talk about with nostalgia “ the party of Regan”, in case Africans had forgotten; Ronald Reagan once enjoyed that notoriety, of supporting Apartheid regime in South Africa , and other southern Africa States and that Nelson Mandela was still on a terrorist list even when he was president, so were other western leaders such as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who urgued for Nelson Mandela’s release.
In trump therefore, Africans were reminded that the fate of Africa is in their hands. And that every four years, by a stroke of a pen a new leader under the executive order can undo the good that the previous regime had put in place.
The proverbial Greek mythology Discord will apply to American moral fabric for many years to come
The proverbial Discord, borrowed from Greek mythology was as a result of an omission, when the Goddess of Discord-Zeus, had thrown a wedding on Mount Olympus for Thetis the sea nymph and mortal Peleus. After Eris found out that she was not invited, she crashed the wedding and threw the apple inscribed with the word “kallisti” or “for the most beautiful”. The fight it caused was the result of the famous phrase- sawing seeds of discord. An omission to invite one of the goddess to a wedding party caused a lasting problems amoung the Greek gods and provided an expression that has lived on for millions of years. Donald Trump’s election, thanks to American faulty democratic system, and his discordance departure will haunt America’s moral standing in the world for the many years to come, as for Africa, it will allow dictators to act without fear of the world self-appointed policeman.
Mweusi Karake is a veteran journalist and former head of Public Relations/Corporate Communication at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
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