The Independent (Banjul) 
OPINION
January 23, 2006 
Posted to the web January 23, 2006 
Banjul 
  The Pan-African Congress, Gambia wishes to register its disapproval of the comments made by The Independent Newspaper in its editorial of Friday 13th - 15th January 2006 in which it claims that Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Toure were ruthless dictators. 
  The editorial, entitled, 'Why Africa Keeps Failing' notes that at the end of colonialism "international goodwill was abundant and there existed a corps of well-meaning scholars and intellectuals ready to work with the new governments to bring about the desired progress." That notwithstanding, The Independent said that the continent after four decades has transformed into a land of "tears and chaos, military coups and civil wars, and the wanton destruction and exploitation of the continent's resources." It went further to indicate that this misfortune lies at the foot of a leadership that was and is power hungry and has personalized state authority. In giving out examples of these power hungry dictators, The Independent boldly cited Nkrumah and Toure. About Nkrumah, the newspaper said, "even great and enlightened minds like Kwame Nkrumah fell prey to the lure of unlimited power and glory. 
  Nkrumah, great scholar and statesman that he was, committed the fatal error of trying to justify dictatorship. He insisted on having everything his way and of making his party, the Convention People's Party (CPP), the only legitimate political organisation in Ghana. 
  Encouraged by the usual and ever-voracious crowd of cronies and shameless sycophants, Nkrumah ruthlessly silenced his critics and assumed a god-like status that eventually gave his enemies an excuse and an opportunity to get rid of him." On Sekou Toure, The Independent, said, "Guinea's Sekou Toure is another classic example. Having rejected cooperation with De Gaulle's Franc e, Sekou Toure, like Nkrumah, assumed a monopoly on truth, power and wisdom. His party, the PDG, was declared the sole and supreme political organisation in Guinea. He went so far as to talk about 'democratic dictatorship', a veritable contradiction in terms. And so, killing and jailing opponents left, right and center, Sekou Toure held his country hostage until his death in 1984." 
  The editorial of The Independent is a clear indication that either the newspaper is ignorant of the facts about Nkrumah and Toure, or the realities of the world in which these two great world leaders lived, or both. PAC holds that any African intellectual who condemns Sekou Toure and Kwame Nkrumah for being dictators or responsible for the plight of Africa obviously needs a re-education or a decolonization of his or her mind. More and more it is becoming clear that the path of Nkrumah and Toure is the path that Africa needs to follow. This is even evidenced by events in Africa today. At the last meeting of OAU leaders at Sirte in 1999 where the idea and Constitutive Act of the AU was unveiled, the host Ghadaffi among many leaders had no choice but to recognize and acknowledge the correctness and necessity of the path of Nkrumah and Toure whose pictures were hung on the walls. Five years later, at the last AU meeting in Sirte (4th July 2004), again Ghaddafi's speech centred entirely
 on Nkrumah. Ghadaffi noted that had Africa listened to Nkrumah four decades ago we would not have been in this situation as The Independent described. Read his own words: When we sensed that the Organisation of African Unity had failed, the regional groups started to form and the existing regional groups were formed because the Organisation of African Unity failed. This is what Nkrumah warned about since 1963 and I see it is appropriate to quote some words from his speech of 1963 in which he predicted what we are going through now. Had we heeded his advice at that time Africa would now be like the United States of America or at least close to it? But we did not heed his advice, and even worse we ridiculed those predictions. 
  So we are still standing in the same place we were in 1963. 
  Is it that The Independent is becoming a mouthpiece of the imperialists or those Africans who ridiculed Nkrumah because a United States of Africa is not in their interest? Or is it mere ignorance of their history? 
  The Independent Newspaper said at the dawn of independence, international goodwill was abundant. How far can The Independent be away from the truth! Today declassified documents from the United States did show that it was the CIA in collaboration with its European allies who engineered the whole coup against Nkrumah. Unless if the editors of The Independent are reading other books and sources, but all public records show that the whole of the West were vehemently against Sekou Toure, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah and indeed any other African leader who has shown his or her resolve to stand for his or her people and Africa. 
  Today we know that a Belgian captain shot and killed Lumumba on the orders of the Belgian government, which has already made a shameless apology; that France and its allies staged many attacks against Toure; and Portugal assassinated Cabral, Mondlane and Neto while the US has supported any rebel organisation and despot that has emerged in Africa. 
  The leading puppet of US used to be Mobutu while Zaire (now DRCongo) served as the centre of CIA operations in Africa. 
  We gained independence amidst widespread poverty, ignorance and diseases, but the West never provided any Marshall Plan for us as they did for themselves in the aftermath of the Second Imperialist War of 1939-45, which is erroneously called WWII. 
  The interest rates pegged by the World Bank and the IMF for loans to European countries at the time was only three percent (3%), but since then to the present the same institutions are giving us loans at between 33 - 45 percent. 
  At the United Nations, efforts to decolonize the world met stiff resistance from Europe and America, and even though resolutions were passed to that effect, countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Guinea Bissau, and South Africa had to still fight bitterly in order to be free. The fighting is still going on in these countries of the south unabated. 
  In 1958 when Guinea gained independence, the French were so incensed that on their way out they removed even window curtains just to see that country collapse. Thanks to the magnanimity of Nkrumah, Ghana provided 10 million dollars to Guinea to start with. Similarly in Ghana, as the British left, they also removed all vital and relevant information and materials. In his book, 'Africa Must Unite' Nkrumah explains that the first day they entered Christiansburg Castle, they found the files and drawers empty. Virtually they found nothing with which to start nation building. 
  So when The Independent claims that, "international good will was abundant and there existed a corps of well-meaning scholars and intellectuals ready to work with the new governments to bring about the desired progress," may we ask them to provide the list of names of the countries and 'well-meaning' scholars who had demonstrated goodwill in helping Africa? 
  Africa gained independence in a very critical circumstance. It was a time when we had already experienced centuries of slavery and decades of colonialism. It was a time when the world had already been dished out among the powers that be, which have one common characteristic and objective, which was to exploit other peoples and countries by all means even unnecessary. There was no international goodwill, sympathy or justice of any sort. The powers that be are ready to manipulate, dominate and even annihilate any peoples who dare challenge their spheres of influence and interests. If the editors of The Independent are following world events or had studied modern world history they would have realized that it is far more difficult for an emerging state to stand on its own feet in the 20th century than in the 17th and 18th century when America and European countries emerged. This is because at the time of their emergence the Americans and Europeans found no imperialism in place, which
 they created, developed and practise. Thus there was practically no threat to their independence - political and economic. 
  In our case, we found a full-fledged imperialism that has wrapped itself with the cloak of democracy and human rights, but ready and willing to pounce on any people who demand independence and democracy and human rights. Thus our circumstances are such that we needed strong and firm leadership that is patriotic, visionary and democratic. Such a leadership was what Nkrumah and Toure provided for Africa and for which they had to be eliminated by the enemies of Africa. While The Independent claims that Nkrumah and Toure, "fell prey to the lure of unlimited power and glory" there is no evidence yet to indicate that these leaders were corrupt, or had foreign bank accounts or properties. 
  If The Independent has any such information we demand that they provide the evidence. 
  Yes, the Ghana Parliament did make the country a one-party state in 1964, and Guinea had been one since independence, but available information indicate that this was not done out of any attempt to entrench oneself in power. Rather, these leaders have come to realize that in a country that is even yet to internalize a national identity and consciousness in the midst of ignorance and poverty, multipartyism can easily become a ruse for exploitation of the masses by a bunch of elites organized into a political party. Democracy and multipartyism are not synonymous. One can have democracy where the people determine the destiny of their country and its resources and be the primary beneficiaries of the wealth of the country, but without multipartyism. 
  On the other hand, there can be multipartyism, but no democracy. In such a situation, as many countries in and out of Africa, political parties are generally vehicles for elites to dominate the country and state power only to exploit and oppress the masses yet still declare that they have the undiluted mandate of the masses in an election. The challenges that Nkrumah and Toure faced explain such a situation in which the West had also used political parties as fronts to destabilize their countries. For your information Nkrumah had been a victim of several assassination attempts, while Guinea had been a target of many invasions notable among which was the 1970 invasion engineered by Portugal because of the hosting of the PAIGC movement in Conakry. 
  This is not an argument that PAC is against multipartyism, rather we are trying to make you reflect on the particular circumstances and what is best for us at a particular time. The countries of the West that are considered bastions of democracy today did not begin with outright multipartyism. For example the US was a one-party state from 1776 to 1797. Its first president and founding father George Washington had one major disappointment in his tenure, and that was two parties were developing by the end of his first term. Depending on who you read, (at the end of his second term and after refusing to run for a third term) he finally either resigned in opposition to multipartyism or retired for being wearied of politics and feeling old. 
  We acknowledge that Nkrumah and Toure were mortals who have made errors. 
  But we recognize these errors to be as a result of an ardent search in an unfriendly and unhelpful world and circumstances to chart a way forward for a dehumanized, oppressed and exploited people. It goes without saying that the liberation of Africa is generally the work of Nkrumah with the unflinching support of Toure, who uniquely had declared Nkrumah a co-president of Guinea following his overthrow by misguided soldiers in Ghana. 
  PAC therefore calls on the editors of The Independent to read African and world history in order for them to realize their duty and obligation to their people. We cannot possibly determine our objective and mission, if we do not have a correct understanding of our history and experience. 
  No wonder as soon as Nkrumah assumed leadership he established the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute purposely to re-educate the African elite about their obligation to their nation. 
  Our history and experience have shown us that in addition to slavery and colonialism, our elites or intellectuals are the biggest enemies of the people. It is our elites, thanks to their colonial education and mentality who have always betrayed Africa and her people. Our elites are ready to be complacent, silent, or tow the line and even lie in defending their individual interest against their people's interest. Let The Independent raise these issues and challenge African elites at home and abroad to speak and stand up for their people and Africa. 
  No African scholar, newspaper or organisation worth its name will do itself good by vilifying Nkrumah and Toure who stood high among leaders of any people for their loyalty to humanity, commitment to principles, and patriotism to their nation. 
  PS:In December 1999, BBC listeners in Africa voted Kwame Nkrumah, their "Man of the Millennium"! Who is distorting history - millions of listeners in Africa or The Independent Newspaper? 
  Editor's Note: The PAC clearly misses the point of our editorial. 
  Nkrumah was indeed great, no doubt about that. And he had great ideas for the unification of Africa and its liberation from the clutches of poverty and dependence. But there is no doubt that Nkrumah and Toure were also dictators who tried to impose a uniformity of views and opinions in their countries. Did Nkrumah not say "The CPP is Ghana and Ghana is the CPP"? Did Sekou Toure not talk about "democratic dictatorship"? It is our considered opinion that the PAC, while it loves and honours Nkrumah and Toure, like all of us, should not give them a blanket approval. The ignorance of history and of the facts attributed to The Independent clearly fits our accusers better. Yes, Nkrumah and Toure were great. But yes, they grew despotic and oppressive of their peoples. We Africans should learn to acknowledge our errors rather than assume positions of infallibility. Another reason why Africa is failing. 
  Thanks for the feedback. 


		
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