>From: malik kah <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Is Senghor a true son of Africa or not?
>Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 10:40:02 +0000
>
>Hi, Deyda, thanks for your contribution to this ongoing debate about Seng.
>Am sure you are aware that we are dealing with a very critical and
>turbulent
> historical epoch, the consequence of which is the formation of our
>current geo-political set up, as well as our socio-economic policies.
>
>At a time when the world was very polarised and the masses of the people
>were demanding the end to colonial rule, the role and guidance of the
>political leadership could not have been more wanting than any other time.
>The level of literacy was significantly low and those Africans that were
>exposed to higher education were by defination and design intended to
>become
>honorary Europeans, who would assimilate all the values, norms and cultural
>outlook of the masters. Many had gone through this process of assimilation,
>aspiring that they would become Europeans by all intent and purposes but to
>their dismay, after accomplishing in the Universities, they were confronted
>by a hitherto unknown obstacle called racial rejection. Eventhough they
>emerged to be lawyers, doctors, university professors, to their frustration
>they discoverd that they were still treated inferior, simply because of the
>colour of their skin, all their achievements became meaningless.They
>discovered the bitter truth that there was no meritocracy in this archaic
>order but racial prejudice.
>
>Notwithstanding the injustices inherent in racism, many of the early
>African leaders failed to grasp the reality that this was not essentially
>the route course of the socital contradictions in Africa, as history would
>testify to that. Many petty-burgoise intellectuals in Africa tended to
>waste their time and ours in trying to analyse social situations from a
>racial point of view.
>
>But then this was the approach many of the pioneers took, hence they became
>charalatants who became heroes. At the time all you had to do was
>vehemently
>denounce white supremacy and you would be hailed as liberator, but the
>conlonial masters were not fools they could identify the rhetoric from the
>reality. Of course at the time many colonialist have reconciledto the fact
>that blatant racial supremacy as a political doctrine cannot be any longer
>teneble, hence many would patronised the new radicals language as long as
>it
>did not pose a threat to their capitalist ventures. And this precisely was
>were the political configuration was drawn. Those Africans that stood for
>independence and only denounced racism were condoned, but those that added
>CLASS STRUGGLE, must treated as worst enemies and therefore be blocked from
>assuming political power.
>
>In Africa, the struggle against national domination and racial oppression
>have been fused into one by the very nature of white colonial and cultural
>domination. Very often the one is mistaken for the other, to the extent
>that
>in many cases, we get lost in the quagmire of the essence and substance of
>indepence. Seng. could have been shouting with his fist high up condenming
>the whites but that is irrelivant as to what he stood for. Clearly Seng'S
>policies viz Nkrumah are diametrically opposite. one was constructively
>engaged with the Europeans whiles the other was challenging the staus quo
>as it represented Colonial intrest. In fact the language they used speak
>volumes as to their stance. In as much as I do not want to reduce this to
>be a comparism between Sen. v Nkrumah, I wish to draw some fundamental
>distinctions that would help highlight their posture with regards to
>Africa. At a time when the colonialist were killing many sons and daugthers
>of Africa, it would be of great concern to be described as true friend and
>partner, for we all know that the nothing stood in the way of the intrest
>of the colonial masters. Anything that serve as an obstacles to their
>intrest would be obliterated hence many people died. I hope we will
>remember those that fought and died and never became heads of states but
>were true sons and daugthers of our continent. Being Pmpedous friend would
>have squarely make one a potential collaborator to many of the henious acts
>perpetrated.
>
>
>
>>From: Deyda Hydara <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: Is Senghor a true son of Africa or not?
>>Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 14:49:33 +0000
>>
>>From Deyda Hydara
>>To Malick Kah
>>
>>Dear Malick,
>>
>>I do not subscribe to your claim that Seignior was opposed to Senegal's
>>independence as oppose to the aspirations of the people at the time. Where
>>does democracy stands in the face of such an accusation? Don't forget that
>>Senghor's party had the majority given to it by the people of Senegal. He
>>defeated Lamin Gueye's SFIO as well as his former friends of the PAI, thus
>>securing a mandate to run the affairs of the colony.
>>It is also on record that Senghor used his connection with former
>>classmate
>>George Pompidou to get De Gaulle to accept to facilitate the independence
>>of
>>not only Senegal but the whole former French West Africa as he was known
>>to
>>have battle against the "Balkanisation" of former French West Africa.
>>He criss- crossed the region spearheading talks to get his colleagues to
>>accept a federation in lieu of balkanisation but most of them feared a
>>Senegalese hegemony and withdrew gradually from the scheme leaving Sudan,
>>Benin and former Upper Volta. As we know only Sudan remained paving the
>>way
>>for the Mali Federation for which he gracefully gave the hot seat to late
>>Modibo Keita who later mingled in the internal affairs of the PS leading
>>to
>>his Exit.
>>I would like to say some few words about his relations with France, but
>>before that let me quote him: " I wear European clothing, and the
>>Americans
>>dance to Jazz which derives from our African Rhythms: civilisation in the
>>29th century is universal. No PEOPLE can get along without OTHERS."
>>(Emphasis mine)
>>The above depicts Senghor's obsession for Black people to be "Recognised"
>>and given the due regard they deserve. The concept of Negritude stems from
>>this obsession. When Senghor and Cesaire came to France, Africans were
>>considered as "second class citizens of the world", something that pained
>>them so much that they vowed to change such a negative and inhumane
>>posture.
>>They were faced with classmates parading a "superiority complex" demarche.
>>Therefore they decided to prove them by "beating" them in all subjects
>>until
>>they gave them their due recognition as equals. This led to their
>>excellent
>>performances as students bagging degrees while their white colleagues were
>>"recalles" repeating exams.
>>Following their studies, they also addressed a bleak picture of the black
>>race being peddled in France through a derogatory advert depicting a
>>laughing black man amazed by the wonders of the world. Senghor in
>>particular
>>swore to tear the "banana laughter from all the walls of France.
>>He beat the racists in their game by excelling in his studies, securing
>>the
>>respects of his German jailers.
>>On the charge that he was a French henchman. Malick you got it wrong, the
>>Senegalese TV is airing interviews he gave to French journalists during
>>his
>>tenure. Everyone heard him completely disagreeing with some of France's
>>African policies as well as of some of their global options. France
>>campaigned against the holding of the Olympics in USSR but he disagreed
>>with
>>that as well as the Russian intervention in Afghanistan. The above depicts
>>Senghor's pragmatism. When the Sekou Toures and others were subjecting
>>their
>>people to dictatorial rule, he not only delivered but also opened his
>>country to democracy and a free press.
>>He established the first African schools for rural cadres, the first for
>>agricultural technicians as well as the first school of administrators.
>>I must however concede that as a human being he made mistakes but overall,
>>he left a successful country with hundreds of thousands of cadres and
>>structures not readily available to countries without gold, diamond, cocoa
>>and oil. With their peanut, he contributed to what Senegal is today. Wade
>>confessed in an interview some days ago, that he was an admirer of Senghor
>>although he opposed him for 27 years. Do not forget that most of Africa's
>>liberation movements such as the ANC had offices in Dakar with Senghor's
>>blessings.
>>Hope we have now agreed?
>>Happy New Year to all
>>Deyda
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>From: malik kah <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>>><[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>>Subject: Re: Is Senghor a true son of Africa or not?
>>>Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 20:27:38 +0000
>>>
>>>As we ponder about the demise of Leopold Senghore, it is right that we
>>>subject him to a discour for Zeng belong to a breed of politicians that
>>>will
>>>always intrests us Africans. After all these were the protagonists that
>>>fashioned the foreign as well as the socio-economic policies whose effect
>>>we
>>>still live with, hence what they stood for and what things they said is
>>>as
>>>much relivant now as it was then.
>>>
>>>It is apparent that Senghore was opposed to Senegals indepence as oppose
>>>to
>>>the aspirations of the people at the time. He was one of those success
>>>samples of the french policy of assimilados, he was what was termed then
>>>as
>>>coconut, black from the outside but white in the inside. His whole
>>>comportment was white hence he earned the admiration and support of the
>>>French establishment.
>>>
>>>This was Senghores oulook and at this point in time the wind of change
>>>was
>>>fast blowing in Africa, the people were demanding the right to self rule
>>>and
>>>a genuine independce, hence it was very important for the colonial
>>>masters
>>>to have loyal servants to whom they can entrust their administration
>>>without
>>>hinderance, where they failed to cultivate such proteges they engaged in
>>>bloody battles to subjugate the people into submission. A lot of people
>>>confronted the colonial masters, hence they preffered to die as matyrs
>>>and
>>>patriots than be subjugated. A lot of genuine Sons and Daugthers were
>>>executed, those obstinate ones that survived and led their people to
>>>Independence were sanctioned and turned into pariah states. Infact many
>>>of
>>>them through dirty plots hatched by the colonialists were either
>>>murdered
>>>or overthrown. It was in such a climate that Senghore was the darling of
>>>the colonial masters hence he was a suspect collaborator and this was
>>>important because the colonial masters needed alliances to continue their
>>>presence so as to justify their involvement in the internal affairs of
>>>our
>>>countries, with the likes of Senghore they were using Senegal as a
>>>launching pad.
>>>
>>>This is why Senghore's acts needs to be put in a historical context, yes
>>>he
>>>was highly educated, well respected academic but that does not exonerate
>>>his
>>>policies for it was people like him that has mortgaged the future the
>>>consequence of which we now live with .
>>>
>>>The arrangements and self intrests that manifested at this embryonic
>>>stage
>>>of nation building has left us poorer and weaker and being one of those
>>>principal architects he must be remembered differently by the radical
>>>African, the ones that had called for a programme of independence and not
>>>dependence. The road championed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, Nkurumah, Saikou
>>>Touray, Modibo Keita as well as Patrick Lumumba is well documented it
>>>testifies to the intrests that were being defended by their
>>>contemporaries.
>>>In fact the blue print of their calling is what EUROPE is now
>>>implementing
>>>in full, from monetary union to military as well as trade and economics.
>>>These people were ahead of their time at a time when Senghore was being
>>>celebrated as a poet laureate these people were carving and strategising
>>>the
>>>future of the continent. No wonder they were feared by the colonial
>>>masters,
>>>the respect they commanded was evident, wherever, they appeared in Europe
>>>the media would follow every utterance they made. These people can never
>>>be
>>>forgotten, after all Senghore before he passed out was nearly forgotten.
>>>History has absolved Nkrumah, so whatever critics may say, on balance he
>>>contributed more to the African conciousness than any of us or Senghore
>>>may
>>>ever do. Their roles were different one was loved by the African people,
>>>the
>>>other by the Europeans, take you position and define yourself.
>>>
>>>He went for dependency and got all the support and now all that support
>>>turned out to be the debt that is slowly strangling. With such an
>>>approach
>>>Senghore must be ranked amongst those that failed us.
>>>
>>>>From: Jungle Sunrise <[log in to unmask]>
>>>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>>>><[log in to unmask]>
>>>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>Subject: Re: Is Senghor a true son of Africa or not?
>>>>Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 15:49:05 +0000
>>>>
>>>>You see, you do use your head sometimes. It sometimes seems that we are
>>>>programmed in such a way that any view that is unconventional is to be
>>>>dismissed as lacking merit or irrelevant. For example, people would
>>>>rather
>>>>remember Kwami Nkrumah for his speeches and vision rather than the way
>>>>he
>>>>tried to implement that vision. Nobody, in his right mind, would deny
>>>>the
>>>>fact that Dr. Kwami Nkrumah was both an intellectual and a visionary.
>>>>But
>>>>try to talk about his short-comings and you are labelled "Anti-Nkrumah".
>>>>The
>>>>fact remains that Dr. Kwami Nkrumah was one of the first dictators that
>>>>Post
>>>>colonial Africa
>>>>produced. It is also a fact that one of the most repressive legislations
>>>>ever passed in any country in Africa was the Preventative Detension Act
>>>>(PDA). This piece of thrash was used by Nkrumah and those close to him
>>>>or
>>>>in
>>>>uniform to jail inocent people for indefinite periods just because they
>>>>dared ask where the country was heading. Instead of explaining his
>>>>vision
>>>>of
>>>>Ghana to those who were better placed/equiped to implement them, he
>>>>treated
>>>>them as insurbodinate anarchists. This is were President Jammeh differs
>>>>from
>>>>the rest of those Pan-Africanists. You people may not believe it now,
>>>>but
>>>>time will tell.
>>>>
>>>>Have a good day, Gassa.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>_________________________________________________________________
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>>>
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