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. 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