Liberian President is a Woman of Conscience and Action

Pic: NMF

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf delivered the Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture this past Saturday.

And given that of late, I have been uninspired and even pained by our own leaders, Pres Johnson-Sirleaf's address was medicine for my soul.

She gave a perspective on Africa's economies and spoke eloquently of Mandela's leadership legacy. She also used the opportunity to emphasise the need for African co-operation and courageous leadership in uplifting the lives of African citizens and ending corruption.

Reporting on the achievements of her own country since her election, Pres Johnson-Sirleaf boasted of the significance of women's leadership in her government - a point that was loudly applauded by the audience.

I found her address, which follows on those of previous occasions by Bill Clinton, Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Wangari Maathai, Pres Thabo Mbeki and Kofi Annan, gracious yet frank. She reiterated the message of the African Renaissance, highlighting the importance of citizen empowerment. Still, Johnson-Sirleaf acknowledged the reality that "the African Renaissance could come for some and not for others", reminding the audience of the plight of many on the continent, including the people of Dafur, Somalia and Zimbabwe.

On Zimbabwe, she was commendably clear:

"As I stand before you today, I would be remiss if I did not express my solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, as they search for solutions to the crisis in their country."

"I recognize my limitations to express views on Zimbabwe. After all Liberia is in West Africa. Liberia is a country of only 3.4-million people. We are thousands of miles away from the realities of Southern African politics. Liberia did not suffer under British colonial rule; nor do we have the same challenges with land distribution that has created so much internal turmoil.
But I am, I hope, part of the New Africa; an Africa rooted in many of the values demonstrated by you, President Mandela. In that Africa, all Africans have responsibility for our collective future. It is therefore my and our responsibility to speak out against injustice anywhere."

It was a memorable address and is worth reading - go to:

http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/news/article/the_sixth_annual_lecture_address/

Sweet and Glorious Victory

The last time Spain were champions of Europe was in 1964. Their Euro2008 victory was no doubt glorious, particularly since it was hard fought, well played and comes as a good omen with 2010 just around the corner.

As I watched Spain's victory, I wondered when will we be champions of Africa again?

Let's hope we won't have to wait 40 years.

Once a hero, always a hero?

Robert Mugabe, once a liberation hero of the people of Zimbabwe and the African continent, has fallen. It seems at last Africa's leaders are prepared to admit publicly that Mugabe has lost the plot and has got to go - for the sake of the people of Zimbabwe and to preserve stability in the region.

It's been a long time coming, but Mugabe's arrogance and tyranny have finally burnt a hole in the hero-mantle that seemed to protect him from the criticism of his African brothers.

In South Africa we have already begun to see some of our heroes turn into arrogant, self-enriching, empowerment junkies, whilst others have settled for political prostitution, and still others have sought to fulfil their ambitions of wealth by lining their pockets with corrupt gains.

Those who continue to be heroes of South Africa and its people are few and far between.

Dishonest, irresponsible leadership and vacuous political rhetoric seem to be the order of the day. I don't believe South Africans will tolerate such opportunism, but are we prepared to say to our heroes of yesterday: You no longer embody the principles we expect of our heroes, so you've got to go!

The conviction of youth

June 16th commemorates the courage of the youth of 1976 who took a stand against the violent apartheid regime. It is often hailed as a defining moment of the Anti-Apartheid struggle. It is also the day that many disillusioned youngsters rejected Apartheid education to join the freedom struggle.

Many families still bare the scars of losing their sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. It was a time of tragedy and heroism, that South Africa can hold up as an example of the conviction of the youth facing the oppressive forces of the day.

With freedom won, our youth like the rest of society have largely grown weary of 'the struggle' and are more inclined to be caught up in consumeristic trends than socio-economic debates.

Yet, the patriotism of today's youth is palpable in their creative expression and pursuit of identity, as never before.

If we are reminded of anything today, let it be that: education and poverty are still struggles that require the conviction of all, particularly the youth, if freedom is to become a lived reality.

Poverty is a violent condition

Pic: news24.com

I may have been away from the blog (due to technical problems), but I too have witnessed with distress, the events dubbed "Xenophobic Attacks" in the media, that have shaken our nation.

The latest wave of violence against foreigners is arguably the darkest period in our post-democratic history. It brought deep-rooted frustrations of our country’s poor to the fore, which erupted in brutality, torching and looting of lowly homes and modest businesses.

The outpouring of public support and assistance that followed is evidence not only of our compassion, but our opposition to the actions of our fellow South Africans and the collective shame we feel.
Yet we must acknowledge that ripples of antagonism have been forming in hotspots around the country for years. These extreme and unprovoked violent actions cannot be condoned, and the opportunistic criminal element cannot be overlooked.

In our hearts we know, as a nation, that the desperate conditions of poverty among many South Africans leaves little for them to share with their equally desperate, migrant neighbours.

While government scurries to implement a long overdue and critical "Refugee Plan" and ordinary citizens come to the aide of the affected foreigners in true South African spirit, one thing must remain top of mind: unless we demand urgent action to satisfactorily address the smouldering issues such as housing and unemployment, these incensed mobs will ignite again.

Go Mothers!

I am grateful for this experience of being a mother. As with other experiences in my life, it has provided a perspective for some enlightenment.

My 3 childrens births gave me a newfound insight and appreciation of the reality which my own mothers (yes, plural) faced. And as I participate in my children's upbringing, I find myself exposed to every possibility - that which is within my control and that which is not.

Parenting is definitely a challenging and demanding task. I think I am most grateful that I have not had to face a day when I could not meet my childrens basic needs. I am conscious that there are mothers who, today and every other day of the year, are forced to witness their children go hungry for lack of adequate food, be exploited for lack of opportunities and die for lack of medication. This day of gratitude must honour them too.

"A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

Sophia Loren

Shame on corporate thugs

"INTELLECTUAL THEFT OR PLAGIARISM is the use of others' published and unpublished ideas, words or other intellectual property without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. The intent and effect of plagiarism is to mislead the reader as to the contributions of the plagiarizer. "

(http://www.wame.org/)

It is shameful to see the likes of lauded organisations like the International Marketing Council (a.k.a. Brand South Africa) passing off templates of ideas they have previously rejected, as their own. Paraphrasing cannot disguise the obvious copy and paste, but money and profile certainly can...

Think cable thieves are a threat to society? Yes, theirs is an offence - an offence most likely perpetrated in response to economic need.

The intellectual theft perpetrated by corporate thugs is a premeditated act of corporate greed.

You decide which is the greater denigrating force on the virtues of our society?