tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76575384364433778772024-02-20T09:22:54.030-08:00ZIMRISEUPIn Solidarity with Zimbabweobiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-50586910349637322632008-08-24T17:17:00.000-07:002008-08-24T17:18:58.194-07:00Heroes Day Lessons For AfricansHeroes Day lessons for Africans<br /><br />By Obi Egbuna<br />Reprinted From the Zimbabwe Herald<br /><br />AS the people of Zimbabwe paid homage to their fallen heroes throughout the country on Monday, there are several valuable lessons daughters and sons of Africa both at home and abroad can learn.<br /><br />While the majority of people who visit Zimbabwe annually eagerly anticipate visiting Mosi-oa-Tunya (commonly referred to as Victoria Falls) or Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo because of their breathtaking beauty, it is the National Heroes Acre in Harare that will help people not only understand the people’s collective resistance spearheaded by President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.<br /><br />The national shrine also puts Zimbabwe’s current political and economic challenges in a proper historical context.<br /><br />The first thing that stands out about the shrine should not be the beautiful architecture, but the deliberate effort to bury comrades in Zanu and Zapu right next to each other as comrades-in-arms and not political rivals.<br /><br />This shows the African world the kind of unity that led to independence on April 18, 1980.<br /><br />Because the West continues to deliberately overlook Zimbabwe’s positive achievements, they will never grasp the true meaning of Heroes Day and the Africans under their thumb are in danger of letting these valuable lessons pass them by.<br /><br />The national shrine is arguably the strongest political statement on the lengths an oppressed people can go to when attempting to unify their resistance efforts while in pursuit of total liberation.<br /><br />This has significance on both the Memorandum of Understanding and the talks between the three main political parties.<br /><br />While US and British imperialism and their neo-colonialist counterparts intensify their efforts to diminish the talks and their political value, they underestimate the political culture of Zimbabweans.<br /><br />It is these dynamics that made both formations of the MDC realise that the leadership of President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe is the driving force behind the bond that makes the masses in Southern Africa rejoice that they reside in the most stable and unified region of the African continent.<br /><br />The African community inside US borders is light years behind Zimbabweans and our comrades in the Sadc region when it comes to the concept of unification.<br /><br />It is quite contradictory that the Africans inside US borders who have decided to devote their energy to condemning President Mugabe and Zanu-PF, using the same baseless rhetoric as the Bush and Brown administrations, are unwilling to do the necessary work to create and maintain a united African front among organisations fighting inside the belly of US imperialism.<br /><br />We have seen in the last 10 years the funerals of human rights icons like Kwame Toure, James Forman and Rosa Parks turn into showcases for many spokespeople who still haven’t learned how to properly pay tribute to fallen comrades.<br /><br />Instead of using these platforms to showcase their oratory prowess, they should highlight the work of the fighters they would have gathered to honour instead of behaving like they are trying to earn the final spot on a debate team.<br /><br />If they came to Zimbabwe for Heroes Day, the first thing that would stand out is that President Mugabe is the only speaker of the day, and others who are gifted in articulating ideas that are the cornerstone of the revolutionary process in Zimbabwe, actually have the humility to sit down and listen to someone else without itching to be the stars of the show.<br /><br />The way President Mugabe uses this opportunity is both humble and brilliant. He highlights the giants of yesterday for the born-free generation and this ensures the work of comrades like Herbert Chitepo, Josiah Tongogara and Joshua Nkomo will be not only remembered but continued.<br /><br />He then turns to confronting Zimbabwe’s immediate challenges.<br /><br />A few weeks ago at a the Press conference after the MOU was signed, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said nobody held a monopoly on patriotism.<br /><br />This was perhaps his most eloquent remark since he has been on the political scene in Zimbabwe, even going back to his days as the secretary-general of ZCTU.<br /><br />Tsvangirai will have to admit he has never heard President Mugabe or anyone in Zanu-PF ever declare themselves a patriot.<br /><br />We can say with certainty that Tsvangirai will find it extremely difficult to find any significant historical figure in any liberation struggle, whether in Africa, Asia or Latin America, who will claim to be a super patriot.<br /><br />Such a label can only bestowed upon you by your people.<br /><br />So when evaluating his role in Zimbabwe’s struggle, if the majority of his compliments are coming from Britain and the United States, perhaps this will help expand his understanding and appreciation of who President Mugabe and the fallen comrades buried at the Heroes Acre are.<br /><br />Tsvangirai can also travel the world and visit the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia which have a rich revolutionary tradition like Zimbabwe, and we are confident he will find that the accolade of a patriot can only be given by the people.<br /><br />The climate of unity in Zimbabwe is stronger than ever and this has helped the country stave off the negative propaganda that comes from Westerners who would like to see the revolution and the talks fail.<br /><br />What is becoming increasingly obvious is that the US and British governments have made their biggest foreign policy blunder in the manner in which they have chosen to engage Zimbabwe.<br /><br />This is because of a combination of two dynamics: their hatred of President Mugabe and Zanu-PF and their inability to convince both formations of the MDC to merge and march to the beat of their drum.<br /><br />As more accurate information is revealed about Anglo-American imperialism’s dual agenda on Zimbabwe, the African world will discover in the near future that the opposition was created to do anything to frustrate President Mugabe’s revolution.<br /><br />Any means necessary were to be used in this quest.<br /><br />That is why the West is worried about the present talks and it is working night and day to ensure they do not succeed.<br /><br />The West has not backed Tsvangirai for all these years only for him to sit at a negotiating table with the man they want removed at all costs.<br /><br />The European Union, the US and their allies do not have confidence in Tsvangirai’s negotiating skills and they thus do not want to see him talking face-to-face with President Mugabe.<br /><br />The West will settle for nothing less than President Mugabe’s total capitulation and they do not see this coming out of dialogue.<br /><br />Today Zimbabwe is too united for the West’s liking and the spirit of oneness, as embodied in Heroes Day, is too much for them to bear.<br /><br />Arthur Mutambara was present at the Heroes Day commemorations and it is for this reason that the anti-Zimbabwe campaign will try now more than ever to try and make him look irrelevant.<br /><br />Zimbabweans has resisted such attempts to divide the nation before and they will resist again.<br /><br />Long live the fallen heroes! Long live President Mugabe! Long live Zimbabwe!<br /> <div class="post-footer"> <div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"><span class="post-author vcard"> Posted by <span class="fn">Pan-African News Wire</span> </span> <span class="post-timestamp"> at <a class="timestamp-link" href="http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2008/08/zimbabwe-heroes-day-lessons-for.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2008-08-14T11:25:00-04:00">11:25 AM</abbr></a> </span> <span class="post-comment-link"> </span> <span class="post-icons"> <span class="item-action"> <a href="email-post.g?blogID=16711557&postID=7579518934427238053" title="Email Post"> <img alt="" class="icon-action" src="img/icon18_email.gif" /> </a> </span> <span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1222194122"> <a href="post-edit.g?blogID=16711557&postID=7579518934427238053" title="Edit Post"> <img alt="" class="icon-action" src="img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" /> </a> </span> </span> <span class="post-backlinks post-comment-link"> </span> </div> <div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-2"><span class="post-labels"> </span> </div> </div> <a name="comments"></a> <h4><br /></h4>obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-42232239033123531572008-08-21T11:18:00.000-07:002008-08-21T11:20:37.935-07:00Empowering Cuba To Save More African LivesThe bravery and fervor Cuban Revolutionaries have displayed since time immemorial, from Jose Marti (whom Fidel Castro affectionately refers to as the Apostle of the revolution) and General Antonio Maceo to Che Guevara and Vilma Espin, have always been an inspiration to those who truly love freedom and justice. This passion for world peace stems from the revolutionary values which are at the core of Cuban society. Often times, the world has seen how willing Cubans are to give their lives and resources in pursuit of freedom and justice-such as they did at the US led Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961,and in Angola, Mozambique and Guinee Bissau. A more current example of this courage are the 5 Cuban patriots, who are illegally imprisoned in US jails, because they decided to risk their lives to prevent further acts of naked aggression and terrorism against their beloved homeland, by the counter revolutionary Cuban forces in Miami who are openly aligned with the Bush administration. It is quite interesting that despite this rich history of sacrifice, Commandante Fidel Castro has humbly indicated on many occasions that the greatest army ever assembled in Cuba, is that of the medical brigades. These professional and well trained brigades have many times represented their country patriotically not only at home but throughout the world.<br /><br />Whether speaking in our indigenous or colonial languages, no one can ever find the right words with which to express our gratitude for the countless lives Cuban medical personnel have saved across Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America .The commitment that the Cuban medical brigades have demonstrated is truly inspiring whether or not one supports Cuba's political and social ideology. The poorest people in the world have benefited from free treatment that has been extended by the government of the largest island of the Caribbean. This level of commitment and exemplary service has put Cuba at the forefront of intervention in containing the spread and impact of HIV and Aids on both the African continent and Diaspora. While medical advocacy groups when revealing tragic statistics in relation to this deadly disease might have created a climate of panic that many of those with HIV or Aids never psychologically overcome, several top medical experts estimate there will be 18 million Aids orphans on the African continent by 2010.Already close to a decade into the second millennium, it is time for Africa to fully appreciate a standing offer that Cuba has made to the continent to assist in dealing with the pandemic. While the United Nations and various organizations such as the Global Fund were still busy setting up the millennium fund, Cde Castro communicated to the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that Cuba would like to lend its assistance to the cause. He told Mr. Annan that because Cuba was under a decades old blockade the country could not give any monetary aid but there was still a way in which he could give help. Cde Castro said Cuba was willing to send 4,000-that's right 4,000 of Cuba's best HIV and Aids doctors and specialists directly to Africa and they would remain on the continent until the pandemic was defeated. That offer unfortunately was not taken up because the UN apparently feared the reaction feared the reaction from the United States-Cuba's age old enemy-if it emerged that the Socialist country was doing far more than anyone else in combating HIV and AIDS. So, sadly, nothing came out of this most generous offer. It is fortunate that the region on the continent worst affected by HIV and Aids is also the same region that has the closest ties with Cuba on the continent: Southern Africa.<br /><br /><br />There are numerous Cuba friendship associations across the SADC region and is time these bodies jointly approached the African Union and make it clear that the entire continent accept Cuba's offer. People are always saying that Africa should be left to come up with solutions to its own problems and in Cuba's magnanimous offer, the continent has an opportunity to cast aside the conditional aid that comes from the West and effectively do something about HIV and AIDS. The time is more than ripe to submit a joint proposal to the AU, through the proper channels and established protocol, using the various Cuba Friendship Associations and through the offices of the SADC health ministers. The proposal should call on the AU to create a joint fund from each member of the continent wide body to finance the 4,000 strong brigade that Cuba wants to send to Africa.<br /><br />This money would be used for the Cubans upkeep and necessary supplies. The AU should agree to let Cuba develop a training program that helps African countries deal with droughts, floods and other natural calamities and disasters as these have a huge impact on HIV and AIDS. We know that the immediate reaction from some in Africa will be that such a decision will place the continent on a collision course with the United States, which does not want the rest of the world to develop strong ties with Cuba. The case of Zimbabwe and its courageous leader President Mugabe has shown the world exactly the kind of onslaught the US can unleash when a third world country resists big power hegemony and makes decisions that empower its own peoples. But can the US really afford to antagonize the whole of Africa? Can it try to do to the entire continent what it has been trying to do to Zimbabwe? After all, the US needs Africa's resources and there should not be any fear of US reaction to accepting Cuba's compassionate offer, if these countries consistently vote against the US imposed blockade on Cuba at the UN every year, than embracing a measure to save the lives of everyone form the elderly to small children is just a drop in the bucket. It is also important to highlight that Africa already hosts almost 3,000 Cuban doctors dispersed throughout the continent wherever duty calls. What will make this statement even more powerful is if the Africans in the Diaspora do something equally as bold and visionary. The African community inside US borders are only three years removed from Hurricane Katrina-one of the most devastating disasters in US history.<br /><br />In the midst of all the political grandstanding that characterized the Bush administration's response to the catastrophe, the most significant and genuine offer was almost totally ignored. Twenty four hours after the hurricane struck, Cde Castro contacted the US State Department in Washington and offered to send 500 environmental disaster specialists to the Gulf region within the next day. That was not all. A further 1,500 would be dispatched over the next 48 hours. The personnel would remain in place, assisting victims of the disaster until the health infrastructure was resurrected and the people were adequately cared for. In the next 48 hours, the US Health and Human Services Department declared public health emergency in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The emergency was then extended to nine other states where survivors were evacuated to but still the US would still not accept Cde Castro's offer. Later on, it is estimated that apart from the innumerable deaths and damage to property, over 500,000 people were said to have needed psychological counseling following the disaster and the government's inadequate response to it.<br /><br /><br />An interesting point to note: Louisiana supplies 30 percent of the oil and gas produced in the US but has a poverty rate of 23 percent. The poverty rates in Mississippi and Alabama are 23 and 20 percent respectively and these are the worst three states in the entire country. For some reason, the non white community, who were the worst affected by Hurricane Katrina, failed to unite and confront the Bush administration for their poor response to the tragedy and refusing to take up Cde Castro's offer. The US Department of Health was well aware of what Cuba did during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 in Russia where they offered similar assistance. A similar offer was made by Cde Castro to the US Government shortly after the September 11th attacks. Despite this sterling humanitarian record, the US still lists Cuba as a terrorist country and little girls like Condoleezza Rice have the temerity to paint the country as an outpost of tyranny. While conventional wisdom says the reaction of US Imperialism to Cuba's offer was predictable and it would be idealistic to expect otherwise, the former Ambassador to the Cuban Interests Section Dagoberto Rodriguez, said the offer was not just rejected, but simply ignored. But at the same time, the response of the 40 million Africans living inside the belly of the US was at best mediocre. We chose to waste time on television and radio panels discussing the sound byte of hip hop star Kanye West when he said "George Bush doesn't like black people”, rather than tackle real issues affecting us. The internationally acclaimed director and filmmaker Spike Lee made the film "When The Levees Broke" which shed light on the disaster and the impact it had on the Gulf Region, however this 2 ½ hour documentary made no mention of Cde Castro's offer to the people of the Gulf Region. There was a segment in which the entertainer and activist Harry Belafonte discussed the offer of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, because Mr. Belafonte is an ardent supporter and long time friend/admirer of Cuba, three years later it is difficult to determine whether he genuinely forgot to mention Cuba or if this was another classic hatchet job by the Zionists calling the shots in Hollywood. While the cultural workers failed to shed light on Cuba's offer the medical and political sectors of our community fared no better. Neither the National Medical Association or the Black Nurses Association-out two largest medical advocacy groups failed to aggressively promote this offer. Civil Rights Organizations like the NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, National Urban League, the Children's Defense Fund and the Congressional Black Caucus whose leadership have visited and support Cuba, collectively chose to take a domestic approach to the Hurricane Katrina situation and were silent about the offer made by Cde Castro. The churches-many who have visited the Martin Luther King Center in Cuba-also did very little to expose the Bush administration's decision to ignore Cuba's act of good will to the people in the Gulf region. The National Newspaper Publishers Association and the National Association of Black Journalists in a three year time span also as a unit did close to nothing to promote this magnificent offer from Cuba, even though many of the Publishers and Editors frequently highlight the health disparity between the African(African-American) and White Communities inside the United States. While they were efforts to raise the issue, such as those by Nation Of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, these were far and between. And now three years later while Africans at home should be pushing for the Cuban medical brigade to be deployed forthwith to help us win the battle against HIV and AIDS, the Africans in America should realize we lost a similar opportunity and should be campaigning to ensure the US Government does not continue to block this offer.<br /><br />We must demand that Bush not interfere because several countries who attack Cuba politically, accept help from their medical brigades, we must challenge US Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Hussein Obama raise this issue on every campaign stop he has from here to November and his opponent Senator John McCain resist the temptation to sabotage this effort in traditional US military fashion.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-83713473390684108782008-07-31T10:16:00.000-07:002008-07-31T10:22:14.320-07:00AN OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR BARACK OBAMA<p><br />Dear Senator and Big Brother, </p><p><br />I sincerely hope my letter finds you at the peak of your resistance and in the very best of health and good spirits; the purpose of this correspondence is to engage you and your campaign staff on the issue of Zimbabwe. While the strategic focus of your campaign may differ from previous candidates who were products of the African (African-American) community i.e. Shirley Chisholm, Eldridge Cleaver, Dick Gregory, Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton and Senator Carol Moseley Braun; the obligation to raise and magnify contradictions that directly affect our people all over the world, remains a historical obligation that daughters and sons of the African soil do not have the luxury of abandoning. Mr. Senator I have to confess that my motivations for raising this issue with you and your staff are not only political but social as well; even though I have lived in the United States since 1976 my father was born in Nigeria and my mother in Singapore. Mr. Senator because our biological Fathers were born and raised in African countries that were colonized by the British Empire, it is only fitting that we intensify a no holds barred discussion about the People and Government of Zimbabwe. Mr. Senator while you successfully defeated Senator Clinton in the Democratic Primary the current status of your candidacy for the US Presidency is to convince voters aligned to the Democratic Party that you are more electable than Senator Hillary Clinton; the positions you take on issues of national and international character must reflect this. I hate to tell you, however failure to distinguish yourself especially on issues concerning developments on our mother continent of Africa expose that your campaign, and everything it appears to symbolize on the surface, is only a continuation of US Imperialism's unyielding commitment to dominate and exploit every corner of the planet earth.<br /></p><p><br />Mr. Senator your Statement on Zimbabwe addressed to President George W. Bush was published on Thursday March 15, 2007; you then went on to submit a joint resolution with the now deceased Congressman Tom Lantos on March 29Th, 2007, before the US Senate and Congress expressing your displeasures with the Government of President Robert Mugabe (S.Con.Res 25).These are the following remarks from both documents that need to be questioned and challenged. I will begin with your statement on March 15Th 2007<br /></p><p><br />1. The True Cause of Strife: President Mugabe's disastrous rule remains unaddressed.<br /><br />2. For years it has been increasingly apparent that the Mugabe Government is interested in its own survival and enrichment, not the welfare of the people of<br />Zimbabwe.<br /><br /><br />3. International Observers including the US concluded that the Presidential elections of 2002 and Parliamentary elections were not free and fair.<br /><br />4. Within Zimbabwe the opposition to Mugabe has shown resiliency and courage.<br /><br /><br />5. Zimbabwe's economy is shrinking faster than any country in the world that is not at war.<br /><br /><br />6. Mr. President the US must continue to stand strongly against the Mugabe government's abuses of power in Zimbabwe. We must join our European allies, the UN, and most importantly the countries and institutions of the region to press for positive change in Zimbabwe; that means a peaceful democratic transition in 2008, and support for economic growth and opportunity, including the lifting of sanctions once the dark cloud of Mugabe's rule is lifted, and Zimbabweans are able again to reach for the new horizon they deserve.<br /><br />7. I call on President Mugabe to release all political detainees, and repeal the ban on political rallies, to end the use of violence and torture in jails, permit a free media and abide by the rule of the law.<br /></p><p><br />I will address and challenge the points of reference from the resolution submitted 14 days after your initial statement. They are the following:<br /></p><p><br />1. Whereas US Ambassador Christopher Dell warned that opposition to President Robert Mugabe had reached a tipping point because the people no longer feared the regime and believed they had nothing to lose.<br /><br />2. Whereas the staggering suffering brought about by the misrule of Zimbabwe has created a large scale humanitarian crisis in which 3,500 people die each week from a combination of disease, hunger, neglect and despair.<br /></p><p><br />Responses to March 15Th, 2007 statement:<br /></p><p><br />1. Mr. Senator to use a term like disastrous to describe what President Mugabe means to Zimbabwe, the Southern Region of Africa, and the entire African continent for that matter, demonstrates that blinded political ambition which makes you feel like you must keep a safe distance from President Mugabe similar in the manner you claim not to identify with Nation Of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan. I believe it was Minister Louis Farrakhan who endorsed your US Presidential bid in February, as well as, more recently, your former Pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Mr. Senator, since Zimbabwe was not on the list of African countries you visited almost two years ago, so what makes you feel you are qualified to recommend what is in the best interest of the people and its government?<br /><br />2. Mr. Senator since you have in the past claimed your entry into politics was a reaction to the injustice of Apartheid, maybe you perhaps forgot that Apartheid did not just take place in what is commonly referred to as South Africa. This reality meant that the people of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique had to engage in protracted armed struggles to liberate both their land and people due to the fact that Apartheid in Southern Africa was perhaps the most fascist manifestation of Settler Colonialism Africa's children have ever experienced. While 83% of South Africa's land remains in the hands of Whites, President Mugabe and ZANU-PF have reclaimed 12 million acres of land and awarded it to 350,000 families in a country where the average family comprises of six people. This hardly can be interpreted as the enrichment of a few people. Mr. Senator, you are also guilty of ignoring the 94% literacy rate of Zimbabwe and the appointment of Modern Africa's first Woman Vice President Amai Joyce Mujuru, and the fact that Zimbabwe remains the only country in the world that has a National AIDS Levy/Council that has resulted in the most significant decline in any Southern African Country. (The Southern Region remains Africa's most vulnerable region to the HIV-AIDS pandemic).<br /><br />3. Mr. Senator you should have one of you staff members pick up the NAACP's report on Zimbabwe's 2002 Presidential elections, and raise the question why the US State Department felt it necessary to request this report not be published in the first place. Mr. Senator, you obviously did not receive the following reports of the 2005 parliamentary elections: African Union, Southern African Development Community, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Catholic Coalition of Peace and Justice of Zimbabwe. You give the impression because of both your religious convictions and humble beginnings honesty guides your decisions, however perhaps absorbing the crucial points of these documents will spell out the obvious: on the issue of Zimbabwe you and your fellow Congressional Black Caucus members are, at best, genuinely misinformed.<br /><br />4. Mr. Senator, there is absolutely nothing courageous about either faction of the Movement for Democratic Change nor its leaders Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, or Professor Arthur Mutambara. This statement is extremely troubling because it infers that you would have supported the CIA trained mercenary outfits of UNITA in Angola or RENAMO in Mozambique instead of MPLA and FRELIMO. If running around Zimbabwe with pockets full of British Pounds and US Dollars is your definition of bravery; this means that you support civilian neo-colonialism there, and are willing to help the Bush and Brown administrations accomplish this objective at all costs. Mr. Senator, please try to remember The Movement for Democratic Change has the distinction of not just being financed by Britain and Washington, but it is also the brainchild of Britain's three main political parties.<br /><br />5. Mr. Senator in a debate with Senator Clinton shortly before the Ohio primary, you assertively said that the current foreign policy of the US Government is in complete shambles. When it comes to Zimbabwe it appears that you, Senator Clinton (whom is one of the co-sponsors of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001), and Senator McCain, who shares the exact sentiments of Mr. Bush, are all joined at the hip. Mr. Senator, you appear to be extremely naive about the impact<br />Sanctions can have on a country's economy and morale for that matter; this is ironic because the War on Iraq has been the main battle cry of your campaign where 2 million Iraqi people have died because of these same types of vindictive and cowardly sanctions. Mr. Senator, while your political superior, Mr. Bush as well as his British counterpart Mr. Brown, have not yet declared war on President Mugabe and ZANU-PF; their use of sanctions, as an instrument to isolate and starve the people of Zimbabwe until they have successfully imposed their will on them politically, is certainly a step in that direction.<br /><br /><br />6. Mr. Senator your appeal to Mr. Bush to only lift the sanctions on Zimbabwe once the illegal racist regime change has been forced, illustrates the type of hatred and contempt for President Mugabe and ZANU-PF which is predictable when articulated by the Imperialists themselves. However, it is absolutely shocking to hear when it comes from an African whose family knows British colonialism and domination up close and personal. Mr. Senator you and your colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus appear more comfortable with using US State Department briefings, reports from British based Amnesty International and US Human Rights Watch to justify supporting Mr. Bush's policy on Zimbabwe, as opposed to increasing correspondence with the SADC countries. Mr. Senator if the SADC countries are telling the west that the conversation must begin with honoring the diplomatic negotiations at Lancaster House in 1979, as well as lifting of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, how can someone in your position continue to ignore the writing on the wall? Mr. Senator your statement condemning President Mugabe and ZANU-PF completely ignore the Land Reclamation program. How do you look your Kenyan relatives in the face when you know they, like the Zimbabweans, had to wage a protracted armed struggle against these same British who you call an ally concerning this urgent matter? Mr. Senator you obviously either missed or ignored the recommendation of the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who defined the conflict in Zimbabwe as a bilateral dispute between an independent country and its former colonial master and felt Tanzania's former President Benjamin Mkapa should serve as a negotiator between Britain and Zimbabwe.<br /><br /><br />7. Mr. Senator out of all the bold and inaccurate proclamations being made by President Mugabe and ZANU-PF's detractors in the west, the absence of free media in the country is the most ridiculous. When you decide to visit Zimbabwe you will have absolutely no difficulty whatsoever purchasing any of the newspapers that openly condemn the Government (the Standard, the Financial Gazette, the Mail and Guardian, the Zimbabwean and the Zimbabwean Independent). Mr. Senator the irony of this claim is that the Herald and Daily Mirror are the only papers which present and defend the position of President Mugabe and the ruling party. Mr. Senator, until you and your CBC colleagues are willing to engage President Mugabe and ZANU-PF officials, face to face, about whether the current prisoners are security risks to peace and sovereignty; you should refrain from making demands that you are not properly informed about to discuss at length with substance and detail.<br /><br />Responses to March 29Th, 2007 resolution<br /><br />1. Mr. Senator the diplomatic tenure of Mr. Christopher Dell was a complete failure. Mr. Dell might as well have become a card carrying member of MDC. Mr. Dell behaved more like an intelligence agent of the CIA or the Homeland Security apparatus. Mr. Senator a Senate investigation should be held concerning Mr. Dell's activities in Zimbabwe; Mr. Dell's main objective before his term expired was to make Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mutambara kiss and make up because the west expects total obedience from the political opposition they finance and create. Mr. Senator, replacing Mr. Dell with an African, Mr. James McGee, means nothing if he will have flashbacks to the Vietnam War when he earned his stripes by dropping bombs on a colonized people who couldn't enjoy the fruits of independence, because US Imperialism felt it wasn't their time yet.<br /><br />2. Mr. Senator while you were in South Africa openly condemning their Government's commitment towards eradicating HIV-AIDS, the Government you take pride in representing is guilty of depriving Zimbabwe access to global fund resources; at a time when they are responsible for the most significant decline in Southern Africa since the beginning of the 21st century. Mr. Senator the Global Fund under the leadership of former US Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson and his British counterpart Richard Feacham denied Zimbabwe's applications for the second, third, fourth and sixth rounds. Mr. Senator you should raise this issue with the former UNICEF director Carol Bellamy who called this measure persecution of the poor. As a father of two little Girls it would be interesting to get you and Sister Michelle Obama on record to discuss how the Bush and Brown administration used humanitarian aid as a political weapon against an African country in the region most vulnerable to the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Mr. Senator, Zimbabwe has over 1.6 million HIV-Aids orphans. Despite their (Zimbabwe’s) success in this fight, they have exposed NGO's under the auspices of fighting HIV-AIDS that are calling for a regime change, and publishing statistics that were conflicting to those of the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare whom they are supposedly there to help.<br /><br />Mr. Senator, in conclusion, Africans all over the world have the same appreciation for President Mugabe that you have for Abraham Lincoln; and as a matter of fact, the history of President Mugabe and his biggest influence, Ghana's first Prime Minister Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, dispel and override the claim that only in America is your story possible. Mr. Senator, in the spirit of true democracy, you and your colleagues should hold a special town meeting in New York City during the next UN General Assembly for President Mugabe to address any concerns the collective body of the CBC has concerning Zimbabwe. During this venue all of you can answer why nine white conservative Republicans and two white Democrats voted against the Sanctions and none of you had the courage to do the same. Mr. Senator, while you have politically distanced yourself from Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the people of Zimbabwe can only hope you remember two phases from the church’s mission: A congregation with a non negotiable commitment to Africa, a congregation committed to the historical education of African people in the Diaspora.<br /><br />Obi Egbuna<br />Organizer<br />Pan African Liberation Organization<br />Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association<br /></p>obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-40648425606901402432008-07-09T13:18:00.001-07:002008-07-09T13:18:33.534-07:00Presentation From Mhondoro/Ngezi On HIV/AIDS Challenges In Zimbabwe <table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'> <b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; font-weight: bold;">Statement Delivered By Obi Egbuna In Ngezi/Mhondoro on the 30th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising and the Day of the African Child and the struggle against the HIV/Aids Pandemic in Zimbabwe.</span></font></b><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><div id="yiv1501046985"><div class="Section1"> <h1><b style=""><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></b></h1> <h1><b style=""><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="">June 16, 2006</span></span></font></b></h1> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">On behalf of the Pan African Liberation Organization and the Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association, it is an honor to be here commemorating both the 30<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Soweto Uprising and the Day of the African Child.<span style=""> </span>I would like to thank Comrade Bright Matonga, the Deputy Minister for Information and Publicity, for inviting me to his District.<span style=""> </span>I hope my brief remarks meet your satisfaction. </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="">The courage displayed by the youth in Soweto thirty years ago today is one of the best examples of organized resistance with ideological direction and focus that sons and daughters of Africa have ever been.<span style=""> </span>Since we know the youth who organized that powerful demonstration were guided by the concept of Black Consciousness, we remember the words of Comrade Steve Biko when he said, "the most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed".<span style=""> </span>Those powerful words still have significant meaning today, especially right here in Zimbabwe when we see that poor excuse for a Christian, Bishop Pius Ncube, praying to his Lord and Savior for the death of President Mugabe, instead of praying for the people of Zimbabwe to overcome the HIV-Pandemic and for the sanctions imposed by Britain and United States on Zimbabwe to be lifted once and for all.</span></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">I want everyone here at St Michael's today to know that in the United States, even though your brothers and sisters of African origin living within U.S. borders make up just 12% of the general population, we are 26% of the HIV/Aids carrying population.<span style=""> </span>I want you to know that the Zimbabwe support and solidarity efforts in the United States do not just focus exclusively on their political challenges Zimbabwe faces like the sanctions imposed by Blair and Bush, defending the value of the land reclamation campaign, etc., but we have been working to bring more attention to the efforts of Zimbabwe's biggest social challenge - stopping the rise of HIV-Aids orphans which we have seen rise in the last year from 960,000 to 1.6 million and 3,000 adults dying on a weekly basis. </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">We have organized activities for both the Zimbabwe Embassy in Washington and the Zimbabwe Mission to the United Nations around the issue of HIV/AIDS.<span style=""> </span>In the last year, the Ambassadors and others in the diplomatic core have addressed the NAACP's National Convention, the National Medical Association's National Convention and the National Newspaper Publisher Association's National Convention.<span style=""> </span>These events stem from a strategy to expose the fascist and inhumane efforts of the Blair and Bush administrations using their political leverage to deny Zimbabwe access to resources to fight the pandemic in the name of their anti-Mugabe, anti ZANU-PF crusade.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">The membership of the St Michael's HIV prevention network must understand the propaganda war against your President and Government is not restricted to political issues and you must help your national AIDS Council come down like lightning and thunder on these cowardly NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations) who lie about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe in order to prevent the Government from receiving the same assistance everyone else in the SADC (South African Development Community) region gets.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">These NGO's we speak of guilty of these actions are nothing but extended mouthpieces of the International Crisis Group of the European Union and the CIA and Pentagon in the United States.<span style=""> </span>We recommend on this day of the African Child, the people of Zimbabwe must ask Kofi Annan when he arrives what he plans to do about the claim of the former director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy when she called the attempts to prevent Zimbabwe from having access to the resources of the Millennium Fund for HIV/AIDS persecution of the poor. </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">She went on to say the fight against HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe has nothing to do with the Anti-Mugabe politics of Britain and the United States.<span style=""> </span>I want to inform you of our plan to get the National Medical Association, Black Nurses Association, NAACP, AMSA, National of Islam's Health Division and the National Conference of Black Lawyers to submit a resolution to the UN and the World Health Organization that states a country cannot be denied humanitarian aid because of their political choices and direction.<span style=""> </span>We will also seek the support of the Congressional Black Caucuses Health Liaison because they must see the connection between the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and the genocidal tendencies of the government they serve on this HIV/AIDS question as it relates to Zimbabwe.<span style=""> </span>We would like to have this ready on World Aids Day of this year.<span style=""> </span></span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">In conclusion we want to congratulate President Mugabe and ZANU/PF on being the first country on the planet to institute an AIDS levy where 3% of the salary of workers to go towards a HIV/AIDS fund to help the nation emerge victorious in this never ending fight against the world's most deadly disease.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">The members of St Michael's HIV/AIDS prevention network must remember the generous offer of Cuban President Fidel Castro to the United Nations offering to send 4,000 of Cuba's best AIDS doctors, specialists, and researchers here in Africa to help our beloved mother continent gain full control of this deadly crisis before its too late. The response to this compassionate offer by Commandante Fidel was met with the usual lack of resources song and dance of the UN.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">We must take the African Union and every African government to task on this issue.<span style=""> </span>On this day of the African Child, we ask the St Michael's HIV/AIDS prevention network to work with the National AIDS Council to submit a resolution to the Pan African Parliament of the African Union to persuade all African Governments to finance the Cuban Brigade of HIV/Aids Doctors Researchers and Specialists so they can come to Africa as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>This fight against HIV/AIDS deserves just as much priority as the peacekeeping missions they find themselves addressing day and night.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">The African Continent is no stranger to the effectiveness of Cuban doctors.<span style=""> </span>Right here in Zimbabwe you have 180 at the moment.<span style=""> </span>Let two nations both sanctioned by Imperialism help Africa overcome one of its most serious challenges to date, the fight against the HIV/AIDS.</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Long Live the African Child!</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Long Live the Comrades who died in Soweto!</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Long Live Cuba Long Live Zimbabwe!</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Thank You. </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;"> </span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Obi Egbuna</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Pan African Liberation Organization</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext;">Zimbabwe Support and Solidarity Efforts USA</span></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><font color="black" face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p> </div> </div></blockquote></td></tr></table><br> obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-84946623633365935692008-07-01T12:04:00.001-07:002008-08-07T04:33:47.231-07:00Who Has Last Word on Zim's Democracy?<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit;" valign="top">BECAUSE Mother Africa's children, whether at home or abroad, are ancestral products of colonialism and slavery, we realise that fighting for democracy and human rights is an extension of our struggle for liberation and human dignity. The most intense phase of this process deals with barring our former colonial and slave masters from imposing their definitions of these concepts on us or to diminish our genuine efforts to achieve these noble objectives.<br /><br />Those among us who choose this approach are almost guaranteed to be attacked viciously and mercilessly, since Africa's past and present exploiters feel it is not our place to plan our future without their approval or validation.<br /><br />While the elections in Zimbabwe that took place on March 29, 2008 focused on four different levels of government; local government, senate, House of Assembly and presidential; Zimbabwe's President Cde Mugabe and the ruling party Zanu-PF approached the process with a two-fold responsibility: Firstly, to give Zimbabweans an electoral process with the level of fairness they had become accustomed to, and secondly preventing the imperialist duo of George W. Bush and Gordon Brown from exploiting the developments for their own benefit.<br /><br />The American and British governments have campaigned tirelessly to convince the world that democracy cannot flourish in Zimbabwe without their watchful eye and direct involvement. This interpretation of politics in Zimbabwe is only embraced by those who are either ignorant of the country's history or for subjective reasons, have chosen to overlook it.<br /><br />The first opposition party in Zimbabwe, after the Unity Accord was signed between Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu, was formed by Zanu-PF's former secretary general Edgar Tekere who accompanied Cde Mugabe to Mozambique to direct the final phase of the Second Chimurenga (the armed struggle).<br /><br />Tekere formed the Zimbabwe Unity Movement and challenged Cde Mugabe for the Sate presidency in 1990. He claimed he was opposing the proposed one-party State and was committed to a socialist driven economy.<br /><br />Ex-combatant, Margaret Dongo wanted to challenge President Mugabe in the 1996 presidential election but was found to be below the minimum age required for the presidency, 40 years. Dongo contested the Harare South constituency seat as an independent, won and latter formed the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats.<br /><br />Former Minister of Information and Publicity Professor Jonathan Moyo, after being expelled from Zanu-PF, was also linked to a political party called the United People's Movement. He contested the Tsholotsho constituency as an independent and won.<br /><br />This is why Western media claims that Simba Makoni's departure from Zanu-PF was something monumental and unprecedented, simply do not wash.<br /><br />The unwarranted attacks by Western opposition in relation to President Mugabe and Zanu-PF's efforts to maintain democratic standards during elections, have taken on a predictable character since their tactics of choice are on display for the third time this decade.<br /><br />The US State Department initially persuaded the oldest civil/human rights group the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) not to publish their report of the Presidential elections in 2002, and for the 2005 parliamentary elections the reports of the (Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Southern African Development Community, and the African Union) were ignored by Western media, NGOs, and the British-based Amnesty International and US-based Human Rights Watch who appear rather comfortable in echoing London and Washington's isolationist views of President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.<br /><br />On April 2 2008, The Washington Post's express magazine published an excerpt from an interview conducted by the Associated Press with Mrs Imani Countess who is the senior policy advisor for Washington DC based TransAfrica Forum.<br /><br />The article stated Mrs Countess was an observer to the elections in Zimbabwe and quoted her as saying she had a conversation with a high level Zanu-PF official, who shared with her that the ruling party would use all instruments at their disposal to remain in power.<br /><br />This information raised several questions. Firstly, why would the Associated Press refer to Mrs Countess as an election observer when her organisation was not invited to observe the elections?<br /><br />How does withholding the identity of the Zanu-PF senior official who made these remarks help the people of Zimbabwe? Why would any Zanu-PF official share such incriminating comments with an organisation that is its biggest critic in the African American community in the United States?<br /><br />It appears the current propaganda slant President Mugabe and Zanu-PF's detractors both inside and outside Zimbabwe want to project is – corruption and intimidation are the only way Zanu-PF can hold on to power.<br /><br />This explains why the convener of the Southern African Political Economy Series Dr Ibbo Mandaza and senior advisor to Makoni told The Mail and Guardian that intelligence agents representing the MOSSAD of Zionist Israel, were in Harare six months before the elections to plan vote rigging and sabotage exercises at the invitation of the ruling party.<br /><br />The claim was supported further by MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti who claimed an Israeli IT company called Cogniview provided President Mugabe with technical support to "rig" the elections.<br /><br />The MDC-T and Mandaza want Zimbabweans and observers throughout the world to believe that the British and US governments would allow an alliance between Zimbabwe's CIO and Israel's MOSSAD, when we know that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF have maintained the strongest ties with the Palestinian people arguably more than any party or government in the Sadc region or Africa for that matter.<br /><br />This attempt to link President Mugabe and Zanu-PF to the intelligence agency of Zionist Israel, is even more absurd than US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama's reference to MDC-T as a peaceful opposition party in his resolution submitted to the US Senate and Congress attacking President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in March of 2007.<br /><br />President Mugabe and Zanu-PF are teaching Africa's daughters and sons that practicing democracy is directly connected to defending your sovereignty. We must commend President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for creating a political atmosphere and demonstrating a flexible approach, in the face of Britain and American attempts to force illegal and racist regime change in the name of democracy and human rights.<br /><br />Zimbabwe's elections were observed by 14 regional and sub regional organisations, all 13 countries from southern Africa, 10 other African countries, five Asian countries, four countries from the Americas, one from Europe and a Liberation Movement from the US – the December 12 Movement.<br /><br />It should be noted that Nigeria and Ghana were invited to observe the elections despite the fact that President John Kufour while chairing the African Union criticised President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for the way the altercation with Tsvangirai's goons and MDC was handled on March 11, and in December shortly before the EU-Africa summit in Portugal Nigerian President Yardua attacked President Mugabe for what he called "heavy handed tactics against his opposition."<br /><br />The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is performing the function that was assigned to various bodies in previous elections. The dynamics and procedure were explained by Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Patrick Chinamasa to the Sadc Group of Ambassadors on April 10th 2008.<br /><br />The main concerns raised by the collective groups was whether the election results of the Parliament reflect people's frustration with the sanctions and if Zimbabwe was in a position to finance run-offs in light of the current economic challenges.<br /><br />The "Sadc" meeting in Lusaka chaired by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa on April 13 2008 saw the collective body commend the Government of Zimbabwe for ensuring that elections were conducted in a peaceful environment.<br /><br />The body also commended Sadc facilitator Thabo Mbeki and his facilitation team for the role they played in ensuring elections were successful, and commended the people of Zimbabwe for their peaceful demeanour they maintained before and after elections.<br /><br />Because this conclusion was reached even after unofficial consultations with both opposition candidates – Tsvangirai and Makoni, President Mugabe and Zanu-PF can look forward to Washington and Britain accusing Sadc of quiet diplomacy, instead of realising their brand of diplomacy is without eyes or ears since they refuse to listen to those in the region who have the most to lose if Zimbabwe loses complete political and economic stability.<br /><br />The task of reinventing Tsvangirai has truly taken its toll on London and Washington. In nine years, he has gone from a trade unionist fighting for workers, to a lobbyist who was to convince his own family sanctions against Zimbabwe were better than defending the land reclamation programme, to a civil disobedience maverick who encouraged throwing petrol bombs at police stations was an act of peaceful protest, to now becoming Zimbabwe's "new president" beginning the dawning of a new era in Southern Africa.<br /><br />If Tsvangirai is given too much exposure he will become like the meteorologist that always gets the weather forecast wrong.<br /><br />On February 17 2008 the Washington Post's Parade Magazine ranked President Mugabe the "sixth worst dictator" in the world, the sources for this annual ranking system comes from the US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders even though President Mugabe was ranked among the bottom half, he had the distinction of having an entire article dedicated to him entitled My Life Under a Dictator written by Jabulani Moyo who teaches at a small college in the US where he was placed by the Scholar Rescue Fund of the Institute of International Education.<br /><br />If the Blair and Bush administrations believe true democracy is to let all voices be heard, when will the travel ban be lifted on President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in order for them to travel around the US and UK, with the same latitude that MDC continues to have. <br /><br />This leaves us with one question who should have the last word on Democracy in Zimbabwe, those who once colonised the nation or those who liberated it?<br /><br />Obi Egbuna is a member of the Pan African Liberation Organisation and Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association.</td></tr></tbody></table>obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-21553680138176387162008-07-01T11:55:00.001-07:002008-07-01T11:55:06.837-07:00DOES THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FEAR ZIMBABWE?<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'>When the average African living inside US borders is asked to list some of our most significant political gains past and present, the right to vote will be the most common answer you can expect to receive. It is more than likely that these exact sentiments will be echoed by every civil/human rights organization, church, businessman/woman, academician, etc that lives and works amongst our people today. It is because of this reality that the activities of the Congressional Black Caucus should never be ignored or accidentally overlooked by any daughter or son of Africa on the planet. The CBC was created in 1971 and had 12 original founding members (Shirley Chisholm, Louis Stokes, William Clay, George Collins, John Conyers,<br>Ronald Dellums, Augustus Hawkins, Ralph Metcalfe, Parren Mitchell, Robert Mix, Charles Rangel and Walter Fauntroy)<br>The CBC was initially called the Democratic Select<br>Committee created to accommodate the increase in<br>African elected officials, which stemmed from the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The first Chairman,<br>Charles Diggs, was placed on President Richard Nixon's master list of political opponents. One of the current members Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat out of Texas, said "The CBC is a family of freedom fighters that has fought to protect the fundamentals of democracy, and its impact is recognized throughout the world". This bold proclamation made by Congresswoman Johnson would lead Africans worldwide to believe, that any policies formulated by the Bush administration aimed at undermining democracy in any African or Caribbean nation, would meet the stiffest resistance the CBC could collectively muster.<br> <br><br>Since the beginning of their Land Reclamation Program in 2000, the Government of Zimbabwe under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe has been the main target of the Bush administration in Africa, and the CBC has been extremely supportive. Before the Zimbabwe Democracy and the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001(ZEDRA) was signed by Mr. Bush on December 21st 2001, it was passed through the US Senate August 1st 2001 and then through the US Congress December 4th 2001.This bill was initially introduced by Republican Senator William Trift, out of<br>Tennessee, and was co-sponsored by Senator, and Presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton. ZEDRA was also sponsored by Democratic Senator Russell Feingold who currently chairs the Senate Sub Committee on Africa, Democratic Senator Joseph Biden who currently chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Republican Senator Jesse Helms. Due to the fact that the bill was introduced by a republican, and three of its four co-sponsors were democrats, Mr. Bush was inspired to make the following statement "This act symbolizes the clear bipartisan resolve in the US towards promoting human rights, good governance and economic development in Africa". While the bill was approved unanimously through the Senate, when it reached Congress it received the support of 193 democrats and 202 republicans, there were also 26 democrats and 11 republicans who abstained from voting on this matter. There were five CBC members who abstained from voting in favor of the sanctions (Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio, Carolyn Kilpatrick of Michigan, Bobby Rush of Illinois, and Corrine Brown of Florida). The rest of its membership voted in favor; this tells us out of the 11 members of congress that initially voted against the sanctions of which 9 were republican and two were democrats(the republicans were Michael Collins of Georgia, Bob Schaffer of Colorado, John Hostettler, Virgil Goode of Virginia, Nathan Deal of Georgia, Ronald Paul of Texas, W. Todd Akin of Missouri, F. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and Howard Coble of North Carolina),and the two Democrats were Robert Berry of Arkansas and Gene Taylor of Mississippi.<br><br> <br>The CBC membership commonly refers to themselves as the Conscience of Congress since 1971. However, it would be hard to convince their sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe, that voting in favor of a policy that reeks of genocide such as the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 reflects their conscience. The only members that showed an indication of having a conscience were the members who abstained from the vote, but in the final analysis they failed to overcome the political demons of fear and confusion. When the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan addressed the CBC in September of 2005 he said "it is through your voices that the story of Africa is told here in the United States". The CBC also takes pride in the diplomatic aspect of their work, which they describe as supporting non African elected officials in the US Government who champion our interests. The decision to support Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon<br>Brown to force an illegal and racist regime change in<br>Zimbabwe is a clear deviation from this strategy.<br>While the CBC is non partisan there have only been four African republicans since 1971 have been elected to the US Congress; the irony of this is out of the 11 members of Congress that opposed the sanctions against Zimbabwe 100% of them were of European ancestry and 90% of them belong to the political party CBC members have declared were the enemies of Democracy in the United States. If the CBC took the time to study the developments in Zimbabwe beyond the surface, they would realize that assisting Mr. Bush is, in worst case scenario hypocritical, and in best case scenario inconsistent. One of the CBC's founding members Congressman John Conyers, out of Michigan, has a bill for reparations called HR 40 the commission to study reparations proposal for the African American Act. If the CBC doesn't consider the land reclamation program in Zimbabwe a practical and concrete expression of reparations, then it can be argued that this bill is another example of political grandstanding which will increase frustration and apathy at the grass roots level within our community. The CBC foundation presented South Africa's first President, Nelson Mandela, with the prestigious Millennium Award in June of 2005. This gesture was aimed at connecting the struggles against segregation in the US to Apartheid in Southern Africa. Maintaining these links are of paramount importance in helping US and British Imperialism isolate and stifle the country on the other side of the Limpopo River; however that will never be acceptable.<br><br><br>The driving force in the CBC's inner circle that has consistently worked for the demise of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF is Congressman Donald Payne out of New Jersey. Congressman Payne once served on the board of directors of both the National Endowment for Democracy and the TransAfrica Forum; the only logical analogy would be serving in the Parliament of Israel (Knniset) and at the same time belonging to the Central Committee of either HAMAS or the PLO. Since the beginning of the 21st century Congressman Payne has developed and maintained close ties with some of the most reactionary Zimbabweans alive today, Mr. Payne presented the chair of the Zimbabwean Electoral Support Network Reginald Machaba Hove with his award from the NED a few years ago. Congressman Payne also held audience with one of MDC's spokespeople, Grace Kwinjeh, who was accompanied by Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly, as well as Jacob Mafume and Tawanda Mutarah of the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa, while they were in Washington for a State Department briefing. Due to the fact that Mr. Payne is 71 years of age and considered a pearl of wisdom on African Affairs by his CBC colleagues it is wishful thinking to believe any of the others whom consider him a mentor and icon will take him to task on his pro Bush stance on Zimbabwe. Congressman Payne was one of the few Congressional reps who accompanied the Clinton family on their six nation tour of Africa. In 2003 Bush appointed Payne to serve as a Congressional delegate to the UN and reappointed him in 2005.Congressman Payne and the rest of the CBC who march to the beat of Mr. Bush's drum in relationship to Zimbabwe, are also guilty of failure to develop any meaningful dialogue with the Zimbabwean embassy in Washington or their mission at the United Nations. This unwillingness to engage diplomats from Zimbabwe shows the western arrogance our elected officials, pick up from their European counterparts can become contagious if they are not careful, and the other painful contradiction is the CBC's negligence in engaging the Southern African Development Community who urges Africans worldwide to take their assessment of Zimbabwe into account before making any premature and untimely decisions. This concern became increasingly clear when the majority of the CBC endorsed a resolution condemning Operation Murambvistina an environmental cleanup initiative in Zimbabwe, that<br>President Mugabe's detractors attempted to attack to help revive the opposition party who suffered a crushing defeat in 2005 during the Parliamentary elections.<br><br>The time has come for Congressman Payne and the rest of the CBC to explain to Africans worldwide, why they never seriously challenged their beloved party or their republican counterparts on failure to honor the commitments made by then US President Jimmy Carter at Lancaster House in 1979, but at the same time have the audacity to question the authenticity of the land reclamation program launched by the indigenous people of Zimbabwe today. While the CBC has made a political ritual out of attacking the Bush administration on the war on Iraq, they support the diplomatic repression of Zimbabwe; if sanctions have killed 2 million people in Iraq, what productive measures does the CBC expect to come out supporting sanctions in Zimbabwe? Due to that fact that none of the CBC has been to Zimbabwe in the 21st century it would be difficult to get them to answer this question. This is a major reason why US Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama had no problem whatsoever introducing a resolution in the US Senate last march attacking Zimbabwe; especially since he knew on the Congressional side 9 CBC member would co-sponsor what the late Pro-Israeli Congressman Tom Lantos submitted with jointly with his blessing. The CBC has a health care brain trust chaired by a Congressional rep out of the Virgin Islands, Donna Christensen. When she was presented with a resolution addressing the HIV-Aids pandemic in Zimbabwe last May, she immediately suggested that Congressman Payne should receive the document first since he was chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. This meant that the groups who wanted the<br>CBC to review this urgent matter of humanitarian aid were being used as a political "weapon" and, therefore should be left in the hands of a Congressman that appears comfortable in sacrificing the people of Zimbabwe for continual good while standing in the halls of the US Congress. <br><br><br>The CBC cannot use the rationale that President Mugabe has been in office too long, because two of their founding members Charles Rangel of New York and John<br>Conyers of Michigan have been in office nine years longer. Reverend Walter Fauntroy, former aid to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the founding CBC member who met with the President in 2003, should be commended for attempting to convince his former colleagues that promoting Neo-Colonialism in Zimbabwe was not in their best interest. The CBC's joint stance on Zimbabwe is so repulsive, it makes Africans worldwide wonder whether their gestures towards normalizing relations between the US and Cuba, condemning the forceful removal of Aristide from Haiti, or symbolically raising genocide in Darfur, is the type of political entertainment that makes Africans sick to their stomach. The CBC had better realize that Africans in every corner of the world identify with President<br>Mugabe like Senator Barack Obama identifies with<br>Abraham Lincoln and do the following:<br><br><br>1. Organize a hearing on Capitol Hill around the issue of Zimbabwe.<br><br>2. Change their votes on the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.<br><br>3. Begin a discussion to give Zimbabwe's Government the money they would have received from Global Fund if their applications for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th round were not denied by former US Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson and his British counterpart Richard Feacham, who were adhering to mandates from their Governments.<br><br>4. Call for the immediate stoppage of financial support to the MDC which has been justified, under the foreign assistance act of 1961.<br><br>5. Develop a memorandum of understanding with the<br>Zimbabwean embassy and their permanent mission to the<br>UN, in order to get regular updates and briefings from the Government, on how they can best be assisted and supported. <br><br></td></tr></table><br> obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-25722207753696256542008-07-01T11:29:00.001-07:002008-07-01T11:29:42.803-07:00US Diplomacy In Zimbabwe An Absolute Sham<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'><br><br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br><div id="yiv1472861203"><table style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 100%;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit;" valign="top"><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><pre><br>From Obi Egbuna in WASHINGTON DC<br><br>BECAUSE of the negative and antagonistic slant of Western propaganda<br>aimed at Zimbabwe since the beginning of the 21st century, diplomatic<br>activities of these countries' representatives on the ground must be<br>monitored<br> carefully.<br><br>This is the most dependable method to determine if these embassies are<br>truly committed to good will and friendship or are functioning like<br>extensions of their country's military and intelligence agencies.<br><br>When President Mugabe threatened to expel the current US Ambassador to<br>Zimbabwe James D. McGee recently, and condemned US Assistant Secretary<br>for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer for her pro-MDC analysis of<br>political developments in Zimbabwe, he sent Zanu-PF and the<br>Government's strongest statement to the Bush Administration since the<br>elections on March 29.<br><br>When Western countries whose history is stained and polluted due to<br>their direct involvement in Colonialism and Slavery, we as Africans<br>can make a strong argument that they are incapable of practicing<br>diplomacy anywhere in Africa, since racism and white supremacy<br>prevents them in the final analysis from acknowledging we belong<br> to<br>the human race.<br><br>While Western journalists have attempted to dismiss President Mugabe's<br>remarks that focused on US diplomatic activity in Zimbabwe as a side<br>bar, the African community in the US and worldwide had better pay<br>extremely close attention especially to the cultural and political<br>ramifications.<br><br>It would be criminal to ignore the conventional wisdom of President<br>Mugabe in connection with this urgent matter, especially since both<br>Ambassador McGee and Frazer are African, but because of their job<br>titles and political orientation will remain patriotic to the Bush<br>administration.<br><br>While the US government will never openly admit that appointing an<br>African to serve as Ambassador to Zimbabwe was both deliberate and<br>strategic, the actions of Ambassador McGee since assuming his post<br>leave absolutely no doubt whatsoever. When Zimbabwe celebrated its<br>28th anniversary of independence on April 18,<br> Ambassador McGee made<br>the following statement: "What should be a proud and joyful day is<br>overshadowed by uncertainty and fear."<br><br>This poor choice of words used by a so-called diplomat should not be<br>casually dismissed. Ambassador McGee is a graduate of the Defense<br>Language Institute which is an educational and research institution,<br>that provides cultural and linguistic instruction to the US Department<br>of Defense.<br><br>Since Zimbabwe's colonial language is English, Ambassador McGee has<br>the task of trying to discredit President Mugabe and Zanu-PF using<br>words the majority of the nation can comprehend.<br><br>McGee's consistent references to violence in Zimbabwe have also led to<br>the US State Department updating an emergency travel alert instructing<br>US citizens to defer non essential travel to Zimbabwe due ''to ongoing<br>political instability stemming from the elections in March.''<br><br>McGee recently<br> claimed the US government has confirmed 700 incidents<br>of violence where people were beaten in their homes and 200 have been<br>hospitalised, McGee also stated Zanu-PF have started a campaign of<br>violence to block vote for change. The words and movement of McGee in<br>Zimbabwe must be watched extremely carefully, not only because of his<br>cultural makeup but his military background as well. McGee earned<br>three distinguished flying crosses while serving in the United States<br>Air Force between 1968-1974 during the Vietnam War.<br><br>While the courageous voices of the 1960's generation like Dr Martin<br>Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Kwame True to name a few,<br>stated Africans in the US had no business fighting in Vietnam since<br>French colonialism made them our natural allies, the McGee decided to<br>prove his loyalty to his slave master by bombing innocent people into<br>submission.<br><br>It appears that the Bush<br> administration has decided to approach<br>Zimbabwe in the same manner that President Lyndon Johnson approached<br>Vietnam, the US committed genocide and repression against the<br>Vietnamese to secure the interests of their kith and kin in France, in<br>the same manner Bush wants to starve and isolate the people of<br>Zimbabwe to show his loyalty to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the<br>British colonial empire.<br><br>The US government's militaristic approach to diplomacy in Zimbabwe<br>will continue to intensify, because of the training of the individuals<br>who have the responsibility of formulating policy, when Frazer served<br>as the Senior Director for African Affairs and Special Assistant to<br>Bush on the US National Security Council she was also the political/<br>military planner.<br><br>Frazer's doctoral dissertation examined the relationship between<br>Kenya's military and civilians, this tells us, in relationship to<br>Zimbabwe, the<br> Bush Administration will stop at nothing until their<br>civilian neo-colonialist outfit MDC presides over the country.<br><br>The fact that McGee replaced Christopher Dell in Zimbabwe must also be<br>an issue of great concern, during his three years as US Ambassador to<br>Zimbabwe Dell took renegade diplomacy to new heights. Dell's meetings<br>with MDC leaders showed he had no regard for diplomatic protocol and<br>went on to predict the downfall of President Mugabe and Zanu-PF in six<br>months when his post ended in June 2007, leaving for Afghanistan.<br><br>The tactic of using an African to do its bidding in the diplomatic<br>arena is nothing new for US imperialism, when Osagyefo Dr. Kwame<br>Nkrumah was overthrown in Ghana on February 24, 1966 by the CIA, a<br>diplomat by the name Franklin Williams was the US Ambassador to Ghana,<br>who ironically was Nkrumah's classmate at Lincoln University. When<br>commenting on the overthrow of his old<br> classmate, Williams denied<br>having prior knowledge of details in relationship to US and British<br>plans to oust Nkrumah.<br><br>The response by Nkrumah was equally as bold and clear as President<br>Mugabe's response to McGee's recent activity, Nkrumah said "treachery<br>provided a sharp reminder of the insidious ways in which the enemies<br>of Africa can operate".<br><br>As long as the Zimbabwean and US governments have normalised relations<br>the latest actions of Ambassador McGee serve as a threat to the<br>diplomatic process, when a comparative analysis is done of Zimbabwe's<br>embassy in the US to the US embassy in Zimbabwe, it is like comparing<br>day and night.<br><br>The Zimbabwean Ambassador to the US Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga and his<br>staff have done absolutely nothing to openly antagonise the Bush<br>administration, let alone predicted an overthrow of the Government<br>like his US counterpart did in Zimbabwe. The world has seen in<br> the<br>case of Cuba when US imperialism wants to force a regime change, they<br>will not hesitate to use military driven approaches to diplomacy,<br>while on paper the US Interests Section in Cuba claims their mission<br>is to promote a peaceful transition to a democratic system based on<br>respect for rule of law, individual rights and open economic and<br>communication systems, how does failure to acknowledge a country's<br>right to plot its own course do anything for diplomatic relations?<br><br>McGee's language and gestures led some of us to believe he is<br>suffering from an identity crisis, he occasionally will slip into the<br>mode of a military soldier representing a country that Dr King<br>referred to 40 years ago as the greatest purveyor of violence in the<br>world. It is obvious McGee wants to continue the legacy of the Buffalo<br>Soldiers in his capacity as a diplomat in Zimbabwe.<br><br>Buffalo Soldiers were an all African regiment<br> created by the US<br>military in 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They were brainwashed<br>into believing that helping their white counterparts kill our native<br>American sisters and brothers, would help them gain favour in the<br>white world for years to come. They also participated in the Spanish<br>American War, The Philippine Insurrection, the Mexican Expedition,<br>World Wars I and II and the Korean Police Action.<br><br>When McGee looks at the face of a freedom fighter like Cde Mugabe, it<br>probably reminds him of the Vietnamese Revolutionary leader the late<br>Ho Chi Minh, and since he was convinced it was his patriotic duty to<br>slaughter those people then his actions in Zimbabwe come as no<br>surprise.<br><br>l Obi Egbuna is a member of the Pan African Liberation Organisation<br>and Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association.<br><br><br><br><br>--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~<br>Visit http://www.mathaba.net and<br> http://www.africa2020.com<br><br>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups<br>"AfriMedia" group.<br>To post to this group, send email to afrimedia@googlegroups.com<br>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to<br>afrimedia-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com<br>For more options, visit this group at<br>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/afrimedia?hl=en<br>-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---</pre></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table><br> </div></blockquote></td></tr></table><br> obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-59791648765760485312008-06-17T15:06:00.001-07:002008-06-17T15:06:21.334-07:00test<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' background='none' style='font-family:arial;font-size:10pt;color:rgb(51, 51, 51);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);width:100%;'><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'>test</td></tr></table><br> obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-45623703250994519382006-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:002008-08-06T10:20:17.949-07:00Full Text of Nineteenth State of the Nation Address by President MugabeLet us espouse values of honesty, diligence<br /><br />Once again it gives me great pleasure to present the State of the Nation address to this August House. This address is set against a background of varied developments that have shaped events in the country this year. These include the challenges that confront us and manifest themselves in our present socio-economic environment.<br /><br />The under-performance of the economy we are now turning around is largely a product of the illegal overt and covert sanctions imposed on us, by Britain and her allies, as punishment for daring to reclaim our land. We nevertheless derive comfort from knowing that the transient challenges we face have propelled us to the apogee of resilience and self-reliance, and awakened us in much ingenuity and pragmatism that have contributed to the home-grown programmes aimed at rejuvenating our economy.<br /><br />The National Economic Development Priority Programme is one such example. On the basis of these developments and the policy gains deriving from our Look East Policy, the economy is on the recovery path. Once more, I wish to pay tribute to our people for their resilience, and to all our Look East development partners for their sterling display of solidarity at the time of our greatest need.<br /><br />Madame President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />I am gratified that this address comes just after the recent inauguration of the long-awaited 99-year leases. This development constitutes an important milestone in the evolution of our agrarian reform as it gives security of tenure, which we hope, in turn, will leverage more resources into the development of the agriculture sector. It is time we stressed that real emancipation lies not just in the possession of resources but in their effective utilisation. In this regard, I would like to call on all beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme, as well as other critical stakeholders in the production chain, to work assiduously for the realisation of our quest for maximum productivity in our all-important agricultural sector.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The 2005/6 agricultural season was a much better one than the previous season, thanks to the good rains. As a result, the majority of our people this year were generally self-sufficient in relation to their staple food although imports were still needed to ensure greater food security up to the middle of next year. For this current season, we are better prepared in regard to our input requirements, tillage services and related logistical support. The conclusion of a US$180 million loan agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and CMEC of China for the supply of agriculture inputs, such as fertilizer, agrochemical and machinery further boosted our preparations.<br /><br />A target of 55 000 hectares has been earmarked for tobacco production in the 2006/7 season, representing a 38 percent increase on last season’s figure of 40 000 hectares.<br />A total of 300 000 hectares have been set aside for the production of the strategic maize grain reserves during the 2006/7 summer season. This programme, which is being implemented under Operation Maguta/Inala and an Agribank facility, in collaboration with the District Development Fund, will target A1, communal and the old resettlement farmers.<br />A2 farmers will continue to access funding from the Reserve Bank’s Agricultural Sector Enhancement Productivity Facility, commercial banks and other contract schemes. Allied to this work is a programme, which is projected to localise the commercial manufacture of vaccines against animal diseases. The project is being developed at the University of Zimbabwe and will certainly assist in the recovery of the national herd.<br />The country and, indeed, the whole region, have become increasingly susceptible to the phenomenon of drought. To minimise the impact of unfavourable weather conditions, Government continues to invest in irrigation projects under the Accelerated Irrigation Development Programme. The Department of Irrigation received $438 505 000 under the Public Sector Investment Programme and a further $185 million under the supplementary budget during the period under review. A total of 3 500 hectares of irritable land was rehabilitated, while an additional 3 786 hectares were cleared for the construction of irrigation projects.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />As already stated above, it was in response to current economic challenges that the National Economic Development Priority Programme was evolved. It is a short-term economic turnaround initiative built on close collaboration between Government and the private sector. The programme, which prioritises implementation of quick response and high sectoral impact projects, is the major launch pad for the various current turnaround programmes.<br />In order to enhance exporter viability and consequently boost foreign currency inflows, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has raised the levels of foreign currency retained by exporters to 75 percent of their proceeds, to afford them a long-term planning horizon, while creating a vibrant inter-bank foreign exchange trading market. To improve gold production, the producer price was raised from $4 900 to $16 000 per gramme. In addition, gold producers now retain 70 percent of their output in foreign currency, while a 15 percent Foreign Currency Account Retention Facility for the tobacco industry will be introduced in April 2007. The current efforts to curb leakages of gold and precious minerals will continue.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir.<br /><br />Government recently launched the National Export Strategy as the fulcrum of the country’s industrialisation drive. A critical component of this strategy is the enhancement of foreign currency generation and retention by emphasising value addition and import substitution. A Value Addition Fund has thus been created under the auspices of the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe to finance related projects. At least twenty manufacturing companies with a potential to realise significant quick-wins in terms of foreign currency generation, savings and employment creation have been identified under the Import Substitution Programme.<br /><br />A total of $3,15 million was disbursed under the Distressed Companies Fund to 22 entities in the engineering, fertilizer, pharmaceutical, textile, mining and construction sectors. This intervention was projected to increase capacity utilisation by an average of 30 percent, create a total of 4 216 jobs as well as generate up to US$38,2 million in foreign currency. In addition, the Toll Manufacturing Programme is being pursued with a view to increasing capacity utilisation in the sector.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />It is pleasing to note that the tourism sector continues its upward trend, with the latest statistics showing a 33 percent increase on last year’s tourist arrivals during the same period. This development bears testimony to our country’s well-known status as an attractive and safe tourism destination, in spite of the sounds of gloom and doom, nay, the sounds of impotent fury, peddled by hostile sections of the media.<br />To further consolidate our status, a programme to upgrade and decongest our premier border posts at Beitbridge and Chirundu is underway. In a related development, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe is in the process of upgrading the Harare, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Victoria Falls airports.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The process of consolidating the management of regional transfrontier conservancy areas continues to gather pace. Following the establishment of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a Memorandum of Understanding of the establishment of the Shashi Limpopo Transfrontier Area involving Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana was signed.<br />The establishment of the Kavango/Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area involving Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia is also in the offing. To facilitate tourism in the transfrontier national parks, the Department of Immigration is currently constructing the Mapungubwe and Chikwalakwala border posts, while the Zimbabwe Defence Force is clearing the Sango to Crook’s Corner minefield.<br /><br />Road Network Access Fees were introduced this year at the border posts, in order to complement Government funding of the country’s road network. The fees are collected by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. This project is generating a lot of revenue both in local and foreign currency and is being expanded to allow for the collection of toll fees at the peripheries of major cities and towns. In this regard, toll gates are currently being constructed at the Beitbridge and Chirundu border posts, and along the Harare-Gweru highway and the Harare-Masvingo highway.<br /><br />Government has gazetted the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicle drivers) Regulations of 2006, in response to the increase in the number of fatal road accidents. All public service vehicle drivers and goods vehicles will be required to undergo a re-testing exercise after a period of five years from the date of issue of a public service driver’s licence.<br /><br />Furthermore, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has developed a new training programme for heavy goods vehicle drivers and public service vehicle drivers in order to reduce the appalling levels of accidents involving these vehicles.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir.<br /><br />Significant headway has been made in terms of trade and investment promotion within the context of the look East Policy. Numerous institutional, business, trade and investment linkages have been forged with friendly countries in the spirit of South-South Co-operation. These developments received a further boost from my recent trips to the China-Africa Summit and to Iran, where a number of bilateral co-operation agreements were concluded.<br />Joint venture mining projects have been agreed with several Chinese companies, while there are advanced plans to open a minerals marketing office in the city of Shanghai, China. In light of these developments, Trade Promotion Officers have already been posted to China, India and Indonesia, while a similar posting will be made to Malaysia in the near future.<br />In the energy and power sector, Government has already approved several Power Sector Investment Projects aimed at improving poor supply. These projects include investments in new power stations, expansion of existing generation capacity as well as refurbishment of plants and equipment. To this end, the process of approving identified investors is at an advanced stage.<br />Progress has also been made in regard to the National Bio-diesel Feedstock production Programme, with over 300 farmers contracted by Noczim for the production of Bio-diesel, which should contribute up to 10 percent of national fuel requirements by the year 2010.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The role of telecommunications as both driver and catalyst of modern economic competitiveness is universally acclaimed. In consonance with this, measures to boost the country’s telecommunications infrastructure are being implemented. Net-One has now extended its network coverage to rural, farming and mining areas, and growth points and tourist resorts, while Tel-One is installing phase one of the Code Division Multiple Access \Wireless Local Loop equipment in Harare. Phases two and three to cover both rural and other urban areas shall commence next year.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />Indigenisation and the economic empowerment of our people remain the cornerstone of our socio-economic development. To this end, Government is in the process of finalising the National Indigenisation and Empowerment Bill to underpin this thrust, while amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act to facilitate participation by locals in the mining sector is at an advanced stage.<br />Government has also relocated 34 860 Small and Medium Enterprises to permanent and temporary business premises, while the first phase of the construction of artisans factory hives in Harare and vendor marts throughout the country has been completed under Operation Garikayi/Hlalani Kuhle.<br /><br />With respect to housing development, a total of $1,2 billion was this year provided to local authorities under the Public Sector Investment Programme towards construction of water and sewerage infrastructure for phase one of Operation Garikayi/Hlalani Kuhle. To date, 45 000 stands have been allocated under Phase II of the programme, where private developers, employers, housing co-operatives and individual beneficiaries are expected to participate in housing development. The Rural Housing and Social Amenities Policy is now in place, while a Rural Housing Fund has also been established to facilitate housing development in the rural areas on a cost recovery basis.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />Sustainable utilisation and management of the environment is critical for the long-term development of any economy. To this end, Government has launched the National Fire Protection Strategy in the country’s provinces to promote integrated veld fire management, while the Forestry Commission has embarked on a nation-wide awareness campaign to curb the rampant illegal harvesting of hardwood timber in commercial and resettlement areas.<br />It is noteworthy that the country is witnessing rampant destruction of forests and land through uncontrolled veld fires and illegal panning. I would like to urge the police, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and local authorities to move swiftly in stemming this wanton destruction of the environment. I wish to note here the police operation code named "Chikorokoza Chapera/No illegal panning" and to commend the police for their noble initiative.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The health sector continues to face several challenges, which include the shortage of essential drugs and critical equipment as well as the unending brain drain. To curb the exodus of medical staff, plans are underway to re-introduce the cadetship programme, while graduates will be bonded to the service of the State for a period equal to the period of their education and training.<br />Some 300 primary care nurses have been deployed to rural health centres throughout the country. The ongoing refurbishment of central hospitals is expected to be complete by the end of this year and will facilitate provision of a full range of services by the hospitals, thus bringing relief to patients.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir.<br /><br />A critical mass of appropriate human resource skills is necessary if sustained economic growth is to occur. However, the outward flight of professionals to other countries in the region and abroad has become a major drawback to the country’s otherwise internationally renowned human resource development programme. To arrest this trend, Government, in liaison with other stakeholders, is formulating strategies to develop, attract and retain critical skills for both the public and private sectors. A retention package for critical health professionals is now in place, while a recommendation to hire retirees is already being implemented.<br />A professionals-cum-intellectual "Homelink" desk that will, among other things, identify and recruit Zimbabwean experts in the Diaspora to come and contribute to national development, is being set up under the auspices of the National Economic Development Priority Programme.<br />Tremendous headway has also been made in exploiting training opportunities in such countries as Japan, India, Malaysia and China. Of particular interest is the recent offer by China to train Zimbabweans in critical shortage areas such as agriculture, mining, energy and power development, environment and tourism as well as transport and communications.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />In the education sector, Government has continued to expand and strengthen the provision of basic education, with special focus on early childhood development. The programme to foster and promote computer literacy through provision of computers to schools continued in earnest.<br />In pursuance of the goal for inclusive education, the development of Volume II of the Sign Language Dictionary is now in the final stages. This year also witnessed the successful amendment of the Education Act, which seeks to keep education accessible to the majority of the people.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />Government remains acutely concerned over high unemployment rates among the youth. For this reason, a Youth Development Fund has been established under the auspices of the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe to enable the youths to access financial resources for income generating projects.<br />Other funding arrangements have been made through the Reserve bank of Zimbabwe with such financial institutions as Sedco, Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, Agribank, Genesis Investment Bank and First Bank. I wish also to commend the Zimbabwe Youth Council for successfully hosting the first ever Southern Africa Youth Festival and to applaud the selection of Zimbabwe as the first Chairperson of the Bureau of the African Union Ministers of the Youth, with a special mandate to drive implementation of the African Union Charter on the youth for the next 2 years.<br />The provision of social protection to people with disabilities has been an unabating challenge for quite some time. However, Government has since established the Disability Loan Revolving Fund through which people with disabilities are being assisted to start self-help projects. To alleviate the plight of older persons, Government, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, has come up with a draft Older Persons Bill that aims to address social protection and care for older persons in a more comprehensive manner.<br />Government, through NSSA, continues to avail high and medium density stands and houses to alleviate the plight of workers throughout the country. To afford the workers some respite, Government reviewed the non-taxable income bracket upward from the erstwhile $20 000 to the current $100 000.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />My Government has made huge strides in addressing gender imbalances in the context of both national laws and multilateral conventions. Following the adoption of the National Gender Policy, an implementation strategy and action plan for the policy has now been formulated for the co-ordination of gender mainstreaming in all sectors as well as to provide a framework for monitoring and evaluating progress.<br />Following concern over the high incidence of cases of domestic violence, the Domestic Violence Bill, to help contain this contemptible occurrence, was tabled before Parliament. However, while the legal instrument is a necessary remedial measure, we should as a society also emphasise adherence to good family and social values as the ultimate antidote to domestic violence.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir.<br /><br />Government is aware that civil servants are some of the workers worst affected by inflation owing to their relatively low levels of remuneration. Accordingly, their salaries and allowances were reviewed in January and May 2006 to cushion them against inflation. Further, in May, teachers and lecturers in the education sector were also elevated by one grade while the rural allowance was increased from 10 to 15 percent. In addition, government has put in place non-pecuniary benefits for civil servants in the form of the Civil Service Housing Fund and Vehicle Purchase Scheme.<br /><br />Government also expects its employees to reciprocate this overture through committed performance. To this end, the Results-Based Management Programme is being introduced throughout the Public Service. The objective of the system is to maximise delivery on Government policies and programmes through enhanced implementation, monitoring, evaluation and instilling greater accountability.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir.<br /><br />Our justice delivery system needs to evolve in tandem with socio-economic trends for it to efficiently and effectively discharge its mandate. In pursuance of this objective, steps have been taken to enhance the system by, inter alia, decentralising and increasing the Labour Court establishment, and setting up Small Claims and Commercial Crimes Courts.<br /><br />Madame President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The scourge of corruption continues to rear its ugly head, manifested through the abuse of poor and unfair business practices, and the amassing of ill-gotten wealth by those entrusted with offices in public, private and civic sectors. Government will not relent in its efforts to weed out such bad apples in our midst no matter how highly placed or well connected they may happen to be.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The security agencies continue to do the Nation proud by discharging their constitutional role of safeguarding the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of our country with honour and distinction in keeping with their tradition of participating in SADC, African Union and United Nations peace-support initiatives.<br />Locally, they continue to play a critical role in the context of Military Assistance to Civil Authority as exemplified by their participation in Operations Garikayi/Hlalani Kuhle, and Maguta/Inala, to mention just a few. The Nation is indeed proud of them.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />The country continues to enjoy peace and tranquillity despite attempts by some misguided elements to fuel anarchy under the guise of freedom of expression and association. While the country respects and affords everyone the right of assembly and association, the use of such platforms as tools to advance the British-inspired regime change agenda cannot be tolerated. Our law enforcement agents will continue thwart such ill-conceived manoeuvres.<br /><br />Madam President, Mr Speaker Sir,<br /><br />As a country we remain resolute in our commitment to the achievement of a fair, just and secure international environment, where all countries, both great and small, are accorded respect and equality. In that regard, we remain steadfast in our call for the reform of the United Nations, especially the Security Council, to render it more democratic and transparent.<br />Of essence is the need to check the impulsive tendencies of a unipolar world where those who wield power and wealth are inclined to ride roughshod over established international practices under the fallacy that might is right. We note, however, that the voice of reason is becoming louder and clearer in its chastisement of such gross abuses.<br />In conclusion, I wish to appeal to Zimbabweans from all walks of life to retain in ourselves the sense of enterprise, ingenuity and self-belief as we pursue the goals of our economic turnaround programme.<br /><br />Let us espouse the values of honesty and diligence, knowing that our destiny is in our hands. Let us desist from ivory tower theorising, and better still, from being long on critique, but short on prescription. Let us pool together our diverse talents, expertise and resource endowments for the realisation of our cherished destiny.<br />I wish to applaud the approach taken by our churches to foster nation building through constructive dialogue. May we borrow a leaf from such wisdom and avoid the tendency of self-destruction. Indeed, let us build on the spirit of multi-stakeholder co-operation that underpins the implementation of the National Economic Development Priority Programme as we work towards a more prosperous Zimbabwe under-pinned by national unity.<br /><br />I wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year!<br />Ngilifisela Ikhisimusi enhle!<br />Ivai neKisimisi yakanaka!<br />I thank you.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-78402898866736427582006-12-21T10:22:00.000-08:002008-08-06T10:24:47.076-07:00Not all that glitters is goldBy Obi Egbuna<br /><br />ZIMBABWEAN youths, born after Independence in 1980 — the so-called born-free generation — must realise how the three Chimurengas positively impacted on their educational system, and how fortunate they are to have grown up in a country with Africa’s highest literacy rate.<br />Africa’s liberation movements rooted in the decolonisation era have one thing in common, the support of the majority of the people owing to the charisma and progressiveness of their leadership, a leadership Washington wants to depose at all costs.<br />This is why Zimbabweans must not relax when they hear the US Embassy openly saying it recognises the immense value of educational exchange programmes towards increasing mutual understanding between Zimbabweans and Americans.<br />On November 3 2006, on the occasion of the International Education Week, the US Embassy in Harare announced that it was offering 2 000 scholarships to Zimbabwean students to study in the US.<br />The Bush administration’s illegal regime change agenda thrives on such scholarships.<br />We Africans in the US have a saying that it is easier to kill flies with honey than vinegar, so what is being presented as a gesture of good faith by the US Embassy in collaboration with the US State Department should not fool anyone.<br />Because of the role that both colonialism and slavery played in the collective African experience, daughters and sons of Africa truly understand and appreciate the benefit of first rate education.<br />In his autobiography, “The Life and Narrative of a Slave”, the great freedom fighter Frederick Douglas openly discussed how he hid while learning how to read and write because he could have been tortured or potentially killed for daring to learn.<br />While addressing his party’s Ninth Annual National People’s Conference in Goromonzi, President Mugabe reminded party members that Goromonzi High School, built in 1946, was the first secondary school for black Africans even though the country had been under colonial rule since 1890.<br />Public schools in the US were not integrated until 1954 and only then after the Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka case argued by civil/human rights pioneer Thurgood Marshall.<br />Two other examples worthy of mention are the case of nine high school students in Little Rock, Arkansas who attempted to enrol at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, only to have the Governor Orval Faubus call the National Guard to prevent the students from enrolling.<br />There is also the case of James Meredith, who applied for admission to the University of Mississippi in January of 1961 only to be denied admission and be saved by a US Supreme Court ruling in September of 1962.<br />The White House had to get involved in both cases. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect students in Arkansas because of the support organised by the NAACP chapter under the fearless leadership of Daisy Bates.<br />While in Mississippi, president Kennedy sent the US marshal’s because of racist violence that left two people dead, 41 soldiers injured and 30 US Marshalls shot.<br />The US Embassy Public Affairs section houses an Education USA certified educational advising centre, which they claim was set up to provide comprehensive services to serious Zimbabwean students seeking to further their education in the US, which includes a pre-departure orientation programme and individual advising with trained educational advisors. There are several questions that have to be answered in relation to the interaction that will take place between Zimbabwean students and the officers at the US Embassy:<br />Will their political opinions and affiliation become a point of discussion?<br />Are the scholarships only for students who belong to the Zimbabwe National Students Union?<br />Do students who happen to be members of the ruling party youth league qualify as well?<br />Could this initiative be an attempt by the US Government to start an extension of Zinasu in the US?<br />The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education along with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture must keep this initiative under scrutiny as it has implications for national security.<br />The split in the MDC that left the party extremely vulnerable, and the ZCTU’s loss of integrity, have left only one option open to Blair and Bush, that is having anti-Mugabe/Zanu-PF groups directly under their watchful eyes.<br />The US scholarships are being offered at a time Zimbabwe has the fourth largest student population in the US; only Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya have more students in US institutions, that in itself should raise eyebrows, the CIA’s regional office in West Africa is in Ghana.<br />Nigeria, at government level, has been the model military neo-colony, and Kenya lies in Africa’s most politically unstable region.<br />The other obvious social factor all four countries were colonised by the British, which means English is one of their official languages, which makes the students suitable for political indoctrination to serve US and British imperialist interests in Africa.<br />This is a typical US government strategy.<br />The Bush administration will try everything possible to present these students as Zimbabwe’s future leaders. All Mugabe and Zanu-PF detractors like the National Endowment Democracy and Amnesty International will roll out the red carpet for them.<br />The Voice of America’s Studio 7 and the nationally syndicated talk show Democracy Now would give them unlimited radio access, they may even have the opportunity to address the US Congress where they would be compared to the Chinese Students in Tiannanmen Square.<br />They would be asked to work with Reginald Machaba-Hove the chair of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, making them eligible to succeed Matchaba-Hove as recipients of the National Endowment for Democracy award and become Bush’s pet Zimbabweans.<br />The students’ academic programmes would be tailored to ensure they can rub shoulders with as many US intelligence agents as possible.<br />They would be taken to the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Centre at Howard University where the previous director Horace Dawson signed the initial statement by Trans Africa Forum entitled — Why We Spoke out on Zimbabwe.<br />They would be introduced to the United Negro College Fund special programmes division, where they would interact with the Institute for Public Policy, that was set up to enhance US national security, global competitiveness and leadership by promoting excellence, international service and cultural competence.<br />It would only be a matter of time before Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government’s Public Policy and Leadership Conference seeks them out and introduces them to people who help the International Crisis Group of the European Union write disparaging articles about President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.<br />These scholarships come at a time, first lady Laura Bush has just launched the Global Cultural initiative, an effort by the US State Department to support a wide-ranging international cultural diplomacy effort characterised by partnerships with the US government and private sector cultural agencies and institutions.<br />This will be where students with artistic talent would be encouraged to be like Thomas Mapfumo who sings for his supper, instead of Oliver Mtukudzi or Cde Chinx who sing from the heart.<br />The born-free comrades must make a distinction between the anti-imperialist student tradition that produced the likes of Witness Mangwende, Steve Biko, Kwame Ture, Yasir Arafat, and Fidel Castro; and students who are converted into agents of imperialism.<br />l Obi Egbuna is an African-American, and member of the Pan African Liberation Organisation, and Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-9181996204695544422006-12-21T05:43:00.000-08:002008-08-06T05:55:17.998-07:00One Unified African People: An Interview with Obi Egbuna<span style="font-weight: bold;">by Gregory Elich</span><br /><br />As a founding member of the Pan-African Liberation Organization, Obi Egbuna has devoted his life to the struggle to unify the African continent and the African Diaspora. His activities have led him to split his time between the U.S. and Zimbabwe. I was interested in finding out more about the Pan-African Liberation Organization and its role in the movement, and contacted Mr. Egbuna. This interview took place shortly before his return to Zimbabwe.<br /><br />Q: You are a founding member of the Pan-African Liberation Organization (PALO). Tell us something about PALO: its history, its philosophy, and its goals for the future.<br /><br />Egbuna: The organization was founded on April 1, 1991, 31 years after the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which is why we strategically picked that particular date. The original name was the Pan African Student Youth United Front. The year before, we had created a student umbrella organization called the United Pan African Front with students from the University of Maryland/College Park, George Washington University, Howard University, Catholic University, American University, and the University of the District of Columbia. We felt at that point that the student/youth movement in the African community needed to put immense pressure on our traditional organizations like the National Council of Negro Women, Nation of Islam, NAACP, All African People's Revolutionary Party, etc. to form an African United Front.<br /><br />We felt it was mainly because of the tendency to embrace capitalist models of leadership that was the root cause for the delay in the establishment of a functional and productive United Front representing the broadest spectrum of our organized formations. Our main philosophical influences are Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Ahmed Seku Ture. Our main objective is One Unified African People at home and abroad and One Unified Socialist African Continent. Our goals for the future are to identify the issues with the most potential to unite us worldwide, and right now our work around the issues of Zimbabwe and Cuba in particular represent our practical expression of what we believe in theory.<br /><br />Q: We live in a unipolar world in which the West did much to promote the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia into a number of smaller, weaker, and therefore more easily controlled nations. A united socialist Africa would have immense significance not only for the people of Africa but the world as well. But rallying support for the cause in the face of Western hostility presents special problems. You allude in your last answer to the first practical steps toward achieving that goal. Please tell us more about your work in support of pan-African liberation. I understand, for instance, that some time ago you moved to Zimbabwe in order to more effectively put your ideals into action.<br /><br />Egbuna: This is an important question to address. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the overthrow of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention Peoples Party in Ghana (February 24th 1966), the 30th anniversary of the Soweto uprising (June 16th 1976), and the 40th anniversary of SNCC's resurrection of Frederick Douglass' slogan "Black Power." As African people we approach Zimbabwe in the context of honoring our historical responsibility to defend liberated and sovereign territory on our beloved mother continent. For progressive and revolutionary forces in African communities worldwide, Zimbabwe means what Cuba and Venezuela mean to Latin American anti-imperialist resistance, or what Palestine means to Arab and Muslim forces opposed to imperialist domination.<br /><br />We've worked with our comrades in Zimbabwe for four years at a very intense level through the diplomatic corps in the U.S. (the embassy in Washington and the UN Mission in New York City). In 2003 we had the honor and privilege of chatting with President Mugabe at the UN while he was participating in the UN general assembly. He thanked us for the work we had done up to that point and urged us to intensify everything we were doing. The previous Zimbabwean ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Simbi Mubako, recommended that we go to Zimbabwe and spend extended time on the ground.<br /><br />At that point, however we felt we hadn't done enough on behalf of the government, party and people. In PALO we believe in working first and traveling later. This way our beloved comrades will be familiar with the track record of labor done on their behalf. We also decided that as Africans the concept of splash delegations has gotten us nowhere. What I mean by splash delegations is when national spokespeople in our community travel abroad mainly to countries on U.S. imperialism's radar screen (in Africa, Asia, and Latin America). Then after receiving red carpet treatment and promising the heads of state everything under the sun, they return to the U.S. only to hold a press conference highlighting their visit and two or three months later we forget why they went in the first place. This approach undermines crucial relationships that Africans in the U.S. must build and maintain with our comrades in every corner of the world.<br /><br />We felt that we needed to work in Zimbabwe like Kwame Ture and Shirley Graham DuBois did in Guinea, Frantz Fanon did in Algeria, Julian Mayfield and W.E.B. DuBois did in Ghana, and lastly how Che Guevara did in Cuba and how Eugene Godfried and Assata Shakur are presently doing in Cuba. I was in Zimbabwe from April to September working with ZANU-PF on the party side and also on the Government side, mainly through the Ministry of Information and Publicity. But I'm also working with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Ministry of Education Sports and Culture, and the National HIV Aids Council. I went to Zimbabwe also for the purpose of bridging the gap between the Cuban solidarity work being done by Africans in the U.S. and those in Southern Africa, which is the hub of Cuban solidarity on the Continent. I'm a member of the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association and working to rebuild the Zimbabwe Palestinian Friendship organization. I'll be returning to Zimbabwe in November and remaining there until February to continue the work on the ground that will result in an increase of genuine uncompromising support for President Mugabe and ZANU-PF.<br /><br />Q: I've heard from a number of people who have informed me that Zimbabwe's land reform has won wide popular support throughout Africa. Do you think that land reform has the potential to act as a catalyst for positive change throughout the continent of Africa? Could this also be a rallying point for building a movement for the political and economic unification of Africa?<br /><br />Egbuna: With the death of Yasser Arafat, President Mugabe has emerged as the international spokesperson for land reclamation worldwide. It begins with Africa. If you remember, the youth league of the ANC was the first entity on the other side of the Limpopo River to endorse the land reclamation program in Zimbabwe. This was crucial because even after international support for the Palestinian question and reparations for slavery at the United Nations Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Other Related Intolerances, held in Durban, South Africa, this still didn't translate into an intensification of the struggle for land reclamation in South Africa, where 83% of the land remains in the hands of whites.<br /><br />The President of Cote D'Ivoire sent an envoy to Zimbabwe three years back, seeking consultation and advice from President Mugabe about how they could reclaim their land. We also see how the courageous vision of Zimbabwe helped spark this issue next door in Namibia, where 44% of the land was still in the hands of whites there. We can also look at the Harare agricultural festival, which was opened by Botswana's President Festus Mogae, who reaffirmed his support for the land program in Zimbabwe and denounced the illegal sanctions. Zambia's President, who was also in attendance, stressed the same points. President Mugabe received recognition in April from Malawi's President Mutharika, who named a road in his honor despite a threat by the European Union to pull out of a project to rebuild roads in the country unless Mugabe wasn't uninvited. This, however, didn't budge President Mutharika one bit. We then have to look outside of Africa. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela said at the UN Food and Poverty Organization meeting last year in Rome that Zimbabwe was the model for his agrarian reform program.<br /><br />It was comical to see Chirac in France praise Comrade Evo Morales in Bolivia for the program he decided to embark on against the ruling elite in Bolivia, knowing that the reason the European Union is trying to force an illegal imperialist-driven regime change in Zimbabwe is because of the uncompromising stand of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF on the issue of land.<br /><br />I just had a great dialogue with WaBun-Inini (aka Vernon Bellecourt), a principal spokesperson for the American Indian Movement/International Indian Treaty Council. He's in the process of drafting a statement of support for President Mugabe and ZANU-PF. I feel great about this because WaBun-Inini defends Libya with more courage and passion than most Africans in the U.S. He went to jail for defying Ronald Reagan's travel ban on Libya in 1987. Many forget or overlook that the U.S. is a settler colony. So their arrogance towards a people who have endured slavery and colonialism and who are reclaiming what is rightfully theirs is expected and resisted, like in the case of Zimbabwe.<br /><br />I also have to mention that I was pleased that International A.N.S.W.E.R. arranged for me to read the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association's (ZIMCUFA) statement on the Cuban Five at the rally they sponsored in support of the five patriots, in front of the FBI building and the Department of Justice. I had been out of the states for six months and they needed a new updated photograph of me on U.S. soil anyway. I'm sure the US embassy in Zimbabwe has plenty of me in Harare. I think this was a special act on A.N.S.W.E.R.'s part, because many entities external to the African community don't appear to respect the role Zimbabwe plays in the anti-imperialist movement. Many of them are quicker to talk about forces in Latin America and the Caribbean only because of their geographical proximity to Latin America and more recently the Middle East, which is really North Africa.<br /><br />It appears that resistance in sub-Saharan Africa is the dark side of the moon for them, so maybe by showing Zimbabwe's relationship to Cuba through the issue of the five or by having them see that Southern Africa is the driving force for Cuban solidarity on the continent of Africa, they can come to recognize the importance of this issue. This is evident when we highlight the 36,000 troops from Cuba who, for 14 years, fought in Angola, winning a decisive victory at Cuito Cuanavale; or the fact that Mugabe and Mandela are recipients of the Jose Marti Order, Cuba's highest honor (Mugabe in 1985 and Mandela in 1991). Since Hugo Chavez has emerged as the darling of these circles, they also have to see who his favorite African president is. Mugabe received a replica of Simon Bolivar's sword in 2003 and we are grateful to Comrade Chavez for that. This trip in Zimbabwe we will also highlight the history of the Zimbabwe Palestinian Friendship organization to show that link to those who are part of the anti-Zionist efforts within U.S. borders.<br /><br />Q: How may interested individuals go about contacting and joining the Pan-African Liberation Organization? What type of work can sympathetic people residing in the U.S. do in support of PALO's goals?<br /><br />Egbuna: People interested in joining our ranks can reach out to us by emailing panafricanlib@yahoo.com. We're in the process of developing a web page to be a catalyst in helping our recruitment efforts. Individuals from the African community can join us if they support our objectives and don't belong to an organization already. Organizations that are interested in collaborating on some of the projects we're working on, in particular the work around Zimbabwe or the Cuban Health Care Pilot Project, are more than welcome to link up with us. The more organized resistance we have in the never-ending struggle for our liberation, human dignity, and humanity as a whole, the better.Obi Egbuna writes for The Herald. He is a member of the Pan-African Liberation Organization and the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association.<br /><br />The Herald can be read at: <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/index.aspx">www.herald.co.zw/index.aspx</a>.<br /><br />The Pan-African Liberation Organization can be contacted at: panafricanlib@yahoo.com.<br /><br />Gregory Elich is the author of Strange Liberators: Militarism, Mayhem, and the Pursuit of Profit.<br /><br />Original Article Obtained from:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/elich211206.htmlobiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-21313022183263837852006-12-14T04:18:00.000-08:002008-08-07T04:23:06.760-07:00Zim’s Determination Inspiring<span style="font-style: italic;">By Obi Egbuna</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ANYONE travelling from the United States in the second week of November went through the Democratic Party’s smokescreen, which was thicker than the fog of London.</span><br /><br />The victories US imperialism’s liberal political arm enjoyed in elections for the US House and Senate had adults who voted Democrat excited like children opening presents on their birthdays or on Christmas morning.<br /><br />This excitement and pandemonium was on full display in the African community within US borders where 95 percent of the voters are loyalists to the Democratic Party, where many of them will tell you in open conversation, the sweet tooth for liberals is only a tactic not a sacred principle.<br /><br />One can usually respond to these feelings by reminding them Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X were murdered in cold blood under the watchful eye of a Democratic Party president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and no tears rolled down his cheeks.<br /><br />Our comrades in Cuba never hesitate to tell true blue Democrats that the blockade imposed on them in 1962, which 180 countries voted against at the United Nations this year, was the brainchild of John F. Kennedy, a Democratic president.<br /><br />In the year which marks the 40th anniversary of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow in Ghana (February 24 1966) at the hands of the CIA and British intelligence while on a quest to stop Johnson’s war of genocide in Vietnam, we say yank that sweet tooth for it is rotten to the core.<br /><br />While returning to Zimbabwe to continue solidarity and support work on the ground with our comrades in the ruling party Zanu-PF and Government, it wasn’t difficult to remain true to these convictions. After all, it is a liberal British prime minister, Tony Blair, that many in the US consider a cheap imitation of Bill Clinton that is leading the charge to overthrow President Robert Mugabe, and made George W. Bush march to the beat of his drum.<br /><br />The resolve and character shown by Zimbabweans makes it truly a joy and pleasure to join them in the fight to defend the nation’s sovereignty; anyone involved in this work can attest to that. We just hope at the end of the day we get the results the country needs.<br /><br />During a two-month visit to the US to report on work being done in Zimbabwe and to identify more organisations willing to be part of the support and solidarity efforts, it became evident that the main supporters of the ZCTU/MDC inside our community, Jos Williams of the AFL-CIO and William Lucy of the Congress of Black Trade Unions, while willing to attack Zimbabwe on radio or in the print media, were not too keen on debating pro-Mugabe/Zanu-PF comrades.<br /><br />The reason Williams gave was he was too busy working around the elections, he also gave a condition that a private meeting was necessary to discuss differences around the issue.<br /><br />He said Lucy would be there also. This was an effort to avoid debate because no private conversation would change anything.<br /><br />When one is aligned to the rightwing think-tank the National Endowment of Democracy and US State Department/US Congress initiative to empower trade unions they deem as democratic like ZCTU, this means it is them, not South African President Thabo Mbeki, who are Bush’s point people in Zimbabwe.<br /><br />The work on the ground in Zimbabwe has unlimited potential because it has both a political and humanitarian dimension. A Brother and Sister Communication Campaign is at work, where a strategy has been developed to get different entities of the ruling party and Government to engage their counterparts in the US on the developments here in Zimbabwe.<br /><br />This strategy is aimed at having the illegal sanctions imposed on the country and people lifted once and for all. We want to see Vice President Joice Mujuru dialogue with women like the godmother of the civil/human rights movement National Council of Negro Women president emeritus Dr Dorothy Height, Children’s Defence Fund director Dr Marian Wright Edelman and other women in national leadership positions in the US.<br /><br />We feel that if African women in the US interact with Vice President Mujuru it automatically raises Zimbabwe’s profile the same way Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf played a role in giving her country much needed positive coverage and improved public relations.<br /><br />The journalists in Zimbabwe who know that empowering anti-Government media through websites, opposition newspapers and international coverage is one of the focal points of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe can engage the leadership of the National Newspaper Publishers’ Association and the National Association of Black Journalists in order to ensure that the truth about the country is reported throughout the US.<br /><br />The opposition newspapers will continue to ignore the pleas of the late Minister of Information and Publicity Ambassador Tichaona Jokonya and Zanu-PF Secretary of Information Dr Nathan Shamuyarira who urged these journalists to be more patriotic, because they are empowered by Zimbabwe’s enemies to do their bidding.<br /><br />The Church leaders who have vowed to work with the Government to confront the nation’s challenges must begin to reach out to the Progressive Baptist National Convention, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, United Church of Christ, Nation of Islam and other numerous religious institutions to let them know they must not let wolves in sheep’s clothing like Bush impose their will on Zimbabwe.<br /><br />A Martin Luther King Centre similar to the one in Cuba, can be built in Zimbabwe and help with food and clothes, HIV-Aids work and strategies to push for the sanctions to be lifted.<br /><br />While it is great to see high profile ministers like Bishop Eddie Long come to Zimbabwe and commit themselves to being goodwill ambassadors between Zimbabwe House and White House in Washington, which is a noble gesture indeed, building an institution to generate maximum support will serve Zimbabwe better down the line.<br /><br />The centre in Cuba scared Washington so much that the US State Department began terminating licences for churches ready to travel there.<br /><br />The American Medical Students’ Association, the largest medical student group through their global Aids division, has agreed to co-sponsor a resolution showing that Zimbabwe being deprived of humanitarian aid to fight HIV/Aids on political grounds is a violation of human rights.<br /><br />We are targeting the key medical groups in our community in the US like the Black Nurses’ Association, National Medical Association, National Black Leadership Commission on Aids, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People — the pioneering civil rights movement in the US) and Nation of Islam’s medical directors.<br /><br />The resolution will go to the United Nations and World Health Organisation on Martin Luther King’s birthday. There are some people in the US who are now saying that too much energy has been invested in the fight against HIV and Aids in Africa and not enough around our challenges within the States.<br /><br />This is an indirect ploy to divert attention from Zimbabwe because if you talk about the African continent, you have to discuss Southern Africa, which means you have to talk about the country making the most progress and highlight its political will and courage and attack anyone trying to undermine it.<br /><br />Some discussions have begun about a major HIV and Aids concert in Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Information and Publicity, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and National Aids Council.<br /><br />Dialogue must begin with the Minister of Justice, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, and the National Conference of Black Lawyers for the purpose of developing a legal strategy to demonstrate how the attempted political siege of Zimbabwe by the Blair government and Bush administration is a violation of human rights.<br /><br />The business community in Zimbabwe must reach out to the business groups in the US and explain the impact the sanctions have had on the economy and what economic potential the country has. This will demonstrate patriotism to the nation and also give the African community in the US exposure to businesspeople here who are patriotic.<br /><br />The US State Department and US Embassy in Zimbabwe have embarked on a project to recruit students from Zimbabwe to go to the United States under the guise of offering them an opportunity of a lifetime. They are hoping to pollute their minds so they can assist in the efforts to demonise and isolate their country of birth to advance the US imperialist agenda in Zimbabwe.<br /><br />How can the same State Department that on its website openly discourages US citizens from visiting Zimbabwe citing excessive violence as the reason, now come to host its youth as their guests under the guise of academic diplomacy? They seek to exploit the influence of imperialist popular culture plain and simple. The international solidarity work with the Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association and reviving the Zimbabwe-Palestinian work is also a high priority.<br /><br />These are crucial links that will resurrect anti-imperialist resistance where it is dead in Africa and intensify it where it is strong.<br /><br />When future generations of Africans read the history of Zimbabwe, the political value of the travelling that President Mugabe has undertaken to ensure the country was never misinterpreted through the eyes of its most hateful enemies must never be overlooked.<br /><br />In September, he went to Cuba for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit. From there, he connected to New York for the United Nations General Assembly Summit which was symbolic, especially since outgoing Secretary General Kofi Annan endorsed the President’s recommendation to make former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa the mediator between Britain and Zimbabwe.<br /><br />President Mugabe’s presentations at the UN made one think of the story about David and Goliath in the Bible, because based on the applause he receives year after year, the slingshot never misses the target, which is usually the Siamese twins of imperialism — Blair and Bush — because of their dogmatism and intolerance towards Zimbabwe.<br /><br />The President’s visits to Djibouti for the Comesa meeting, where he gave the best proposal for economic development, and his trip to Iran to meet his counterpart President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to develop plans for co-operation and partnership between the two nations.<br /><br />The trip to China for the China-Africa Summit helped showcase the Look East Policy, which appears to be inspiring the entire continent of Africa at the same rapid pace the land reclamation programme did a few years back.<br /><br />The President was recently in Sudan where he attended the African Caribbean and Pacific Summit that discussed partnership and bilateral relations, among other critical issues.<br /><br />Zimbabwe’s determination should inspire everyone fighting on its behalf outside the country to intensify their efforts. Inside the US the Congressional Black Caucus, members must be aggressively challenged to change their votes on the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.<br /><br />This can be done by targeting the four CBC members who are on the Committee of International Relations — Congressmen Donald Payne and Gregory Meeks and their female counterparts Congresswomen Diane Watson and Barbara Lee.<br /><br />The history of support and solidarity work in the US has helped many comrades in the world come to power. History now imposes the challenge on Africans worldwide to defend President Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe, which means history will remember how we responded.<br /><br />l The writer, Obi Egbuna, is a member of the Pan-African Liberation Organisation and Zimbabwe-Cuba Friendship Association.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-10075043642595421612006-11-30T04:33:00.000-08:002008-08-07T04:38:19.987-07:00How US Poll Results Relate to Zim<span style="font-style: italic;">By Obi Egbuna</span><br /><br />MANY people living in the United States, who believe that the right to vote is the most effective political expression, consider the leverage that the Democratic Party recently gained in both Congress and the Senate as the strongest statement sent to the Bush administration since 2000.<br />Civil/human rights organisations, churches, and other grassroots efforts serving as eyes and ears of democracy inside the African (American) community cited Iraq, George W. Bush’s negligence around Hurricane Katrina, and corruption associated with presidential elections in 2000 and 2004 as their main ammunition in voter registration and education nationwide.<br />These three issues played a major role in determining the outcome of the mid-term elections and made Democrats confident about their chances to reclaim the White House in the forthcoming presidential elections in 2008.<br />While the common sentiment of African (American) organisations aligned with Democrats is that they have some breathing room and much-needed momentum to deal with issues Africans face inside US borders, it would be naive to ignore that there is little change for Africans and other oppressed people worldwide, who are targets of US imperialist aggression, in military or diplomatic form.<br />The Government and people of Zimbabwe, under the courageous leadership of President Mugabe, will gain absolutely no sympathy as a result of a Democratic majority in the House or Senate.<br />Malcolm X once said Democrats were foxes and Republicans were wolves and in the final analysis both belonged to the canine family.<br />On July 28, a resolution (HR 409) condemning Operation Murambatsvina was introduced in the House of Representatives by Democrat Tom Lanton (California).<br />The resolution called on President Mugabe to recognise that the absence of meaningful corrective actions on his part would taint his legacy as a freedom fighter.<br />It also accused President Mugabe of harassing, and threatening to expel US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell.<br />While Lantos serves on the Committee for International Relations which is headed by two Republicans, Henry Hyde of Arizona and Christopher Smith of New Jersey, this resolution was co-sponsored by 43 Congressional representatives, 27 of whom are Democrats.<br />Some of the names that stood out were Congressman Jesse Jackson (son of civil/human rights pioneer Reverend Jesse Jackson), Dennis Kuchinich of Ohio, and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member Albert Wynn of Maryland.<br />The resolution was endorsed by all members of the International Relations Committee of which four are CBC members — Gregory Meeks, Diane Watson, Barbara Lee and, lastly, the chair of the African brain trust of the CBC Donald Payne.<br />This September at the CBC, Congressman Payne invited Condoleezza Rice’s mouthpiece on African Affairs, Jendayi Frazier, to participate in the second panel.<br />While she didn’t mention Zimbabwe (Frazier doesn’t speak in public if there is going to be a question-and-answer session), she admitted to the African Ambassadors’ Group that the decision not to have dialogue with Sadc countries was because they refused to support Washington on Zimbabwe.<br />Congressman Payne is seen by his CBC colleagues as an expert on African affairs, which is why they all sat by and allowed him to co-sponsor House Resolution 2601 calling for action to authorise appropriations for the Department of State’s budget for the years 2006 and 2007.<br />This resolution contains section 903 which calls for US$12 million to be designated annually to provide the logistical framework to implement the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act whose main focal points are:<br /><ol><li>The restoration of democratic legitimacy and fostering a free and fair electoral process in Zimbabwe, particularly through legislative process training for Members of Parliament;</li><li>Capacity building for civil society organisations to effectively provide information on the political process to citizens and to defend the legal rights of minorities, women and youths; </li><li>Document the level of adherence by the Government of Zimbabwe to civil and human rights standards and monitor and report on the entire electoral process in Zimbabwe; </li><li>Organisational capacity building training in Zimbabwe; </li><li>Poll watcher training for party and civil society election observers in Zimbabwe; and </li><li>The re-establishment of "independent" media through overseas broadcasts and Internet sites. </li></ol>The sponsor of the Bill was vice chairman of the Committee on International Relations Christopher Smith.<br />This should explain to Africans worldwide why the majority CBC members endorse the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe while the two who abstained in the original vote in 2001, Cynthia McKinney and Earl Hilliard, didn’t feel comfortable enough to vote against it.<br />Congressman Lantos must be a big admirer of British Prime Minister Tony Blair because his track record shows he is hell-bent on overthrowing President Mugabe and Zanu-PF. There is a resolution — 4319 — that focuses on action to improve trade between sub-Saharan African countries and the US.<br />The sixth section of the resolution focuses on the State Department and Congress noting that sustained economic growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa will depend on building strong, effective enforcement of international standards and democratic trade unions that can reasonably represent workers’ interests.<br />This is where ZCTU leader Wellington Chibebe received the go-ahead to try to disrupt the normal flow of things in Zimbabwe and why MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai recently said he would mobilise people around civic issues like high water charges, uncollected garbage and general economic hardships.<br />This piece of legislation was co-sponsored by three Democrats — Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia, CBC member Albert Wynn, and Congressman McDermott from Seattle — and once again International Relations vice chair Smith from New Jersey.<br />While the main focus of this article is to expose the hypocrisy of the Democrats in relationship to Zimbabwe, the Republicans, who share the convictions of Bush, have to be revealed.<br />There is Resolution 5476 that condemns the old United Nations Commission on Human Rights for allowing countries who are, in their opinion, the "worst abusers" of human rights, cited as Zimbabwe, Cuba, Sudan, Libya, Belarus and China, to be part of the commission.<br />The resolution was drafted by five Republicans — Congressmen and Congresswomen Stearns from Florida, Norwood from Georgia, Westmoreland from Georgia, Cubin of Wyoming and Otter from Idaho.<br />There is also Resolution 3057 that has section 6078 which states that the Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the US executive director to each international financial institution to vote against any extension of loans to Zimbabwe unless the Secretary of State (who, ironically, has already listed Zimbabwe among the so-called outposts of tyranny) determines to committees on appropriations that the rule of law has been restored in Zimbabwe.<br />Republican Jim Kolbe of Arizona sponsored this resolution.<br />In short, Africans in the US must understand that Bush got the US involved in Zimbabwe to ensure that Blair was his partner to the very end in Iraq.<br />Therefore, if the elected officials who represent African (Americans) appear to be working hand in hand with the White House in their attempt to overthrow Cde Mugabe and Zanu-PF, then they will have a very difficult time over the next two years.<br />When African (Americans) talk about the blood shed to have the right to vote in the US and how the Bush administration was trying to repeal the Voting Rights Act of 1964, there comes a responsibility to use these positions to defend our brothers and sisters all over the world.<br />This means that helping Bush and Blair in Zimbabwe is a betrayal of this fundamental right all CBC members would swear on a stack of Bibles the size of Mt Kilimanjaro, they would never betray.<br />The Pan-African Parliament of the African Union, Non Aligned Movement, and United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva must be urged to take a stand on this issue.<br />The writing is not on the wall; Zimbabwe has done nothing wrong.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-1974600230089419572006-11-30T02:43:00.000-08:002008-08-11T03:57:33.817-07:00How Kwame Ture Would Have Helped ZimbabweBy Obi Egbuna<br /><br />AS African people throughout the world prepare to pay tribute to Kwame Ture (formerly known as Stokely Carmichael) on the eighth anniversary of his death, many may wonder what he would be saying and doing about the attempted siege on Zimbabwe. Kwame Ture succumbed to prostate cancer on November 15 1998. Throughout his political life, whether in the Student Non Violent Co-ordinating Committee, Black Panther Party, the All African People’s Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Party of Guinee, Kwame Ture always felt educating black people about political developments in the world was his historical responsibility. During the Vietnam War as SNCC’s National Chairman, Kwame helped coin two slogans, "Hell no we won’t go" and "Victory to Ho Chi Minh". This militant stance helped Dr. Martin Luther King JR and SCLC understand they had to speak out against the war and follow the courageous example of the youths of the civil rights movement. It also provided a safety net for Muhammad Ali when he followed the wishes of the Hon Elijah Muhammad not to enter the draft to fight in Vietnam. Kwame Ture went on to support Gamel Abdel Nasser then president of Egypt during the 1967 six-day war with the Israelis.<br /><br />Kwame represented SNCC in Cuba in 1967 at the Latin American Solidarity Conference. At this historic gathering, a young Commandante Fidel Castro boldly proclaimed, "If US imperialism touched one grain on his head there would be immediate and maximum retaliation." Kwame was one of the first spokespeople of a national organisation in the African (American) Community, to declare that Africans in the US should give the Palestinians their unconditional support against Zionist Israeli aggression.<br />He used the example of Fatima Bernawi, an African woman who fought side by side with the Palestinians of Al Fatah. While the moderate forces in our community spoke only about the efforts of the African National Congress during the struggle against apartheid, Kwame urged Africans worldwide to equally embrace the other two liberation movements fighting on the ground, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and the Azania People’s Organisation.<br /><br />When the Reagan administration bombed Libya on April 15 1986, it was Kwame who coined the slogan "Bombs in Africa could get you Bombs in America." When George Bush Sr. invaded Iraq in the early 1990’s Kwame said, "if I’m the Imam of Mecca and American imperialism declares war on Satan then I’m Satan’s comrade in arms." Kwame’s connection to the struggle in Zimbabwe goes back to his days as the Black Panther Party’s honorary prime minister, when he condemned Cecil John Rhodes for colonising Zimbabwe and naming it after himself. While there were others who made people think they had to choose between Cdes Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, Kwame urged people to champion the Patriotic Front because Zimbabweans were best qualified to determine their own political direction. President Mugabe and Kwame have some similar liberation experiences; both consider Ghana’s founding president Dr Kwame Nkrumah as their biggest influence. Cde Mugabe taught in Ghana at the time Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party ruled that country with courage, honour and dignity, and there he met his first wife, the late Amai Sally Mugabe and together they became one of the foremost Pan African revolutionary husband and wife team.<br /><br />Kwame had the honour of being invited to Guinea Conakry by his namesake, Nkrumah, who was exiled there after Africa’s most infamous coup deposed him in 1966.<br />Kwame was under the Osagyefo’s tutelage until his death in Romania in 1972, and remained there until he passed away in 1998; he was buried in Guinea next to Ahmed Seku Ture the country’s founding president. The courage President Mugabe has shown standing up to western powers reminds people of the resilience Nkrumah demonstrated by overthrowing the settler regime in Ghana on March 6 1957.<br />These comrades also made great contributions to African-Asian anti-imperialist solidarity, President Mugabe by building and maintaining a strong bond to China during the Second Chimurenga and today through the innovative Look East policy that could break US imperialism’s monstrous grip on the African continent.<br />Kwame did this by showing the African (American) community that they must support the Vietnamese in the war against the administration of Lyndon Johnson because president Ho Chi Minh was a student of Marcus Garvey, and he told members of SNCC who visited him in Hanoi that Garvey’s love for Africa, inspired his own patriotism for Vietnam.<br /><br />As Zimbabwe celebrates 26 years of independence and democracy, the Blair and Bush administrations have worked around the clock trying to isolate and demonise the country. They have tried to dismiss the land reform programme, which is now the model people all over the world are following, be they from South Africa or Namibia, or as far away as Venezuela or Bolivia. While it can be argued that Latin America has emerged as the vanguard of anti-imperialist resistance, the world’s boldest voice on the issue of land reclamation and self-determination belongs to Cde Robert Mugabe. While Zimbabwe has over 1,6 million Aids orphans, humanitarian groups like the Global Fund continue to allow Blair and Bush to deny Zimbabwe access to resources even though the country has recorded the biggest success in the fight against the pandemic in Southern Africa.<br />As we celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the Brown vs the Board of Education of Topeka and the legal genius of Thurgood Marshall, let us salute the Government and people of Zimbabwe for having Africa’s most educated nation. Brother Kwame always said that Africans in the Democratic Party were an example of visible powerlessness, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who supported the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe under the guise of the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act validate his assertion.<br /><br />The Congressional Black Caucus also refused to observe the 2002 presidential elections in Zimbabwe, or the parliamentary elections that took place on March 31 last year. Kwame would have raised the question, how could we be against the war in Iraq but support the US and British imperialist campaign to effect illegal regime change in Zimbabwe? Raising such a shameful contradiction would only have been second nature from a comrade who always reminded us, Africans in the Diaspora that Africa was home, and we had just us much of obligation to defend it as those born on African soil.<br />Let us remember Kwame’s last written statement to the world was titled "Hell, yes, we’re going to Libya" where he called for the lifting of US-imposed sanctions on Libya and the blockade on Cuba.<br /><br />Kwame had the misfortune of witnessing firsthand the CIA orchestrated coup that overthrew the PDG in Guinea Conakry in 1984 after the death of the Pan African giant Ahmed Seku Ture, the nation’s first president and leader of the revolution against French colonialism. This enables us to know that Kwame would never have sat idly and let Condolezza Rice call Zimbabwe an outpost of tyranny, just like he called former US secretary of state and joint chief of staff Colin Powell who grew up in the same neighbourhood with him a traitor and an embarrassment to the African-American community.<br />Kwame even challenged Powell to debate on the Gulf War, which of course the General could not accept.<br /><br />He would have asked the NAACP to publicise the positive report on Zimbabwe’s 2002 presidential elections, and stand strong like one of their founding members the great Pan Africanist WEB DuBois. Gone are the days when the US State Department thought they could tell our organisations how to view and analyse African Affairs at home or abroad. This would have shown the African community in the US that even though we could not prevent the Bush administration from imposing its political will in the White House, we can stop them from taking their dog and pony show to Africa.<br />Kwame would also have reminded those in our community who have openly criticised Zimbabwe recently that serving as extended mouthpieces of an administration they claim to oppose makes them look confused, opportunistic and cowardly in the eyes of the masses.<br /><br />Brother Kwame would also have urged African Women worldwide to rally behind Vice President Amai Joice Mujuru, a Zimbabwean warrior from the time she went to fight in the bush to depose Ian Smith’s regime, in the same manner he used various platforms to educate our sisters about the bravery of Cde Assata Shakur while she has been in exile in Cuba, our home away from home.The African (Americans) in the US must welcome the challenge of continuing to defend the integrity of the Zimbabwean revolution.<br /><br />Brother Kwame would also have urged all organisations in the African (American) community who have promised to defend Zimbabwe to honour the commitments they have made to its Government and people, Africans all over the world must stand behind Zimbabwe.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-62422200334090322842006-07-18T07:54:00.000-07:002008-08-12T08:09:24.422-07:00The Role of Culture in Anti-Zimbabwe PropagandaOne of the biggest challenges African people have worldwide, is making our political and cultural expression synonymous. The general sentiment is that bridging this gap is the key to our uniting every sector of our community, throughout our history we have seen the necessity to resolve this matter has revealed itself again and again. The 60’s generation remembers the Godfather of Soul James Brown singing "say it loud I’m black and I’m proud", but distancing himself from the slogan "burn baby burn" which became the battle cry of the militant forces supporting the urban rebellions that took place in direct response to the assassination Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The late Genius of Soul Ray Charles gained national headlines for refusing to play before a segregated audience in the state of Georgia in the 60's but went to South Africa at the height of the anti- apartheid struggle and performed at Sun City in the 80's. We have also seen the benefits of artists who understand the value of merging our cultural and political voices, when the late Nina Simone was asked if her song to be young gifted and black would offend whites, she responded the purpose of the song was not to offend them it simply ignores them. The sister showed in song you overcome mental enslavement by discussing your existence independent of your former colonial and slave masters. This issue also deals with how cultural workers who embrace political challenges are remembered both inside and outside our community. The poet Maya Angelou gained international recognition for her poem she recited at Bill Clinton's inauguration celebration, but is revered by her people for the work she did helping build a support and solidarity network for the government of Ghana's first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the late 50's and 60's,is it more beneficial for future generations to remember her as Clinton's favorite poet or Nkrumah's comrade in arms?<br /><br /> <br />In their efforts to isolate and demonize the Government of Zimbabwe and its President Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the Blair and Bush administrations have had the luxury of knowing that some of our artists are providing them additional ammunition. Even though this is true their most dependable intelligence agents would have imagined in their wildest dreams, one of these artists would be the son of the late revolutionary artist Robert Nesta Marley. The youngest son of our fallen comrade Damian "Jr Gong Marley" released his album Welcome to Jamrock last summer, the 11th track is a song entitled Road to Zion with a special guest appearance by none other than one of Hip Hop's biggest stars Nas,the rapstar whose birth name is Nasir Jones opens the song by saying President Mugabe is holding guns on the people of Zimbabwe and doing things that will make the pope seem godly. I accept the challenge of dealing with this confusion not by attacking our young brothers for the purpose of shock value, but exposing things that will reveal to all those who read this article that our cultural and political armies must rally around Zimbabwe wherever we are in the world. Mr. Jones showed the potential of becoming a hip hop icon from his first album Illmatic which debuted in 1994,some of us remember his guest appearances on the single Live at the Barbeque on the 1991 Main Source album or heard him on Chubb Rock's 1993 single back to the grill again single knew he was something special. One of the major social trends that artists who made albums in this era, displayed was the desire to openly identify with Italian mafia figures of the 1920's and 30's or key members of international drug cartels. Mr. Jones himself adopted the stage moniker Nas Escobar in tribute to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, however unlike most of his counterparts in the hip hop industry Mr. Jones showed growth and maturity and began to embrace freedom fighters in our liberation struggle, this cost him many of his loyal followers and many thought this change of heart would lead to his artistic demise, Mr. Jones showed no signs of panic and his music became more and more political with each album. On his 2001 album stillmatic he appeared to arrive full circle with songs like World Peace and My Country which he dedicated to Dr. King, Malcolm X, Patrice Lumumba and Che Guevera. This album along with an album that debuted in record stores the same exact day entitled live and unplugged by another very influential hip hop artist named Jay-Z who had a t-shirt with Che's picture on it are what caused many young people influenced by western popular culture to embrace Che as a symbol of defiance. Mr. Marley should take the opportunity to visit the museum in Jamaica dedicated to his father and look at the entire wall that highlights his visit to and his undying support for Zimbabwe. Mr Marley attacking Zimbabwe is the equivalent of Dr. King's children denouncing his condemnation of the war on Vietnam and telling George Bush we endorse the war on terrorism, or children of Yasser Arafat fighting with the Zionist Israelis. <br /><br />Mr. Marley and Mr Jones either decided to criticize President Mugabe on song for one of two reasons, either the record label said it would boost their record sales or they truly believe the were doing the right thing based on the information at their disposal. I am an optimist who has confidence in our people so I will say it is the latter scenario mentioned above. I sincerely believe the attack on President Mugabe on this single, cannot be put in the same category as the statement made by Hip Hop artist Curtis "50 cent" Jackson when he felt that President George Bush did everything he could do concerning Hurricane katrina that it was just god's plan, Mr Jackson's corporate backers were the masterminds behind that rhetoric. The one universal fact about humans hardly anyone disagrees with is we are all products of our exposure, Mr. Jones has a residence in Atlanta which has a large Zimbabwean community, maybe he was approached by members of the Movement for Democratic Change, President Mugabe's main political opposition. Mr. Marley could have been approached by Amnesty International while in the UK where he has a large following not just because of his father but his own individual talent, he could have been in a hotel room watching BBC's studio 7 which is set up to generate international pressure on President Mugabe and ZANU-PF hoping it will result in the President stepping down before 2008. If Mr.Jones and Mr.Marley were born in Zimbabwe, they would be called born frees which is a name used to describe the youth in Zimbabwe who were either born after independence or were small children when the struggle for independence was taking place. This shows the challenge that President Mugabe openly admits his government and party have, in terms of waging a war for the minds and hearts of the born free generation stretches far beyond his country it is a struggle of Pan African and International proportions. <br /><br />Our young brothers could have told by politically naive staff members that the internationally well known Zimbabwean artist Thomas Mapfumo wanted a minute of their time, another important dynamic our enemies depend on is using artists who are citizens of the country whose political direction they seek to control to attack their own governments. Mr. Mapfumo launches his attacks on President Mugabe from the comforts of the United States where he lives with his children, if Mr.Mapfumo was still defending the integrity of his country's government not only would he not be allowed to live in the US, he probably would be on the same travel ban list President Mugabe is that denies him the right to travel to the US or UK to respond to the attacks of Blair and Bush. Mr Mapfumo is no different than the Cuban artists the late Celia Cruz and Arturo Sandoval who decided Yankee dollars in their pockets were more important than supporting the Cuban Revolution whose love for the arts as a weapon for promoting solidarity, sisterhood and brotherhood is no secret to people all over the planet. Mr. Mapfumo has two unique talents, first as a musician but also the ability to politically reinvent himself in the late 70's he was pro-Muzerewa, in the 80's pro ZANU-PF and now pro MDC. The late Minister of Information and Publicity Ambassador Tichaona Jokonya said all traitors are expendable.<br /><br />Mr. Marley and Mr. Jones could have bumped into South African trumpet player Hugh Masekela who on his last album called President Mugabe a despot that needs to step down, according to one of the founding members of the Zimbabwe Support Committee in Chicago Rashieda Weaver, Masekela between songs at a concert last year raised the question how could a dictator like Mugabe have grass roots support committees in the US and South Africa have nothing. Mr. Masekela can't even convince all the members of his biological family to join his anti Mugabe ZANU-PF crusade, his sister Comrade Barbara Masekela is currently the South African Ambassador to the United States, at the end of last year she organized a farewell reception for than the outgoing Zimbabwe Ambassador to the US Dr. Simbi Mubako. Ambassador Masekela said she had to inform the State Department officials whom she interacts with in a diplomatic capacity,that her country's stance on Zimbabwe would not change and she would appreciate them giving her the courtesy of discussing South African Affairs and not badgering her about the affairs of Zimbabwe. Ambassador Masekela closed by saying the peoples of Zimbabwe and South Africa were one people with one voice in the same struggle. We must understand artists everywhere depend a lot on individual expression and creative freedom, this means in a capitalist dominated world their space is more important to many of them than our collective upliftment as a people. Because of their orientation they feel their right to voice their opinions takes precedence over the damage spreading confusion and misinformation can do to the minds of the masses.<br /><br />I am sure both Mr. Marley and Mr.Jones are both supporters of the call for reparations, they must both have an understanding that land reclamation factors into the equation. We would love them to listen to any of President Mugabe's speeches in the 21stcentury so they can understand the international significance of the Land Reform program and Zimbabwe. They will see why Africans in the US and the UK are denied the opportunity of hearing this bold warrior live in person. In the 1990's when Malcolm X was introduced to what mainstream media labeled Generation X, the Democratic Party's machine in our community seeked to counter this by telling us embrace Dr. King instead or go down the wrong path. They underestimated our political savvy and were in absolute shock when we told them, the forces who have both of these men’s blood on their filthy hands, can never tell us who to embrace and reject. It is not by coincidence that those external to our community are vilifying President Mugabe and at the same time presenting Nelson Mandela almost as though he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ himself. There is a new book being written called the “meaning of Mandela” with lectures from Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Academicians Henry Louis Gates and his Ivy League colleague Cornel West. The same colonialist and imperialist forces who put both of these comrades in prison President Mugabe for 11 years and Madiba Mandela for 27 are now telling Africans worldwide we have a choice, their racist attitudes are the reason they keep overlooking our political intelligence and this is what will lead to their demise sooner or later. In Southern Africa we understand our voices of resistance very clearly Madiba Mandela is the voice of compassion and peace, and President Mugabe is our voice of fire and brimstones, every multi-faceted struggle needs both.<br /><br />Our young brothers must understand that the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa was magnified at the expense of downplaying the anti-colonialist struggles in the rest of the frontline states, this is why African youth in the United States of the UK know hardly anything about the struggles in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique and the Historical figures and liberation movements who won these victories after many drops of blood. They must come to Zimbabwe and see for themselves what is happening, they will understand why the people of Zimbabwe call President Mugabe a beacon for all of Africa. They will see why when the President visits Malawi, Namibia or South Africa he receives a heroes welcome without fail, they will see why the country Condolezza Rice calls an outpost of tyranny has Africa's highest literacy rate. They will see the eternal words of Malcolm X who said land is the basis of independence is alive and well in Zimbabwe.<br /><br />In conclusion Mr. Jones and Mr. Marley must ask themselves How can the countries who lie about Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela are telling the truth about Zimbabwe? I guess its what alcoholics call a moment of clarity or what religious/spiritual forces call divine intervention, The cultural and political armies in the African community are divided because of lack of communication and understanding about each others value to the struggle. I heard brother Talib Kweli a true soldier in the cultural army say on a documentary pop and politics that many in our community, look to the artists to identify what groups and issues they should embrace, I hope he's wrong because just like there is a cultural underground there is a political underground which is isolated that like the cultural forces won't revert to cheap gimmicks and opportunist tendencies to gain the attention and support of our people. It is counter productive to debate which arm of our collective resistance is more important. We will bridge this gap by fighting together hand in hand dealing with issues based on our comprehension of their importance let us recommend defending the sovergnity of Africa's most courageous leader and government President Robert Mugabe and the People's Democratic Republic of Zimbabwe.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-37955718218921250402006-05-15T08:11:00.000-07:002008-08-12T08:13:33.154-07:00HOLDING STRONG IN HARAREOn April 4th, 2006, while sons and daughters of the African soil all over the world were paying tribute to Dr. King by commemorating the 38th Anniversary of his assassination by the FBI-CIA, I was on my way to the People’s Democratic Republic of Zimbabwe. It is not by coincidence that a country, whose government is strongly influenced by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s first President who led the Convention Peoples Party that overthrew British Colonial Rule and established Africa’s first independent nation on March 6th 1957), happened to be my destination. Nkrumah was also Dr. King’s favorite African President.<br /><br />I am in Zimbabwe on behalf of the Pan African Liberation Organization (PALO) and the Zimbabwe Support and Solidarity efforts in the United States. Dr. Simbi Mubako, who served as Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2005, first made the invitation in the fall of 2003. The idea stemmed from a meeting I had with Zimbabwe’s President, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, while he was attending and participating in the United Nations General Assembly. The President simply wanted to thank us for our work on behalf of Zimbabwe, and stressed the need to intensify our efforts because Imperialism never sleeps.<br /><br />I hope my extended time in Zimbabwe will serve as an alternative to “splash delegations,” which is when national organizations and spokespeople in the United States visit countries that have been politically and economically blacklisted by the Democratic and Republican Parties, but do not follow-up with any programs of action when they return. Many of these groups receive red carpet treatment and gain a lot of attention from mainstream media once they set foot back in the US, and use this press coverage to highlight the promises made to the leadership who graciously received them. However, two or three months down the line, we forget why they went in the first place because of mediocre follow up. Because these countries are usually in Africa, Asia and Latin America, it does irreparable damage to the links of unity and solidarity that need to be built for Africans to have their total liberation and have their human dignity restored. We must follow the positive examples of people like WEB DuBois and Julian Mayfield in Ghana; Kwame Ture in Guinee; Shirley Graham DuBois in Guinee and Peking; and lastly Assata Shakur and Eugene Godfried in Cuba, as inspirations of how one contributes to a struggle on the ground in liberated territory. <br /><br />I am not in Zimbabwe on a fact-finding mission or on a cultural pilgrimage, even though it’s great to be back on our mother continent for the first time in 30 years. I am here to work with ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe’s ruling political party) on the HIV-AIDS pandemic, at a time when there are 1.6 million AIDS orphans and a HIV rate of between 20.1 and 22% for the general population. I will be corresponding with the National Medical Association, Black Nurses Association, NAACP, National Of Islam’s Health Directors, the American Medical Students Association and the Student National Medical Association, hoping to have them draft a joint resolution to be submitted to the UN and World Health Organization about how the Blair (Britain’s Prime Minister) and Bush administration are using their clout to prevent Zimbabwe from receiving humanitarian assistance because of their fear of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF’s political direction. <br /><br />I will be corresponding with the National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA) and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), seeking stronger support from them in defeating the misinformation campaign against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information and Publicity, Dr. Jokonya, is correct when he says information is the first line of defense. <br /><br />I would like to thank the hosts of certain shows of XM satellite radio and Radio-One, who have agreed to have me make several radio appearances while I am in Zimbabwe, to give updates of the work on the ground. I also am grateful to those on Pacifica radio who have extended the same courtesy, especially since the host of Democracy Now, Amy Goodman, has done just as much to demonize President Mugabe and the Government of Zimbabwe as the BBC and Voice of America. We also will be reaching out to Black Electorate.com, Black Commentator.com, Black Press International and the Talking Drum.com <br /><br />Additionally, I will be reaching out to the Congressional Black Caucus, National Conference of Black State Legislators and World Conference of Black Mayors, to develop the most effective strategy to have the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 lifted. The examples of Cuba, Libya and Iraq, and most recently Palestine, demonstrates that the pen is how diplomatic terrorism is used by US Imperialism to impose its will on courageous people who refuse to capitulate. This is important because I can tell you the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, behaves more like an intelligence agent at the height of J Edgar Hoover’s Counter Intelligence Program, which lead to the deaths of Malcolm X and Dr. King, than a diplomat here to show the compassionate face of Uncle Sam. The elected officials who represent us need to take this seriously, especially since Condeleeza Rice called Zimbabwe an outpost of tyranny and her assistant Jendaye Frazier, while US Ambassador to South Africa, called for an invasion of Zimbabwe. We must fight to make sure when President Mugabe makes his transition to the ancestors, it is of natural causes, and he is surrounded by comrades and friends as opposed to bombs or bullets courtesy of Blair and Bush’s obsession with re-colonizing Zimbabwe under the guise of a regime change.<br /><br />I will also be reaching out to the advocates of reparations to be more vocal about defending Zimbabwe. They have gained incredible momentum since the United Nations Conference against Racism, Xenophobia and other related intolerances, five years ago. However, since land and self-determination is the basis of the reparations argument and merging the experiences of slavery and colonialism are their biggest challenges, Zimbabwe is a natural fit. The conference took place in Durban, South Africa, where today after 12 years removed from apartheid, 83% of the land is still in the hands of the former colonizer. President Mugabe and ZANU-PF has done for land reclamation what Nkrumah did for positive action at the height of the anti-colonial movement. Zimbabwe must become for Africans what Palestine is for Arabs and Muslims, their common battle cry irrespective of geography or economics.<br /><br />Since the beginning of the 21st century, Africans in the US have organized two major marches: the 40th Commemoration of the March on Washington in August of 2003 and the 10th Anniversary of the Million Man March (MMM) in October of 2005 (also known as the Millions More Movement). The issue of Zimbabwe was not treated as a top priority at either event, which is shocking because the main organizers of both of these events are very familiar with the challenges Zimbabwe faces at the moment. Reverend Walter Faunteroy, one of the main planners of the March on Washington commemoration, visited Zimbabwe in 2003, had audience with President Mugabe, and promised that Zimbabwe would be the main African issue raised at the march. I was invited by Matsimela Maphumo and Malika Asha Sanders to speak at the march and was the only speaker to mention Zimbabwe all day. Minister Akbar Muhammad, the Nation of Islam’s International Representative, brought 36 Journalists to Zimbabwe in 2002 and they too met the President; but during the international segment of the MMM, Viola Plummer of the December 12th Movement only had 2 minutes to call for the lifting of the sanctions on Zimbabwe. There was satellite capability that made it possible for the President of the Cuban National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon, to speak, along with Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica. I was expecting President Mugabe to be included via satellite, especially since he can’t travel to the states because of sanctions. The irony was two days later he spoke at the United Nations Food and Poverty Organization meeting and received a standing ovation for calling Blair and Bush the world’s biggest terrorists and made the front page of the Washington Times, which is owned and controlled by Reverend Sun Yung Moon.<br /><br />Our religious and spiritual institutions must take a courageous stand on Zimbabwe and not buy into the propaganda of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Zimbabwe’s Catholic Bishop Ncube, who breaks bread at the White House when he visits the states. Specifically, we seek the support of those who claim to be the disciples of the social gospel and liberation theology, especially those who can be found at the anti/war demonstrations speaking out against the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Haiti, Afghanistan and Palestine, but are absolutely silent on the issue of Zimbabwe. Our religious and spiritual community must lend their voice to the HIV-AIDS pandemic and the natural droughts in Zimbabwe because Hurricane Katrina is not the only environmental challenge we face on the planet earth.<br /><br />Our academic institutions at all levels must embrace the country with Africa’s highest literacy rate (94%), which is ignored when non-governmental organization (NGO) and other critics and detractors highlight human rights abuses. I have witnessed some significant developments even though I have been here only a month. The Commercial Farmers, which is a group of white farmers in Zimbabwe, are in full support of the land reclamation program. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) representatives in Brussels and Belgium, that they will stand behind Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the MDC, which is the opposition group in Zimbabwe that represents the political ideas of Blair and Bush on the ground, is now split in two. Sweden’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Sten Rylander, said that the world doesn’t benefit from Zimbabwe’s isolation; and President Mugabe was recently honored in Malawi last week by President Mutharika, who named a road after him despite the European Union asking him to un-invite the President. <br />I will also reach out to Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover of TransAfrica Forum, concerning Bill Fletcher’s 2002 statement, “Why I Spoke Out Against Zimbabwe!” We will be seeking a retraction of this statement, which should call for the lifting of sanctions and support of the Land Reclamation program, along with an apology to President Mugabe and ZANU-PF, on the basis that revolutionary freedom fighters deserve a certain courtesy, especially from those who claim to walk that same path. I will write an article dealing specifically with this issue in the near future.<br />I am also in Zimbabwe to strengthen links between the Cuban Solidarity Efforts in Southern Africa and the efforts of Africans in the states. I recently joined the Zimbabwe Cuban Friendship Association (ZIMCUFA) and am happy to be reunited with Mr. Cosme Torres, the Cuban Ambassador to Zimbabwe and the highest ranking Cuban Diplomat to be deported from Washington since the establishment of the Cuban Interests Section in the United States.<br /><br />In conclusion, I hope my visit plays a major role in the unity and communication between Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe support and solidarity efforts in the United States. A crabs in the barrel approach to this work is to our detriment, therefore, let us remember that ZANU-PF is a government and party that formed a patriotic front to win their total independence. I know our struggle in the belly of the beast (U.S.) intensifies by the second. I close in love, unity and resistance.obiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657538436443377877.post-36136297402367210772003-04-18T15:32:00.000-07:002008-06-17T15:34:52.184-07:00Zimbabwe: Who Else But Mugabe?The African Communities in the United States and Europe have to be ready to make the ultimate sacrifices in defending Zimbabwe under the courageous leadership of Robert Mugabe. The issue of standing with the government of ZANU/PF has implications that go far beyond Zimbabwe, the region of Southern Africa and our mother continent for that matter. The United States Government under the Clinton Administration started to devise a cunning strategy of waging both propaganda and military campaigns against countries they oppose, who in their estimation are riddled and plagued with enough contradictions to prevent them from receiving worldwide support when the attacks begin. In the late 1990's Milosevic in Yugoslavia was bombed for 70 days in a row, and even though there were protests all over the world, many people while condemning the military attacks still called for Milosevic to be tried at the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity.<br /><br />The Military Repression and Violence against the people of Iraq under the guise of removing Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party, drew intense opposition all over the world. However, the activists and organizations who coordinated demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins, etc., repeatedly condemned Hussein as a tyrant and dictator. The harsh reality was Saddam never regained full trust from anti-imperialist forces after marching to the drum of the Reagan administration fighting against the people of Iran under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeni. The Blair and Bush administrations are finding out that attempting to vilify and eventually overthrow Zimbabwe President Mugabe and ZANU/PF is no walk in the park. It was the revolutionary leader Ahmed Seku Ture who said, when he presided of the ruling Democratic Party of Guinee, "Imperialism will find its grave in Africa."<br /><br />We can thank Blair and Bush for helping to dig the coffin. President Mugabe poses the most serious threat to Imperialist forces on the African Continent for several reasons: first, he has established credentials as an architect in Zimbabwe's struggle for independence; secondly, he is a philosophical product of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah who was the most relentless African head of state in the propaganda war against Imperialism; third, he is on the verge of exposing flag independence for the sham that it really is, and lastly because his uncompromising stand to politically and economically control every inch of his land of origin could be the blueprint for fighting against Neo-Colonialism, Neo Liberalism and Globalization on the African Continent in the 21st century.<br /><br />Opposing forces to Zimbabwe's Government<br /><br />The political opposition to Mugabe coming from the African Communities in the U.S. and Europe is shallow and predictable. These forces always seem to coincidentally criticize governments in Africa the same time they are on the radar screens of the Pentagon, CIA, White House and their allies/stooges in this case Britain. They can't come out and make the affirmative statement that they stand with MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) because if MDC turns out to be a political extension of UNITA in Angola or RENAMO in Mozambique, the political embarrassment will be too much to shoulder. Even some of the most antagonistic critics of Mugabe like CBC member Donald Payne have said they support the Land Reclaimation of ZANU/PF, even though the tone is too nationalist and revolutionary for them to digest. The outright rejection of this program, will make people in our communities wonder if some of these forces truly understood what was at the heart of the anti-apartheid struggle or better yet why declaring unconditional support for our Palestinian Sisters and Brothers appears to be a tall order for those who fear the Zionist machine in Europe and the United States.<br /><br />The anti-Mugabe forces in our communites at home and abroad, can't continue to condemn the outcome of last year's Presidential elections in Zimbabwe because any collective group who claims to focus on political developments in Africa knew that MDC would not emerge victorious in elections. They were simply fighting for validation and support from the Blair and Bush administrations who in turn were looking for dependable lackeys on the ground whose every move they would finance and support. We must never forget that the banner of Multi-Party Democracy, fine-tuned by former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, is the bread and butter for Imperialism Worldwide.<br /><br />During the struggle for Independence in Zimbabwe a Patriotic Front was formed between the Zimbabwe African National Union led by Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African People's Union led by Joshua Nkomo. This shows that President Mugabe is a reasonable and flexible diplomat when developing policies or formulating strategy in the best interest of Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole. When this is properly understood the claims of anti-Mugabe/ZANU-PF forces concerning lack of democratic input has no weight whatsoever. Some forces say Mugabe/ZANU-PF should have started aggressive land reclaimation immediately after independence; this makes it appear as though the current efforts are not genuine. If the land was seized right away, European and United States media would have had a field day making comparisons of Mugabe to Idi Amin in Uganda, which would have been chaotic and it would have complicated things in Azania/South Africa and Namibia. The negotiations at the Lancaster House with Carter and Thatcher also show cooperative spirit from a political party who is now being cast as dogmatic and intolerant by mainstream media in Britain and United States, however it was the Reagan administration who discontinued the talks.<br /><br />The anti-Mugabe/ZANU-PF forces on the African Continent lack political education. On the Pacifica Radio show Democracy Now about a month and a half ago, a Nigerian student leader while condemning elections in Nigeria, said that Nigeria and Zimbabwe were illustrations of how far Africa is away from true democracy. His purpose for the analogy was to highlight politically motivated corruption in both scenarios. The MDC won the mayoral seat in Zimbabwe, how could the opposition achieve this victory under challenging circumstances? The Namibian and South African people are benefiting from Zimbabwe's stand, President Sam Nujoma of Namibia when sharing a platform with President Mugabe and Tony Blair last year at the earth summit in Johannesburg announced he was launching a land reclaimation program similar to the one in Zimbabwe. Nujoma had the chance to watch and see the response from citizens of countries throughout Southern Africa before making this choice, even though he wasn't the trailblazer, his courage and integrity deserve praise.<br /><br />Since the African National Congress of South Africa presides over the Union of African States, they must proceed with the utmost caution. We must remember that ZANU-PF is more ideologically compatible with the other two liberation movements in Azania/South Africa PAC (Pan African Congress of Azania) and AZAPO (Azanian Peoples Organization, formerly Black Consciousness Movement of Azania) than with the African National Congress, who after nine years in office still has to deal with the fact that the white population still controls 83% of the land. One of the first groups to come out in defense of Mugabe and ZANU-PF was the youth league of the African National Congress, this is extremely significant because it was the youth league of ANC over 43 years ago that broke away and formed PAC because they felt ANC did not address the question of land and they immediately created the slogan IZWELETHU I AFRICA, which in English means the land is ours.<br /><br />The opposing forces have also attempted to claim the drought in Zimbabwe is because of the Land Reclaimation and not the problems that have historically affected not only Zimbabwe but Lesotho, Botswana, and Swaziland. This demonstrates the desperation of MDC using an environmental problem as ammunition against the government. The opposition at home and abroad also conveniently forget to mention that Zimbabwe's health care and educational systems rank amongst the best on the African Continent. Imagine how those programs will continue to flourish since the most resourceful land is back in the hands of the almighty people.<br /><br />Mugabe's anti neo-colonialist stance<br /><br />The forces external to the African Community at home and abroad that by reputation, are progressive and advocates of peace should be warned to think carefully before addressing Zimbabwe. In other words any intense attacks or criticism of Mugabe while Blair and Bush seek to orchestrate his demise will put you on a collision course with the sons and daughters of the African Soil all over the planet. This is your chance to make up for the errors you made during the military aggression that took place in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, where your condemnation of Milosevic, bin Laden and Hussein helped create the circumstances for many people to die at the hands of Imperialism. President Mugabe/ZANU-PF were a refreshing alternative to the Ugandan, Eritrean and Ethiopian Governments who supported the War on Iraq. While speaking at the Non-Aligned Movement gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier this year, Mugabe said "The United States awakened to the implications of being the sole superpower, joined by Britain as a born again colonialist, and other Western countries have turned themselves into ferocious hunting bulldogs raring to go as they sniff for more blood in this case third world blood". Mugabe when discussing the United Nations went on to say "We are their hunted game for slaughter. The charter of the United Nations and its sacrosanct tenets of international peace, the sovereignty of nations and non interference in domestic affairs of states, are being desecrated by the day." The Bush Administration boldly proclaims you can either stand for terrorism or stand with them, like Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah who was overthrown while in Hanoi attempting to stop the Vietnam war, Mugabe is a target of the US and Britain because of his support for Cuba and Palestine which remain very sensitive issues for the United States and Britain whether under Democratic or Republican administrations.<br /><br />The motive of the opposition<br /><br /><br /><br />In conclusion, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai must realize, it is not Mugabe/ZANU-PF's role in our Pan African struggle for liberation and human dignity that is in question. The MDC has the task of proving they are not the latest instrument of Imperialism. The activity of MDC since its inception makes this very easy to determine, these are the reasons we in PALO feel MDC is an instrument of neo-colonialism<br /><br />1. MDC has yet to speak against the sanctions imposed by Bush and Blair.<br /><br />2. MDC has no concrete program for Land Reclaimation in Zimbabwe.<br /><br />3. MDC has not addressed the charges that they have been receiving money from Britain, Holland, United States and Germany, which has been used to bribe young people to strike against their government.<br /><br />4. MDC promotes cultural division between Shona and Dibeili, which is a trademark of neo-colonialist forces who are on a quest for political power.<br /><br />The African Community home and abroad must question the political background of any African or non-African calling for a regime change in Zimbabwe. It does not matter if the voice comes from inside the country, only when their affiliations are exposed so we truly know what their true motives could be. We are going from military neo-colonialism to civilian neo-colonialism, and it is not a trade off we accept. In the 1990's our people overthrew Doe in Liberia, Abacha and Bababangida in Nigeria, Mengisthu in Ethopia, Siad Barre in Somali, Traoure in Mali, and of course Mobutu in the Congo to name a few. Nkrumah taught us that "defending librated zones is even more important than continuing to wage resistance in contested zones." This is why we must unite around Zimbabwe and say for every African Government that was on a Revolutionary Path, that we allowed to be overthrown because of our disorganization and lack of clarity, from Lumumba, Nkrumah, Moumie, Keita, Cabral, Sankara, etc., let us join hands in the 125 countries where we are scattered and suffering and say to the world when it comes to Zimbabwe: Who else but Mugabe?<br /><br />One Unified African People<br />One Unified Socialist Africaobiegbunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05764551191030191483noreply@blogger.com0