Tag Archives: South Africa

Freedom Fighting: The South-Africa Model (1)

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Genuine fighting for freedom of all.

Genuine fighting for freedom of all.

Freedom fighting in South Africa was very unique and has become a model for future freedom fighters. Freedom fighting is a legitimate struggle especially when there existed an intolerably cruel, discriminating and exploitative regime. It is not limited to foreigners that established repressive rule over their colonies.There are instances of indigenous regimes that were fond of acting like tin-gods based on ethnic chauvinism, religious bigotry and or caste system. Other areas of governance that call for a part of a country to want to secede or force the country to have loose federation or confederacy was always due to ruling elites high handedness based on the above identified forms and nature of ruling in such countries. In other words, a country may start from a unitary system, to federation then to oligarchy or fascism and lastly total disintegration as it apparently  happened in the case of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, Southern and Northern Sudan’s two independent countries, India from where came Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The above situation that can force a section of a country to fight for freedom from the central government include oligarchic form of government structure, dictatorial government or simply called totalitarian government, graft, bribery and corruption, nepotism and ruling by immature so-called political stalwarts adept in fire power. These were never tested as rulers and were thus without provable experience in the basics of governance or were thus rulers that tend to relegate to the background the essence of technocrats who are trained to guide them as required for effective governance.

During the last century, Africa witnessed a lot of freedom fighters for freedom first against colonialists and later against local overlords. Neo-colonialism, (coined by Kwame Nkrumah to depict recolonization of Africa by economic world order or globalization for short) created atmosphere for freedom fighting in a complicated manner in the way it did not bring the desired prosperity to the people rather the proceeds were going to the power elites. These played up first in Congo Leopoldville in 1960 (now Zaire) during which time the then second United Nation Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold died in a plane crash in Ndola Zambia on September 18, 1961. Other instances were in Angola, Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and Namibia. The Maumau movement in Kenya produced President Jomo Kenyatta. Such uprising occurred in Nigeria from May 1967 to January 1970, years after the 1960 political independence.

A deviation from South Africa model of freedom fighters occurred in the Arab Spring manifesting from country to country in North Africa and has spread to Syria where it ceases to really be fighting for political or economic freedom but explicitly a manifestation of religious puritanism that seek to wipe out secularism in the governments of all affected states. The massive upheaval has developed into full-scale war using even chemical weapons to destroy the governed and the erstwhile high level of economic development. Genuine political freedom fighters especially South of the Sahara to Cape Coast the people’s resistance was made up of ” machetes, sticks, stones as hand missiles thrown at armed Police or Armed Forces contingents. (It continues in the next post)

Extempore Farewell to an Icon

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The departed icon is NELSON MANDELA of South Africa, 1918-2013. A village boy who rose to become the father of a nation. He had risen from mini to maxi, unknown to known, prison to Presidential palace and from being hurt to most forgiving. The Yoruba ethnic group of South-West Nigeria has this truism: “Ewe nla ko ni pada ru wewe”. By transliteration, it means big leaves will never grow small leaves. What the saying really means is that royal blood of greatness will always be shown in the life of anyone who truly carries the traits of royalty. Greatness was in Nelson’s gene, thanks to science and not superstitious belief. We learnt that he was born into a royal family, and he showed the sterling quality of royalty in all his life endeavor to his very end.

This is  a moment of sober reflection for us from all walks of life, believers and non-believers alike. Encomium continued to be showered on him because of what he represented to South Africa and humanity in general. Fear of the Lord will always empower us against all odds in life.

In the realm of spirituality or faith in God, one would like to stand him with uncompromising believers in the awesomeness of God who will always deliver those who trust in HIM in any form or level of danger. Amidst  apartheid, killing, maiming and jailing, he stood firmly in the belief that one day South Africa would be free from oppression and discrimination. After his twenty-seven  years in jail, the freedom fighters got independence especially equality for all South Africans. Apartheid policy died like the Wall of Jericho fell without the Israelites using human mundane weaponry. By divine intervention, the struggle won the sympathy of all nations especially the United States, Western Europe, communist countries, and African countries that were just emerging into political independence. These destiny helpers fought the battle for South Africans with excruciating weapon of economic sanction that forced reason, sympathy and indeed empathy on the colonial masters to abandon God damned apartheid policy, to the warm embrace of democracy. Thanks goodness. Nelson Mandela stood like David against Goliath nature of apartheid regime and won. Black South Africans were craving for freedom. All of a sudden the freedom came literally overnight. The joyfull difference was in Frederick de Klerk’s unconditional acceptance of dismantling apartheid policy and joining hand with all South Africans to nurture democracy. Good for him otherwise, he could have been swept off his feet by wind of change that rapidly blew across South Africa. Nelson was a man driven by destiny like Joseph in Egypt until he achieved his dream of freedom for all in South Africa.

On the mundane or physical realm, he was a freedom fighter who did not fear to die for what he believed. To show his seriousness, he trained as a boxer, not that he wanted to be a prize-fighter. It was meant to symbolize his rugged determination to win the crown of freedom through series of jabs and pummeling into championship. A champion boxer must undergo rigorous training and relentless sparing partnership to build stamina and resilience. In addition, it involves a lot of self-denial and unyielding visualizing the glorious dawn which was manifest in his life before passing on to glory. To God be the glory for the life of PAPA Nelson Mandela.

No Place for Despondency

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Be strong in the Lord to be able to achieve your avowed intention.

Be strong in the Lord to be able to achieve your avowed intention.

For all believers, our Lord Jesus is our spiritual looking-glass self concerning the way he had to undergo many-a-lot of harrowing experiences from conception to birth, post birth situations up to how he went to the cross, the grave and eventually to the sky. In spite of all odds, He accomplished his mission on earth. His immaculate conception was hard for Joseph the carpenter, the would be earthly father, to accept his betrothed Mary. King Herod out of jealousy sought to kill him. Matthew 1: 18-25. The devil tempted Him after His baptism Matt. 4:1-11; 27: 24 to the end; Luke 23. The most painful of the ordeals was Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to the High Priest and the Elders. The case of Brutus to Caesar was a child’s play concerning the person of our Lord and Savior. Jesus was not discouraged and did not chicken out of the divine race He ran and won by being able to return to sit at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

Failures and near successes did not make Abraham Lincoln despondent . He eventually became one of the most revered presidents of the United States. Nelson Mandela remained uncompromising in his demand for freedom and abolition of apartheid. He endured twenty-seven years of incarceration but lastly went from prison to the Presidency of free South Africa. Steve Biko died in prison but succeeded in winning a place in the history of South Africa.The German heroic recovery from the ruins of the second World War showed that they buried despondency along with the losses Nazi German rulers inflicted on the good people of Germany. Today the German currency, indeed the economy, has been described as the strongest within the European Union economy. Over half a century ago, the Rapid Result College had this quotation on her correspondence tutorial booklets: “Do not for one repulse forego the purpose you resolve to effect”. It was a powerful inspiration to those aspirants in pursuit of quality education for better life.