Written
by Gael Masengi
The year 2011 wasn’t a really amazing one
for Africans as many can remember the “Arab Spring” that swept the entire
Northern region of the continent and yet 2012 hasn’t had a good start either
with a series of coup d’état in Mali and Guinea Bissau but the people of Africa
have made it somehow to be distinguished among the most influential folks in
the world.
Time magazine announced its annual list of
“the 100 Most Influential people in the world” on Wednesday which includes
entertainers, politicians, sportsmen and women, CEOs and scientists. The 2012
issue includes celebrities like Rihanna, Lionel Messi, Adele, Academy Award®
nominee Viola Davis, Kate and sister Pippa Middleton. Here are African people who made the cut
include:
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| Goodluck Jonathan |
Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan.Whom Ellen Johnson Sirleaf described as “an example of African political renaissance.” The
Nobel Peace Prize laureate praises Jonathan as she wrote “President Jonathan
possesses the qualities needed at this moment of great challenges, having come
to power at crucial moment in the history of Nigeria. The country has grown out
of its past corruption, mismanagement and brutality, but the foundation of good
governance is still fragile.”
 |
| Rached Ghannouc |
Rached Ghannouchi, a Tunisian politician
came into spotlight last year when He returned home from a long exile in
Europe after the former dictator Zin El AbidineBen Ali was toppled. Time Magazine’s
editor-at-large Bobby Gosh profiles Ghannouchi as a moderate, modern Muslim. He,
himself claims to represent a progressive strain in Islamic reformism, and
continuously stresses the need for innovation against social injustice.One his
remarkable act is when He chose not to take office for himself after his
co-founded political party, Ennahda won a resounding election victory. He once predicted
that Israel will soon come to an end.
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| Fatou bensouda |
Fatou Bensouda is a Gambian born lawyer,
former government civil servant. She will succeed Luis Morena Ocampo as chief
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), her term as Prosecutor is
expected to begin in June. “As the court’s second prosecutor and the first
African woman to assume the top job at an international tribunal, she faces
daunting challenges in advancing the court’s significant, but still fragile,
progress.” wrote Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch “Her
mission is to prosecute those responsible for the most serious crimes –
genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity – when domestic courts and
prosecutors fail. Bensouda, 51, brings many years of experience to the job, as
a prosecutor in Gambia, on the international tribunal prosecuting Rwanda’s
genocidaires and as a deputy ICC prosecutor for eight years. Thoughtful, soft-spoken
yet determined and forceful, Bensouda has been a leading voice pressing
governments to support the quest for justice, particularly in Africa.”
 |
| Samira Ibrahim |
Samira Ibrahim, 25, is a brave Egyptian
young woman who took the military-led government in court over the practice of virginity
test. After Egyptian soldiers arrested her, she and other female protesters
were subjected to forced virginity tests. The 25 year-old marketing manager
refused to stay silent. She sued the military, and in December last year a civilian
judge ruled the humiliating practice illegal. Academy Award winning actress,
CharlizeTheron wrote on Samira “When I first heard Samira’s story, it moved me.
Not simply because of the abhorrent injustice she experienced but also because of her bravery to speak the truth and to face those who
would tell her to stay quiet. It takes a stronger person to stand up for what
is right in the face of ostracism and public scrutiny. Samira represents the
model of how to stand to fear, and the impact she has made reaches far beyond
Egypt. It takes just one woman to speak out, and thousands of others around the
world will listen and feel inspired to act.”
 |
| Oscar Pistorius |
Known as the “Blade Runner” and “the
fastest man on no legs”, Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorious, the double amputee sprint
runner from South Africa has achieved what many on his physical condition
wouldn’t. Oscar who holds the world record in the 100, 200, and 400 metres appears
for his second time at Time 100. He was ban in 2007 from competing with
able-bodied athletes; the International Association of Athletics amended its
competition rules to ban “any technical device that provides a user with an
advantage over another athlete not using that device.” He kept on pushing; now
he’s won the right to run with the able-bodied at the summer Olympics games in
London.
What about Wall Street occupiers? Some may
ask. The answer is NO; they aren’t influential according to the Time. Known as
Indignants or simply as “OWS” protesters, this leaderless movement saw the
light of day in September last year and it’s still going strong despite clashes
with police. Inspired by Spain’s the “indignados” as well as the Arab Spring protests
in the Middle East, these brave New Yorkers have been camping outside in
Zuccoti Park to demand social and economic equality among other things, one
thing we should all remember is that activists within this movement have
successfully called for an ‘Anti Corporate influence over government’world-wide march and global demonstrations were held on October 15th 2011 in more than 950
cities (include Johannesburg, South Africa). Today term such as “We are the
99%” has become a common word used everywhere in the world to describe social
injustice between the impoverished majority and the ever wealthiest minority.
These folks should have been included
In contrast to the “OWS” case, Oprah
Winfrey also has been dropped from the Time 100 most influential people in the
world. Oprah who ended her talk show last year to concentrate on her embattling
new television channel ‘Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)’ has appeared on every
issue since it became annual in 2004. US president, Barack Obama is featured in
the list for his seventh times along with his soon to be opponent on this
year’s presidential election, Mitt Romney.
The full list can be seen here
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