Is France losing its influence in Africa?

By Gael Masengi

It came as a surprise to those die-hard supporters of the French language in Gabon when the president, Ali Bongo announced two weeks ago that he is planning to replace French and promote English as the second language in attempt to improve opportunities for its people.

Gabonese president, Ali Bongo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda

President Bongo Odimba made the announcement less than ten days before flying for the 14^th Francophonie (French-speaking community) summit held this past week-end in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. His spokesperson told AFP the president coming back from Rwanda, where a similar move has proved successful, has come to realised that the language of Shakespeare and Harry potter as being a ‘necessary working language’. He told reporters Gabon is in need to develop and want to give itself the best opportunities; “When you leave a French-speaking space, if you don’t know English you are almost handicapped.” He added “It’s a question of diversifying our partnerships, ensuring that the people of Gabon are armed and better armed.”   

Being myself a Francophone…well until five years ago, I can confirm to you that, the sentiment of breaking way completely from the French language or axing it is growing rapidly among Francophones, primarily in diaspora, and specifically to those in English-speaking countries with many saying a record of former British colonies either in the continent or outside are thriving economically, have a better political stability and democracy at least exists. In contrast to French-speaking, where they say dictatorship reign, reproach their respective governments for lack of vision and way too irrelevant or disconnected to today’s fast developing world. But others just simply find English-speaking folks liberal life style as the way to live.  

Coinciding with the 25^th anniversary [October 15] of the death of who’s known as “Africa’s Che Guevara”, Marxist leader and pan-Africanist, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso [former French colony], South African-based Congolese activist, prof Pascal Kilolo of University of Johannesburg commented saying: “Françafrique [the infamous France’s relationship with French-speaking Africa] is a clear indication of neo-colonialism which benefit only France and eternal head of states not the people. France has to re-think it policy toward Africa, specifically to its ‘backyards.’” He said “It’s pretty obvious that for years France has supported let alone helped put in power dictators throughout its former colonies in Africa… look around, you will notice in more than five French-speaking countries [In Africa] presidents have been occupying office for at least more than ten years with no plan whatsoever of implementing a true democracy.” the tutor concluded  

Gabon is one of France’s closest allies in the region and important channel  for French influence in the continent, the country is home of millions of Euro from French investment companies though it vows to keep alive the language of Molière but analysts believe English will likely overshadow it and subsequently eradicate and finally replace it completely in years to come. Since he came to power in 2009 after the death of his father, yet parallel to his ideology, Ali Bongo has been advocating strongly for the idea to adopt the English language however the move to English, according to president is all about opening up new prospects for Gabon and its people, he said of his meeting with Rwandan counterpart Paul kagame:

  

“I am keen on understanding how Rwanda has fast-tracked Vision 2020 targets, how it has managed to develop successful village settlement program and adopted agricultural practices like animal farming that are beneficial to the poor.”  but many argue that Rwanda’s fast growing economy is result of wars it’s helping wage in eastern DR Congo since the current regime came in power eighteen years ago.

Rwanda, a former Belgian colony, joined the commonwealth, an association chiefly composed of former British colonies in 2009.

                                                                                                                       Further report by Daily mail

DRC: a playground of military alliances.

 By Gael Masengi

After a brief mandate of European Union Force (EUFOR) back in 2006, a total decade failure of the muscled United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC) and lasting peace was never established, yet, the Democratic Republic of Congo is getting ready to welcome another army of clowns, this time is the so-called “neutral-international force” ‘to enforce peace’ in war torn eastern side of the country.

Congolese soldier

On Saturday, the lengthy diverted summit of a bloc called Great Lakes States in Kampala, Uganda, came to an end central and eastern African leaders agreed on the force composition which is said to be stationed in the Kivu regions to counterattack the ‘unstoppable’ Rwanda-backed, M23 rebels, but the unborn mission is threatened in advance by lack of money and international credibility. The question of who will finance the project that’s still a mystery; analysts believe that the talks may remain a pipe dream not only because cash is the main obstacle but the motive and the length of the mission is not clear.

Confronted by many challenges since his supposedly re-election in November last year, one of them legitimacy, Joseph Kabila has hit a dead-end when it comes to restoring his image as a capable president or a leader, throughout his more than ten years of dictatorship-like reign in wealthy DRC the man has failed beyond doubt to secure the country’s borders, repair the dysfunctional infrastructures, regenerating the economy or implementing a better social life for ‘his’ people. Yet, he’s accused of “treason”, Joseph Kabila faces an army of angry frustrated people who want nothing else but an explanation of Rwandan insurgents’ infiltration on the national defence force, again Joseph Kabila whose national approval rating probably is less than ten per cent, is unsuccessfully trying to appear to still be in charge of a larger country way beyond his governing means. Isn’t an irony that a country in size of western Europe is nowhere near military capabilities to defend its territories or treasury to fund or pay its public workers?! But its ‘president’, Kabila is opting to organise international event such as Francophonie summit (OIF) set for this 14^th October in dusty Kinshasa, insisting on foreign leaders’ attendance, for one reason, to clean his polluted character and he’s willing to pay whatever price.

Tanzania, a fellow SADC country member is willing to contribute largely to the joint force with Kenya, the Republic of Congo and Angola offering their help as well but details of how they will contribute is still unknown. Congolese officials have said to refuse any participation of Rwanda and Uganda in the adventure –though both countries claim to have security interests in Congo– it also remains unclear whether Congolese troops will be part of the multinational force or they will manoeuvre around the mountainous eastern region by themselves without help from natives.

South Africa: It’s either “Made in Palestine” or “Not in Israel”

By Gael Masengi

The South African cabinet has approved a proposal requiring products originating from Palestine’s Israeli occupied territories not to be labelled as “Made in Israel” rather “Made in Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

Jimmy Manyi, government spokesperson said in press briefing on Wednesday “ Cabinet approved that notice, in terms of Consumer Protection Act, 2008, be issued by the Minister of Trade and Industry requiring the labelling of goods or products emanating from Israel occupied territories to prevent consumers being led to believe such goods come from Israel.”  This comes as South Africa (along other countries) only recognises the 1948 borders as it did vote in favour of that resolution in 1947 –which the United Sates’ president, Barack Obama also once urged Israeli and Palestinian people to base peace talk on– delineated by the United Nations and does not recognise occupied territories beyond those borders as being part of the Jews state. Earlier this year, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies already announced his plan to issue an official notice to require traders in South Africa not to incorrectly label products that come from the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) as products of Israel.     

For years South Africa had a ‘not-so-good’ relation with Israel, but recently it has exploded when Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, South African deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation publicly called upon South Africans to avoid visiting Israel because Its treatment of Palestinians –a system which is always been compared to the Apartheid regime and black South Africans can relate to– “Israel is an occupier country which is oppressing Palestine, so it is not proper for South Africans to associate with Israel,” He said “We discourage people from going there except if it has to do with the peace process.”  The comments incited angry response from Jerusalem, “This proves our point,” Israel Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor said. “All their initiatives to mutually inform, as it were, the consumer are nothing but a boycott in disguise. Now things have come out into the open as a senior member of the government is openly calling for generalised, non-discriminating and discriminatory boycott of Israelis.” Time of Jerusalem

Israel Hit back

On Wednesday, the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon slammed South African authorities for the recent killing of 34 striking platinum miners in Marikana, North West province. “At the moment South Africa’s Apartheid is aimed at Israel and against miners within South Africa itself,” Ayalon said. “Instead of deciding to label Israel products, South Africa should have acted courageously towards the 34 innocent miners that were just asking for an improvement in working conditions.”

Israel was once one of a few nations to have strong relations with Apartheid government in South Africa.

African cities,worst places to be!

By Gael Masengi

The Economist has ranked Ten African Cities as the world worst liveable cities in its recently released 2012 Global “Liveability” Survey.

Lagos, Nigeria

According to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit global “liveability” study, which surveyed 140 cities around the world looks at various factors from a country’ stability, low population density, climate, health care coverage, culture, environment to quality education and functioning infrastructure, rate ten African cities among the bottom twenty worst places to live in. This may not surprise many as African countries are well known for their dusty dirty streets, lack of developed infrastructures, poverty and most of all political instability. 

Well, while most of the black continent’s cities don’t as always perform well but three of our own at least do okay with Tunis, Tunisia is occupying the 104^th place just before Mexico City (Mexico, 105^th), Manila (Philippines, 106^th), Quito (Ecuador, 107^th), Baku (Azerbaijan, 108^th), Istanbul (Turkey, 109^th) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia, 110^th). Africa’s business heart Johannesburg and capital city Pretoria, both South Africa, haven’t move from their last year’s 92^nd and 96^thpositions respectively and technically making them two most liveable and highly ranked cities in Africa. 

 

Ranked first on the list as the best city to live in for the second consecutive year is Melbourne, Australia ahead of Vienna (Austria) and Vancouver (Canada), second and third respectively, Australia and Canada lead the top ten spots as they both have five and three cities, Helsinki (Finland) is the only European city to make the top ten list. Surprisingly the city of London is not even included among the top 20, despite organising the most successful and beautiful Olympics Games of our life time, England’s capital city has instead fallen two places and has been ranked 55^th before the big apple New York which comes 56^th.

“UK cities have seen a slight downgrade in liveability due to the mass outbreaks of civil unrest that took place last year.” Said Jon Copestake, the editor of the survey“Although hosting the Olympics has subsequently provided a definite boot for London’s profile, it was already among the world’s most vibrant cities, with plenty to see and do, so has had no impact on overall lifestyle.”-report Telegraph

Soweto, South Africa

Several African cities haven’t made much of a move, such as Lusaka (Zambia, 126^th), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire, 131^st) and Doula in Cameroun which still has occupied its 133^rd position, however few have lost at least one place from their previous rankings, Egyptian capital city, Cairo has axed from being on 121^st to 122^nd due to last year’s Arab spring and numerous protests whereas some gains have been made as well, Tripoli, Libya which swaps positions with fellow Arab city of Karachi (Pakistan, 135^th) has gone to 134^th a remarkable gain comes from Harare, Zimbabwe though which has hopped from being the 140^th to 137^th this year.

AU: big plans for Africa ahead

By Gael Masengi

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

Newly elected African Union (AU) Commission chairwoman Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says a lack of infrastructure development is the biggest challenge facing Africa, addressing a gathering of representatives of the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa this past Sunday in Pretoria, Dlamini-Zuma believed that the African Union’s vision of more integration could only be reached if infrastructure on the continent was significantly improved.

She made clear her vision and priorities for the continental organisation as she pointed out that transport and communication links were not doing enough to connect countries with each other, she said there could be no integration as imagined by the African Union without a proper infrastructure liking the African countries. Dr Dlamini-Zuma –who earlier this month called for a united African Union after her election was criticised by other country members and left the continental governing body divide between French and English speaking states –also believed that the dream for an integrated Africa would further be achieved by the Pan African Parliament becoming a legislative body which would “harmonise legislation” across the continent.

“How do you build a railway in the middle of war?” she asked as she admits that integration could also not be successfully achieved if peace was not achieved on the continent. She said that while the continent had many challenges it also had many opportunities of which it needed to take advantage, and enormous agriculture, energy and human resource potential.

Regarding her mandate at the helm of the AU, Dlamini-Zuma said: “When I got there, I will be working as a servant of Africa and not South Africa.” Assuring Africans people that more will be made while she’s in charge.

She concluded that the direction which the African Union took would need to be determined with the involvement of its citizens and not its government alone, “If it’s left to government, it’s not going to go anywhere fast” she said.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma doctor in training has brought noticeable changes to the South African department of Home Affairs, previously viewed as a centre of corruption and incompetence.

                                                                                                                                         Additional words Sapa   

AU: the new Commission chief and the challenges.

By Gael Masengi

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

The newly elected chairwoman of the African Union commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma faces tough challenges in early days of her mandate.

On Sunday, South Africa’s minister of Home Affairs was elected head of AU commission; Dr Dlamini-Zuma became the first female to hold the post, beating the incumbent Gabonese Jean Ping after months of power struggle that threatened to divide the already dysfunctional organisation. But the South African diplomat has yet to prove that she is the right woman for the job as she faces tougher challenges than her election, the continent is embraced with various on-going conflicts from north, east to central.

One of them is the most talked-about and disturbing, rebels attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nation’s recent report showing the implication of Rwanda which her predecessor completely failed to solve. Unlike Jean Ping, ex-miss Zuma is a distinguished politician who attracted praises for her hard work at the helm of the then disorganised South African department of Home Affairs and her contribution to the glory days of her country’s foreign policy back in the days of former president Thabo Mbeki but the boiling conflicts in the DRC, Sudan and South Sudan or the coup in Mali are different stories all together, this is a baptism of fire for her as it seeks more than just being strong enough to handle all of Africa’s never ending problems and above all to re-unite the continent after her election which revealed a deep division that reign within the union’s French and English speaking countries. The AU’ second summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (which was initially scheduled to take place in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe) didn’tjust help to break the union’s long tradition of “only male” leaders but it did certainly serve as a neutral ground for Rwanda and its larger neighbour the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to settle their differences as they both agreed via the respective president to an international force to intervene in Congo even though UN peacekeepers are already in the region.

Dr Dlamini-Zuma’s victory on the other hand will have an immense impact and hopefully it will strengthen South Africa’s damaged foreign policy specifically on its relation with fellow Africans due to SA’s unpopular support of the International Criminal Court and its arrest warrants against African politicians. Optimistically it will also help the South African population to connect with other fellow Africans as they always have been detached to the realities they go through.

What the sentencing of Lubanga means to Congolese.

By Gael Masengi

The 10 years old International Criminal Court (ICC) handed down its very first verdict this past Tuesday, sentencing a Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga for 14 years in jail on charge of recruiting child soldiers. The 51 years old Lubanga was convicted in March of recruiting and using children in his Uganda backed Union of Congolese Patriots militia during fighting in Congo’s north-eastern region of Ituri in 2002-2003.

 Thomas Lubanga

Last night I sat down with South Africa based vibrant Congolese activists in Johannesburg ahead of their “anti-Rwanda” march scheduled later this week, what I got was a mixed feeling on Lubanga verdict while seventy per cent found ideal years given to Lubanga the remaining thirty thought it was not enough for such criminal. 

 However them all was more concerned about the current situation in the Kivu regions and specifically worried about the recent capture by Rwanda’ sponsored rebels of what they call strategic town of Rutshuru and a possible advance on Goma, the provincial capital. Congolese people of diaspora who only just about a month ago was still debating the outcome of last November presidential election and taking subversive measure to “oust” the fraudulently elected and yet incompetent president Joseph Kabila, are now shifting their focus towards finding ways of solving the endless wars/rebellions in east Congo.

After hours of discussions raging from ‘how to secure our borders’ to 'when Kabila will go' , I’ve concluded that the Democratic Republic of Congo lacks a true leadership believe it or not we can argue today on who or what really fuels the country’s everlasting army conflicts which had and still cost millions of lives but the solution is within Congolese themselves. When Paul Kagame said that Rwanda was being used as a “scapegoat” (though UN reports prove otherwise) to Congo’s internal problems, many didn’t believe him but the truth is the dude may partially be right. Today countries which have seen years of war are now talking economy development language, a better example is the neighbouring Angola, which had witnessed almost three decades of civil war is recovering and it is on the right track although a real democracy is not implemented. 

As someone I know always argue that the DRC also has to move on and discuss economy development but that’s impossible when safety and stability are the two major obstacles to the development of a country.

During my meeting with the devoted Congolese activists, I almost broke down (not in tears) when someone raisedthe subject regarding number of Congolese disperse around the world as refugees. 

To conclude, there are NO politicians in the country of Patrice E. Lumumba rather just people who get into politics to make a quick living from European donors’ money.