Features
British monarchy and the African revolution
• King Charles III
On September 8 this year, the world was assailed by the news that the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, had died, aged 96. Easily the longest serving British monarch, Elizabeth II was the only British monarch the modern world has known, having served for 70 years as queen.
Her death means different things to different people. Some people think the monarchy should give way to a republican status, while others hold the view that it has guaranteed stability in the United Kingdom (UK). Some claim that it has become archaic in the face of current world politics and tenets of modern democratic practice.
There are yet others who believe that maintaining the monarchy is a drain on the British public purse since members of the royal family are taken care of by the taxpayer. It is said that the funeral of the queen cost a whopping £4 billion at a time the UK is experiencing an economic downturn.
A group calling itself the Young Communist League of Britain has issued a statement in response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. “The death of Elizabeth Windsor highlights to our generation and working people across Britain that the abolition of the monarchy remains a pressing and important issue,” it said in part.
“It is fundamentally clear, now more than ever, that Britain must become a modern republic. A tiny interbreeding sect of a decaying aristocracy cannot and will never reflect the interests of working people in Britain…..the imposition of an obscenely wealthy, unrepresentative, unelected head of state is offensive to all working people. But this is not just a matter of important democratic and egalitarian principles,” it continued.
It did not end there. “The Royal Family’s wealth and the Crown estates, vast tracts of land and resources across Britain, are centuries of stolen wealth from the working people of this country and the oppressed and exploited peoples in Britain’s colonies……the monarch’s position as the head of state, not just of Britain, but of various former colonies and as head of the Commonwealth plays an important symbolic and ideological role in maintaining British imperialism around the world,” and advocates “…….the immediate abolition of the monarchy and its replacement with a democratically elected head of state.”
The firebrand leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) of South Africa, Julius Malema, warned his country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, not to order flags to fly at half mast. If he did, his EFF would marshall people to raise them up all across the country. His beef was that the British plundered the resources of his country.
Many commentators speak of British atrocities in Africa, especially in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe in the name of the Crown.
I confess that, personally, nothing about the British excites me, but I watched the Queen’s funeral with a journalistic interest. Forget about the Crown making money on every single slave sold in the Americas. Forget about the two Barclay brothers who made money as underwriters to slave ships and ended up setting up Barclays Bank from the proceeds, and later Liverpool FC. All blood money, if you asked me.
Yes, some of the expensive diamonds and emeralds that adorn the imperial crown might have been plundered in India and Africa. Some might have been gifts from coercive influence but what else would have been expected from the Brits?
Today, we grouse, rave and rant about what colonialism did to us. I do not yet know if we do this to massage our inadequacy and pain as a people or expect recompense. This behaviour is like closing the door to the barn after the horses have bolted.
Today, we elect leaders who plunder our resources far in excess of what the colonial Europeans did. We elect characters who take millions from multinational companies and grant them concessions to mine our minerals and our countries make less than 10 per cent from the proceeds.
I was sorely disappointed watching almost all leaders bussed to the Westminster chapel for the Queen’s memorial service. I wished to God that only our African leaders were bussed. I would have laughed loud and said, “You guys got your just desserts. Serves you right.” But that did not happen. If it did, that would jolt them into knowing how little they mattered in the geopolitical scheme of things. The final act of humiliation.
Those developed countries know some of our leaders for the rogues they are; for the frauds they are and for the plunderers and corrupt characters they are.
We elect leaders who dance to the tunes of the imperialists, yet shout their voices hoarse to their people about reparation for the obnoxious slave trade. We elect people who, assuming office, become overlords running roughshod over the people.
The whole nation becomes their ‘spoils of war’ that must be shared among lackeys, friends, family and bootlickers. They account to no one and, as a result, manipulate the system to keep winning elections.
How many foreign politicians syphon their countries’ resources into African banks, buy properties or invest in Africa? Our leaders do not have confidence in the countries they lead. And we turn around to blame everything on the characters that colonised us. Do we not have minds of our own?
All this has to change one way or another. And this I call the African Revolution. It must be a revolution of like minds among the youth and of the continent; be it francophone, anglophone, lusophone or any other phone.
The youth will rise up and declare that enough of the plundering is enough and will take leadership of the continent; and with one voice. It is an epoch I will love to live and witness. Thankfully, I am aware of the undercurrents.
Our young women who have been subdued into pigeonholes of subservience must strive for leadership roles as men. There are quite a number of young women leaders in many countries. And they are doing a good job too.
The African Revolution must question the usefulness of the Commonwealth. Who controls the wealth that is supposed to be common? If this group does not benefit our economic growth, let us walk out of it. How can a group of economic vampires sit on the comfort of their couches and determine how much they buy what we produce, yet determine what price we buy theirs?
These are the issues we must avert our minds to and bargain on equal terms. Because world trade is conducted in American dollars, the USA will never go to the IMF for a bail out; America will just print more dollars and still remain atop the food chain of economic might.
What stops Africa from a common continental currency? Even the talk of sub-regional currencies that has been on the table for decades has not seen any concrete action. The European Union has become a powerful trading and economic bloc, even if the British, in their egotistic nature, have exited. The African Revolution will take us there.
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Writer’s email address: akofa45@admin
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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