Shame on you, Mr Sarkozy

New African, Oct 2007 by Ankomah, Baffour

"The tragedy of Africa is that the African man has never really entered history. The African peasant has known only the eternal renewal of time via the endless repetition of the same actions and the same words. In this mentality, where everything always starts over again, there is no place for human adventure nor for any idea of progress" - Nicholas Sarkozy, the new French president in a speech to Africans in Dakar, Senegal, on 26 July 2007.

This might appear late in the day, but, due to our annual mid-year break, our last issue (Aug/Sept) missed Nicholas Sarkozy's arrogant speech at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar on 26 July. Sarkozy is a new president indeed! How else would a man of his standing exhibit such impudence on African soil and still think he can get away with it? But if you equate new with inexperience, elementary, even childish, you begin to feel sorry for a man who exhibits such low educational acumen as Sarkozy did in Dakar. But let's leave the French man for a while and move to other things first.

In early September, my attention was drawn to an article on a new book on President George W. Bush. "Bush tells biographer: 'I do tears', was the headline of the article. Ah, these Americans, they have a way with words. George W does tears! Well, we can send him more empty barrels to hold his tears, considering how many people his bombs have killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world, not forgetting the suffering and death that his country's (and its allies') political and economic policies (via the IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN, etc) have done to many countries. He surely has more tears to shed. Plenty more, to fill a few Iraqi oil barrels!

According to the article, Bush told his biographer, Robert Draper: "I try not to wear my worries on my sleeve" or show anything less than steadfastness in public, especially in a time of war. "I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president. I'll shed some tomorrow."

Poor God! How can he lend his shoulders to a man such as George W to cry on? With all the cavalier treatment of other people by George W and his country, he doesn't deserve anybody's shoulder to cry on, let alone God's. Yes, God welcomes sinners, but this sinner hasn't repented. But, I suppose, as a "born-again Christian" or so he claims, George W can hang on to God's shoulder for as long as he desires - if only to appease his torn conscience. But may the Good Lord not have mercy on him! Because mercy is not a word spoken in George Ws power elite. Their bombs and economic sanctions and austerity policies do the talking.

Talking about conscience brings me to the unveiling of Nelson Mandela's statue in London on 29 August. Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, who was instrumental in getting the statue erected at all, told Mandela: "Long after we are forgotten, you will be remembered for having taught the world one amazing truth; that you can achieve justice without vengeance. I honour you, and London honours you."

Britain's new prime minister, Gordon Brown, added: "[Mandela] is the leader who became the liberator, who always chose reconciliation over revenge, who, when he left his country's prisons to become his country's president, led South Africa away from dictatorship, and a multi-racial democracy was born."

So they know that "you can achieve justice without vengeance" or choose "reconciliation over revenge"? Do George W and his country and their allies know that? Why then haven't they ever done it? Why have they, forever, sought vengeance and revenge as a way of seeking justice? As their forefathers did, so do they! The same inconsiderate attitude that saw their forefathers annihilating native peoples all the way from Canada through USA and the Caribbean, and through South America to Australia and New Zealand, and to Southern Africa, just so they could seize the land and live fat on it while the rightful owners lie in the grave, has not changed much (sorry, a jolt). Just look at their use of global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN, etc.

And then they turn round and praise Mandela "for having taught the world one amazing truth; that you can achieve justice without vengeance". All of a sudden, the days when they gave their "kith and kin" in the apartheid government the technology to produce nuclear weapons - to be used on Africans when necessary - are forgotten. Give them more lessons, Madiba!

Now, let's go back to "our friend" in Paris. Yes, Nicholas Sarkozy says he is "a friend of Africa". Imagine - a friend who comes to your home and insults your grandmother for the sake of it! When I saw the English translation of Sarkozy's Dakar speech, I couldn't believe my damned eyes. "Did he really say that?", I asked. "And he is the president of an important country like France?" Well, you may want to read a bit for yourselves:

"The colonials," Sarkozy began, "came and looted, helped themselves, exploited, took resources and wealth that did not belong to them. They stripped the colonised of their personalities, of their freedom, of their lands, and of the fruits of their labours." Good start, but don't jump for joy yet.