Although there have been much brouhahas and rumpus from Mombasa Republic Council (MRC), agitating for cessation from Kenya, the truth is what MRC is trying to do is treason. For nobody can declare a republic within a republic and fall short of committing treason. Therefore, legally speaking, MRC needs to be told to its face that what it is trying to do is treason and it is heavily punishable under any law of any land. This does not need to consult philosophies, philosophers and gurus in law. Thus, “Pwani si Kenya” or “Coastal is not Kenya”, suffices to land people in big troubles. If Coastal is not Kenya, what is it?

History is a good witness even though history repeats itself as it is this case, it does not favour MRC. MRC is not the first to try this even in Kenya itself. There were uprisings in Kenya which was known as Shifta Uprising in 1963-1967, in the then National Frontier District, whereby ethnic Somalis wanted to secede from Kenya. Despite its infancy then, the government of Kenya did not allow such a sacrilegious thing to happen.

Outside Kenya, Africa has witnessed such claims of seceding. Good news is that all secessionist groups ended up being thwarted except South Sudan and Eritrea whose cases are quite different from MRC’s. Even more so, after Shifta Uprising, Biafra secessionist movement under Chuku Emeka Ojukwu followed. It had the same slogan of the Republic of Biafra. This movement lived for a while before the government of Nigeria descended on it. Likewise, Cassamance in Senegal tried the same to no avail. Movement of Democratic Force of Cassamance (MDFC), just like Biafra and now MRC came with the same idea. Again, the government of Senegal did not fail to thwart and neutralize it. This is what Kenya should do with MRC if they cling unto their treasonous demands.

Verily, there can nary be Kenya without even an inch of Coastal or any province. More so Coastal Province cannot exist outside Kenya. Surprisingly though is the way Kenyan authorities are dealing with this treason. If they can revisit the law of the country, they will find that the only thing they can do with MRC is to charge its ringleaders forthwith. In essence, what is going on in Kenya reminds me what happened in Britain when King Charles I was beheaded for treason. If the king was beheaded, who are these roundheads and their retinues behind MRC? Charles said these words before his death, “For I do avow that it is as great a sin to withstand (he means resist) lawful authority as it is to submit to a tyrannical or any otherwise unlawful authority.”

Let’s look at what is giving MRC a big head. They are saying that Mombasa was not part of Kenya before independence. Well and good, Mombasa, just like Lamu, Malindi, Mogadishu, Pate, Pemba, Kilwa Sofala and Zanzibar were city states. This being the reality, it must be stated and understood that there was no the so-called Pwani, as we know it today under which MRC is basing its legitimacy. If we can follow this line of thinking, we can say that the Pwani, MRC is agitating for, surely does not exist outside Kenya. Pwani as a province was formed by the government of Kenya. If they use colonial legacy asserting that the City State of Mombasa was independent, it was not. For it was under the sultan of Zanzibar. Again, for the sake of enjoying what MRC wants and aspires to enjoy, Lamu and Malindi will claim the same in the near future. This is to say, suppose just suppose MRC succeeds, it should know that this is not the end of the game. After they are done with Kenya, they will turn to other people saying you are a Mkamba or Jaluo or whatnot. After that they will go for other people saying you are from Taveta, which is far from the Coast and what not.

Astonishingly, MRC does not get it that Kenya has had more than enough on its table. There is war against Al Shabaab and elections next year, not to mention the burden of Post Election Violence and ever surging tribalism. All these undertakings need a lot of money. Why doesn’t MRC see this? Does it think it can use this weakness to weaken Kenya? Of all said undertakings, Kenya can abort all of them to see to it that nobody is breaking the nation. If MRC wrongly thinks that Kenya will go bankrupt therefore give away its sovereign shall it flex its muscles, this is next to none.

If I could advice president Mwai Kibaki and MRC, I would strongly advise them to embark on legal procedures for MRC and upholding the constitution for Kibaki. What does Kenya’s new constitution stipulate about treason and secession? Let us use our reason well. The logic is simple. United we stand and divided we fall.

Although Kenyan authorities have been lenient, lax and polite enough to even think about holding talks with MRC, before this is done, MRC must recant its slogan of “Pwani si Kenya” and other injurious rhetorics. Failure to do this, MRC is facing a very bad start. Even though Kenya has more democratic rights than the then Jomo Kenyatta regime when it was faced with Shifta, still the government has the responsibility of keeping Kenya united, intact and one. This is the venue and sacred responsibility of any government. Therefore, existing democratic rights Kenyans enjoy in the New Constitution must be invoked through MRC filing its complaints to the court. This is the only and the surest way of addressing MRC’s grievances. Again, MRC must exist legally by being registered under the law of the land. Thus, up to this point, MRC is operating illegally and this is detrimental to its status and demands. Suffices to say: “Ya kale hayanuki.”

Why is MRC taking Kenya back to colonial past?

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.

Our nation’s current political battle about same-sex marriage reminds me of the film “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” in which rivals fight it out in a cage to chants of “two men enter, one man leaves!”

I also recall Tina Turner’s song from the film. She belts out: “We don’t need another hero. We don’t need to know the way home.”

Conservatives might take Turner’s lyrics to heart. Look at liberals these days. They championed Barack Obama as a superhero, but have discovered the cape doesn’t fit. Conservatives need not repeat the liberals’ folly.

Obama recently revealed his “evolving” opinion on same-sex marriage evolved into support of it. It instantly created a clear division with conservatives he probably wanted to keep muddled for until after the election. Conservatives, to the contrary, have long maintained that marriage should only be defined as a legal bond between a man and a woman.

But this sudden and clear distinctions on the definition of marriage is not the point. Americans want a life beyond what politicians are offering.

Americans yearn for a simpler time when everyone knew everyone else’s name but not all of their business. Perhaps it’s the fault of so much social networking, tweeting and round-the-clock news. It seems that someone always has the answer, or can at least bluff so convincingly that it appears they do.

Americans are concerned that we are in a real-life political Thunderdome, one that makes our union fragile and headed for trouble. We need a world beyond the Thunderdome of class warfare, legislative immorality and financial ruin.

Turning back the clock to the time of our founders is not an option. Who can ever really go back home again anyway?

Like Turner’s song, we should realize we don’t need to be told the way home in 2012. What we need most is to find a way back to ourselves so we may figure out who we are and where we stand.

We are so distracted and overwhelmed with ideological diatribes and identity politics on both sides that we have lost touch with a basic understanding and appreciation of morality.

All of this drowns out the voice of our Creator, who helps us determine right from wrong and the way home.

We need to realize we don’t need hope and change from a leader in Washington.

We don’t need to rely on what a politician thinks about two men or two women buying a house and shacking up, just like we shouldn’t care about what they think about heterosexual couples doing the same. Individuals are responsible to their Creator for their life choices — not someone in the White House.

Welcome to freedom!

Conservatives would be wise to define their values — beginning with a strong appreciation for individual responsibility. For example, I will not make a list of moral right and wrongs for others. I will let their consciences be their guide.

It’s time to get this country thinking again. It’s time for people to be responsible for their choices and accept the consequences.

But as long as we are still arguing and disagreeing so vociferously, like Thunderdome, we take up all the space needed for the sort of self-reflection that empowers people to turn inward to their own responsibility and away from noise of the world.

Maybe Turner’s song is wrong. Maybe we do need another hero, and maybe we do need to know the way home. But it’s more complicated. The hero is beyond this world, and the way home offers a unique direction for each one of us that only He can give us.

We’ve mistakenly tried to find our home and our hero in government.

We need to look no further than Obama’s ill-fitting cape to realize our mistake.

Lisa Fritsch, a member of the Project 21 blackleadership network, is the author of “Obama, Tea Parties and God”. Her personal web site is located at www.lisafritsch.com.

Another missionary in Africa: the Bill Gates myth

The Egyptian Elections and the Arab Spring 

The War on Gays

Why I Don’t Support Same Sex Marriage

New French Socialist Government Appoint 3 Black Cabinet Ministers

A heartfelt thank you!

Here are a couple photos of our princess and prince:

                       Alana                                                 Alana and Asa

]]> http://afrospear.com/2012/05/28/madonna-and-child/feed/ 5 asabagna Madonna with flowers 420 424 http://afrospear.com/2012/05/27/louisiana-prison-plantation-state/ http://afrospear.com/2012/05/27/louisiana-prison-plantation-state/#comments Sun, 27 May 2012 17:37:06 +0000 asabagna http://afrospear.com/?p=10075 ]]> Read this eight part series: Louisiana Incarcerated: How we built the world’s prison capital

I read that there is growing outrage, primarily among the American Negroes, over the latest social media fad: Trayvoning. Similar to “Tebowing”, this is where a person dressed in a hoodie, lies on the floor with a bag a skittles in one hand and an ice-tea in the other, signifying the murder of black teenager Trayvon Martin. For these Negroes, this is seen as disrespectful and mocking the death of Trayvon, especially since all (or most) of the particpants in Trayvoning are white (read here).

Personally, I see no real difference between this lastest fad and these same outraged American Negroes who I saw on t.v. and online, especially on Facebook, doning their hoodies, holding skittles and ice-tea, with the caption “I am Trayvon Martin“, at the time of the murder. The only difference is that these white people are late to the party!

At the time I remembered thinking: “leave it to Negroes to turn this tradegy into a fashion statement”… smdh. All these Negroes doning their $100 plus Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, muti-billion dollar sports team or NCAA licensed hoodies as a sign of protest and/or solidarity with their victimized and murdered black brothers everywhere… meaning “everywhere in America”. Then of course, to be even more superficial, some would dress their babies and kids in the latest trendy Baby Gap, Phat Farm or similar corporate logoed hoodie and parade them as a symbol of endangered innocence.

Instead of providing free advertising to these multi-billion dollar corporations and thus helping them increase their profit margins, if you truly want protest racism and show solidarity to oppressed, victimized and murdered black men, why not do something substantial like setting a national day of protest for every black person in America to descend on Sanford Florida if they can, or hold a rally in front of your local police headquarters, to address these issues?

So why this outrage!? In this age of hyper-social media, American Negroes need to come to terms with the fact that they have no control or ownership over the marketing of their victimization… not that they ever did! Although historically in the U.S. civil rights struggle, African-Americans have been the most victimized, usually provide the inspirational leadership, as well as being the disposable fodder out on the front lines of the battle, one needs only to follow the money to see who benefitted most from their sacrifice… ’cause it certainly isn’t them! When Martin and Malcolm would no longer adhere to the “marketing plan” and moved from the local arena of civil rights into the global sphere of human rights, which at the time was much harder to control (not now with the advent of social media… another discussion for another post), it was time to make them in a word: “redundant”.

American society is at the height of dysfunction, delusion and confusion… and everyday it’s climbing higher! This is a society where White America is obsessed with anti-bullying campaigns on one hand, while on the other it produces a hit movie, The Hunger Games, which glamorizes white youths in a fantasy world where they hunt and murder each other for glory. This is a society where American Negroes are outraged about a social media fad, while the real life daily murders of young black men are glorified, encouraged and commercialized in movies, music as well as in social media… with these same Negroes as the primary consumers of this self destructive product.

Read article here: Modern slavery of Ethiopian women

The world of American politics, especially presidential politics is blatantly and unashamedly opportunistic. It’s all about hype, slogans and who can capitalize on the latest story capturing the short attention span of the fickle public in the 48 hour news cycle, and/or trending within the world of social media.

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich can learn from the master politician, President Barack Obama, on how to jump on an opportunity like a pit bull on a 4 year old. When Rush Limbaugh referred to Sandra Fluke on February 28th as a “slut” and “prostitute” for voicing her support for birth control during an unofficial House Democratic hearing, 2 days later she got a call from the President asking if she was “okay”. The parents of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was murdered in a racial motivated shooting on February 26th, has received no call (as yet) from the President to ask if they were “okay”… and they probably won’t.

See… Obama knows he needs the white woman vote to get re-elected, so he strategically decided to show empathy for Fluke’s hurt feelings when she was called a couple of derogatory names. On the other hand, he knows he’s got the Negro vote sown up, so why would he need to show any concern for their pain? Why risk his re-election by being accused of showing favouritism (i.e. sympathy) to people with the same skin colour as him in their time of grief for their murdered son… a grief caused by the imbedded racist attitudes of the “other” people he needs to support him for a second term in office?

The Republican contenders should take a page from Obama’s playbook and call Martin’s parents to offer their condolences. They should also put on a hoody, have a bag of Skittles in one hand and an Iced-tea in the other, take a pic and post it on their Facebook page with the caption: “We’re All Trayvon Martin!” Sure it’s blatantly insincere and strategically opportunistic, but that’s what American politics is all about. It’s about taking advantage of the hot story and manipulating the story line for your own benefit. After the Fluke affair the media was on them, particularly Romney, for not calling Fluke or publicly admonishing Limbaugh, especially after President Obama did so. By calling the Martins, maybe the media… and African-Americans… may finally wake up and realize that “Barack Obama doesn’t care about Black people”. The republicans may even get a few more black votes.

Hmmmm… I doubt it.

Most of you have not provided any logical arguments refuting that assertion.  Instead, many of you have resorted to ad hominem attacks. It is easy to call me “Negro pseudo intellectual”  and “only a mouth”, question my level of activism and make disparaging remarks about African Americans.  It is far more difficult to challenge my argument.  I challenge you to debate me on substance.”

@Ana..I did not “deny that some blacks have been and are the enemies of other black people”.  In my article, I condemned Joseph Kony and called for him to be brought to justice. All groups, including black people, have their traitors. I never said or implied that the victims should wait. I said that Africans should and can solve their own problems. Anson Asaka

Brother Anson,

First, I had made it quite clear in my previous post that the article and term “Negro pseudo-intellectual” wasn’t directed at nor a personal attack against you. I also directed you to analyze my definition and clearly stated: “My definition is above and if you personally don’t fit into that category, then it doesn’t apply to you.” However from your above statement: “It is easy to call me “Negro pseudo intellectual”,  I can only surmise that you did analyze my definition and have determined that you do fit into that category. I will therefore defer to the substance of your superior logical argument and surrender that point to you.

Secondly, I did read your well written and well researched article explaining your position. Interestingly, I found it ironic that all the sources you used as the substance of your logical arguments were taken from “western organizations”, as you previously branded Invisible Children. You freely quote Wikipedia, ABC News, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Council of Foreign Affairs, Amnesty International and the Wall Street Journal. You are correct that I didn’t challenge or debate you on the substance of your argument. However, if I ever do wish to challenge or debate the substance of logical arguments based on an eurocentric point of view, I’ll find a white man to debate with… and not one of his black surrogates.

Thirdly, I have observed that when those of African descent outside of the USA, don’t conform to the narrow-minded beliefs, opinions and logical arguments of our African-American brothers and sisters… and have the audacity to be critical of your arrogant view of the world, you make accusations that we “make disparaging remarks about African Americans.” I have discussed this attitude before in my post and adjoining comments: “African-American Arrogance”. I invite you read the post. You may learn something about people of African descent who are not African-Americans. You may also learn something about yourself.

Finally, your above comment has inspired me to analyze the issue of the miseducated Negro pseudo-intellectual. I observed on your blog that you proudly disclose all your educational achievements. It’s impressive and I sincerely congratulate your academic successes. I am constantly teaching my son that education is certainly a powerful and invaluable tool for our people… if it is utilized as the foundation for action and enlightenment! However for the miseducated Negro pseudo-intellectual, education is the basis for inaction and narrow-minded thinking. For the miseducated Negro pseudo-intellectual, education is ghetto-ized into a quest for the debate of logical arguments to quench the thirst of the eurocentric fed ego. For the miseducated Negro pseudo-intellectual, education is not seen as a resource to turn viral awareness via social media into action, but as a tool to be wasted in another viral bitch session.

Some people are lucky, others are not. Senegalese strong man, Abdulaye Wade is among the luckiest old men even though he behaves like an adolescent. Had it been not for divided and ever-greedy opposition, Wade would have been history now. Voters gave him a very heavy blow in the first round. He secured a leading of 34.8%, ahead of his former protégé and PM, Macky Sall who garnered 26.5%. Other former PMs took third and fourth place: Moustapha Niasse with 13.2% and Idrissa Seck with 7.8%.

Such low votes speak volume and signify defeat. This translates into the fact that had the opposition backed one candidate, the results would have been Sall 47% and Wade 34.8%. Again, there wouldn’t have been any run-off that Wade can use to rig votes to fulfil his power-hunger to remain in power.

In other words, Senegalese were able to get rid of Wade in the first round had it not been for the opposition to help him secure a second chance of survival. Will Wade let it go easily without applying traditional African science of survival-rigging and cheating? Shall this happen. Will the people and their weak opposition bite the bullet or give him a hard time once again?

One thing though is obvious that Wade showed maturity for not rigging in the first round. Is it because of being cornered, his belief in democracy or the result of over confidence that he’d have won in the first round? If he allowed justice to take its course, will he keep this maturity or cascaed back to his dreams of dying in power?

Although Abdulaye Wade, managed to tamper with the constitution to be able to run for a third time aimed at remaining in office, will he manage to manipulate the votes and get away with it? Results conclusively indicated he did not make it outrightly in the first round. This of course dented him badly. Sall gave him a spirited fight so as to change Wade’s tone from braggadacios to conciliatory one. Will this become Wade’s Waterloo?

The ballot box can still boot Wade out if not to tame him. Senegalese should maintain the momentum they displayed in the first round whereby Wade lost outrightly. For those who remember his braggadacios that there won’t be any run-off, what happened is victory phase one. If voters fulfil their responsibility for the sake of their nation and democracy, Wade can still lose comfortably so as to be forced to lose in this-game-changer-like run-off.

Voters ought to deny Wade the votes he’s going to use to abuse them and their country. He’s been in power for twelve years. What can he do he did not do in these twelve years? Why should Senegalese voters prefer a centurion to a half ager Sall? If anything, Wade’s plight is squarely in the hands of voters who must punish him for ignoring them and abusing their office and constitution altogether.

Many people wonder where Wade got the guts and wits to tell former Libya strongman, Muamar Gaddafi and Ivorien one, Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish power last year while he cannot do the same now.

Due to the science of aging, we understand: Wade’s brain if wearing off. This contributes to the controversy he’s created apart from his greed to cling unto power. From what he does and says one can surely assert that this old man deserves to retire shall he deserve to be remembered honourably and favourably. Wade’s confusion can be noted in many things. He’s recently quoted saying, “I am president and father of the nation. This is what the Europeans do not understand,” he told French weekly Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. He added, “My majority is so overwhelming that I think I will be elected with a strong percentage in the first round.” Ask him where is hallucinatory majority went in the first round. He started changing the tone and tune altogether.

It is sad to note that Wade does not know that the father of Senegal is none other than Leopord Sedar Senghor. For Wade to equate himself with Senghor, who became the first African leader to voluntarily retire when he was ten years younger than Wade, connotes mischief to the nation and Africa in general. Senghor relinquished power in December 1980, retiring in favour of the Prime Minister, Abdou Diouf. After his retirement, Senghor did not involve himself in politics till his death on 20 December 2001.

As banned candidate, Youssou N’Dour put it, “The Senegalese are not stupid.” This will be justified by the votes they will cast in the favour of Sall. Shall Wade rig their votes, they still have the chance to prove that they are not stupid by seeing to it that he is not getting away with it.

Wade is an educated man by all standards. Again, as William Feather put it, “An education is not how much you have committed to memory or how much you know. It is being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don’t know. It is finding out what you need to know and using the knowledge once you get it.” I doubt if Wade knows where to go if he cannot willingly retire. I wonder if Wade knows where to go and get what he deserves, retirement instead of daydreaming going for a third time at such eleventh hour.

Wade, a cliffhanger, who promised crushing first round victory ended up saying this as the results were trickling in, “To all of my supporters, my allies, my sympathisers, I ask that you remain mobilised,” Wade was quoted by BBC. He added “At this very hour… everything is still possible,  victory or a run-off,” Let Senegalese make it possible for Wade to pack and hit the road to oblivion. Will the opposition goof again to let Wade win?

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.

“That Kony2012 video is one of the most effective pro-imperialism, pro-militarism pieces of propaganda ever produced.” Anson Asaka

“It’s a sad commentary on affairs when white people are the ones constantly and consistently advocating for the safety and security of African children and all “Negroes” can do is criticize their efforts. Instead of having and sprouting pseudo-intellectual and hyper-moralistic political rhetoric, why don’t Black people take the lead, especially African-Americans, and do the leg work to take on this challenge themselves? You do have an African-American” president in the White House don’t you? You could have also utilized social media to bring attention to this issue in an “anti-imperialist” and “anti-militaristic” way. I know, I know… that would mean that you wouldn’t be able to use your time and attention on the latest Chris Brown and Rihanna saga, the Kardashians, the Real Housewives of Atlanta, NCAA March Madness, as well as spend your money on jewelry, booze, drugs, ipads, clothes and other materialistic trinkets. SMH!” Asabagna Alatentou

Above is a conversation I had on the Facebook page of Anson Asaka today, regarding the Kony 2012 social media campaigned by the organization Invisible Children.

First let me define the term “Negro Pseudo-intellectual” as I see it. These are primarily African-Americans who use their time and energy to talk about (i.e. criticize) what other people are doing, especially “White” people, but do nothing themselves. They have no alternate plan. They cannot and do not offer involvement in an alternate campaign. They talk a big game, use big words and sprout the usual rhetoric to appear enlightened. However, they deliver nothing concrete of substantial value. They are talkers, not doers of the word!

When I first heard of the Kony 2012 social media campaign, I was not surprised that it was being spearheaded by someone “white”. I also was not surprised by the fierce backlash from the Negro Pseudo-intellectual. In fact, I was expecting it. Social media is their playfield. This is the arena they dominate because it’s where they can easily find an audience of like-minded arrogant ideologues, who views social media as a vehicle to be critical of what others are doing. They would never think of utilizing it as a springboard to social activism. The primary objective of social media for the Negro Pseudo-intellectual is to sprout pseudo-intellectual and hyper-moralistic political rhetoric, as well regurgitate their played out 60′s Black revolutionary conspiracy theories, so as to appear intelligent and enlightened. It’s not to utilize social media as a tool to ushering in social change today for the benefit of others, especially African children.

I do acknowledge that social media can be used to educate and enlighten… and that’s a good thing. Furthermore it can be an effective tool to scrutinize any social campaign and vigorously probe the integrity of any organization, especially those which purport to be for our benefit. Particularly when it’s being organized and led by someone from the dominant culture.

I don’t intimately know the people behind the organization Invisible Children and I can’t speak to the sincerity of their effort or the integrity of their intentions. However, I applaud their idea to utilize social media for this campaign. I may not agree that further militarization of Africa by the U.S. military via  AFRICOM is the ideal method to deal with Joseph Kony and the LRA. However unless I can present an alternate plan, I don’t support putting all my efforts into criticizing those who are trying to deal with this issue in their own way. I’m also not going to advocate the various ridiculous conspiracy theories about the origins of the campaign.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

Interestingly, after I posted my above response to Anson’s post, his reply was to remove it. Another aspect of Negro Pseudo-intellectualism is to censure any opposing viewpoints and opinions. Sounds familiar?

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