Get ready for the African revolution, says Mbeki

SAPA

[Ironfocus]

Africa's masses had to be mobilised for a revolution to improve the continent's political, economic and social situation, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday.

Writing in his weekly online column, ANC Today, Mbeki said that duty would fall on the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the African Union's (AU) Economic, Social and Cultural Council (Ecosocc).

"The call to achieve Africa's renaissance is therefore necessarily a call to the African masses to rise up in struggle to defeat poverty and underdevelopment, to end Africa's marginalisation and to restore the dignity of Africans everywhere," wrote Mbeki.

There was a need for a "veritable revolution that must lead to the eradication of poverty and underdevelopment on our continent, the restoration of the dignity of the African people and victory in the struggle to end the global marginalisation of Africa and Africans".

However, to achieve this Africans must fully understand the impact that slavery, colonialism and racism has had on them.

"There are some in our country and the rest of the world who demand that we should view and treat these phenomena merely as a matter of historical record, with no relevance to our contemporary struggles for Africa's rebirth.

"We see this clearly in our own country, where some insist that apartheid is a thing of the past, and that all references to the continuing impact of that past constitute an attempt to 'play the race card'".

He said it was important the impact of that past was understood so that Africans were empowered to deal with the present.

"Our purposes are not informed by any desire to blame those historically responsible for the most terrible crimes against humanity, but to design the policies and programmes that must help us to achieve Africa's renaissance."

Mbeki said the genuine democratisation of African politics and the empowerment of Africans to be their own liberators was critical.

"It is our responsibility, acting together with all other patriotic forces in Africa and the African Diaspora, to ensure that we mobilise the masses of the people to act as their own liberators."

He called on African academics to inform people about the consequences of slavery on the continent.

"It has a duty to educate us about the emergence and impact of racism on the societies that were the victims of slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism."

Mbeki said the establishment of PAP emphasised the need for the empowerment of Africans to play a role in changing their lives. – Sapa

[GSlob]

Tribal system in (most of) other countries was effectively overcome 1-2 millenia ago. It still persists in some pockets (Chechnya, for example), most of islamic world, most African countries.
It would not help to have monotribal states as long as tribal system of society organization stays in place. To achieve any measure of progress, one needs to get rid of the social organization with tribal elders and chiefs as all-important and indispensable for everything. This (as a digression) is going to doom Iraq democratization project.

[cajungirl]

Oh my, gonna be alot of dead Africans before this is over. When I hear masses and all that stuff, I just know dead people are a coming.

[G.Mason]

"African renaissance"?

Kind of lost me with that one.

I think I need a new dictionary.

[reformedliberal]

Just a quibble, but Belarus is run by a hard-line Stalinoid and is probably a major player in arms proliferation. Remember the rumors that the Russians got Saddam out to Belarus last year? It is a police state.

[yankeedame]

Tribal system in (most of) other countries was effectively overcome 1-2 millenia ago. It still persists in some pockets (Chechnya, for example), most of islamic world, most African countries.
It would not help to have monotribal states as long as tribal system of society organization stays in place. To achieve any measure of progress, one needs to get rid of the social organization with tribal elders and chiefs as all-important and indispensable for everything. This (as a digression) is going to doom Iraq democratization project.

Verrily, thou speakest well and true, O Great Slob!

[sergeantdave]

The way to improve the situation is to hang the dictators, establish private property and individual rights and get free enterprise rolling. None of the stupid socialist/Marxist schemes will work. These scams only enrich the scum. BTW, throwing out the UN and their fascist NGOs will also help.

If you need more advice feel free to call.

[Inkie]

When he mentioned the debilitating effects of slavery, I thought he was referring to the only slavery still remaining in the world today -- slavery practiced by Africans, notably Muslim/Arabic Africans. Silly me. I should have known that the only time slavery is BAD is when it is (was) practised by white people.

[GSlob]

"Just a quibble, but Belarus is run by a hard-line Stalinoid..." You are right; and so has been Russia since the time there was Russia. Police state harshness might vary, but underlying principle [all-powerful society, or (later) state] remains the same. Look at contemporary treatment of inconvenient subjects in Russia (Khodorkovsky, those uncovering environmental practices of military - what are their names?- and so on...).
On a deeper level (shifting from Samuel Huntington's to Alexander Zinoviev's thesis) one could argue that this is an inalienable feature of communist way of life (to avoid terminological confusion, in this understanding communism did not start with Marx in 19 century, but in Stone Age about 40000 years ago) -
and so Russia together with its satellite and present-day splinter countries has always been a communist society and cannot be anything else, since it would not know how and has not developed a necessary prerequisite of meaningful civil society.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Africa's masses had to be mobilised for a revolution to improve the continent's political, economic and social situation, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday.

Sadly, the only consistency over the years is the African masses ability to transform a marginal situation into something much worse.

[Max Combined]

"walah"

That would be voilà.

[Let's Roll]

"Gore/Lieberman and the Johns?"

Algore's only campaign slogan was "I will fight for you!"

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

The establishment of colonies by Europe in Africa drew borders which cut across tribal borders, thereby artificially uniting enemies in one country still today...

True enough. But there are now an estimated 2,000 tribes & some countries have up to 200 in significant numbers within their borders.

Suppose the current borders didn't exist. How could they be redrawn/improved?

Who would preside over such a process & how would agreement be reached?

[BenLurkin]

Exactly. It is a thinly veiled demand for more money: "Increase aid or we will sponsor terrorists in your country."

Bad timing IMO. Our vigilance against terror is getting better. And without a navy, African world conquest (that is the implied threat) isn't going to get very far.

[cricket]

"We are the victims and you're going pay for it sucka."

for sure. . .and this new call to 'victory' no doubt implies as well; they have upped the 'ante' against all capitalists.

Be it singularly or en masse; Mbeki - mobilizise the masses to act as their own liberators - gives the 'aggrieved' persmission to justify their goals by any means.

The great charade continues. . .

[norton]

"Suppose the current borders didn't exist. How could they be redrawn/improved? Who would preside over such a process & how would agreement be reached?"

Bloodshed followed by petty rivalries and alliances leading to a long process of imperial expansion followed by larger scale wars and ... oops ... colonies comes to mind.

[correctthought]

No, they need property rights and free trade. The rest will come.

[Clive]

-

[technochick99]

Nothing like smearing a whole continent....

[Fenris6]

"The way to improve the situation is to hang the dictators, establish private property and individual rights and get free enterprise rolling. None of the stupid socialist/Marxist schemes will work. These scams only enrich the scum. BTW, throwing out the UN and their fascist NGOs will also help."

Bingo! Africa has been royally screwed over for generations - by the same "elite" types that have screwed up African-American society in the US.