AFRICA FREEDOM DAY 2015: Conflicts And Xenophobia

By Peter Madoda Bungane
Citations from Times of Zambia, Reuters
AFRICA turns 52 years today, our current state of affairs marred with conflicts of many states such as political, social, economic, cultural, spiritual and conscious has left us weakened as a continent. Since 1963, we have practiced a repetitive ceremony of our independence commemoration and we have documented more of our failures than successes. The failure to embrace democratic values, the failure to have self-less leadership, free of corruption, nepotism, racism, tribalism, hatred, intolerance, violence, genocide, crime and many more derogatory and negative vices Africa is faced with post-colonially. We have succeeded in allowing incumbent Heads of State extend their unconstitutional tenures, bend laws meant to protect the weak in society, plunder resources and promote anarchy. The United Nations estimates that over 60,000 people have tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to date seeking a better life in Europe. These economic refugees are fleeing conflicts and poverty and are mainly from Nigeria, Mali, Eritrea and Somalia.
The European Union is overwhelmed with severe cases of dehydration and disease and has a challenge in drawing the line between economic refuges and asylum seekers. The Ebola virus alert is what justifies rejection of entry mainly through ports in Spain and Italy. Those that are healthy are at risk of being used to peddle drugs as well as being a potential candidates for the trade in human organs infamously funded by drug and human parts cartels, seeing most emigrants have no traceable addresses back home apart from their nationalities.
African emigrant workers would not leave their homelands if their political leaders would not cling to power beyond constitutional terms, practice nepotism and employ tactics meant to disfranchise their citizen beneficiaries of a would be democratic society built on ideals of liberalism which among others promotes equality before the law, and enshrines that liberal governments protect their citizens from ignorance, disease, discrimination and poverty.
As correctly observed by Mr Isaac Nkama a close associate of Zambian first republican president Dr Kaunda, there is no civic education to make the current South African generation understand the contributions of Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Mwalimu Nyerere and Sir Seretse Khama who risked their populations’ safety to bring liberation to Southern Africa. Once the old guard of the African National Congress is no more, xenophobic apartheid may take root; the ball is in the corner of the South African government to act expeditiously to avert this looming disaster. Our governments’ across the continent should learn to respect the wishes of the populace, respect the constitutions, serve their terms and not seek to extend their tenures or history will unfortunately keep repeating itself. The fates of Gaddafi, Doe, Abacha, Mobutu, Amin, Mubarak, Taylor and many more other despots are a testimony to this.