Good Riddance, Mr. Ambassador
Posted by By Akogun Akomolafe at 27 August, at 06 : 00 AM Print
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“The United States appears destined by Providence to plague America with miseries in the name of Freedom.” Simon Bolívar.
“Come, then comrades; it would be as well to decide at once to change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it behind. The new day which is already at hand must find us firm, prudent, and resolute. We must leave our dreams and abandon our old beliefs and friendships from the time before life began. Let us waste no time in sterile litanies and nauseating mimicry. Leave this Europe where they are never done talking of Man, yet murder men everywhere they find them, at the corner of every one of their own streets, in all the corners of the globe. For centuries they have stifled almost the whole of humanity in the name of a so-called spiritual experience. Look at them today swaying between atomic and spiritual disintegration.
We must leave our dreams and abandon our old beliefs and friendships of the time before life began. Let us waste no time in sterile litanies and nauseating mimicry. Leave this Europe where they are never done talking of Man, yet murder men everywhere they find them, at the corner of every one of their own streets, in all the corners of the globe. For centuries they have stifled almost the whole of humanity in the name of a so-called spiritual experience.
And yet it may be said that Europe has been successful in as much as everything that she has attempted has succeeded.
Europe undertook the leadership of the world with ardour, cynicism and violence. Look at how the shadow of her palaces stretches out ever farther! Every one of her movements has burst the bounds of space and thought. Europe has declined all humility and all modesty; but she has also set her face against all solicitude and all tenderness.
She has only shown herself parsimonious and niggardly where men are concerned; it is only men that she has killed and devoured.
So, my brothers, how is it that we do not understand that we have better things to do than to follow that same Europe?
When I search for Man in the technique and the style of Europe, I see only a succession of negations of man, and an avalanche of murders.” “ Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
To those that ask me why I blast the West now and then in my articles, my reply is often that I hardly pay the West a heed.
I try as much as possible to leave the West strictly alone, until and unless some idiot from the West made outrageous comments about our continent which calls for decisive and, very often, harsh response from this True Born African.
I have enough palaver of my own, and the gods know that our beautiful Africa face enough challenges that require all of our energies to solve.
I try to solve my own domestic worries and, in addition, I also try to utilize the little abilities that I have, to make suggestions on how I think we can improve our situations in our continent.
I claim no oracular powers, but I try to share the little knowledge and experience that I have.
What I think and fervently believe is that Africa does not have a problem that Africans cannot solve.
History teaches us that, more often than not, our woes on this continent were compounded by those we deemed as friends, and invited to help solve matters that should be internal to us.
History also attested to the fact that all those foreigners we have invited have turned against us. They have, without exception, betrayed, used and abused us.
No, I do not simplistically blame foreigners for all our woes; but we cannot run away from the fact that foreigners have taken, and continue to take advantage of our trust.
In the colonial conquest of our lands, our grandparents naively allowed themselves to be used against one another.
Today, we, their children, continue to pay the heavy price in the numerous tribal and ethnic wars ravaging our societies.
So, please pardon me if I say that I simply cannot stand to listen to any sanctimonious sermon from Westerners, especially on matters relating to Africa.
I care very little about what mess Westerners have made of their lives in their own countries; that is their business.
What I totally abhor is for ANY Westerner to take it upon himself or herself to come to Africa, become all-important, all-knowing and start to give lectures, most especially unsolicited lectures.
For a people that have so thoroughly messed up their own lives and the lives of those with whom they have come in contact, the arrogance and impetuousness of the average Westerner is truly outstanding and appalling!
With head full of all the nonsense the ideological institutions his society (schools and media) have pumped into his head, the average westerner still goes around the world with the notion that the world revolves around him.
He still believes that we live in the eighteen century when Europeans were the masters of all that they survey.
He still believe, like his grand-parents did, that we live in a 1884-5 world when Europeans still can dictate to people and have their orders carried out like imperial fiats.
The silly westerner still come to Africa and expected to be worshipped and fawned on.
He still believes that it is his right to tell Africans not only what to do but how to do it.
I feel duty-bound to confront any such person with everything at my disposal.
I have the experience of living in a European country, plus the very vast history lessons I have taken, to know that I should never, repeat never, allow any westerner to don the toga of a moral advocate on issue pertaining to Africa.
I lived in Europe long enough to see how intolerant Europeans are of other people’s views, culture and what have you.
I lived there long enough to see European ‘democratic’ government passed legislations to strip non-Europeans of all their humanity in the name of integration.
I told myself that never again will I ever allow a European (read Westerner if you like) to come to any part of Africa and give unsolicited lecture without a response from me.
Not until the hell freezes over.
The wretched history of Europeans in Africa alone disqualified ANY and ALL Westerner from hugging the moral high grounds in African matters.
The racist-inspired American policies towards Africa over the years (including the latest imperial assault via AFRICOM) make Americans eminently unqualified to come to Africa and deliver lectures on anything.
These might explain why my blood boiled over when I read the reports of the outgoing US Ambassador to Ghana giving some stupid unsolicited advice.
According to myjoyonline news: “Outgoing US Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum says the country needs an open respectful dialogue on the issue of gay rights.
But Mr. Teitelbaum who was addressing journalists at his final official media interaction yesterday said the country could emulate the example of the US.
“It is not for me to tell Ghanaians how to think or how to act, but what I would say is that I really do believe that Ghanaians, first and foremost, I see it everyday in the way Ghanaians act, Ghanaians accept the idea of respecting people’s fundamental rights, as you threat each other everyday.
“…it is my view, that Ghana properly need to do something like we have done in the United States, and have open respect for dialogue about how you can reconcile your belief and rights, because the Ghanaian constitution, as I understand it, guarantees rights base on citizenship.”
According to Mr Donald Teitelbaum, oppressing people because of their sexual orientation was wrong.
http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201208/92583.php
Well said, Mr. Ambassador, when you were quoted as saying: “it is not for me to tell Ghanaians how to think or how to act.”
Yes, it is none of your damned business simply because we do not think you should have the effrontery to tell us how to live our lives.
You talked about RESPECT, Mr. Ambassador.
Ah! But the most basic of respects is never to impose your views and culture on other people, especially on your hosts.
Respect also means that you learn that people are entitled to their views, opinions and choices including the choices they make about their culture.
I guess all these are too difficult to understand to a cultural philistine like yourself!
Damn it, Mr. Ambassador, nothing gives you the right to preach to us.
Just in case you have forgotten, you are simply an envoy of your country.
Your job description does not include evangelizing to us.
Your job does not include foisting on us your cultural, moral, and political or any belief.
Your compatriots will not take kindly to our envoy in your country giving them lectures on how to stop the racism in your country. They will not like to hear from him what we think of your joke of a judicial system. They will be angered if our envoy should tell them that we think it stupid and insane that your government spend more money on building weapons, and spending more money to destroy them, instead of using the money to feed your homeless, or use it to give education to your youth who are hooked on every drug known to chemistry.
Your compatriots will get angry if our envoy should begin to tell them what we think of your dog-eat-dog, man-eat-shit society.
Mr. Ambassador, your countrymen and women will be affronted and they will protest if our envoy in your country should tell them those things.
Why, then, Mr. Ambassador, do you think we should accept unsolicited advice from you?
Or is it because you think that because you are WHITE, you automatically know better than those of us of darker hue?
Don’t forget, Mr. Ambassador, Ghana is not some plantation in the south of your country.
And just in case you have forgotten, Mr. Ambassador, Ghana achieved independence in 1957, which means that we are a sovereign people, with the inalienable sovereign rights to govern ourselves without interference from idiotic busy-bodies like yourself.
You talked about oppressing people, Mr. Ambassador, ah!
I wondered about the type of history education you had.
But if you have read anything more serious than the ‘make-me-happy’ nonsense that goes for historical education in your country, you will know that your country has done very little in its history except to oppress the non-white people of the world.
It might be uncomfortable news to you, but that is just the fact, Mr. Ambassador.
Or do you need me to cite for you some good examples, Mr. Ambassador?
I trust that his not a challenge you’re likely to take up.
Methinks that it is time for African patriots to wake up the courage to tell these interfering foreigners to mind their own bloody business.
A time there was when we look up to Europe and the US for models, for shining examples, but truly those days are long gone. And however much we dream, they are hardly ever going to come back anytime soon, at least not in the lifetime of those of us that draw breadth today.
Sorry, Mr. Ambassador, the US does not represent for us a shining model for which we should strive to emulate. Just in case you have not woken up to smell the coffee, Mr. Ambassador, your country is an imperiled empire.
Apart from bristling with every description of weapons of mass destruction, there is hardly anything today that makes the US relevant.
With your economy in shambles, your politics a big joke and your social fabric in tatters, what ideal does your country, the US, present to us, Monsieur Ambassador?
Rather than give us unsolicited advice, Mr. Ambassador, go home and help organize how your own country can get out of its own gargantuan (yes, that word) mess.
As we say in this part of the word: Charity begins at home.
And I think in your part of the world, there is a saying that physicians should, first of all, heal themselves.
As you sail off our shore, I say bon voyage, Mr. Ambassador and good riddance.
Shove your unsolicited advice up your ass.
About the Author
Femi Akomolafe is a passionate Pan-Africanist. A columnist for the Accra-based Daily Dispatch newspaper and Correspondent for the New African magazine. Femi lives in both Europe and Africa, and writes regularly on Africa-related issues for various newspapers and magazines.
Femi was the producer of the FOCUS ON AFRICANS TV Interview programme for the MultiTV Station.
He is also the CEO of Alaye Dot Biz Limited Dot Biz, a Kasoa-based Multimedia organisation that specialises in Audio and Video Production. He loves to shoot and edit video documentaries.
His highly-acclaimed books (“Africa: Destroyed by the gods,” “Africa: It shall be well,” “18 African Fables & Moonlight Stories” and “Ghana: Basic Facts + More”) are now available for sales at the following bookshops/offices:
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