FOCUS ON ZAMBIA 2.0: CHAOTIC DECISIONS OF SOME LEADERS

Dear readers, it is important to observe that, this article is incomplete for readers to read this piece without reading the first article under this series entitled ' Focus on Zambia'. And may I state that all opinions expressed in this series are independent and in case some facts are not outlined correctly, contact the author who is ready to hear out your concerns.

In line with the above, it is important to observe that the author is non-partisan, in fact this article is meant for citizen empowerment and education, not to endorse or discredit any of the individuals mentioned.

The Good Guy Turned the Bad Guy Scott (Episode 1)

When Guy Scot became the acting president of Zambia an African country that was a British colony, all speculation turned and focused on Zambia not because their President had died, but due to its 'white acting president' His Excellency Guy Lindsay Scott. Scot born in 1944 present day Livingstone, to emigrant parents is a patriotic African and Zambian in particular even though less is known about him other than the 'Muzungu' behind Sata, he surely has a huge task to fill in as acting president of Zambia for 90 days. And of present a lot of controversy, surrounds Guy Scott's capacity to act as president of a country that still bleeds from the British colonization even 50 years after its independence and many ordinary Zambian are asking questions such as:

Is this the restart of colonialism in Africa?

Is Guy Scot the right person to act as President?

Can a white African be President of An African country?

Is he legally acting President?

What is the difference between the United States of America and the Republic Of Zambia in relation to Barack Obama and Guy Scott?

Is Guy Scott, the other De Klek?

Is Guy Scott, a lost sheep in the wilderness of the darkness continent?

Is Guy Scott's acting as president a warning in relation to a decline in capable intelligent Africans with leadership qualities?

And with respect to all the above questions, I feel it is the duty of every citizen to ask questions concerning the direction of the country, but the questions on Guy Scott are ignorant and in modern day, it is called Racism to judge someone's ability to serve based on the complexion of the skin.

More to that, racism is not only when white people abuse black person for example when a Russian abuses an African, but also when Africans abuse they Chinese or Scottish its still racism. Scot's rise to act as President is what determination and hard work can do to anyone who believes in their dreams, and to say his appointment is the 'restart of colonialism' is shameful because he is one Zambian that has passed through the ordinary political structures of Zambia.

And as for the 'good guy turned bad guy', I believe His Excellency Dr. Scott, caused himself the mess he is trapped into by breaking the protocol of mourning by exercising his newly acquired powers to fire the now famous Edgar Lungu, secretary general of the confused patriotic front (PF).

With the unveiling of such events, Dr. Scott exposed his weakness by his failure to exercise patience before his final blow, on his enemies. Though question maybe asked such as, didn’t Dr. Scott, know about the 14 days mourning period or maybe his shoulders, grew above his head overnight to become “Super Guy above the law”? With the above in mind, Dr. Scott's ability to govern is under fire not because of his complexion, but due to his impatience and 'fast food' decisions like firing and reinstating Edgar Lungu, because that move was chaotic and able to destabilize the peace of the country.

Ba Mulenga

In Africa, we mourn and celebrate the dead, that’s our culture, but the death of President Michael Sata that took the ruling party by surprise, exposed the lost African spirit of mourning to selfish ambitious goals such as the inner- battle for the presidency within the Patriotic Front (PF).

And to shade more light on the lost mourning spirit, I would like to speak about Mulenga Sata, the current Mayor of Lusaka and his lack of protocol. I believe Mulenga Sata being the oldest son of the late president should have encouraged the nation to mourn his father in peace and dignity, other than advertising his presidential ambition to succeed his father.

And it is important for readers to observe that, Mulenga Sata is a citizen of Zambia and holds every right to air out his ambitions at any place and time, though I feel him airing out his presidential ambition while waiting to receive his father's body is irrespective and doesn’t show any form of protocol, hence, this I believe is a great lesson to every person, despite one's background, complexion, culture or political view respect is respect and we cannot substitute it for anything.

Bwezani Nafuti

Of late much speculation has surrounded the controversial topic of Rupiah Banda's return to politics and former president Banda recently left it to the Zambian public to discuss it and I feel its wise enough for Rupiah Banda to leave it open for discussion. According, to my own opinion Rupiah Banda should not return to active politics reason being he is old, to my understanding Rupiah Banda at this stage should be in relax mode and focus on mentoring young politicians through his politics wisdom other than fighting for positions with the young politicians.

And not long ago, Rupiah Banda announced to the nation about his wife Thandiwe being diagnosed with breast cancer, I feel this is reason enough to keep him away from politics, not because his wife's illness is a hindrance, but due to the fact that, family needs and wants should be put first and satisfied first.

Secondly, Rupiah Banda's comeback is bad for his former party MMD because the party will be divided into two fiction which will be led by party President Nevers Mumba and Rupiah Banda. And if such a battle was to start, this will take long to be solved and the already struggling MMD will not be able to regroup itself to contest any election or pose any threat to challenge the ruling party.

To give a generalized opinion over what is happening currently, I sense some panic in the ruling Patriotic Front camp with the manner they are handling the whole mourning period. This can be observed through the disorganization they have displayed so far. One Russian say states that, ‘if the head of a fish is rotten, then the whole fish is rotten', this can simply be liken to the disorganization in the ruling Patriotic Front party leadership which symbolizes the disorganization of the party at all levels. 

"Farewell and salutions, king Cobra and long live the state".

FOCUS ON ZAMBIA 1.0 :THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA WITHOUT MAN OF ACTION

On the occasion of sorrow and shock, after the death of His Excellence Michael Chilufya Sata in London on the 28 October, 2014. I would like to sincerely share a condolence message to the first family, comrades and patriotic citizens of the Republic of Zambia.

A simple paragraph cannot ease the pain of the loss, but I hope the people of Zambia take solace in knowing that his brave services exceeded all measures of selflessness and devotion to his beloved country Zambia.

Today, I honor him not only as a 'Man of Action', but as a true son of Africa and Zambia in particular, whose walk encouraged most of us not to give up on our dreams.

And at this moment, I offer my heartfelt sympathy, and I pray that God's grace gives the First family and the people of Zambia comfort as you grieve.

THE CONSTITUTION

According to the constitution, states that the sitting vice president takes over the presidency upon the death or resignation of the incubment president. More to that, the vice president is given a transition period of 90 days to organise new election and the vice president is not barred from running in the elections.

And according to article 38 states that, if the is vacancy of the Presidency due to the death of the incubment; the Vice President should immediately assume the office of the President and if the Vice President is unable for a reason to assume the office of the President, the Speaker should perform the executive functions, except the power to make appointments and dissolve parliament. I believe this article of the Zambian constitution was strengthened and clearly explained after the death of the Levy Mwanawasa in 2008 and it is at a time like this that article 38 will be exercised and observed meaning ceremonial Vice president Guy Scott takes over the presidency from acting President Edgar Lungu. Furthermore, I believe we now understand that it is the ceremonial Vice President who holds the responsibility of organising and hosting free and fair elections within 90 days of vacancy of the Presidency.

90 DAYS OF AGONY

Away from the constitution articles and protocol, I would want us to talk about the Zambia's magical number of 90days. In Zambia the 90 days is two faced and I will explain the two faces. The first face of the '90 days concept' that apppears before Zambian is the political propangada or strategy that was used in 2011 and never fulfilled to date. The 90 days propangada excited a lot of voters that believed in it very much until they were told that the 90 days was just a paper work strategy and did not exist in reality at all. And the other face of the 90 days that zambian remember is the continuity of development that Rupiah Banda to follow in Levy Mwanawasa's foot prints and this was characterised by politics of insults and corruption.

Generally, 90 days in Zambia is a peroid of agony that is surrounded by unstability and undemocratic pathway to elections. It is also during this time that the loyalty of party members is tested because during this time new 'mushroom' political parties are formed without a fan base and also politic prostitution can be observed when senior members change parties in search of greener pastures which is now a common practice in Zambian politics.

MUSHROOM POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICAL PROSTITUTION

To put it in another way, the 'mushroom' political parties that enage during this period lack the necessary ingredient to be called a political party because in reality these parties are a one-man stand or in local language a 'Katemba' without any foundation or fan base to inspire a change. And this is mainly observed during the period of filing candidates for elections and according to my own analysis, 'mushroom'political parties dont even run for election, but end up endorsing other political parties' due to financial complications.

THE ECONOMY AND MISUSE OF FUNDS

It is during this 90 days that the Zambian economy is weak and the Kwacha is lower beyond redemption from the Central Bank of Zambia. And speaking, with a sense of history in mind, I believe the Kwacha has never fully recovered from the fall it experienced after the death of Levy Patrick Mwanawasa and the Rupiah Banda era and I know readers will conquer with me on this one.

More to that, it can also be observed that during this period of agony state funds are embezzled and misused and evidence of this can be given by statistic check on how many government officials are undergoing or underwent abuse of office charges and trials all dating to the previous 90 days of agony.

With the history of the 90 days of agony in mind, I believe the government through the Secretary to the Treasury and patriotic citizens have a big role to play to ensure economic stability and safeguarding of public resources during this transition period.

HIS LEGECY

And to discuss his legecy in public at the moment is an act of injustice I believe because African leadership is so different from other forms of leadership, in the sense that, the legecy of an African leader is mainly determined after a new leader is elected and begins to make errors thats when people begin to wish for the previos leader. Meanwhile in other parts of the world, a leader's legecy is determined the moment he passes away or when his term ends.

In conclusion, truth be told that Michael Chilufya Sata was the most popular Zambian President ever to be elected by a majority urban vote and eventhough, during his governance errors were made and as the acting president has announced the 14 days of mourning, I believe this is the time to reflect and celebrate Michael Sata's life in peace and unity.  

AFRICA: OUR LEADERS AND THEIR TITLES, IF NOT WEAKNESS

'If you want to know them, check their titles not works' Musanda said, when we were talking about African leadership and its history and at this point, I totally agree with that statement because most of our pre and post colonialism leaders are title lovers but, due to lack of a better Greek term to categorize this type of loving, we shall fix a term and call it 'title-philia'. With the above already outlined, I would like to state that the purpose of  this article is to look at some of our leaders and other  famous personalities' titles that made both local and international headlines.

Therefore, before I go any further on this wonderful voyage, I believe it is of great significant to understand and define the term title and according to Wikipedia a title is 'a prefix or suffix added to someone's name in certain context. It may signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification.’ In line with the definition by Wikipedia, I believe titles serves and shows great responsibility whether inherited or earned, but on the contrary, a certain section of African leadership has weakened the integrity of titles by not understanding them and I will prove proof as we continue.

 First on the list is His Excellency Sheikh Professor AL haji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Nasiru Deen Babili Mansa Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces and the Chief Custodian of the Sacred Constitution of the Gambia popularly known as Yahya Jammeh. He is known for his trademark prayer beads, all white clothing and a stick and Mr. Jammeh is renowned for his claim to cure HIV/AIDS and asthma with natural herbs, maybe thats why he is called a Dr or professor, but none of his claims has been scientifically proven, therefore some if not all of his qualification if not titles, that Mr. Jammeh claims to possess are fraud and carries no weight of responsibility in reality. And for some of us who are not familiar with Mr Jammeh, he is not only famous for his titles, but the wrongs reasons such as alleged human rights abuses, restrictions to press freedom to name a few.

            
Furthermore, I urge the readers to fasten your sitting belts and relax as we increase the speed of funny as we talk about Joseph-Desire Mobutu commonly known as Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga translated as ' The warrior who knows no defeat because of his endurance and inflexible will and is all powerful, leaving fire in his wake as he goes from conquest to conquest'. Outstanding title for Mobutu, but his titles had no weight because it was during his time that Zaire now Congo was moving backward economically, socially and spiritually that caused total poverty during his reign. Mobutu, was indeed a flamboyant corrupt leader of his time whose net worth was valued at US$4billion at time of death, while the majority of Congo were living in unimaginable poverty. Sad as it may seem, most of our leaders have never had a heart for the people they claim to represent and this can be observed through the expensive lifestyles and satisfying of huge appetites of personal needs and wants on taxpayers' money.

And I believe this article is incomplete without mentioning some of our leaders such as Idi Amin. Idi Amin indeed is a famous son of the continent, though he is famous for the wrong reasons.  It is believed that, his kind of leadership was characterized by corruption, nepotism, political oppression, tribal persecution and economic mismanagement. Despite his brutal attitude and lack of humor, at least Idi admin was once famous for his official state claim of being the uncrowned King of Scotland even though he was an African who knew less about his beloved kingdom of Scotland and  I will be considered a failure if I went ahead writing this article without mentioning his official title which is, 'His Excellency, President For Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular', a beautiful title that signifies strengthen and maturity, but Mr. Dada lacked the responsibility of his many titles.     

At this point, I believe titles and leadership have no connection to what legacy our leaders build and leave behind. Even if, our leaders were given titles as 'men of action', 'fly ken', 'king Kong’, ‘shorty' or even 'cabbage', I believe as weak as ‘cabbage’ may sound as a title compared to mighty King Kong, cabbage can be remembered as a champion of his generation compared to the rest with powerful titles, but less power. And its hightime to focus on a new brand of leaders that serves its people through developmental projects and scientific breakthroughes for a better Africa.    

HOLY SPIRIT: THE UNKNOWN MEMBER OF THE TRINITY

It is with greater pleasure that I greet my fellow Christians and readers in the name of our lord Jesus Christ. In this week’s addition, I would like to talk about the Holy Spirit as the third party that completes the trinity (father, son and Holy Spirit).

Therefore, it is the purpose of this piece of work to highlight the importance of the Holy Spirit since He is a member of the trinity that is not recognized and respected compared to the other two. And it is equally important to realize that the 3 members are equally and serve the purpose of testifying. Moreover, the Holy Spirit seems not to be given the credit that he deserves because many Christians out there either do not know him or doubt his existence making it incomplete for any believer to have true conviction without experiencing his presence.
            

For some believer, they consider the holy spirit as a spy, hence making it more difficult to acknowledge Him since the world is filled up with negative opinions and mixed emotions about spies and anything in relation to them, however, it is unfortunate for those that consider Him a ‘spy’ because it’s of no significance to acknowledge the 2 members of the trinity while substituting a member due to unbelief and ignorance.
      

It is common knowledge and biblically proven, that people perish due to lack of knowledge (Hosea 4vs6) and this can be physically proven by the rejection of the Holy Spirit by the majority but it’s important to knowledge that, God is not moved by majorities that uphold self-doctrines compared to a minority that dwells in the true word of God that He has inspired.  In line with the above, the Holy Spirit is ‘another counselor’ that Christ Jesus (John 14vs15-16) left for us in His absence not to condemn us or spy but to safeguard and teach us (John 14vs24). 

Furthermore, many confuse the presence of the Holy Spirit with emotions and hormones changes or environmental changes. However, the presence of the Holy Spirit can only be experienced by one’s ability to learn to dwell in an atmosphere filled with praise and worship and can further be experienced if we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us the way He wants to work, then He can produce what He wants in us. As for emotions, the can be defined as a mental state that arises spontaneously rather than conscious resulting into: joy, sorrow, hate and love hence with the above definitions one can distinguish that the Holy Spirit is inspired by God and experienced by born-again Christians while emotions are inspired by hormonal changes or maybe environmental factors and can be experienced by anybody so the difference is there without any relation between the two.   
 

So to demonstrate more on how to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, an individual has to develop a ‘routine’ contact with Him by spending much time with Him and this can be seen through meditation, worship and prayer. To put it differently, one can only acknowledge and obey His presence and voice by spending time with Him and this will eliminate ‘FM station voices’ tuned in our minds that many tend to obey.

Generally, the fear by most Christians to recognize the Holy Spirit is based on personal feelings and believes nothing to do with scriptures, but in reality we cannot do without Him in our lives and He cannot force Himself on us since He is a gentlemen. As a matter of fact, it is more be hearten to see the culture of ignorance and pride prevail when our worship is affected by our own doctrine because at the end of the day, worship has nothing to do with our feelings.

In conclusion, the freedom of choice and obedience lies in our own hands and one’s choice is not subject to any debate but ignorance is a trap that limits growth in ministry. Remember, you are not too young to begin to experience and acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit because He is Real.       

EBOLA: AN AFRICAN ENEMY AND A GLOBAL EYE OPENER

 

The ebola virus seems to have made global headlines and attracted attention it fully deserves. Even though, Ebola is believed to have broken out first in 1976 among cotton workers in Nzara of present day South Sudan its causes and medicines were unknown. And when in 2004, it resurfaced in Yambio County of South Sudan, its causes and medication was still a myth that doctors and researchers were still experimenting with and was never considered a 'serious' disease until February 2014.

More to that, Ebola is a virus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever and is caused by four classified in the genus of ebolavirus, family of filoviridae and order of mononegavirales. And in accordance to its location of occurrence the virus can be called different names such as Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV) and Tai Forest virus ( TAFV).

Furthermore in 2004, five people died from the twenty reported cases and it is in this year that doctors were able to determine the early symptoms and possible sources of infection. And in accordance to a report by BBC news report dated 1st of August, outlines Ebola symptoms includes high fever, bleeding, and central nervous system damage while its incubation period is two to 21 days and fruit bats are considered to be virus'natural host.

With the above history, causes and symptoms outlined, I believe ebola is a serious disease that every government has to put up preventive measures to combat its spread. And I would like to urge African government to educate its people about this deadly diseases because Africa's future and pride is at stake.

More to that, according to statistics Ebola has claimed 729 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra leone from February to date, and must be taken seriously ,though its disappointing how most African countries believed ebola was some form of witchcraft, hence, leading to its fast spread. In line with the above, I believe its possible to observe and respect cultural practices while promoting behavioral and hygienic changes and lifestyles.

And according to the fact sheet by the world health organisation (WHO), ebola infection in africa has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines while its spreading has been linked to human to human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact with blood,secretions,organs or other bodily fluids of infected people.

With the above figures, I hope a clear picture is painted with the statistics of the victims, for Ebola is a serious disease that must be taken seriously just like other killer diseases such as HIV/AIDS to name a few. And it is important to understand that, Ebola is not an 'only african disease' , but a human disease that is able to infect and affect people of different continents and walks of lives, therefore, lying a blind eye or deaf ear to the current Ebola crisis wont help because its either you are affected or infected with Ebola directly or indirectly hence lets all advocate and educate against this killer called Ebola.

In conclusion, the Ebola outbreak is 'catatrophic' and an enemy to both global and african peace and stability respectively. Despite, its catatrophic effect I would like to commend several medical personnel and individuals of goodwell that risk their lives for the cause of humanity and other financial and missionary organisation that work day and night to see an end to this crisis. For the world appreciates your efforts and contribution.

AFRICA: YOUR TIME TO DISCOVER THE HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE IN READING AND WRITING

If writing and reading was an illness then most people in Africa could have been sick already, because today’s Africa has a poor approach to reading and writing. Africa is one of the continents of the world with a number of school going children who are not able to read and write competently in commensurate with their age and grade levels. And this can explain why Africa’s future generation will be lagging behind in this era of cutting edge technology because the key to academic, social and economic progression has been hindered by poor reading and writing policies in place.

Furthermore, it is unarguable, to say that African history will not outlive the 21st century, because Africa’s current policies and culture doesn’t acknowledge the writing of history and may be attributed to the poor reading culture.  And this has led to most young Africans not to know their own history and cultures, but rather know other parts of the world’s history and culture.

In line with the above, donors have played an important role in encouraging the culture of not reading and writing, due to the fact that, donors impose programmes which are not commensurate with the African education system, hence both teachers and pupils don’t enjoy it. And a perfect example can be, the geography and history programmes in schools which covers other continents and little about the African continent itself. It is programmes like the above, that have encouraged the continued decline in reading and writing, because education programmes in other continents like Asia, Europe and America have no programmes that are dedicated to the study of other continents in depth and the reason behind this strategy maybe to encourage reading and writing to student by first embracing own history and geography.

I strongly believe in an African generation that knows how to write and read, not forgetting an African generation that knows its history and such a generation may not be seen in Africa because of the poor reading and writing policies. I believe, Africa as a whole has to begin to advocate for reading and history taking projects, so that the new generation and the rest of the world will know Africa from the inside out core.

More to that, Africa as a continent has undergone a lot of changes and has a rich history that the world has to know, therefore, it is with the changes in policies that will encourage many Africans and the rest of the world respectively to take interest  in the beautiful rich African history. And it is with the above mindset, which will encourage a new generation of writers and readers that have a better foundation.

In conclusion, they say that,’ if you want to hide anything from an African, put it in a book’, but I believe this is a myth from the past and can be overcome, if only we can transform ourselves with the knowledge that comes with reading and writing.

THE BOKO HARAM AND AL-SHABAAB TWINS: THE RISE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA

In dedication to the 234 kidnapped girls and their family and victims of terrorism  

Barely, a month ago Nigeria was declared Africa’s biggest economy surpassing South Africa to be Africa’s continental powerhouse improving the country’s international images that was once stuttered by the terrorism movement.

The terrorism movement that has been conducted by the now-notorious Boko Haram seems to have deprived Nigeria’s pride and potential of being an influential powerhouse like South Africa. Boko Haram meaning western education is forbidden seems to be a state within a giant state since it bombs and controls 6 states out of the 36 states under the stability and control of the government.

Furthermore, the fact that Boko haram exert influence in the north eastern Nigeria states of Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe and Kano makes it a ‘’state within a giant state’’ and if not stopped the chaos of this movement will spread.

This movement started by boko haram is blood thirty and is edge to shed more innocent blood for selfish and hidden agendas. And at this moment, looking at the chaos done by the group, I strongly believe the fight against terrorism is not a ‘Nigerian thingy ’ but something that Africa as a continent should fight in oneness because terrorism has no space in both Nigeria and Africa’s future.

Many say Nigeria’s big economic breakthrough has come with a big problem, but I strongly argue against that, because I believe Nigeria can experience bigger economic breakthroughs without encountering bigger problems like terrorism and I can defend my answer by giving an example of South Africa, a country that has been Africa’s powerhouse for a decade without experiencing bigger problems.

The boko haram crisis in Nigeria has given confidence to other movements like al-shabaab in Kenya that has threatened Kenya’s stability. Al-shabaab though underestimated compared to boko haram is a major force advocating for acts of terrorism. More to that, I feel the attacks by boko haram in west Africa and al-shabaab in east Africa exposes and  puts to light Africa’s future threat since the north of Africa has been battling the act of terrorism for a while.

Nigeria and Kenya has to arise and combat the fight against terrorism. All these terrorism acts are an act of ignorance and has no religious significance, but personal corrupted ideas that should not be accommodated by the society at all. I strongly believe the act of terrorism has lead to the rise of ‘Islamophobia’ notion which is a shame and pure prejudice.

In conclusion, let love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control govern our lives, for terrorism has no space in our communities. For acts of terrorism destroys those who practice it. As they try to extinguish life in others, the light within them dies too.                   

SPORTS:THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IN DECLINE

The beautiful game of sports that has been a source of joy has been engulfed by a rare spiritual illness called racism. Racism in its final stage of manifestation is pure ignorance that seems to be killing the beautiful game of sports. OF recently a lot of racial related situations have arisen from all corners of life and I feel the issue of racism and its elements has to be addressed now so that in the near future nothing of this magnitude will affect our beautiful game of sports.

At this moment, I would like to explain the importance of the beautiful game of sports, by firstly highlighting what Didier Drogba did after his country Ivory cote qualified for the 2006 world cup in Germany. Drogba in his capacity as an Ivorian and captain of the national team made a desperate plea to the combatants, asking them to lay down their arms and this plea led to a cease fire between bitter enemies after 5 years of a civil war. Therefore, the current peace enjoyed in Ivory Cote was achieved through the beauty of the game of sports, something that most respected men and women of the world had failed to achieve on behalf of the Ivorian people. With that in mind, it is important for everybody from all walks of life to join in the fight against racism and its devices because the beautiful game of sports will be destroyed.

In line with the above, the beautiful game of sports, if not protected will be turned into a center stage of racism and its devices. Sports has always been used as a force for good therefore a call to stand against any individuals who want to use it as an instrument of hate must be disciplined by society at large. The months of April has been rocked by many scandals of racism such as the incident involving Donald Sterling the owner of LA Clippers, who was recorded telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to his games. This is one scandal that has shocked many people because Sterling for 30 years he has been running and owning the basketball team which happens to have a majority of its players black. The level of ignorance displayed by Sterling is shocking and should not be accommodated in the beautiful game of sports because hate towards any ethnic people is not accepted.

Furthermore, away from basketball, football seems to be having its own racial related problems such as the abuse of Dani Alves who plays for FC Barcelona and Papakouli ‘Pape’ Diop playing for Levante UD in Spain; by fans making monkey sounds and throwing of banana on the fields respectively. All these incidences are outrages meant to destroy the beauty of the game and a zero tolerance towards racism in our sports and communities must be put into effect.   

And concluding with Pierre Breton’s words and I court, ‘Racism is a refuge for the ignorant. It seeks to divide and to destroy. It is the enemy of freedom, and deserves to be met head-on and stamped-out’, and I strongly believe racism has no place in the 21^st century, for the beauty of the sport has to be embraced.    

AFRICA: YOUR TRIBALISM AND THE EUROPEAN RACISM

‘Africa's democratic transition is back in the spotlight. The concern is no longer the stranglehold of autocrats, but the hijacking of the democratic process by tribal politics’, wrote Calestous Juma in BBC news’ focus on Africa dated 27 November, 2012 while discussing the dangers of tribalism on the Africa continent.
         

Africa’s tribalism has been a modern cancer that is robbing the continent of its pride while putting it on a road to doom on the other side. So to start with, it’s important for us to define tribalism as a state of advocating or organizing a group of people based on their tribes. Tribalism in Africa is the second most evil thing that has happened to the continent after colonialism and this has hindered growth in all sectors that have economical potential because of small devices tribalism has given birth to in areas of productivity such as nepotism. Nepotism in Africa is as a result of tribalism that has created mistrust between people that speak languages that only differ in vowels if not pronunciation.

Furthermore, the most exciting about Africa tribalism is that it is promoted by scholars or politicians that are very much aware of its impact in the society. Therefore, the Africa tribalism is not only based on ignorance, but also selfishness that has taken over Africa’s power lovers that find tribalism as a cheap vehicle to help them achieve they dreams at the expense of peace, stability and the people.   

On the Other hand, as much as Africa is battling with its elements of tribalism among its people, Europe on the other hand seem to be also battling its own battles of racism and the fast arising neo-Nazi propagandas that most Europeans youths seem to embrace due to socio-economical shutdowns that most Europeans countries have faced. Racism by simple definition is the love of one’s race while hating other races based mainly on skin complexion.

The European racism has not been printed so much by the Medias like the African tribalism but the truth remains that the European racism is an “open secret” that is an enemy to growth. For example, not long ago , a football match played by Villarreal CF against FC Barcelona was shameful interrupted by the reception of racism when a banana was threw to a footballer on the field. That whole situation was well handled by the footballer who humbling ate the banana thrown unto him, but it also showed the ugliness of racism that has engulfed Europe because its racism is no longer an “open secret” but a crisis that will both put the  community and the beautiful game of football at risk. 

“Racism and tribalism are not lifestyles, but self-imprisonment or illness that prevents growth and must be cured by LOVE”.

I personally, believe racism and tribalism is not a lifestyle, but a self-imprisonment or an illness that prevents growth. Both racists and tribalists, despite they geographical location their live share a common notion of “hate” because they do not see the beauty that lies in a “one united people” because of the illness of ignorance.  The world is a beautiful place for everybody to live in, if we stand against the illnesses and evils of tribalism and racism then a generation of joy is guaranteed. All in all, its not only tribalism and racism that is affecting the world from growth, there is another form of segregation experienced and practiced in countries like china and India based on religious believes.     

AFRICA: THE AFROPHOBIA AND THE PANDEMIC KILLER NOTIONS

 AIDS       AIDS KNOWS: NO RACE NO GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION BEWARE.
   IS
REAL.

  'I thought only people in Africa could catch AIDS’, those were the words of 48 years old HIV positive Rachel Diley during a television interview. She further went on to explain how in her teenager age she embraced sex without a condom since she knew at her age chances were little of her falling pregnant. Dear readers out there, I want to take this opportunity to address the whole issue of the killer disease HIV/AIDS that is taking more lives than any other disease on earth. And I will also love to talk about the ‘afrophobia’ or fear of Africa that most people have expressed in medias and reality all in relation to the pandemic HIV/AIDS.

First and foremost, the letters HIV stand for human immunodeficiency virus meaning that the HIV virus attacks the immune system, and weakens a person’s immunity system to fight infections. And AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome meaning that AIDS is the final stage of HIV, when one’s body can no longer fight life-threatening infections. With the above explanations highlighted above, its important to observe that HIV/AIDS is a human disease that affects people of all walks of life. Remember, HIV/AIDS is not an African disease made for Africans only, but it’s a universe disease that everybody has to stand against. 

Furthermore, the 'afrophobia' in relation to HIV/AIDS is based on statistics that shows Africa being  the continent with the highest number of people infected in the world, but that does not make it an ‘All African Disease’. Africa is like any other place on earth that has a population with AIDS, but that does not mean every African is HIV/AIDS positive. Below are statistics of the pandemic adopted from ‘Making AIDS history amfAR site:

Continent	Population Of Infected
Sub-Saharan Africa	25 million
Asia-pacific	351 000
Caribbean	250 000
Central and South America	1.5 million
North Africa And Middle East	260 000
Eastern Europe And Central Asia	1.3 million
Western And Central Europe	860 000

Therefore, all I can say in accordance to the World Health Organization (WHO) report of 2012 35.3 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS while they were 1.6 million deaths of AIDS related diseases worldwide and 119 countries reported a total of 95 million tested in 2010.

With much already discussed and highlighted above, its most to outline ways one can get HIV/AIDS; using a contaminated needle, syringe, or other injecting equipments, transmission from mother to child, birth or breastfeeding and through oral sex or sharing sex toys (even though the risk is lower for anal and vaginal).

 And please Dear readers, ignorance of the pandemic disease will endanger yourself, family and community at large so beware and know that HIV/AIDS IS NOT AN AFRICAN DISEASE, BUT A UNIVERSE DISEASE AND YOU CAN GET IT ANYWHERE IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR ACTIVITIES AS AN INDIVIDUAL. And as for Africa, for those who have never been to the ‘mother land’, all I can say is that, ‘you need to be there yourself and make up your own conclusion, because today’s media is biased and treats the African story very hush if not ignorant’. 
   

In conclusion, i would like to remember somebody that HIV/AIDS is a KILLER disease that knows no race or geographical location.  

  

CHAMPION

                

Never been an ordinary bird, so I fly off the average nest

And I settle with the eagles with wings wide open as the best

Hence I double cross failure for success for a permanent relationship

Fear of heights has been overcome, so I fly high 

For my life has been like a voyage of discovery

Filled with so much unspeakable elements of mystery

But all were phases to be found and solved in Indiana with Jones as history

With all these struggles, a character was being built up to head an era

The past was a lesson, but it’s died and gone, for today is here

Success is the motto and does not happen overnight like winning a lotto

Confessions of who I was never matter’s now, because being a champion is my new impression

My facial expression outstands all the negativity, as positivity is my main possession

For failure was my past oppression and routine of operation

But I broke off the ordinary boundaries of failure to become a star of attraction

A personality that adds a color of hope to the rainbow  

Being a champion is my daily remedy; a quality that eliminates any form of comedy

So think twice before you walk on thick ice because we are not equals like dimples even though am simple, you may be turned into an experimental sample if not an example.

Church And Governance:The Church Revolution And Its Duty In Governance

In the early century, when need for a leader to be chosen arose, the majority looked at the church as a guidance for the choice of leader to be chosen. It was during that time that the church usually, had the powers or keys of governance which was in form of a sword, articles, and flags.
     

An example of what I know in Greece, England and maybe the rest of Europe was that, the church had two swords; one was to be given to the chosen leader while the other remained with the church and this signified the spared leadership between God and the people. Since the church represented God while the leader represented the people and without the sword the leader had no authority because the authority laid in the sword.

Therefore, this historically practice done in the early centuries before, leaves me with questions on why the current sets of churches do not possess the powers their possessed earlier. Furthermore, it is the purpose of this article to highlight some transformations that have happened and it is important for readers out there to realize that the purpose of this article is not to discourage anybody’s faith but to encourage somebody.          

First and foremost, from an historically point of view, in the early century the majority of the people knew the purpose of God, therefore, this led to them to respect God’s representatives on earth, the church. And today’s population lack the quality the other population had in the early century due to the lack of respect of God hence, the importance to involve his body the church in choosing a leaders is not seen.       

And currently, it can be observed on how the new generation of leaders oppresses the church if it defends its integrity. And this can further be observed through government policies that disrespect and humiliates the foundation on which the church is built on, which in the past was unacceptable. For example, the popularizing corruption propagandas that most leaders use to gain popularity while degrading the value of the church.

In other countries, the church has suffered many attacks due to its independent decisions on social, economic and political situations. The latest one being, the governmental crackdown on the Catholic Church in southern Africa due to its demand for a constitution on behalf of the people.

The other reason, why modern churches have lost their powers on governance is that, the church members have failed to distinguish their political agendas from their beliefs. This has harmed the church so badly, because failure to distinguish beliefs from political agendas is like fighting an inside unknown family member. With this in mind, they readers can bear witness that most modern churches are on government payrolls compared to old ones that ran their finances independently, hence this limits they criticism and credibility.

I believe the church serves in the best interest of the people and this has to be respected without targeting the operation of the church and its members. It can also be stated that, the church is a platform that has always condemned the injustice in our communities, therefore, its existence outlives governance and most be respected.

In conclusion, I believe the church has undergone a lot of changes, but I believe the church has not changed its goals since its foundation has never changed and I would like to advise governing bodies from all walks of life to respect the church, for the church can live without the state, but the state cannot live without the church, so it is the church's obligation to coach and mentor the new generation of leaders in order to encourage transparency.   

Arise Namibia:There Must Be An End To Brutal Killings And Violence Against Women.

Written by Comrade Filemon'Fire'Shikomba And Yours Truly Sishumba Musanda in commemoration of the March 6 National Prayers against gender killings and violence. 

I choose to call it "Brutal Killings" because “Passion Killings "does not describe the seriousness in this wicked situation.

When I think about the gender inequality or gender-based violence, truly, I want to cry out loud, and lighten the heaviness in my heart .Gender-based violence is a violation of human rights and serious attention must be established to prevent it from going further.

The Brutal Killings are getting out of hand. Namibia will soon be described as the world’s most unsafe place for women to live in. It is very painful to see women, who are supposed to be our Sisters, our Friends and most importantly our Mothers die in the hands of heartless men.

What is even more painful is to see children become motherless due to this ungodly behavior, to see fathers who kill women being sent to prison and leaving their children behind with no one to look after them, and the absence of parental figures will bring problems to the future of those children because many may tend to think their future is based on violence.

I have this feeling that Namibians are not doing enough to bring a concrete conclusion to this escalating problem, and I think we need to amplify voices for change. From within the communities by engaging women, girls, community leaders, men, and boys—in the effort to support positive social change. I believe that politicians alone cannot bring an end to this problem; we need direct confrontation that will include all political parties, despite political difference a firm stand is needed because this is a national crisis on the rise. And every tool must be used to combat Brutal Killings before our country runs out of women. 

Furthermore, Namibia, is indeed, a land of the brave, a country that has embraced, enjoyed and chosen unity, liberty and justice as our only mode of life therefore, may we continue to embrace the spirit of oneness and stand against the enemy’ Brutal Violence against women’. As we embark to the 6^th of March, a day of national prayers as our able leader declared may it be a special day of reflection on the importance of a gender violence and brutal killings free environment.  The foundation of this country was built on the efforts of both men and women and the future of this country belongs to both men and women governed by equality and desire to see a perfect productive Namibia

In conclusion, I am urging all youths to learn from all this experiences, to choose good examples, and to avoid becoming victims of such circumstances in future. We can have a future free from Brutal killings if we unite, learn and create awareness.

AFRICA: A STRUGGLE FOR POWER BETWEEN THE YOUNG AND OLD

I believe African governance is sitting on a time bomb that is yet to explode if not handled properly due to the difference in ideologies between the youths and the elders born before independence.             

Most African youths want a complete new form of governance that has a sense of touch of the 21^st century eliminating any concept of independence struggle motive, but they elders on the other hand want to hold on power with a colonialism styled form of dictatorship as governance. This has led to crushes between the young and old, because they seem to represent two different times in history that lack a bridge to link them hence widening the gap.
             

African elders want youths to stay rooted to the dogmas of the foundering fathers at all expenses, which most youths seem not to be comfortable with because they feel the dogmas of the foundering fathers limits development and enslaves people to live in poverty while a few enjoy the wealth of the country. The elders don’t see a functioning Africa without them making it hard for youths who aspire for public office to succeed.

The youths on the other hand accuse the government and elders of ignorance on a number of issues such as technology, freedom of speech, which the latter has ignored or laid a deaf hear to, therefore leading to no reforms or amendments but recycled ideas. And however, most governments have attributed the lack of youth empowerment to poor organization among the youths, but I personally despise this response because I believe the government has to create a youth forums to provide guidance and empower they youths first before something positive is expected from them. This can be done through a pragmatic way of getting the youths to not only listen to ideas but also act on issues that affect both the youths and community at large.

Besides all, a modern African youth differs from a typical African youth though, they both possess the same quality which is daydreaming and complaining on social media, a platform where most of the leaders are absent from, funny as it may seem, but very true. And this has affected growth, because the government and elders associate social media as a platform of fun and daydreaming and hence issues presented there are not to be taken seriously.

Furthermore, most youths disagree against the notions of ‘laziness’ but they associate laziness due to over congestion in youthful events or organizations by elders who seem to be were passed they youth hood and never seem to connect with the youths they represent. And a perfect example that can be given is the Ministry of sports and youth development which is headed by elders that are unable to attend or participate in events due to overage. I believe at this point, the situation stated above most serve as an alert notice, on how many people are not in-support of youth empowerment even though, they once advocated for it when they were jobless.

Most youths consider most African leaders a disgrace to democracy and a mockery to the power of the vote they claim to represent because the only reforms that they have done is the widening of the gap between the rich and poor and selling out their own people without giving thought to Africans suffering from poverty and other leaders made syndromes such as corruption, nepotism and tribalism.  I strongly believe a transparent transition has to be reached in order to maintain stability and a perfect balance of power.

In a nutshell, Africa’s potential has never been in the hands of the politicians or freedom fighters, but on every ambitions and dreams that the new generation has and therefore, youth empowerment cannot be avoided if Africa is to move forward.   

A VIOLENCE FREE HEAVEN CALLED HOME

In dedication to all women and mothers

Many are the times I imagine a world free of sexual violence against women and this makes me think twice on how productive our homes or areas will be since  our mothers, sisters, partners and daughters are happy. Therefore, I have taken this opportunity to address the issue of domestic violence against women which is on a rise in our country and if not handled well may lead to more problems in the near future.

 Furthermore, may I congratulate married men out there and may I highlight the importance of marriage: it being an ‘institution of love’ not the now renowned institution of violence against partners which initially destroys the union of marriage by all aspects. And a marriage certificate is not a document of ownership that grants a man power to violent a woman on the basis of the certificate but only a certificate of evidence of courtship of the parties involved mainly for statistics by the authorities.      

With this in mind, it is important for every man to respect women as a creation made in God’s own image thus let no mankind feel more superior than others. However, it can be seen from the above analysis that, most men embrace violence to peace as a way of consolidating they influences on their partners without thinking of anything else and this attitude has grown and affected the society both directly and indirectly. 

Unquestionably, it is general knowledge to state that most men who violent women do it due to ignorance and failure of social, educational and religious notions that have failed to advocate for equality in the society for satisfaction of personal desires. For example, most social notions state that, ‘who loves well, punishes well’, or ‘beating a wife is an evidence of true love’, but I strongly argue against those notions because I believe the biblical definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 truly highlights the significance and code of conduct of love. It is important however, to overemphasis the strength of ignorant notions that govern the institution of marriage or friendship in a deadly bumpy direction of violence.

In the same line of thinking, given the advantages of marriage from a the biblical point of view outlined in the previous paragraph, I would like to further state the importance of courtship or marriage from a biblical point of view from the book of Proverbs 18 vs 22 that highlights the pleasure and favors of finding a wife that the lord is proud of himself. In short, women are meant to be an important people in the making of our communities; hence violence against them is like scam or fraud aimed to stealing from oneself with an excuse of not knowing.

Surely, society lacks its definition if the beauty of our mothers, sisters, partners and daughters is violated continually  and it is high time, the government strengthened laws and rules because politics seems to have taken precedence over violence against women. I believe an independent commission has to be established dedicated to advocating and enforcing the laws and rule that protect women in our societies. And a word of caution to the government is that, the longer the keep politicking with issues affecting women the worse the outcome of violence because as of now, constitutionally the capital punishment attached to violence against women is not good enough to set an example because our country needs men who inherit good morals not violence that they may have witnessed as a mode of life. 

A violence free heaven called home is very possible, if only we learn to live in peace with our next neighbors despite their sex or skin color. 

          

AFRICA

Africa's pace of growth has been lagging behind from its counter-parts both in the pro and post-colonialism period. Therefore, it is the purpose of this work to discuss some of the mysteries and controversy surrounding this whole topic into four subtopics namely; geographical, social, economic and political.
           

In the first place, it is important to discuss Africa’s geographical location and its resources. Has Africa’s vast resources failed to lay a platform for major development, or maybe, are her resources a blessing or a curse to the population? Africa as a continent has experienced a record rash interest in its mining sectors from foreign investors who tend to explore for all minerals at hand, but still, the continent remains in total poverty. However, this leaves very less to be desired and rises many questions such as 'what form of trade is conducted’. 

With my little knowledge of trade, it is common knowledge to understand that trade always involves two parties; a buyer and seller who develop a mutual relationship based on the product. In the same manner, trade paves way to a network that creates a platform for mutual understanding on the product. With this in mind, it is disheartening to learn how Africa is denied such a platform to network with its business partners, hence, promoting unequal trade that favors investors. This unequal trade has been characterized by price-fixing and black-listing of the products with a number of sanctions therefore, violating the purpose of trade.  Furthermore, in all aspects, this is a form of civilized day-light robbery and some form of Robbing Hood though it’s vice versa because investors rob from the poor to empower the rich all in the name of fair trade.  

As a matter of fact, they is need for Africa to redefine its terms and conditions of trade in favor of its large population living under the poverty line. And these measures will ensure Africa a guaranteed dignity through independence because they is no dignity without freedom. This will be made available through preferred poverty in freedom to wealth in slavery which is aids. This whole idealism of 'preferred poverty in freedom to wealth in slavery' may seem too ignorant on all grounds but very beneficial on grounds that it eliminates the concept of dependence on donors hence a platform of equality in trade is created because nobody gives more or less. 

In fashion with the above, Africa as a whole has to encourage cross-border trade between neighboring countries as a possible solution to redeem its falling economies and weakening currencies. This is very typical, but very African from flesh to bone as we all know a famous say that states, ‘charity begins at home' hence laying our foundation on this say can be of great help in ensuring Africa conduct trade locally before conducting it internationally. Likewise, the is need for Africa to strengthen her financial institutions to fully facilitate its extra activities and prevent any form of regret, if not a generation marked with black-out recession and bankruptcy.

For Africa to experience a renaissance in all fields of work, there is need for a continental transformation in approach to small issues such as agriculture and trade because both are the cardinal things to ensure the expected renaissance for its visionary generation. And by all means, changing tides is what the continent is yet to experience and it is during these trying times that we are encouraged to learn more about our strength and weakness as a continental powerhouse that is able to sustain its population.

With much financial meltdown experienced than before, it is important for the sleeping giant to awake and found its  predestined place hence moving away from the concept of dependence on donors. However, if Africa was to develop an attitude of competing with its donors then a form of generational revolution will be sparked like a 'wild fire ‘because the donors have motives to satisfy from Africa and major interests to monopolize the whole structure of governance and trade. 

Africa, has to explore its potential and begin to break the chains of its relation to a ‘dark continent’ that nobody believes in.