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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Africa's Curse of Eternal Slavery Inside the Box

By EMK

Blogger Mwarang'ethe has been raising here some thought-provoking questions relating the present and past POLITICONOMICS packaged in very apt historical contexts. Well, the response has been varied as the bloggers supporting and rebuking them.

No matter you take, one thing is clear and we have to give it to Bw Mwarang'ethe that he his posts raises level of discourse. Specifically, his posts demonstrate the essential validity of a systemic analysis, rooted in history, of the current African condition.

For example, Mwarang'ethe was spot on about Botswana and her relatively developed economy compared to the rest of Africa. Botswana went their own way and repudiated the neo-liberal/neo-colonial Washington Consensus and that is why they have done relatively well.

However, let us not forget that Botswana remains a poor country. They have done well relative to other African countries, but they have not done well relative to their resource and economic potential.

The truth be said those who keep talking about leaders as the problem, miss the point that you made. That our leaders will keep acting the way they do because of the historical and systemic straitjacket that we are in as neo-colonies of the west.

Granted, leadership is a problem. But it is not the fundamental problem facing Africans.

One should just ask themselves this question. How come Africa consistently produces bad leaders? Given about 50 African countries with and average of 3 post colonial presidents and probably a further dozen key leaders at lower levels each, gives a total of about 700 key African post colonial leaders.

Out of that large number how many can we say were or are good leaders? You can probably count them on just your fingers.

This should prove to anybody that what we have in Africa is a systemic problem. We have a systems of governance, politics, economics etc that consistently produce bad leaders.

To change the leaders, we must change the systems. We can't just hope that the next leader out of the same system is going to buck the trend of the previous fifty bad ones.

To change the system we must look to its fundamental underpinnings. It is an imperialist system and imperial systems consist of the subjugated and the subjugator. This is their essential nature. Just as for slavery to exist, there must be a slave and a master.

Our problem as Africans is that we are too weak both individually collectively to confront imperialism head on. Until we unite with a singular purpose, we stand no chance of breaking free of the present ruinous system. Any takers out there?

53 comments:

  1. True to change the leaders, we must change the systems.

    And there pops the question, HOW? By blogging? Hell NO. True agents must be ready to soil their hands.

    So how many will leave the confort of US of A and EU to go mashinani? You guess right .....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Finally a refreshing post after a chain of pungent misfires from dinosaur Taabu.

    This goes on to prove that Mwarangethe has always been spot on. You cant beat brilliance and genius. Ask ivy league fools and taabu, their recycled unintelligent posts have suffered under the truth that Mwarangethe shines every day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good one and accurate to a dot. Unfortunately like mwarangethe would say, we had our time during the constitution making and we botched that out.
    Only the gods can save us now, our systems are worse than with the old dissected law. I hare to admit it but Ruto was right to vote NO.

    Tiskie of Jukwaa

    ReplyDelete
  4. And there pops the question, HOW? By blogging? Hell NO.

    So how many will leave the confort of US of A and EU to go mashinani? You guess right .....

    7:32 PM

    xxxx

    To end the endless crisis in Africa, we must first UNDERSTAND how imperialism works. With that understanding, we can demand policies to counter it and not just the change of HYENAS.

    Firstly, imperialism works by denying Africans MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY. And, without this, you are singing in the rain.

    Simplified, the monetary sovereignty among other things means that:

    (a) the right to issue currency, coins and banknotes in a given territory,

    Just to give one example, a few days ago, we saw the blatant denial of (a) in agreement with a GOK which is made of Raila and Kibaki and other jokers.

    In response to that, we inquired from the WB to get some answers. However, as you would expect from those who shout about democracy and transparency and they practice none of it, we are yet to get a response.

    As such, it would require MILLIONS of Kenyans to confront the WB on such an issue and stop wasting time running in the streets when the REAL CAUSE is untouched.

    This is the email and if you wish, we can JOIN us in asking the RELEVANT questions to the WB, MPs, President and the PM:

    Mwarang'ethe Njoguu 29 March 2011 20:16
    To: pwarutere@worldbank.org
    Cc: afrex@worldbank.org
    Bcc: hboh@worldbank.org

    In today's Daily Nation in Kenya: http://is.gd/ySkUGY, I saw this
    story: "World Bank approves Sh8.4 billion for infrastructure upgrade."

    Now, from this story, let me me ask:

    (a) to my knowledge, to build slum infrastructure, we do not need to
    import the materials required such as stones, cement, sand etc. If
    this is correct, why can't Kenya create its own credit for such local based projects?

    (b) I am aware of the argument about inflation. However, why is local credit creation more inflationary than foreign credit creation?

    In the story, we are told this:

    "The credit, under the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project, approved last week by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors will focus on strengthening security of tenure and improving physical
    infrastructure in informal settlements in 15 of Kenya’s largest cities."

    If this is the case:

    (a) is it not true that, when we spend taxes/loans to improve
    infrastructure, the land values and therefore, rents go up as well?

    (b) if (a) is correct, and I insist is a well known economic
    phenomenon, is it right to observe that, such improvements only lead
    to increased rents for the slum dwellers?

    (c) and, if (b) is correct, and we insist it is, is not that, since
    this loan does not contribute to the slum dweller's improved
    earning/productive capacity, such loans will only end up forcing some
    of these slum dwellers to move to cheaper slums amd thereny,
    perpetuate the problem?

    (d) alternatively, even if these slum dwellers choose not to move due to higher rents, is it not true to say that, they will be forced to spend more of their income on rents and thereby, depress their living
    standards even further?

    I look forward to your answers.


    Kind regards


    Mwarang'ethe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wembe Wa Mugumo Tree4/20/11, 1:23 AM

    Anon 9:53
    stop your name calling and hurling of abuse,you have made your point there's no need to repeat it over again like a Abroken record.you don't like Taabu we get it.

    EMK
    -the answer lies within Africans themselves-the so called subjugated slaves.
    no real lasting change can come from outside.you can change all the systems and institutions till you are blue in the face but until the people in "mashinani" are taught to vote based on integrity not ethnic loyalty Africa will continue to be cursed with eternal slavery inside the box

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just to add on the issue of the kes 8.5 bn. The reason the WB is giving us such loans is this:

    When we export our coffee and tea, etc, we will be forced to spend all the foreign currency to pay debts which are not necessary.

    The meaning of this is that, we cannot have the necessary funds to buy INDUSTRIAL CAPITAL to industrialise our nation and create the required jobs.

    And, without a serious industrial programmes, we have ZERO chance of creating the jobs we need. As you would expect, such high unemployment rate is the real cause of so much violence.

    Since we will never acquire enough foreign currency under these arrangements, we have to keep on going back to the IMF for more "loans."

    Just a few days ago, we did just that. So as to pay the IMF "loan" of kes 40bn. the IMF has now DEMANDED and UHURU, Kibaki, Raila have all said YES SIR, we INCREASE our VAT so as to get kes 40 bn to pay them.

    To expand/increase our VAT means two things:

    (a) making our businesses UNCOMPETITIVE in the world market. This enables the Imperial centers to export to us, and

    (b) ensuring our people SHALL never acquire the necessary purchasing power. This leaves us eternally dependent on foreign markets and imports of capital good. This means we can be manipulated like Pavlov dogs.

    Under these arrangements, it is our contention that, it does not matter who wins in the elections/OPIUM taking sessions, or whoever comes in thru so called revolutions in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia etc.

    He or she will only be the chairSATAN of this evil system meant to perpetuate African slavery.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is an interesting debate. Whites ruled us, kikuyu elite ruled us, kale elite ruled us then kikuyu elite again. I think I can now understand so called kikuyu feeling of "superiority". I can also understand why every tribe talks of "our time". They want to be the subjugator.

    I dont understand mwarengethe's solution to imperialism. Also educating people not to vote as tribe is no solution. Come November 2012 over 80% of African Americans will vote for obama. It will not be because they think he is a great president. He is "one of our own", and they might not get another for very long as many know this was just a token given by whites.

    But generally Americans feel they rule themselves in the states, counties and cities. Therefore the american president's position is one more of prestige than power (subjugation). I think we need to go more federal. This is my solution to imperialism. As I said I dont understand mwarengethe's solution, though we may probably be saying the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. While I agree changing the systems is important for Africa to defeat imperialism, leadership abilities can’t be downplayed. To effectively change the systems, why not first have a leader who exactly understands that changing the system is important and has passion for the same. At this point one might argue, for example, a first-class economist like president Kibaki should understand what we are talking about. But is there passion and will to pursue the ‘systems change’ goal’? What makes it so difficult to stand again arm-twisting tactics of the so called imperialists? We need answers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. As I said I dont understand mwarengethe's solution, though we may probably be saying the same thing.

    4/20/11 2:30 AM

    xxx

    1. Americans CREATE their own credit. They then go ahead and TAX the whole world using their USELESS currency.

    2. For us, we BORROW to EXPAND slums. Remember, a borrower is a SLAVE to the creditor.

    3. So, first, understand how to restore back our ability to create our own credit. Once you know that, you DEMAND it and stop listening to their nonsense.

    4. Understand the MEANS to industrialise our nation and then, demand it.

    5. So, do not just go there and take OPIUM based on what THEY TELL YOU. In other words, to vote NON - TRIBAL leaders is not the issue.

    Simple.

    ReplyDelete
  10. anon 2:57,

    Kibaki understood that imperialism. During his early days of presidency, he faced east.
    What happened is that the west mobilized their ignorant zombie raila and his stupid adherents to shake the govt.
    Well they succeeded and now kibaki is tamed and the imperialists are winning.

    Its no brainer really and there you have your answers.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wembe Wa Mugumo Tree4/20/11, 3:43 AM

    The problem is not shifting developmental focus from the national to the county level because it will be the same people at the county level who will choose the same bad choice of leadership at the county level be it CDF committees or governors of counties

    There needs to be a standard of skills and qualities and conduct one must possess before being allowed to lead and this is the case even in business or in education or even in marriage. this is where education comes in. people must be educated otherwise they won't know more than their level of understanding and the cycle will remain forever perpetuated

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous said...
    anon 2:57,

    Kibaki understood that imperialism. During his early days of presidency, he faced east.

    xxx

    Going East can only make sense if we go there for two things:

    (a) INDUSTRIAL capital, and

    (b) skilled manpower.

    However, Kibaki's going East means the Chinese using their economic SURPLUS as a colonial WELFARE for Africans. Using these economic surplus, the Chinese are building roads, railways etc.

    The problem is this. These infrastucture:

    (a) lead to higher land rents (see Thika Road),

    (b) are meant to facilitate export of RAW MATERIALS, and

    (c) are meant to facilitate Chinese exports of their MANUFACTURED goods.

    If this is the case, what is the difference between the Chinese and the West?

    What we need is reduced cost of production in Kenya. With such low costs, we can attract capital (both financial and industrial), technology and skills from East, North, South and West. It does not matter for investors will always go where tax is low.

    With such inputs in place, we can manufacture, just like the Chinese and stop being beggars. With increased purchasing power of Kenyans, you will start to see changes in political and social sphere. Thats how you change a society and not the other way round as we are trying.

    But, what is that is that makes it impossible to produce in Kenya?

    Do not listen to Mwarang'ethe, listen to the Chairman of the Association of Kenyan Manufacturers at 3:14 here:

    http://is.gd/OQr1Vf

    NB: That which he addresses would have been the KEY ISSUE in the New Constitution.

    As readers of this blog know, the so called COE being composed of Ivy League Fools, created a bloated government which will further and permanently destroy our ability to compete.

    NB: Have you seen Prof. Ghai, the creator of bloated govt. which requires heavy taxation demonstrating and asking for low taxes???

    In other words friends, a golden opportunity squandered by learned idiots.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Mwara,
    So far you hog almost 50% (4/12) of the comments and counting. Do you have to reply to everything prof?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Future President of the Republic of Kenya

    Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
    Currently holding the positions of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of the Republic of Kenya
    Summonses to appear issued: 8 March 2011
    Initial appearance hearing: 8 April 2011
    Confirmation of charges hearing: 21 September 2011

    Charges

    Pre-Trial Chamber II found reasonable grounds to believe that Kenyatta – together with Muthaura – is criminally responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator pursuant to article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute for the crimes against humanity of:

    * murder (article 7(l)(a));
    * forcible transfer (article 7(l)(d));
    * rape (article 7(l)(g));
    * persecution (articles 7(l)(h)); and
    * other inhumane acts (article 7(l)(k)).

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kiroboto and thuiya4/20/11, 6:56 AM

    Mwarangethe,
    Can you explain to us why Balala said Raila batrayed him?
    I mean this is guy is the original member of ODM pentagon and here is is saying Raila the leader of ODM betrayed him.
    What's going on with ODM?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks Taabu for posting my comment in reply to Mwarang'ethe as a blog post!

    I should point out for all readers/commenters that my post has been edited. Credit for the title has to go to Taabu not me. The first paragraph, Staring "Blogger Mwarang'ethe ..." is also not mine. The first sentence of the last paragraph has been changed, distorting the meaning of what I'm saying. What I wrote is that we are too weak as individual countries to overcome the imperialist system. Collectively we can do it.

    Other edits are minor.

    emk

    P.S
    I think the editors should indicate at the bottom of an article that they have in fact edited it. Just a line saying "written by so and so and edited by so and so".

    emk

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Mwarang'ethe,

    For the umpteenth time am going to post this query to you challenging your tragic attempts to exonerate African Leaders (Kleptocrats) from Corruption. So far, I read too much economic theory excusing poor Leadership in Africa as if Leadership has nothing to do with personal values of integrity, honesty, hard work and commitment to the aspirations of the people they lead. Reading your long-winded treatises, one would almost be convinced that Western powers have placed guns on African Leaders' Heads forcing them to steal their nations' resources!

    I asked you the following queries yesterday and you've not responded. Here we go again.

    DM-Nairobi said...
    @Mwarang'ethe,

    In your enthusiasm to defend corrupt African leaders under the incredible guise that they are simply victims of neo-colonial machinations and global power elites, you never explained why leaders such as Rwanda's Kagame continue to defy this stereotype and yet the West has not found it wise to depose or assassinate him.

    He is not corrupt, is he?

    Another African leader who to my knowledge never plundered the resources of his nation...and surprise surprise...was not deposed either...was Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana. If my History serves me right, he took over from the current president's father, Seretse Khama, who was equally clean.

    I've challenged you before on this and you've never given me a clear and definitive answer. Kindly let me know how these leaders were not "forced" to "eat" their people's wealth by the "cunning" Western Powers.

    Please do so as soon as you comment again. Otherwise your defence of African Kleptocrats is starting to sound very hollow and pathetic.

    4/19/11 9:18 AM

    DM-Nairobi said...
    @Mwarang'ethe,

    Just so that you can consider your answer carefully, here's some interesting stuff on Botswana's First President Seretse Khama - Wikipedia.

    Between 1966 and 1980, Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world. Much of this money was reinvested into infrastructure, health, and education costs, resulting in further economic development. Khama also instituted strong measures against corruption, the bane of so many other newly-independent African nations.

    4/19/11 9:29 AM

    ReplyDelete
  18. A general response to the comments on my piece.

    1. Blogging can be a very valuable contribution to the struggle to free Africa from Imperialism. Throughout history, writers have played a large part revolutions. Don't dismiss blogging from USA or EU.

    2. Don't get too hang up on domestic politics in African countries, it is Kabuki theatre (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/kabuki) Its mostly appearance little substance. As Moi would say its porojo.

    3. The answer is not in voting per se. Of course we need to vote and vote less tribally. But voting willnot transform our political systems. The change has to be more fundamental than that.

    4. Mwarang'ethe is clearly pointing out the basis of our subjugation. It is economic, political and cultural.

    5. How do we change? I believe it will requires a continental (at least Sub-Saharan) effort starting with politically conscious elites, building up popular Panafrican consciousness among the people, probably through a popular continental panafricanist organisation and going from there.

    Such a thing can be done. We just need to work on it.

    emk

    ReplyDelete
  19. And this argument about systems....This is one of the biggest fallacies you will ever come across.

    Simply put, systems are as good as the people manning them. The question of core values, guiding moral principals that governors of a system hold dear to their hearts is supremely more important than the systems themselves. Allow me to explain.

    You can have the best constitution in the land, even one written by God himself (remember the Ten commandments?) but if the leaders' or the people's hearts are inherently corrupt and wicked, that paper and its so called systems will not help at all.

    To illustrate, I'll just provide one example:

    Nowhere in our old constitution was corruption or abuse of public office for personal gain ever condoned or supported in law. Nowhere. In fact, and this may come as a surprise to many readers here, the old constitution DID have stringent provisions and punishment for anyone caught abusing public office.

    Yet Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki and their tribal cronies went ahead to accumulate and steal obscene wealth from public coffers under the watch of the same Law, yet nothing was done to punish them despite overwhelming evidence to their looting ways.

    So please, don't overate the notion of systems too much. Its about the core values that leaders hold dear in their hearts. Africans really must learn to identify people with a track record of integrity in their personal affairs or dealings in their communities, to elect as Leaders from the grassroots.

    In almost every village in Kenya, you'll be shown such people even though they are not in visible officially elected governance positions. Look for example in the so-called informal merry-go rounds or chamas and you'll find them.

    In closing, a close examination of a huge percentage of corrupt MPs in Kenya will show you that many of them were ALREADYy involved in corrupt activities way before they got elected as MPs.

    Very rarely will you find someone with a track record of honesty 'suddenly' embracing corruption once elected to Parliament. I challenge readers here to give me names of such fellows, and 'll surprise you with details of their corrupt ways before they saw the doors of Parliament.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Are the administrators of this blog deleting my queries to Mwarang'ethe? He still hasn't answered my posts challenging his tragic assertions on African leaders and their Philosophy of Kleptocracy.

    Here is my query again:

    DM-Nairobi said...
    @Mwarang'ethe,

    In your enthusiasm to defend corrupt African leaders under the incredible guise that they are simply victims of neo-colonial machinations and global power elites, you never explained why leaders such as Rwanda's Kagame continue to defy this stereotype and yet the West has not found it wise to depose or assassinate him.

    He is not corrupt, is he?

    Another African leader who to my knowledge never plundered the resources of his nation...and surprise surprise...was not deposed either...was Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana. If my History serves me right, he took over from the current president's father, Seretse Khama, who was equally clean.

    I've challenged you before on this and you've never given me a clear and definitive answer. Kindly let me know how these leaders were not "forced" to "eat" their people's wealth by the "cunning" Western Powers.

    Please do so as soon as you comment again. Otherwise your defence of African Kleptocrats is starting to sound very hollow and pathetic.

    4/19/11 9:18 AM
    DM-Nairobi said...
    @Mwarang'ethe,

    Just so that you can consider your answer carefully, here's some interesting stuff on Botswana's First President Seretse Khama - Wikipedia.

    Between 1966 and 1980, Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world. Much of this money was reinvested into infrastructure, health, and education costs, resulting in further economic development. Khama also instituted strong measures against corruption, the bane of so many other newly-independent African nations.

    4/19/11 9:29 AM

    ReplyDelete
  21. DM-Nairobi said...
    And this argument about systems....This is one of the biggest fallacies you will ever come across.

    Simply put, systems are as good as the people manning them. The question of core values, guiding moral principals that governors of a system hold dear to their hearts is supremely more important than the systems themselves. Allow me to explain.

    xxx

    Then, you have to educate us why the African heart is more corrupt than that of a Swedish heart.

    The only way you argue your way out of this muddle is to say this:

    The African is corrupt by NATURE. To win the argument, you have to demonstrate how the African human NATURE is different from that of a Swede. It is not.

    The only difference is PERSONALITY. The question then becomes, why does an African develop a corrupt personality as compared to a Swede?

    To answer that question, you must investigate what is missing in the African societies, but, is present in Sweden.

    You have not done that and those who feed you these junk do not want you to know the missing link.

    Essentially, your argument about moral principles and such jazz, is a Western RACIST perpetuated argument and FUNDED by WB, IMF, TI, KACC etc, in an attempt to make African politics about "fighting corruption."

    By feeding you JUNK ideas that Africans are morally inferior, they throw dust into thy eyes.

    They do so because, the chaos and confusion in Africa is in their own economic interest.

    And, you perpetuate the confusion by accepting the stupid idea that, the PROBLEM IS THE AFRICAN MIND. No, it is not.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Just to expand on point 5 in my comment above entitled "A general response to the comments on my piece."

    The reason I believe we need a continent wide Panafricanist organization as the essential starting point, is that our problems are basically the same across all African countries.

    Problems of bad leadership, corruption, poor terms of trade, economic and political policy dictated by foreigners,rural urban migration,urban and rural poverty, raw material dependence, lack of technology and investment etc are common to all African countries.

    Why then do we try to solve them separately within our artificial national boundaries? This only works for our corrupt leaders who can then become billionaire big fish in poverty stricken small ponds.

    The first role of such an organization would be to lift the level of political discourse in each country, focusing on the role of imperialism in local problems and creating linkages between affected groups across national boundaries.

    Such an orgaization should have as its aim to finally field continentally linked political parties with common platforms in all African countries.

    This will take time, but it must be done. It should be the focus of those who wish to truly solve Africa's problems.

    At the moment in most African countries we are bogged down dealing with urgent issues. Political and economic scandals, threats to the survival of governments and the theater of the everyday.

    But lets not forget that very often the urgent drives out the important. That is what has happened to us. We must refocus on what is important.

    emk

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wembe Wa Mugumo Tree4/20/11, 9:28 AM

    @DM-Nairobi 8:06am
    Couldn't agree more and i re quote you "Africans really must learn to identify people with a track record of integrity in their personal affairs or dealings in their communities, to elect as Leaders from the grassroots." end of quote

    education is the key-people need to be educated beyond their current levels of understanding of the difference between good and bad leadership. It is that simple. Even the most rural Swedish or other European from whatever countryside knows everything rises and falls on leadership.

    This is simply a matter of education.You would be shocked at how the ordinary African defines who or what a good leader is. nothing to do with DNA or human nature. its simply education

    And this being Kenya the question will be asked "what tribe is the person "educating" us from"? so ours goes back to even village and cultural level education! we are not backward we are simply wrong in our definition of what a good leader is or isn't

    ReplyDelete
  24. @DM-Nairobi

    You completely misunderstand my point. Then you go on to perpetuate a racist myth that Africans somehow lack the moral fortitude of the less corrupt countries.

    Mwarang'ethe has answered you very well on that point so I won't address it, except to say that the developed countries of the world, were extremely corrupt when they were developing. They did not display the moral/ values characteristics they display today in their domestic systems.

    I agree with you that a constitution is a piece of paper, that corruption was illegal in Kenya ( and all African countries). I've made those same arguments myself in other forums.

    Where you miss my point is that you don't see that I'm speaking of imperialism as the relevant system. The global system of subjugator and subjugated.

    So long as our economic, political and social policies are dictated from outside.
    SO long as we are relagated to a position of the periphery in the global economic system as primary producers, we have no sovereignty and without sovereignty we have no democracy. Without democracy we get any leader who can hold on to power.
    Those leaders may personally be good people but thats not the point. The system puts them under pressure to do bad things.

    By all accounts, Moi is personally a moral and compassionate person. What did he do as president?

    Kenyatta sacrificed tremendously for Kenya before independence. What did he do as president?

    Look at Nyerere in Tanzania. Very moral and clean leader, how did Tanzania fare economically under him?

    We can go on with numerous examples.

    Plus you claim that leaders don't just suddenly become corrupt once they get in office. Actually they do. For example.

    Was Kenyatta corrupt before he became Prime Minister/ President? No!
    Was Moi corrupt before he became President? No!
    Was Chiluba in Zambia corrupt before he becamE president? No!

    Human beings respond to incentives and it is the system that creates the incentives for bad behavior.

    Change the system to get rid of the bad behavior.

    P.S I would recommend some of the work of Joseph Stiglitz and also the Ha-Joon Chang's book Bad Samaritans, especiallyCh9 "Lazy Japanese and Thieving Germans - Are some cultures incapable of economic development?"

    emk

    ReplyDelete
  25. EMK,
    You are very articulate EXCEPT you are loudly preaching to a choir. FYI we are not in SHIT becoz of lack of brilliant ideas. No infact most govt ministries' shelves are surging with yellowed white papers. Case in point is most govt employees going abroad for PG studies only come back and re-package these papers for dissertation.

    Your passion is understandable but misplaced. This idea of seeing all Africa's self-inflicted malice on the West/imperialism is cheap patriotism and pride.

    Charity begins at home and before you wax panafricanist look at the local tribes butchering each other 2007/8. Your call for collective solution would make Gaddaffi and his KING OF KINGS mantra smile from ear to ear.

    All politics is LOCAL, period+stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Ati change the system to get rid of the bad behavior?

    Well some people must be blogging from the moon. Just look at the new katiba and the way her spirit is being poisoned even before implementation.

    It is one thing to please yourself with lofty ideas lifted from introductory books but quite another being REALISTIC.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Out of topic, but, very interesting stuff from the DEMOCRACTS/CIVILIANS in Libya which are being funded and given weapons by our friends:

    http://uruknet.de/?p=m76906

    ReplyDelete
  28. The fickle nature of the opinion polls strikes again with this story from today's daily nation "Kenyan's among world's saddest"
    What happened to the same opinion poll 2002 which said we were the most optimistic people in the world after ousting Moi from 24 years of single party rule?

    So is it the Western imperialism or bad systems and institutions or bad leadership thats brought us full circle to where we were before?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anon 10:13AM is blogger Taabu. No question about it.
    What a hypocrite hiding behind anons to insult emk and yet he is the one who posted the listing!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. @ Anon 10:13AM
    I wish I were preaching to the choir! Just read the comments here ( and other places where Africans debate these issues) and you will see I am not.
    Ideas are cheap, why not discuss them? After all its not like we have taken (or are taking) the actions needed.

    It does not take very many people buying into an idea to change things.

    Think about the position our forbears were in when they started calling for independence, back in the 1930s to 1960s. How many of their compatriots even believed such a thing was possible?

    We like hurling insults at that generation of leaders, but they had something we currently do not have ... courage and a willingness to believe in themselves.

    Think about it. They had to stand up to armies, to the might of the colonialists, to travel to distant foreign cities, most of them first time on an aircraft, first time in cities like London or Paris or New York. And once there to negotiate with the imperialists in their own den!

    But they did it!

    We can't even stand up to the IMF and the World Bank!

    We need to see ourselves as a people in history. Able to take our own destiny in our own hands.

    Who cares whether this tribe fights with that tribe or this leader is arguing with that leader.

    Don't lose sight of the forest because of the trees.

    Just look at Europe. Today we have the EU. A war between Germany and France is completely unthinkable. But is there any enmity between peoples in Africa that is greater than that which has existed between the French and the Germans. Are there any African peoples, who have slaughtered each other half as much as the French and Germans have slaughtered each other?

    Things change!

    emk

    ReplyDelete
  31. Generalization galore! Africa is a continent, not a country or a little tiny commercial village like Nairobi, Kenya.

    When will we ever wake up and smell the rot in our midst, for the so called Africa's Curse of Eternal self-imposed IGNORANCE has nothing to do with IMPERIALISM in Africa or neo-colonialism of any kind, the proof is the pudding of our dislocated psyche.

    Why not blame it all on the MENTAL SLAVERY of the majority of the so called educated Africans living in a particular country on the African continent as well as in the Diaspora.

    BTW, there is nothing new or new revelation about Bostwana, it's all common knowledge for those who have access to any daily newspapers, periodicals and what have you.

    There is always no need of regurgitating little pieces of stale information and tidbits from various articles published in magazines around the globe.

    Lest we forget, a one eyed little monster is always considered to be the gratest sage in a crowd of little blind monsters that are just too lazy to crosscheck the narrative or tales for themselves.

    "True to change the leaders, we must change the systems" and above all change ourselves firts before the process can be improved or overhauled.

    Change begins from within and we must be the agents of change we want, need, desire, drem of and yearn for 24/7, otherwise we will end wasting five more decades while expecting real change to come from without.

    Our national and individual psyche must be melted down, reformed, and then reborn in a more adaptive form, and only then we will be able to change on a collective level as well as individual level.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Our national and individual psyche must be melted down, reformed, and then reborn in a more adaptive form, and only then we will be able to change on a collective level as well as individual level.

    4/20/11 10:15 PM

    xxxx

    We all agree with the point that, we must melt, reform and the individual psyche. Thats not the debate.

    However, for us, we go ahead and give you the road map/means to that desired end which you reject. Remember, we do so from the reading of human mind which is only possible from a historical perspective/understanding.

    For instance, Sir Archibald Allison, one of England's most brilliant historians, educateS us this:

    "Columbus led the way in the career of renovation. When he set his sails across the Atlantic he bore mankind and its fortunes in his bark; the annual supply of the precious metals for the use of the globe was tripled before a century had elapsed, the price of every species of produce was quadrupled, the weight of debt and taxes insensibly wore off under the influence of that prodigious increase.

    HERE IS THE DEAL

    In the renovation of the INDUSTRIES:

    (a) the relations of society were changed,
    (b) the weight of feudalism cast off,
    (c) the rights of man established.

    Among the many concurring causes the most important, though hitherto the least observed, was the discovery of Mexico and Peru (their gold and silver mines).”

    Therefore, the end of feudalism was brought by REVIVAL of INDUSTRIES as well as the est. of man's rights.

    Do you wanna have HR respected in Africa? Then, revive the INDUSTRIES and not human rights commissions and the ICC's.

    It is therefore, from a correct reading of history, if you want to reform the psyche of the Africans, you must do what other societies have done. REVIVE the INDUSTRIES.

    That being the historical truth, the question ought to be, what has prevented us from reviving the industries? And, what steps we ought to take to revive them?

    That was the Sacred task of the COE, but, being ignorant of human mind, they gave us human rights commissions and such bullshit without realising that, we must first change the human relations.

    So, tell us, which means do you propose we attain the ends?"

    ReplyDelete
  33. I love the way the media in Kenya is starting to blackout news stories concerning politicians.I longed for the day I would pick copies of the dailies and not find pea-nut brained politicians thrust in my face.Kudos to the media,you had let these soulless politicians set the agenda for the country for far too long with disastrous consequencies for the.

    ReplyDelete
  34. @Mwarang'ethe,

    "Then, you have to educate us why the African heart is more corrupt than that of a Swedish heart."

    I can also answer this one by showing you African Leaders who are/were not corrupt. Then you have to tell me why they remained clean despite all the "machinations" and "clever" imperialistic" techniques of your so-called Oligarchs. A question you've still not answered to date.

    1. Dr Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
    2. Seretse Khama of Botswana.
    3. Sir Ketumile Masire - Botswana

    Please educate us how these leaders defied the African Stereotype. Perhaps its got something to do with Personal Values of Integrity? Read the Histories of these men to verify what am saying.

    Otherwise this idea perpetuated by Mwarang'ethe that the West has somehow placed a gun on African leaders heads compelling them to steal from their citizens is simply absurd. The notion is not only highly escapist but remarkably sickening.

    Look, The East African Newspaper recently reported that Museveni had just signed away Uganda's Oil wealth for peanuts after lengthy secret negotiations. Am not an oil expert nor was the writer, but every lay person knows that something nasty had gone down.

    I can bet that the man was heavily corrupted by Tullow (can't quite remember the name), the company behind the oil deal. Again, these kind of transactions, all too common in Africa, have absolutely nothing to do with lopsided economic set-ups engineered from the West - A corrupt African Leader simply sells his country's resources on the cheap for personal gain.

    And yet, Botswana's leadership defied this form of corruption to safeguard their resources and benefit the nation.

    Mwarang'ethe, I ask you again - How comes these leaders did not succumb to the selfish "Global elites" you keep alluding to here as the cause of all Africa's problems?

    Perhaps this is where we should be picking our leadership models from. On that note, lets also talk to Rwanda's Kagame - seems he is the only clean President in East Africa - and who occasionally defies the West without being deposed.

    ReplyDelete
  35. This was an answer to the question about Kagame. About Botswana, we have answered that question before.

    DM-Nairobi said...
    @Mwarang'ethe,

    In your enthusiasm to defend corrupt African leaders under the
    incredible guise that they are simply victims of neo-colonial
    machinations and global power elites, you never explained why leaders
    such as Rwanda's Kagame continue to defy this stereotype and yet the
    West has not found it wise to depose or assassinate him.

    xxxx

    The accusation that we defend African despots is totally unwarranted. We have not, and we shall never defend any despot.

    What we have tried to explain is this. Even if you remove Gaddafi,
    Mubarak, tyrants as they are, the next guy will be no better because,
    the conditions that lead to tyranny are still in existence.

    Did you get that?

    In other words, should you desire liberty, you should work towards
    establishment of the conditions which are necessary for liberty.

    As such, to state what should be obvious to a kid is not the same as
    supporting despots. In stating this, we are only warning that,
    Africans have become the modern
    Sisyphus.

    Did you get that?

    xxx

    Now, you ask why the Babylon has seen it wise to not to remove Kagame.

    Ok, let us hear from you:

    (a) who trained him?
    (b) who armed his rebels?
    (c) what was the objective of arming and installing him in power?

    We are also aware of this. NATO is present in Sudan. Kagame's soldiers
    are also there.

    This being the case, can you tell us, what is the FINAL OBJECTIVE of
    NATO assisted by the African troops in Sudan?

    As concerns the genocide, two things are well known:

    - Kagame was being funded by the USA/West.

    - also, the Habyarimana regime financed the war against Kagame and the
    genocide from direct military aid from France and the WB's soft
    lending affiliate, the International Dev. Association (IDA), the
    African Dev. Fund, the European Dev. Fund, and also by Germany, the
    USA, Belgium and Canada.

    Surely, if these are the irrefutable facts, what conclusions do we
    draw from them?

    More importantly, was the loans to the Habyarimana regime not declared
    Rwandese people's debt? In other words, debts incurred to finance the genocide became debts payable by the victims.

    If these are the facts, did Kagame dispute the idea of saddling the
    Rwandese people with wartme debts?
    If not, why?

    And, to answer your query, if it were you, wouldn't be wise to let a
    guy who saddles his own people with genocide debt be left alone to
    ensure those debts are paid?

    And, while still in Rwanda, what did the sources that feed you mind
    say about Rwandese leadership in 1970's. Well, they said, progressive, progressive bla bla.

    For those who look at societies from a longer term perspective, we can see and hear the same progressive, progressive bla bla bla.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Wembe Wa Mugumo Tree4/21/11, 1:18 AM

    @DM Nairobi,
    Very True once again i echo your sentiments "....Perhaps its got something to do with Personal Values of Integrity?"

    It all boils down to integrity.lofty sounding plans or the best systems and institutions or even the so called western imperialism can only function in the absence of a leaders will and an ignorant uneducated population

    ReplyDelete
  37. EMK,
    True ideas are cheap BUT there are CHEAP ideas: imperialism+neo-colonialism. We are our worst enemies and it is insulting to always scream I+N at all our maladies.

    Waxing cheap patriotism quoting introductory political texts doesn't make one a sage. BTW a mono-eyed monsters is considered a great sage among the harem of blind lazy monsters.

    It is VERY INSULTING to even remotely imply that yours are watershed revolutionary ideas in the realm on our founding fathers.

    Talk is cheap and all politics is LOCAL, period+stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  38. "Think globally act locally"! Is that what someone forgot or intended to say?

    Period - (minus) usual insults 24/7 = good language at all times. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  39. "How come Africa consistently produces bad leaders?"

    Well, how come Africans consistently elect sub-standard leaders?

    Why are they so readily accepting of inferior, dumb and dumber leaders as their presidents and prime minsters et al?

    The Europeans have always said, "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree", while some people from our regional backyards have also said, "a banana fruit and inflorescence always rots on the banana tree if left unattened."

    Hence, exorcising the demons of imperial (European) worship is key to our personal emanicipation as well as national liberation, and that's why the process must always begin in our homes before any other exorcism attempts are made individually and collectively.

    For instance, this week is one of those perfect examples of how imperialism continues to cement itself and compound some of our already existing problems.

    With all due respect to those involved in some religious circles for the right reasons, however there are so many highly educated African religious leaders who will be seen carrying around wooden crosses with images of a European (Irish/Italian/Dutch/British/German/Spanish/Portuguese) Jesus of Nazereth, rather than a Middle Eastern (Jewish) or more appropriately, one similar to their own kind (nature) during their fervent religious exercises and ceremonies on Good Friday.

    While, amazingly, their counterparts in South Korea, Vietnam, China, India, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kerela (India), Philippines, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands, and in other regions of the enlightened world will be seen using certfied images that are a true symbolic representation of their respective cultures and communities.

    Why? Blame it on our self-imposed worship of everything imperial, as is the case in many other areas of lives, such as economy, politics, education, etc.

    As days go by, some concerned journalist should not forget to capture pictures of Kenyans like John Njue and others around East Africa carrying crosses with an imperial (European) image of Jesus Christ.

    It doesn't matter that much but it goes a long way to exemplify why we continue to fetter ourselves rather than adapt and overcome the same in a more constructive way and forward looking manner.

    Said it all; Africa's Curse of Eternal Slavery Inside the Box.

    One reason why we always tried so hard to be anything else other than who we really are in a better way.

    ReplyDelete
  40. EMK as in Emilio ("Milo" as he was known at Makerere) Mwai Kibaki, or Everlyn Martha Karua?

    Will the real EMK stand up and be counted before December 2012 comes knocking with so many different political parties local for a flag bearer?

    ReplyDelete
  41. How good it is, dropping names of dead historians and quoting some of their already forgotten writings.

    Sir Archibald Alison, we might ask, why not 'Modern History of France [from] the French Revolution to the Fall of Napolean'?

    Oh! We forgot that it was in 1814 and dead historians tell no tales in the modern literary arenas of 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  42. EMK,(Emilio Mwai Kibaki?), Mwarang'ethe and other learned intellectual fellows of this esteemed debate forum,

    receive warm salutations from your sister planet earth.
    i trust you and your loved ones are keeping well this easter season.how is utopia? we mere earth mortals of the 3rd planet from send you our heartiest greetings

    We wish you would dismount and descend to earth from your self-appointed pedestals of higher pontification. However I fear that with your deity eyes and mythological perspectives you will fail to see the forest for the trees once you set foot on terra firma

    Please note that i am in no way against the Shangri-La ideals that you so succinctly espouse. It is good for men of clear knowledge such as yourselves to obtain education and turn your dreams in life to reality.As to whether it will work or not i wish you all the best I for one would like nothing better than to have a little heaven down here on this earth

    cheers
    Morpheus (Μορφεύς)

    ReplyDelete
  43. Anonymous said...
    EMK,
    True ideas are cheap BUT there are CHEAP ideas: imperialism+neo-colonialism. We are our worst enemies and it is insulting to always scream I+N at all our maladies.

    xxx

    Yes, we are our worst enemies. That is true observation.

    However, can you educate us why this is?

    xxxx

    It all boils down to integrity.lofty sounding plans or the best systems and institutions or even the so called western imperialism can only function in the absence of a leaders will and an ignorant uneducated population

    4/21/11 1:18 AM

    xxx

    Very true we lack intergrity.

    So, why not go ahead and educate us why an African lacks intergrity as compared to a Japanese?

    xxx

    Why? Blame it on our self-imposed worship of everything imperial, as is the case in many other areas of lives, such as economy, politics, education, etc.

    xxx

    Very true observation of self imposed worship.

    But, why Africans and not Danish people?

    ReplyDelete
  44. @Morpheus,
    You of all people dare to lecture mere mortals and others on how to "turn their dreams of life to reality"?

    Are you not the one who is known as the 'Dream-Spirit' and the embodiment of darkness in the underworld?

    First of all, who are you? Do you really know who you are? The ancients still don't know whether you are the son of Hynos or the son of Nyx. Who are you beyond the gates of the underworld?

    All that's known of you is that you shared the same underbelly with your siblings Oneiroi (the Yoroba), Icelus (the Zulu), and Phantasos (the Egyptian) during your different futile stages of life while in the underworld.

    FYI, we have never expected a Shangri-La on Kenyan soil since we are very much aware of the transitory nature of material life, given the nature of our cyclical political life.

    BTW, we would rather prefer to remain encapsuled in our familiar sand mandala of ethnic politics rather than risk settling on your terra firma that gets rocked every now then by some of your cousins and violate neighbours from the underworld and distant planets, such as tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, among others.

    Last but noty least, we extend our easterly greetings to all the immortals of Demos Oneiro valley in the underworld as well.

    Don't forget to: mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Christianity is 2000 years old
    Islam is 1400 years old

    Yeshu is coming back very SOON!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Try living in Nigeria where they shout and kill each other over such silly slogans.

    Who really cares at the end of the day or at the end of one's life?

    There goes another of Africa's Curse of Eternal Slavery Inside the Box of religious fundamentalism.

    ReplyDelete
  47. @DM,

    You are spot on Man! NB: Mwarang'ethe retinue or modus operandi is usually to answer a question with another question obviously leaving you with an unanswered question to your question.

    @EMK,
    Welcome to the world of editorial espionage, Taabu is the greatest if not undemocratic blogger on KK, he should be promptly appointed to the Censorship board as the head honcho.

    @Taabu,
    Stop hiding behind anons man! You provide the often brainless and clueless Pirate known as Tiskie of Jukwaa with ammunition to attack you.

    @Tiskie of Jukwaa,
    Do you ever have anything, something or everything to you is like staring at something for nothing everytime.


    PNU Leftist

    ReplyDelete
  48. EMK excellent and good stuff, though it is unfortunate that we had to do with an edited version of your original post thanks to the KK editor in Chief aka Taabu.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Anon1:48,
    thank hephaestus for the modern age we live in!through the wonders of the internet i am able to respond to your lengthy thesis with the aid of google search, Wikipedia online and google books online. i now feel truly enlightened and wonder if this is what it must feel like to be a certified Kumekucha online intellectual?

    who am i?I could ask you the same question-who are you? your textbook greek mythology must surely have elucidated you to the fact that there is no greek god of anonymity so who are you?

    well anyway, I am a dreamer who likes to keep my friends such as my internet provider, google search and wikipedia close from the comfort of my air-conditioned rented apartment here in the western capital of the first world.Mind you i am not ivy league educated but the systems work here so I can afford to live as if I'm wealthy

    In conclusion I leave you with the words of Tolle which i again "googled" -Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it’s their problem"

    PS:his amplius fili mi ne requiras faciendi plures libros nullus est finis frequensque meditatio carnis adflictio est.

    Cheers
    Morpheus (Μορφεύς)

    ReplyDelete
  50. @PaNUA Kushoto,
    Kazi ya mkono wa kushoto is very much limited to what goes on huko masalani. Mwarangethe likes question for question sessions while you are so addicted to seeing Taabu in everything under the shadows of your eyes. That's how your Mr. Modo Perandi operates anonymously. Endelea kupinua kushoto.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Christianity may have been around for the last 2000 years, but the Earth has been around for billions or more years, while the Creator of the Universe has been around from the beginning at the beginning and in the beginning.

    Have a wonderful Earth Day and remember to always give some over due credit to the Creator for the free supply of unlimited amounts pure oxygen, twelve hours of free sunlight per day, and water in various quantities depending on your geo-location.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Stop maligning M7 - he has not signed away any oil. He is too intelligent to sell out his country. Kagame is no saint. He should be in the Hague. Read as much as you can find on the movement known as RPF - rwanda patriotic front.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Stop maligning M7 - he has not signed away any oil. He is too intelligent to sell out his country. Kagame is no saint. He should be in the Hague. Read as much as you can find on the movement known as RPF - rwanda patriotic front.

    ReplyDelete

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