10 July 2009
(Page 2 of 4)
President Obama is scheduled to make a major speech in Ghana. He will address Africans through a Ghanaian audience. What he says will influence the way the world sees Africa and Africa's place in the world. What he says will reveal his attitude towards a continent much preached to and done to, and whose history is often discarded. He will address the Ghanaian parliament and by extension African lawmakers. He will visit the slaveholding castles in the west of Ghana, and by that act, reach out to the history of slavery, the civil rights movement and the history of colonisation that followed slavery.
What will be a good speech for Africa which breaks from the paternalism of his predecessors and yet lays grounds for America's better interests based on Africa's progress? First, there should be an acknowledgement of history - how the current is shaped by the past. His Cairo speech, believed to be directed largely at the 'Muslim' world, is an excellent parallel. There he acknowledged that today's realities are rooted in centuries of coexistence as well as in conflicts and wars. A new beginning will need to acknowledge this history and be built on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual listening. He talked about what Islamic culture had given to the world - timeless poetry, cherished music, elegant calligraphy, for example. He talked about the unbreakable bond with Israel because it is based on cultural and historical ties. He acknowledged America's wrongs against Iran, especially the role the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) played in the overthrow of a democratically elected government.
The parallels with Africa are stark. Nowhere else can one better acknowledge humanity's collective debt in relation to culture, music and calligraphy (at least in the case of Ethiopia), multiculturalism and the history of the coexistence of diverse cultures than Africa. If anyone will acknowledge what Africa offers to the rest of the world other than mineral resources, it has to be a 'son of Africa'. It will be good to hear that Africa doesn't only export poverty and conflict. There is much more in the history between Africa and America to make the bonds 'unbreakable'.
Obama's visit to Ghana coincides with the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founding father Kwame Nkrumah. He will be arriving at an airport built by Nkrumah, speaking in a parliament building constructed by Nkrumah and enjoying electricity which is the product of Nkrumah's investments. All these projects were once touted in the West as 'white elephants', including the expansion of the port, harbours and trunk roads. He will be speaking to an educated elite, most of whom will have had their foundations in Nkrumah's relentless investments in education.
When he lauds Ghana's relative peace, he will be minded to note that this has its roots in the pursuit of equitable development strategies of the 1960s that have spread opportunities to all ethnic groups. That the state means something to Ghanaians - well worth risking to promote democratic governance - is rooted in a culture of essential service provisioning by the state, began in the 1960s.
When Obama reflects on these he may be minded to apologise for the CIA's role in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Kwame Nkrumah to satisfy Cold War strategic interests. In doing so, he may also be minded to extend this apology for the role the CIA played in Patrice Lumumba's removal from power and the resulting mess that is today's Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Military coups in Africa - the biggest threat to democracy and good governance - were introduced by the CIA and other Western intelligence. Not to acknowledge that in a speech focused on good governance is to trivialise Africa's history of struggle for democracy. A good son of Africa couldn't possibly do that.
In his focus on good governance, President Obama may be minded to note that the experience that Africans have of the military is not of protectors but of instruments of destructive interests whether these are domestic or foreign. Militarisation portends interference in democratic processes. The experience of foreign military build-ups portend external intervention to prop up dictators, or mess up the electoral process, for the protection of strategic foreign interests. If Obama is serious about democratic and accountable governance taking root in Africa, he will be minded to dispel the fear (and the rumour) that the United States is actively militarising the Gulf of Guinea through increases in the activities of US naval forces. He should signal loud and clear that he respects the African Union's reluctance to extend the US military footprint in Africa, whether by providing landing facilities or hosting an AFRICOM (United States African Command) facility. He should dispel the rumour circulating in Ghana, when he speaks to the Ghanaian parliament, to the effect that Ghana's former president John Kufuor had done a deal allowing US forces on Ghanaian soil.
Democracy and good governance are hard to sustain in a peaceful atmosphere when the mass of the population do not have an education and jobs - the latter being a source of taxation to sustain the institutions of democracy. When public institutions are funded either by foreign aid or indirectly by foreign companies, rather than the tax system, government accountability tends to de facto be externally focused. Not all types of jobs are conducive to democracy. Jobs that are concentrated in rural primary production tend not to produce the critical mass of activism and awareness necessary to hold governments to account, compared with jobs in manufacturing and value-added services. The value-added production of goods and services as well as taxation, in my view, are the most potent instruments for democratisation.
This is the sense in which one cannot separate the economy from democracy.
Obama's speech could helpfully draw on these parallels. More than that, he can do something about it in two main ways: by extending his crusade against tax-dodging in Africa and reviewing current US economic relations with Africa. The issue of taxation applies to the capacity to collect tax, the sharing of natural-resource rents between Africans and foreign mining companies - many of which are American or trade on US stock markets- and tax-dodging through the use of tax havens. It will be wonderful if Obama were to call upon the Newmonts of this world and other multinational companies to publish their accounts on a country-by-country basis, including the profits they make and how the profit is shared or reinvested. It will be sufficient even to note the harmful nature of tax-dodging by multinational companies.
Similarly, it will be helpful if Obama were to state that in accordance with the UN Convention on Corruption, the United States will prosecute American or African companies or individuals operating in American markets who are suspected of bribery, tax-evasion or aggressive tax-avoidance. This will send a wonderful deterrence signal. Addressing the tax problem can put no less than US$50 billion into the African economy annually.
An associated issue of resource outflow is the renewed debt problem. The limited debt relief delivered by the multilateral debt relief initiative has been all but reversed by the combined effects of the food and financial crisis. Two things need to happen. Obama should support the UN's call for a debt servicing moratorium using the US bankruptcy legislation as a guide. This is only fair and will signify that Obama is listening to the UN when it comes to economic matters. Secondly, there is a crying need for a structural solution. This should be in the form of an independent debt-arbitration panel operating under the auspices of the UN to mediate between debtors and creditors, rather the current system in which debtors are totally at the mercy of creditors. This is not only fair, but it is also necessary for a stable international system benefitting rich and poor alike.
In relation to value-added production, Obama is already one step in the right direction by pushing for agricultural productivity to be up on the international agenda. But first a few cautions. A focus on agricultural productivity should not become a cover for foreign private companies to grab land or impose expensive, input-intensive methods in the name of modernisation. The issue of land-grabbing is particularly worrying. A recent study by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) of five African countries, including Ghana, showed that 2.5 million hectares of land of sizes exceeding 1,000 hectares has been acquired, all in the name of promoting foreign direct investment. Single acquisitions have been as large as 450,000 hectares (Madagascar) and 400,000 (Ghana), most of which has been directed at biofuel production. Total investment commitments for land acquisitions of over 1,000 hectares exceed US$1 billion to date. The myth that Africa is a continent of abundant land with no claimants is dangerous for both future peace and social equity.
Read comments. Write your own.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
DON'T BE FAKED OUT FOR FEAR OF NOT FITTING INTO THE HERD !!!! ( Matthew 24:4 )
1 of 8
* 16 European Nations . Met And Plotted On How They Would Rob Africa Of Its Riches.
* They met during two(2) Periods of time in two(2) places
* The General Act Of Berlin Conference (Nov, 1884 to February, 1885)
* Brussels Belgium to finalize SECRET agreements ( Nov, 1889 to July 1890)
* The Book “King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) by Adam Hochschild documents some of This information.
The following Nations (Households) - Planned how they would divide among themselves our AFRICAN Riches.
1) Austria-Hungary - Francis Joseph I Charles - August 18, 1830 -
2) Belgium - King Leopold II – April 9, 1835
3) Denmark - Frederik VIII -June 3, 1843
4) France - Marie François Sadi Carnot – August 11, 1837 -
5) Germany - Wilhelm II -– January 27, 1859
6) Great Britain - Queen Victoria (Hanover) – May 24, 1819 – British Ruler – 2nd
7) Holland –William III – February 19, 1817
8) Italy - Umberto I - March 14, 1844 -
9) Norway - Oscar II [Oscar Frederik] – January 21, 1829 (Also Sweden)
10) Portugal - Carlos I – September 28, 1863
11) Russia - Alexander III Alexandrovich – March 10, 1845
12) Spain - Alfonso XIII – May 17, 1886
13) Sweden - Oscar II – January 21, 1829 (Also Norway)
14) Turkey - Abdülhamid II, - September 2 or September 22 - 1842 -
15) United States - Benjamin Harrison – August 20, 1833 -
16) Persia (Iran) - Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar – July 16, 1831 –
For centuries Black Africans have been exploited and exploited in the name of Islam. Then with the coming of the Portueses (so-called Christians) to Ghana around the 1440s , the so-called Christians started their exploitation.
We Black Africans are puzzling. We have a bounty of riches around us, yet we persist in allowing outsiders to steal them; while we fight each other over trivial matters.
Just in case you're wondering, here's some Black Africans who have done wondrous things to change the way we live in the world.
For example : Garrett-Augustus Morgan invented the Traffic Signal to CURB (no pun intended) TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS !!!
* Buridge & Marshman - TYPEWRITER
* George Carruthers - X-RAY MACHINE
* George Washington Carver - PEANUT BUTTER - PAINTS – PAINT STAINS – ETC
* W.A. Dietz - SHOE
* Charles R. Drew - BLOOD PLASMA STORAGE SYSTEM
* Michael Harney - LANTERN
* Augustus Jackson - ICE CREAM
* H.A. Jackson - KITCHEN TABLE
* Isaac R. Johnson - BICYCLE FRAME
* John A. Johnson - WRENCH
* Frederick M. Jones - DEFROSTER - REFRIGERATION CONTROLS – AIR CONDITIONER
* Jones & Long - BOTTLE CAPS
* Lewis Latimer & Nichols - ELECTIC LAMP
* John L. Love - PENCIL SHARPENER
* Tony J. Marshall - FIRE EXTINGUISHER
* Alexander Miles - ELEVATOR
* W.A. Martin - LOCK
* Garrett A. Morgan - GAS MASK - Traffic Signal
* Lydia Newman - HAIR BRUSH - Nov 15, 1898
* W.B. Purvis - FOUNTAIN PEN
* L.P. Ray - DUST PAN
* W.H. Richardson - BABY BUGGY
* G.T. Sampson - CLOTHES DRYER
* .W. Smith - LAWN SPRINKLER
* J. Standard - REFRIGERATOR
* T.W. Stewart - MOP
* Maxine Snowden - RAIN HAT - 1983
* Paul E. Williams - HELICOPTER
* Granville T. Woods - Roller Coaster
* Granville T. Woods - Telegraph Transmission Devices - Dec 2, 1884 Patents # - 308, 816 (7)
Thanks to The Black Inventors Museum P.O. Box 76128 Los Angeles , Calif. (90076) Phone (310) 859-4602)
Director : Ghanaian Mr. Hamza Salifa
Contributor of Information : SEESTAH Imahkus Nzinga Okofo
2 of 8
OBAMA DECEPTIONS
#1
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE]
#2 Here is evidence of Point 2 of the Georgia Guidestones on Reproduction .
Don't be deceived :
[http://www.infowars.com/?p=7259]
Here are search result links to what the Georgia Guidestones are
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones ]
#3
BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
DOES THE TERM PEACEKEEPERS ring a Bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the
United Nations PEACEKEEPERS .
President Obama’s UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE cut her teeth on
the RWANDA MASSACRE…. OOOPs!!! She said.
(Here’s a Search Link To Many Witnesses To THE NEW U.N. RICE MONSTER)
[http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=Susan+Rice+Rwanda&cat=web&pl=ff& language=english]
FAMILIES LINE UP FOR MASONIC CHILD ID PROGRAM ! UNCLE BEAST WANTS YOU !!!
[http://www.infowars.com/families-line-up-for-masonic-child-id-program/ ]
3 of 8
WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY DRINKING ? MANY SO-CALLED DIET SODAS CONTAIN ASPARTAME ?
WHAT IS ASPARTAME ? FAKE SUGAR !!!!!!! [http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=aspartame&cat=web&pl=ff&language =english]
4 of 8
BEWARE OF POISONS FROM THE SKY : CHEMTRAILS
[http://www.naturalnews.com/026200.html ]
5 of 8
Read the following book on the GMO game they are playing on us. If we eat GMO , we might as well eat plastic fruit; RIDICULOUS !!!!
SEEDS OF DECEPTION BY JEFFREY SMITH
“ A must read for truthseekers. “ [www.seedsofdeception.com]
PARABLE OF THE GMO GAME AND ITS ORIGINATOR (Satan aka D-Evil )
And Jesus said another parable to them, saying,
“ The kingdom of heaven is like a man which planted good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (GMO / FAKE) among the wheat (NATURAL), and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in thy field ?
Where did these weeds (GMO/ FAKE) come from ?
The Householder said to them, An enemy (D-Evil) has done this.
The servants said to him, Do you want us to pull up the weeds ?
The Householder said, No ; we don’t want to hurt the NATURAL plants by accident.
Let the GMO /FAKE & NATURAL grow together until the harvest.
And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares (GMO/ FAKE) , and bind them in bundles to burn them (In The Lake Of Fire & Brimstone).
Then gather the wheat into my barn. (PARADISE) “ [Matthew 13:24 -30 - Paraphrased]
ROACH GENES IN CORN [http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl?query=Roach+genes+in+corn&cat=web&pl=f f&language=english]
AIDS VIRUS IN CORN [http://ixquick.com/do/metasearch.pl
6 of 8
Swine Flu Smoking Gun? CDC was Combining Flu Viruses in 2004
[http://www.naturalnews.com/026159.html]
Daniel 11: 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with FLATTERIES.
#1 Don’t Be tricked Into Allowing Yourself And Your Families To be Quietly Killed By These So-Called Vaccinations.
#2 VACCINATIONS FRAUD AND DANGERS Vaccine Safety Manual By Neil Z. Miller "for Concerned Familiesand Health Practitioners" ( 548 pages) [http://thinktwice.com/ ]
#3 Check Out This Directive : Called The Georgia GuideStones
[The Agenda Of The Antichrist aka The Georgia Guidestones] 10 POINTS LIKE THE 10 HORNS OR RELIGIONS OF THE BEAST
1) MAINTAIN HUMANITY'S POPULATION UNDER 500 MILLION IN PERPETUAL BALANCE WITH NATURE
2) GUIDE REPRODUCTION WISELY —IMPROVING FITNESS AND DIVERSITY
3) UNITE HUMANITY WITH A LIVING NEW LANGUAGE
4) RULE PASSION — FAITH — TRADITION AND ALL THINGS WITH TEMPERED REASON
5) PROTECT PEOPLE AND NATIONS WITH FAIR LAWS AND JUST COURTS
6) LET ALL NATIONS RULE INTERNALLY RESOLVING EXTERNAL DISPUTES IN A WORLD COURT
7) AVOID PETTY LAWS AND USELESS OFFICIALS
8) BALANCE PERSONAL RIGHTS WITH SOCIAL DUTIES.
9) PRIZE TRUTH — BEAUTY — LOVE — SEEKING HARMONY WITH THE INFINITE
10) BE NOT A CANCER ON THE EARTH — LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE — LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE
[Revelations 13:1] And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having 7 heads (Kings) and 10 horns (Religious Kingdoms), and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy
#4 - Here is evidence of Point 2 of the Georgia Guidestones on Reproduction . Don't be deceived : [http://www.infowars.com/?p=7259]
Daniel 11: 14 (Babylon see Rev 17 & 18 - Jer 50 & 51 ) And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the ROBBERS of your people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but THEY SHALL FALL
7 of 8
CELL PHONE RADIATION Get The Waveshield Stop Cooking Your Brains (Microwaves)– [http://www.waveshield.com/]
8 OF 8
“We Perish Because
1) We don’t know
2) We Don’t want to know [ Hosea 4:6 ]
NATURAL CANCER FIGHTERS
a) [http://www.kanziuscancerresearch.com/] – also salt water as fuel
b) All Diseases - [Rife Frequency Technology via Bio Solutions 1-866-8856625 ] via their Parasitic Frequency Killing Machine / over 500 programmed frequencies
c) Epilobium [Male & Female Reproductive Health ] http://www.epilobium.com/ ] d) * Essiac via Herbal Healer Academy /herbalhealer.com / 1-870-269-4177 [ For free 120 page catalog ]
e) *Curcurmin 98 - via thepowerhour.com / 1-877-817-9829
f) OZONE MACHINES - CLIFF SCOTT ENTERPRISES [ cliffscott.com / 1-800-569-4340 [ get free catalog )
g) Prostate cancer treat with :
* Pumpkin Seeds (Get at your local Natural Foods Store)
* Essiac via Herbal Healer Academy /herbalhealer.com / 1-870-269-4177 [ For free 120 page catalog ]
* Saw Palmetto Get at your local Natural Foods Store)
* Extract of nettle Get at your local Natural Foods Store)
* Maca via CLIFF SCOTT ENTERPRISES [ cliffscott.com / 1-800-569-4340 [ get free catalog )
* Epilobium [Male & Female Reproductive Health ] http://www.epilobium.com/ ]
h) Breast Cancer -laznic / laser treatment [ http://www.lasemedinc.com/ ]
i) Skin Cancer - laznic / laser treatment [ http://www.lasemedinc.com/ ]
* Essiac via Herbal Healer Academy /herbalhealer.com / 1-870-269-4177 [ For free 120 page catalog ]
j) * www.miracle2online.com / 1-866-839-5189 [ request a catalog
OTHER CANCER FIGHTERS
- Mixture Of Curcumin , Black Pepper & Olive Oil
- Basil
OUR DEEPEST FEAR By Marianne Williamson
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate, Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesn’t Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Won’t Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
It’s Not Just In Some Of Us; It’s In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
[NOTE – BEING AFRAID AND REFUSING TO GET INVOLVED WON’T STOP US FROM DYING. BUT BEING AFRAID CAN PREVENT US FROM LIVING]
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS ! BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/]
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]
Just watching Obama in Ghana and I cannot help feeling impressed. I would like to say congractulations to Ghana.