Kwabena A-Manager, Author at TalkAfrique

January 3, 2011January 16, 2011

Bachelor President, Ian Khama, in Racist Outburst

President Ian Kharma of Botswana — President Ian Khama of Botswana

You would recall that last month, My Khama…, the President of Botswana made news by publicly declaring that he wanted a tall, beautiful and slim woman to marry after pressure from his cabinet and village folks continued to mount on the president asking him to marry. Some of you thought it was undiplomatic for the President to make his wish list public without any discretion.

Well, this President is not getting out of the news any time soon. In an astonishing outburst, Botswana’s president a few days ago described the Kalahari Bushmen as ‘primeval’, ‘primitive’ and ‘backward’.

Speaking at the country’s largest diamond mine, President Khama accused the Bushmen of living a ‘life of backwardness’ ‘a primitive life of deprivation co-existing alongside wild animals’, and ‘a primeval life of a bye [sic] gone era of hardship and indignity’.

Khama also accused Survival of ‘embarking upon a campaign of lies and misinformation’, calling the tribal rights organization ‘modern day highway robbers’. His comments came in response to Survival’s call for a boycott of Botswana tourism and diamonds over the government’s treatment of the Bushmen.

In 2002, while Khama was vice-president, the Botswana government forcibly evicted the Bushmen from their ancestral lands; an act that was later declared unlawful and unconstitutional by Botswana’s High Court, which also ruled that the Bushmen have the right to live on their lands.

Despite the ruling, Khama’s government has continued to prevent the Bushmen from living on their lands. It has banned them from accessing a well, which they rely on for water, and from hunting for food. At the same time, it has drilled new wells for wildlife and allowed Wilderness Safaris to erect a luxury tourist lodge with swimming pool on Bushman land. Over 25,000 people across the world have signed Survival’s petition calling on Wilderness Safaris to move its lodge off Bushman land.

While the Bushmen have turned to litigation to gain access to their well, the government is in negotiations with Gem Diamonds to construct a diamond mine on Bushman land.

Khama has previously referred to the Bushmen as ‘an archaic fantasy’.

Rarely have we seen a sitting President in such an unguarded public outburst. It is not clear whether these mannerisms play any role in scaring potential women from entering relationship with Mr. Khama.

Botswana is one of few countries under the sun with a bachelor President.

January 3, 2011January 9, 2011

Open Access to Developed Markets Vital to African Development

For many years, African governments have largely depended on Western donors to fund everything from community latrines to public universities. Admittedly, some societies could not have survived to this day had it not been for foreign aid.

The African growth model based solely on foreign aid has so far not delivered the promises it was hoped to deliver. Actually, it has done more harm than good.

One will agree with me that foreign aid has served to promote oppressive regimes rather the everyday African people. Politicians in the category of Sani Abacha of Nigeria and Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire/Congo eventually stacked the money in foreign banks which is then loaned back to Africa. Others do it in mild way by using the money to feed their cronies and families and have enough to send even children of their friends to world-class universities abroad. Opening markets to African goods and services will not solve the entire problem but at least leave some power in the hands of the ordinary people.

I believe, however, that it is time for us to begin to look at a different growth model for the African economy that depends less on foreign aid. This new model in my opinion should be based on open markets where African goods and services have free access to western markets. Growth in China, and to some extend India, have largely been dependent on the access of goods and services from these geographical regions into the western markets.

When we talk about goods and services, most readers will ask ‘what can Africa deliver? Well, it’s actually a lot. I’m not talking about Kenya or Senegal exporting cell phones and laptops to the US next year. But what about a system that makes it attractive for the US manufacturer to import raw materials from the African farmers, if that is what we bring to the market at this period in time.

Let us consider some figures. In 2001, the US approved about $4 Billion in subsidies to nearly 25,000 cotton growers in the US for cotton crop that was worth only $3 Billion at the world marker price. Other figures I came across pointed out that a single cotton grower in a mid-western US state received $6 million in subsidies, which is larger than the combined annual earnings of 25,000 cotton farmers in Mali. (For your information, the $4 Billion government subsidy is also more than one third what the US spends on the nearly 1 billion people on the African continent).

This policy makes it unattractive for manufactures to import raw materials from Africa and other developing countries

This system is being perpetrated not only by the US but also by the European Union and China, which is destroying the livelihood of countries like Mali, Senegal, Chad, and Benin which are all major cotton producing countries. A recent study by UNCTAD-India pointed out that if the US were to do away with some of these subsidies, farm output will decline by nearly 40%. Although we would pay more at the grocery story in the US, it will spur up more imports from Africa and other developing regions which will generate enough foreign exchange the fund their community development activities.

This is not advocating for a loss-loss situation for the US and Europe. In fact, it’s more than a win-win case. Western countries have more to gain than lose.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) were enacted to do just this. AGOA provides duty-free access to the U.S. market for a wide range of products from eligible African countries, while spurring African governments to make their countries attractive to U.S. investment. I think this is the type of initiative that needs an injection of momentum and expansion

January 3, 2011January 3, 2011

Nice Guys Come Out First

Most of us were raised in cultures where being a macho, higly educated and of good social status were vital if one wanted to get a woman’s attention. Even though good looks and status in society are still important, research shows that it is a kind heart that softens the heart of a woman.

Psychologists have discovered that a woman is likey to open her heart to the man who shows kindness and generosity to other people.

The data shows that men who have “altruistic interests”, such as working for a charity, or helping the needy were regarded as “significantly more desirable.”.

This was the result of a series of test involving 150 female undergraduates at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada. The women shown a set of fictional dating adverts, each including a man’s photo and a brief description.

The researchers maniputed the wording such than some men appeared more “altruistic” while others appeared “neutral”. Majority of the women found the guy who was ‘beneficient’ and ‘unselfish’ more attractive. Again, the women showed strong preference for relationships with the nice men in the study.

This suggests that women are attracted to generosity, and that kindness and gentleness serves a purpose in mate selection.

Being devoted to good causes in life pays; even it doesn’t make make a man a preferred candidate for a marriage, he may at least be able to secure the spot for that dream date.

January 1, 2011January 16, 2011

Anti-Genocide Paparazzi Watching Sudan from Above

Clooney's Anti-genocide paparazzi will watch Sudan from Above

As reported last week, American actor George Clooney and a group he formed is joining forces with Google, a U.N. agency and anti-genocide organizations to launch a satellite surveillance of the border between north and south Sudan to try to prevent a new civil war during the south’s scheduled elections on January 11, 2011..

The Satellite Sentinel Project — a joint experiment by the U.N.’s Operational Satellite Applications Program, Harvard University, the Enough Project and Clooney’s posse of Hollywood funders — will hire private satellites to monitor troop movements starting with the oil-rich region of Abyei. Sentinel is launching with $750,000 in seed money from Not On Our Watch, the human rights organization Clooney founded along with Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman and Jerry Weintraub.

The satellite data will point out movements of troops, civilians and other signs of impending conflict. Images collected by the satellite will be scrutinized and made public at www.satsentinel.org within 24 hours of an event to remind the leaders of northern and southern Sudan that they are being watched.

I am excited that the situation in Sudan is receiving such celebrity attention. The world was just too quiet on Dafur, almost caught sleeping on Rwanda, and didn’t care much about Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Mr. Clooney has continually warned that genocide in Sudan should not happen on our watch.

December 30, 2010February 15, 2011

Thus Sayest Gen. Collin Powell with my Commentaries

Over the Christmas break, I was reading a newspaper article which passively made mention of Gen. Collin Powell, the former US Secretary of State. I instantly decided to do article on this great African American leader. The result is this article. I collected some of the most powerful quotes by Gen. Powell and added my personal commentary to each of them. I hope you find them helpful.

Mr. Powell’s words are in bold italics followed by mine.

Quote 1. “Command is lonely.” Being at the top is not always as fun as it seem. I can really be lonely at the top.

Quote 2. “The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise.” In simple terms, we’ve got to realize that the folks close to the problems are often in the best position to see the solutions. The leader’s roles should be the empowering of the people to see their own solutions.

Quote 3. “Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.” A leader must take a stance and make the tough call. Trying to make everybody happy is not leadership because the right decisions aren’t always the popular ones.

Quote 4. “Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.” Challenge the status quo. You have every right to do that. Question the conventional wisdom and ask why not the other way.

Quote 5. “Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find.” The problem won’t solve itself. Assuming it doesn’t exist won’t get rid of it. You’ve got to face it as it today or you’ll have to face it tomorrow. The details may be terrifying and even hurt, but don’t burry it in the sand.

Quote 6. “Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.” At the end of it all, you have to bet on people, not strategies or plans. Value the people around you as the best asserts, not the PowerPoint slides and bulleted points.

Quote 7. “Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing.” It’s all about accomplishments or results to show. Titles don’t count much.

Quote 8. “Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. Employ the right tools and principles for the job, and don’t be rigid in your approach. If you are not getting the results you need, change the approach.

Quote 9. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Surround yourself with people who think the world will crash tomorrow and friends who never see any possibility. That’s exactly how you will also think and you won’t accomplish anything

Quote 10. “Never let your ego gets so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.” Don’t see yourself as your title or position and don’t get too caught up in it.

Quote 11. “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.” As Tunde said, why not use electricity instead of megawatt if your people will understand electricity and not the other? A leader’s role is to communicate to get everybody on the same page.

Quote 12. “Have fun in your command. Don’t always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you’ve earned it: Spend time with your families. There is life after everything. Love to live. Do not shun your human side. Enjoy every opportunity you get and value human relationships.

Quote 13. “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. If people aren’t bringing their problems to you any longer, do not assume they do not have problems. It’s likely they have lost confidence in your ability to help them solve their problems.

Quote 14. “Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world. What appears to be the right theory does not always end up being the one that works in practice. Respect the opinion of others but at the end of it all, pay attention to your own instincts, and judgments.

Quote 15. You can’t just have slogans; you can’t just have catchy phrases. You have to have an agenda. Slogans and catchy phrases don’t produce the results. You need specific, measurable, achievable, time-based goals.

Bonus. “You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.”

December 30, 2010January 16, 2011

There’s A Lot More To Africa Than Famine And War

Clement Afforo

Recently I was flipping between several of the major TV news networks who were reporting a variety of stories about Africa. All were focusing exclusively on war and famine.

Come to think of it, that’s about all you ever see the major networks say about Africa. They rarely if ever report on African sporting events, positive government activities, or even normal African life.

Anyone who thinks about this predicament for even a moment would realize Africa is a huge continent made up of a wide variety of countries, regions, and peoples. Africa is about as diverse a place as you could ever imagine. While some areas are sadly embroiled in horrific problems, other regions are peaceful, pleasant, and offer their citizens a very rich life.

One thing most Americans never have the opportunity to learn about is Africa’s wide offering of quality TV programs. Watching African TV can be a real eye-opener. They include soaps and dramatic series, side-splitting comedies, and a wide range of news and sports coverage.

Realize that these programs reflect the values, sensibilities, and every day experiences of people who live in Africa. If you have little experience with African culture, watching these programs can really teach you about this fascinating part of the world. You’ll gain insights into a side of the world you may not have known existed.

Thanks largely to a growing number of African immigrants in the United States who want to see the programs they watched in Africa, African-produced programs are finding their way to cable TV channels here. On any given evening you can watch popular series like “Things We Do For Love,” “Sun City,” and the hit comedy “Taxi Driver.”

Recently, the African TV Network I founded several years ago announced plans to expand program offerings to cable channels in the Baltimore and Washington DC areas. This will make African programming available to large audiences of African immigrants, African-Americans, Caribean communities, and others who are eager to have access to these programs.

As with any new TV programming that appeals to a previously neglected audience, African programming lets advertisers reach a very large and active viewing audience that was not available before with standard TV programming. African programming is a win-win for both viewers and businesses.

Clement Afforo is founder of the African TV Network, now supplying African programs to the Baltimore and Washington DC areas. For more information on programs and advertising opportunities, see the site http://www.africantvnetwork.com.

December 30, 2010January 3, 2013

The fight against HIV/AIDS needs a pragmatic approach (update)

K. Amponsah-Manager

On December 14 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN agency which over ten years ago started a campaign to cut the number of malaria cases and deaths in half by 2010, reported that Malaria is fast declining in countries where it had been endemic. The report was surprisingly optimistic that we could have a malaria-free world by 2015!

The progress on the malaria front did not come by wishful thinking; it was the result of pragmatic efforts on the part of governments and various organizations. In the past three years alone, 578 million people at risk of malaria have been provided with insecticide-treated mosquito nets. Another 75 million have benefited from indoor residual spraying, the report said.

While such a report gladdens our hearts, it should also remind us of the twin brother HIV/AIDS.

Significant efforts have been expended in combating the spread of HIV with some results to show already. However, it is believed that what has been achieved is minimal compared to what is possible if the energy already spent was used to do the right thing most of the time.

There is the popular notion that HIV is caused by people doing stupid things, and some even think it is a curse for our disobedience of natural laws. Surely, there are some who are living with the virus as a result of doing stupid things, but that is just part of the story. In any case, such perception does nothing to save the millions who continue to contract the virus each year. Some of them are our brothers, sisters, uncles, and our teachers.

Rather than perpetuating the stigma associated with AIDS, I will suggest it is time we spend that energy to discuss how to curtail the rate of spread of the killer and save lives of mothers, fathers, and infants, some of whom have to live with the parasite for no fault of theirs.

There are practical ways that work and those are what we need to focus on. I’ll mention only two here for the sake of space.

Case 1: Sharing needles by drug users: The consequences of the use of illicit drugs on the health of our citizens and the effect it has on our economies and health care system are well known. The practice can therefore never be condoned or encouraged

But the reality is that people will continue to abuse drugs. Several studies have established that the sharing of needles by drug users is a significant avenue for contracting the HIV.

The approach here has to be two fold. The first is a continued education on the consequences of sharing needles which I believe is already well known. The second I think should be an effort on the parts of governments and foundations to consider providing accessible avenues by which the addicts can obtain clean needled when the lust for the substance is uncontrollable. They will continue to use the drugs anyway, but why should we look on while such acts continue to overburden the already stressed health and economic structures and continue to add to the AIDS statistics.

Case 2: Laboratory and epidemiologic studies have shown that even though condoms are not 100% HIV/AIDS-proof, the use of condoms in sexual intercourse reduces the risks of HIV infection significantly. We would wish that people will abstain from sex until they’re in a committed relationship, but the reality is that this approach will not work for all. The truth is that HIV is acquired by having unprotected sex with someone carrying the virus, and not just by having sex.

The massive campaign to encourage the provision and use of mosquito nets is yielding results with the possibility that we could have a world without malaria in less than a decade. It’s time to do same for AIDS.

The campaign to encourage people to stay away from sex until marriage or until they’re in a committed relationship should continue. However, this weapon will work for only a fraction of the population. It is time to be practical and tell people in a plain language that if you cannot abstain, then they should simply cover it.

Even though, it may be appear rather radical, I may suggest that Governments, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and foundations working on HIV/AIDS in Africa should consider making condoms (both male and female condoms) available for free to prostitutes (at least, until a solution is found to the problem of prostitution).

Given the choice, I’ll rather opt to use our scarce national resources to do that which will produce tangible and measurable results.

To the toddler taking care of a sick single HIV/AIDS parent, the issue here is not just statistics, it is life.

Let us learn from the anti-malaria campaign.

(To learn more on Condoms and HIV, click here)

December 28, 2010January 1, 2011

Did first humans originate from Afican or Middle East?

Professor Avi Gopher from the Institute of Archeology of Tel Aviv University holds an ancient tooth that was found at an archeological site near Rosh Haain, Central Israel

A news scientific discovery may force libraries to burn some old biology books on the evolution of modern man from their shelves. Scientists have just discovery a 400,000-year-old human remains which raises a lot of questions.

Previously, researchers believed that homo sapiens, which are the direct descendants of modern man, evolved in Africa about 200,000 years ago and gradually migrated north, through the Middle East, to Europe and Asia.

The new discovery, which came out from a study by an Israeli university researchers could compel scientists to revise the earlier theories.

Archeologists from Tel Aviv University say eight human-like teeth found in the Qesem cave near Rosh Ha’Ayin – 10 miles from Israel’s international airport – are 400,000 years old, from the Middle Pleistocene Age, making them the earliest remains of homo sapiens yet discovered anywhere in the world.

The size and shape of the teeth are very similar to those of modern man. Until now, the earliest examples found were in Africa, dating back only 200,000 years.

The report which is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, suggest that modern man did not originate in Africa as previously believed, but in the Middle East.

The teeth is the part of the human skeleton that survive the longest.

The researchers hope to make more discoveries that would shed further light on human evolution in prehistoric times.
In conclusion, the “Out of Africa” theory will be subjected to strong debate in the days and years ahead.