What Purpose Does The African Union Serve?

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) transformed itself into The African Union (AU) back in 2002. In spite of all the ills afflicting Africa and the opportunities they present, neither the OAU nor the AU can be credited with having created sustainable solutions that stood the test of time.

The concept of a coherent union that can implement cross country goals, although nice on paper, seems too far fetched. Given the divisive and often violent eruptions within individual countries, the idea that the 53 countries can stand as a single force to reap benefits that will help mitigate Africa's immense problems is wishful thinking at best.

Zimbabwe probably embodies all that is wrong with the AU. I don't think there will be much disagreement among objective observers that Mugabe has single-handedly destroyed the country. If the AU is to have any credibility at all, people like Mr. Mugabe must be expelled from its membership first. It is far better to start with 10 functioning countries and grow the membership slowly as more and more countries come to accept some core principles that are necessary to advance Africa's interests and future viability. Otherwise, having a leaky tent of 53 countries, some who came to power through killings, serves no purpose at all.

Eritrea not "child friendly"?

Accoding to CNN.COM http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/20/africas.children.ap/index.html

A report titled, African nations ranked for 'child friendliness', states:

The top countries of the 52 ranked as [“child friendly”] are Mauritius, Namibia, and the northern African countries of Tunisia, Libya and Morocco. The bottom five are Sao Tome and Principe, Gambia, Central African Republic, Eritrea and Guinea Bissau.

No surprises there, unfortunately. Namibia and Eritrea are two of the youngest nations in Africa. While it is gratifying to see Nambia getting things right, Eritrea has turned itself into a stagnant authoritarian system. Children born into the dawn of its independence now find themselves consumed by a militaristic system where talent and human potential are squandered so recklessly.

Credit Default Swaps (CDS) – What Are They?

I thought I knew the meaning of these three words, when taken individually. But when they are put together in this sequence, they convey something I never knew even existed. Some have called them financial weapons of mass destruction. What? Three innocent looking words as weapons of mass destruction? Then I took a look at my 401K and knew right there and then that I, like many others, have been hit by these nasty weapons. In a matter of days $1.6 trillion worth of savings evaporated into thin air. Baby boomers: welcome to the golden years.

Of course, I don’t pretend to understand why and how credit default swaps, all of a sudden, froze the entire global market and drove world leaders into a panic reaction. But the little I know makes me wonder, why some of the things that were allowed to go on were even legal. CDS can be used to ensure a bond you own against loss, which is good. But credit default swaps were also used to allow people to buy insurance for assets they don’t even own. So, if I were the gambling type, I would look for an asset that I believe is on the verge of failure, and buy insurance against it. If that asset fails, as many solid looking institutions suddenly did, I stand to collect the full value of the insurance.

As experts estimate, companies like AIG collected about a trillion dollars in CDS fees while leaving themselves exposed to an estimated sixty trillion worth of liabilities. They saw this kind of insurance as easy money because they assumed the assets people were buying the insurance for would never fail. Well, they failed and they did so in a big way. As bad as it has been so far though, there could be more nasty surprises down the road. Supposedly, it is very difficutlt to quantify the extent of the damage because Credit Default Swaps were sold and re-sold many times over as private transactions. You just don't know until claims are made by people down the chain, only to find out the insurer one level up has no money to cover the claim, and so on and so on.

CDS – weapons of mass destruction indeed. And I have one sorry retirement account to prove it. In "free" market economies, regulation is a bad word associated with "socialism". Now that the lack of reasonable oversight has caused this enormous crash, governements around the world are forced to buy equity in "market driven" businesses - back to socialism. Boy, am I confused?Governments are now rescuing the very people who caused this mess in the first place. The smart but unethical guys have successfully "privatized profits and socialized debt", as concisely put by others. They cash in big when capitalism works in their favor and cash in again when "socialism" kicks in to bail them out with public money. Hey, with no risk to their personal wealth, any amount of risk can be taken with abandon. And that they did.

How much does John McCain love America?

A lot, I would imagine, given his long history of service. But wasn't it strange to hear him say he knows how to get bin Laden and yet, so far, not to have done anything about it? As far as we know, bin Laden is still at large. Unless he just had an epiphany (or made it up) during the debate, it sure seems weird to withhold critical knowledge, that would directly benefit the country, unless, as he made it appear, he is elected president first.

To give him benefit of the doubt though, maybe he is already doing something about it and, one hopes, there is secret work in progress based on what he knows. Otherwise, it raises a question whether McCain loves America enough -- if he denies her the immediate benefit of his knowledge.

McCain has also been a bit 'erratic' the last few weeks for letting his campaign take us to dangerous territory. To his credit, he is beginning to stand up to the vitriol of his extremist supporters who still fail to understand America is a diverse nation that belongs to ALL its citizens. America is much better than the turn his campaign took (with his permission or tolerance) - a divisive turn that weakens America instead of strengthening it through unity.

The suggestion by his supporters that there is something un-American about being a Moslem, by the repeated amplification of Mr. Obama's middle name, is un-American itself. The failure to distance himself from such hate mongering in no uncertain times, tarnishes McCain's judgment and character. Although he repeatedly questions Obama's judgment - which is fare game - his own judgment should also be seriously questioned for choosing a running mate whose primary contribution so far has been pressing divisive emotional buttons - which seems to be bringing the worst in people.

I hope good Republicans are outraged enough by the hate-filled crowds shouting "off with his head", "terrorist", "kill him" -- to stand up and say "not in my name". This kind of "energizing" may win Mr. McCain a few more votes. But it is more damaging to the long-term image of the Republican party, and good-hearted Republicans ought to be the first to condemn it -- loud and clear.

I fell in love with an America that, in spite of an ugly past, managed to re-invent itself with a promise of a better future for ALL its citizens. A beautiful America where people ought to be judged by the "content of their character" (MLK), where education and hard work are appreciated and rewarded. After decades of solid progress, it would be tragic to renege on that promise now. The old, ugly and xenophobic America where injustice, segregation and lynchings were accepted as the norm should be allowed to die and to stay dead.

Regression to the old "us and them" dichotomy will be very costly to ALL Americans and people, especially Mr. McCain and those of his caliber, should not be tempted to tolerate hateful people for the sake of a few votes. After all, it was Mr. McCain who bravely once said he would rather lose an election than lose a war. Well, going back to the old America would be the mother of all wars, and there will be no honor in that.

In spite of election season fireworks, it is very encouraging to see the momentum is still in favor of the beautiful America. Mr. Obama has done a good job of bringing people of diverse backgrounds together energized by a common vision - a vision that America belongs to ALL Americans where none are left behind by design. That promise is to ALL its citizens - and yes, including Moslem Americans - inspite of how Mr. Obama's middle name is used by some to suggest otherwise. By the way, what is McCain's middle name? This is the silly season of politics and this may even be the first time in American history where a middle name is given undue prominence - unfortunately not for good intentions.

The main problem, it seems to me, is the monopolization of politics by the two behemoths. Everyone talks about how lobbyists have taken over Washington but nothing seems to be done to reduce their influence because both parties happily take their money. When elections cost so much and last so long (I am so bored and tired of it by now), it is hard to imagine the influence of lobbyists diminishing any time soon.

What we need is more parties to shake things up a bit so people can have real choices. Or enough people to abandon the two parties and become independents (I did). That way, both parties, with their bases shrunk down to size could be kept on their toes so to speak. Maybe then, they will stop taking people for granted. Wall street monopolies kill meaningful competition in the financial and business world. Ditto for the Republican and Democratic parties.

Toxic Nationalism

There were two good articles in awate.com published in late August I wanted to piggyback on. Hopefully, this is still relevant. .

Referring to the discomfort Yosief's writing generated among some readers, Gebrehiwet Andemariam's thoughtful article titled "The Peril of a Convoluted Argumentation" urges us to "swallow our pride and move on" as a way to create more productive dialog. This is indeed good advice and good medicine against the prevailing toxic nationalism that continues to condone injustice in the name of "sovereignty".

Yosief is, no doubt, an out-of-the-box writer who refuses to be confined to what is safe or popular. His brilliantly argued ideas can shake the core of previously unquestioned assumptions. I don't always agree with Yosief. But agree or not, I find pleasure in the refined nuances and the unexpected turns his brilliant mind enlivens its arguments with. Any attempt to silence him and others by attacking their person, as Gebrehiwet warns, instead of challenging their ideas with better ones is a huge mistake. Doing so will only add more proof-points to one of Yosief's well-written articles titled "Equality By Subtraction" – which should be required reading, especially for Diaspora Eritreans.

In today's Eritrea, equality is maintained at misery levels by continuously taking away ("subtracting") rights and freedoms. Education is devalued and professional accomplishments are "subtracted" until a doctor, a teacher or an architect is reduced to a mere "gebar" (lowly tax paying subject) in the lingo of the regime's elites. Professionals whose services should be put to better use are forced to do menial and meaningless work where they are ordered to dig ditches only to fill them up later. They are often locked up without charges and forgotten, creating equality through misery that no human being should be subjected to.

In today's Eritrea, families who successfully supported themselves and educated their children for decades by working endless hours in neighborhood shops and other small businesses find themselves seriously marginalized. Their self-reliant nature is now "subtracted" to poverty levels through unfair competition from regime owned shops that don't pay taxes or pay fair prices for business inputs. Hard-earned money that was once very productive in the hands of families who managed it responsibly is now squandered to support corruption and cronyism. What, one wonders, do the regime and its supporters believe is being accomplished by the willful destruction of families who - through hard work and grit - competently cared for and educated so many before?

In today's Eritrea, one of the regime's despicable practices includes jailing aging parents until ransom money is paid; yet another way to "subtract" from the already precarious financial health of struggling families. If toxic nationalism was not getting in the way to justify such criminal behavior, the regime would not have dared to take such action to begin with. And when it did, it would have been forced to return every penny embezzled in this manner to its innocent and rightful owners. It is impossible to put currency to the regime's empty "self-reliance" slogan when its repeated actions continue to sap the life blood of previously self-reliant people like no parasite can.

In today's Eritrea, the regime is actively destroying centuries-old culture that valued family, education, honest work and respect for one another; only to replace it with a culture of arrogance, destruction of the family unit and reckless adventurism where people are sacrificed without ever entertaining alternatives on how to protect them first. The regime's shoot-first policy has been sacrificing young and old without justification. Yosief aptly puts it this way: "a cause doesn't become a justification because you die for it; its justification should be established prior to the sacrifice".

The second article by Daniel G. Mikael titled, "God Save Us from those who Love their Country", also caught my eye. Like Daniel, I too cannot see why any sane person still supports this regime unconditionally. Daniel does an excellent job of articulating what misplaced "love of country" can do to justify any crime. To expand a bit on Daniel's points, I doubt very much if conscious love of country is driving the support. A country is not a government and it certainly is not one person. In an environment where people are reduced to "disposable creatures" (as Yosief puts it) with absolutely no voice to talk back to power, there is a pervasive idiocy among Diaspora Eritreans that unashamedly sees Eritrea and the abusive system that has hijacked it and its constitution as one and the same. In its most ridiculous form, Eritrea is equated to the very person who has transformed it to a wasteland of no institutions and no laws. You point out his monumental failures and you just insulted the country. Countries "loved" this way usually don't fare well.

His last interview with AlJazzira is a clear case of how absolute power has corrupted absolutely again. His pointless and incoherent responses shifting to irrelevant issues of Americans missing their breakfast and food shortages in Egypt and, according to him, lack of democracy and freedom everywhere else except, apparently, in Eritrea was painful to even watch. Incapacitated by delusion of grandeur, he seemed more concerned about poor Americans and continues to show no interest in addressing Eritrea's problems. What makes this particularly tragic is seeing many in the Diaspora, including many with the highest levels of education the world has to offer, simply parroting the same suffocating propaganda. Hope and optimism were so pervasive in this once promising nation. The AlJazzira interview shows the regime has essentially extinguished both.

Things have gone this far in such a short time because the toxic nationalism people have so far been unable to shake off (where country is "subtracted" to the level of one person) has gotten in the way of people's good judgment. This sort of irrational nationalism can be very destructive as seen in Zimbabwe, for example. As he shreds the country's fabric to pieces, Mugabe claims success with the obscene justification that he is standing up against the West. When a country is ruled by slogans, the thinking process gets seriously clogged. Instead of coming up with solutions to problems, this sort of corrosive nationalism can only be counted on to come up with more meaningless slogans to cover up previous failures.

In Eritrea, regime supporters are quick to mention that roads, schools and clinics are being built as justification for their support. This is really an empty statement because I have yet to hear anyone who denies these things are important. It reminds me of Bush saying "you can't talk me out of freedom being a good thing"(doubtful that anyone even tried). The question is at what cost are these roads being built? What goods and services do they carry? Do they encourage vibrant commerce and tourism or are they mainly serving the regime's suffocating control over everything? Who is building them? Are the schools centers of learning or military boot camps? Why is the only university in the country closed? Why are the "colleges" that supposedly replaced the university administered by the military?

Why is Eritrea's most productive segment of the population leaving in such huge numbers? Some brush this off by saying there will always be people who leave their country of birth – not an honest response really. On per capita basis, Eritrea must be among the top countries in the world, with the biggest exodus of its vibrant population segment. On honest reflection, it is easy to see that people are leaving for reasons far and beyond "normal" migration. They are fleeing a system that devalues their lives. They are running away from slave labor and a bleak horizon where they can't see opportunities for a brighter future. People leave with passports in their pockets during normal migrations. To the contrary, these new refugees are leaving by taking huge risks, crossing borders while fully aware of standing "shoot-to-kill" orders. Many have actually been shot while trying. These people are not leaving as part of "normal" anything. They are running for their lives, running from real conditions that are snuffing out peoples' hopes and aspirations.

So, what to do?

Gebrehiwet's advises us to be less defensive and to get out of our box; to start over. With two hands clasped together as a prayer icon, Daniel, I think, is asking us to pray first; which is a good thing. But also, to wake up from being "hypnotized zombies", to stop the mindless support for what has turned out to be a criminal system.

To carry on a bit further on their points, I would add the following. With an open heart and clear mind, try to listen to the people who made it out by going through improbable routes – with many dying along the way. You will learn how thugs (literally) are given unquestioned powers by the regime's top brass to do anything they want to anyone. No questions asked. They can take anyone to prison with instruction to prison guards to just "hold" their victims (axneHaley).

Although physically in prison, these victims are intentionally not registered. When a loved one fails to come home, families typically fan out to all the known prisons. Prison personnel open the register and inform relatives their loved one is not in the register. In other words, that victim just stopped to exist. As unbelievable as this sounds, some get "lost" for years because the one in whose name the victim is being "held" never came back to clear the matter. As a result, many continue to rot in jail, some die and some are murdered. It now appears Mohammed Hagos, a decent and intelligent man I had the pleasure of meeting on several occassions when I was living in Eritrea, has become one of their latest victims.

You will hear about the countless 5-square-meter cells where people are packed like sardines for months and years. They will tell you how incredibly difficult it is to even turn on your side. You will hear about awfully unhygienic conditions, with ever present stench of human waste in the packed cells, which makes one wonder how in the world did they ever manage to live through it to tell their stories. Listen carefully when they tell you about beatings they endured while hanging upside down from tree branches and other limb twisting torture techniques meant to break their spirit.

Perhaps there is a Darwinian element to it, but the ones I have come across or know about clearly show how miserably the regime failed in making a dent in their spirits. Their spirits are high and they are ready to pursue their dreams with bountiful energy. You will see the same people who were forced to aimlessly waste their lives under a repressive system coming alive in an environment that gives them hope and opportunities. Many new arrivals have excelled in school (a few I know with PhDs in hand) and at the work place -- same people, just different environments. Why are these admirable qualities crushed and not allowed to blossom in today's Eritrea?

Some in the Diaspora regurgitate the regime's failed propaganda saying the ease with which America accepts these Eritreans proves the CIA is encouraging them to leave their country. Two points: America would be absolutely stupid not to accept such intelligent and energetic individuals. These guys are at the prime of their lives and America gets the full reservoir of productivity they have to offer without paying a penny for it. Secondly, a more thoughtful response should have been if the CIA is encouraging them to leave, what is Eritrea doing to keep them? And who told Eritrean students in South Africa to get lost because Eritrea can get talent from Asia? Hopefully, people remember it was not the CIA. The "dear leader" contemptuously tells people to get lost, and with the same forked tongue disingenuously declares Eritrea's primary wealth is its people. Toxic nationalism blinds one from seeing such glaring contradictions. Instead of being outraged by the duplicity, Eritreans abroad normally cheer like "zombies".

Before uttering the first word of support for the oppressive regime, one ought to try to put oneself - even just for few fleeting seconds - in the shoes of the innocent victims for a change. Imagine you are the one disappearing, the one being tortured and locked up in the filthy cells, imagine you could have been Mohammed Hagos. Before saying anything about the roads, think about the villages that are hollowed out of their youthful energy. Before you praise the regime for building clinics, demand that Dr. Fitsum (the only psychiatrist the country had), and the countless innocents rotting in prison be freed immediately. Yes, building roads is a good thing. But wouldn't it be better if they were built without slave labor and with better quality. And why not in an environment where people's dignity is given the utmost respect and priority? And why not in an environment where hard work and honest means to earn a living are recognized and rewarded?

Once the questioning process starts, once the process of empathy starts by putting oneself in the shoes of victims, once you start asking why hard working Eritreans are being pushed off their decades-old means of livelihood by corrupt regime businesses, then the much needed healing process can take hold. If one person at a time stands up for what is right, it is another nail into the coffin of injustice and misery. Only then, can the country be saved and improve its chances of revival.

Unconditional support given to such a regime essentially negates the very freedoms we all enjoy in our adopted countries. This includes the positive personal experiences of the regime's supporters themselves – experiences and freedoms they cannot have in today's Eritrea. Here is the irony: in rare but unguarded moments, even the most rabid supporters refer to their beloved regime as a "use and throw" system. How strange that while many fight slavery valiantly, others just can't seem to snap out of an enslaved mindset - even after experiencing freedom. This is not a case where ignorance is bliss.

To borrow Daniel's point again, let's stop being zombies. Although toxic nationalism disingenuously plays the 'sovereignty' card, sovereignty is exactly what is being compromised. Eritrea, like Zimbabwe, is much weaker and less viable as a nation today precisely because the very people it needs to ensure its sovereignty are imprisoned, killed or told to get lost. It is time to abandon this failed mind set. It is time to unblock hearts and minds – to think and to be humane.

AFRICA – BLAMING OTHERS AGAIN

AFRICA – BLAMING OTHERS AGAIN
Email: testifanos@gmail.com

The king of Swaziland, during his 40th birthday bash, told his subjects “we need people who take their responsibilities seriously” - good advice, really. Only problem is, the good king failed to show this by example. Officially, poor Swaziland spent $2.5M (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/06/Swaziland.ap/index.html) to celebrate his 40th birthday. Unofficial estimates go over $12M. According to the king, this is not personal but a celebration of “nationhood” -- where yet again a nation is equated to one person.

Mugabe was among the invited guests and commanded the “loudest cheers” from the crowd because, apparently, he “stands up” to the West. How is it that you run a country to the ground, conduct yourself in the most irresponsible ways imaginable and somehow this is interpreted as a virtue? The king himself made references to “a world full of prejudice”. That explains it perfectly – Mugabe “stands up to the West” by destroying his country and “prejudice” is making the king squander the nations' meagre resources to enrich "the West". Eight of his 13 wives went luxury shopping in Dubai for the occasion while the country wallows in poverty. Oh dear God, please save Africa.

ALWAYS THANK YOUR TEACHERS

THANK YOU MEMHR TIBLETZ
Email: testifanos@gmail.com

Memhr* Tibletz was my first grade teacher in Adi Teclezan, Eritrea. Although she may not have known this, she is one of the few people who made a profoundly positive difference in my life. When I returned to Eritrea in the mid-90s, I tried to find her and thank her in person, unfortunately, without success.

My father was a struggling trader when I was in first grade; He was mostly gone trying to find ways to support the family and that is where memhr Tibletz steps in. She noticed that I was often coming to school at the end of the day when her students were just about ready to go home. I am not sure how useful I was with field work at seven but my chores included helping my uncle in the fields. And for him, school time was whenever field work was finished and that is when I would start trekking to class.

My uncle, I know, loved me and did not do this with any bad intent. He was protective of me and I remember him punching the daylights out of a man who rubbed poison ivy on my legs one day. I failed to keep our oxen away from the man's crops and my uncle, I am sure, would not have disagreed that I needed to somehow learn a lesson for my inattention. But the use of poison ivy infuriated him so much he decided to physically deal with the man. I must say, it felt good to see the dude pinned down to the ground making himself useful as a helpless punching bag. But I digress.

Concerned about my lack of regular attendance, memhr Tibletz made a point of finding my father when he was in town (okay, village). My father had a serious talk with his youngest brother and it was decided that I would still help with field work but not at the expense of my schooling. Reflecting back on this now, I believe it was one of the key turning points in my life.

After I became a ‘regular’ student, I remember memhr Tibletz’s gentle words trying to build up my confidence. She used to encourage me by telling me how nicely my handwriting was improving although I needed to stop flipping my letters. I don’t recall consciously internalizing what she meant by this but I somehow must have gotten it because she stopped saying it after a while. Decades later, I was suddenly reminded about the “flipped letters” in my Tigrigna lettering exercises when I saw my U.S.-born children writing their Es like 3s. Hopefully, that is the only genetic defect that was passed on.

I was very lucky to have memhr Tibletz as my first grade teacher. For me, she epitomizes the true meaning of what it is to be a teacher. She cared enough to step out of the classroom to reach out to my father and changed the life of one goofy seven year old who couldn't tell time. I have had great teachers since then. But memhr Tibletz holds that special place and she has always been my favorite teacher.

If there is anyone out there with a similar story, don’t wait like I did to say "thank you". For those still in school and who might not even know what to thank their teachers for, do it anyway. It is highly likely that happy blessings you encounter later on in life can be tied back to the influence of a great teacher who cared.

---------o----------
* memhr is a revered Tigrigna word which shallowly translates to teacher. When I was a kid, students respectfully addressed their teachers as "memhr" in person. When the teacher was not around, it was "memhr" followed by the teacher's first name – thus memhr Tibletz (I don't remember her second name which is the father's name. Eritrea and Ethiopia don't use family names). When we saw our teachers walking by, even outside school grounds, we students would stop whatever we were doing and stood still until they were out of sight. Sometimes, the teachers wouldn’t even see or know we were standing by to honor their presence.

That reverence for teachers seems to have faded away nowadays as I witnessed it during our family’s six-year stay in Eritrea. I got to be familiar with the conditions of my old high school (Qehas then, Red Sea Secondary now). My children were going to Red Sea and I joined the PTA where we held candid discussions with students and teachers. The teachers would tell us that in spite of the highly appreciated status teachers enjoyed in our days, teaching is not the same anymore. So much so, the teachers would tell us, if a young lady is past “marrying age”, people would express their surprise by saying, “What is the problem, she can’t even find a teacher?” Although there is a joke component to the line, it was told with a sense of loss that strongly suggested reality was not far behind.