African View: A question of leadership

Obama told the large crowd of Ghanaians that he was honoured to be in Africa In our series of weekly viewpoints from African journalists, columnist and filmmaker Farai Sevenzo considers issues of leadership and that Obama trip to Ghana. My fellow Africans, it is an honour for me, indeed for us as a people, to be living in these times. From Accra to Zanzibar, from Lusaka to Libreville, we have been witnessing leadership the likes of which we may never see again. Just the other week, somewhere in a Libyan backdrop, a great leader said we should become the United States of Africa immediately, that we should not wait. Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi is calling for a united Africa And within the last 12 months, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had been shouting from every mountain-top for the African people to share in his grand design of African Unity. "We want an African military to defend Africa, we want a single African currency, we want one African passport to travel within Africa," the colonel told assembled kings, chiefs and traditional rulers last year - before being declared "King of Kings" by the gathered chiefs, who were themselves in danger of being declared clowns with crowns. Predictable leadership But nobody listened then and they weren't listening only two weeks ago when those who purport to be our leaders gathered in the colonel's tent in Sirte and gave us another predictable African Union conference in which the brotherhood of presidents nod to each other and ignore issues of human rights. Obama understands them, said the commentators, he can speak to Africans better than anyone else can, as if the language of empathy is an alien one Tough love from a brother They talk up the idea of union even as they wage wars against their neighbours and kill their own for voting the wrong way, and choose to stick together when the International Criminal Court accuses one of their own of crimes against humanity. Save Bashir from the evil ICC, they cried. No he must face the music, said Botswana. Occasionally there is a lone voice of dissent, but leadership as we have come to know it is predictable fare and the pace of change on our continent remains tied to the fate of men and women who have no wish to give up that leadership. Friend in the White House I was in the middle of these musings over a very late breakfast, when the airwaves seemed to go up a pitch in great excitement. It was as if the second coming was here. Journalists, broadcasters, ordinary people were positively gushing over the expected speech of one Barack Hussein Obama to the parliament of Ghana in Accra. Whenever this grandson of Kenya opens his mouth, it is to spew great floods of hope and purpose, to carry all our ears to the loftiest clouds of possibilities. Furthermore, unlike an Obama Beer, he leaves no trace of a hangover after these flights of fancy. Will it stop the killings, the rapes the blind loyalty to men who will not be in the future we need to build? He spoke to the chosen lucky Ghanaians and reminded them of their proud past, he evoked Kwame Nkrumah and told us Africans to fight for our right to democracy. He went on and on with that pop star charisma about what this 21 Century demands of us if we are to reach our full potential. He chided and encouraged, bit and blew kisses, and like everyone else who has been caught in the glow of his amazing journey, the Ghanaians seemed to glow at Barack Obama's passing over their fair city. Obama understands them, said the commentators, he can speak to Africans better than anyone else can, as if the language of empathy is an alien one. Is this the leadership model that will win us over? Is this the one to follow? Then what do we do with all the generals and coup-plotters and geriatric old men who gathered in the colonel's tent a fortnight ago to silently imply that democracy doesn't work in Africa, that opposition breeds violence? And what exactly did his speech tell us that we have not been saying to ourselves? More importantly will it stop Africans from crossing the desert, paying people traffickers for the privilege of drowning off the Spanish coast in search of a life outside of Africa? Will it stop the killings, the rapes, the blind loyalty to men who will not be in the future we need to build? Will presidents end their habit of changing constitutions so they can stay on and on and on? According to the Orator, it's really up to us. And before you all start screaming "Yes We Can" at your radios, or naming your twins Barack or Hussein, yes the President of America is the first friend we have had in the White House in a long time, he said he carries African blood in his veins, but he cannot fix our tomorrows. What do think about Farai Sevenzo's latest viewpoint? Send us your comments using the postform below. I think people like Gaddafi should simply shut up and stop boring Africans with this talk of United States of Africa. It'll never happen and that's a fact of life. He's had his hand in every coup pie on this continent. The likes of Charles Taylor and late Sankoh are his own products. Osabutey ANNY, Tema, Ghana You have in the same tent in Sirte: Mugabe, Gaddafi, Bashir, Dos Santos of Angola, Nguesso, Mubarak, Odinga, Kibaki and you want to talk democracy?You must be joking. Majority of them should just be shipped to join Taylor. Lesetja Ledwaba, Tshwane, South Africa Farai's write-up is a nice one. Our leaders in Africa are quiet insensitive and selfish. They lie and steal, slain and slave us... Africans need to rise up to the challenge. We should not wait for Obama to provoke our minds to action. Even if he has African blood in his veins, can he shed it for the continent? We are the inmates of the land and our success will definitely be from our hands. Popoola Bil'amin, Abeokuta, Nigeria I am a proud African, but not proud of the kind of leadership that we have. Obama is correct to say the things that he says about Afica and we know they are real, we live with them daily and we say it is okay, it is order of the day, but if we want an Africa that we are all proud off, then we need to believe that we too can set the standards, institutions and even move away from all the stereotype that we have been made. But on the other hand, isn't America, just doing PR because at the end of the day they will always want to be superpower and if helping Africa genuinely was to happen, then it should have happened a while ago. Edwinah Orowe, Nairobi Kenya I don't agree with this perspective at all - to assume that Obama 'understands' Africans simply because he is an African - yet the content of his speech made no acknowledgement of the role of the US in constructing African dictatorships. These rulers get a lot of support from the West and the West benefits materially out of these regimes - Shell in Nigeria is a good example. Obama also glossed over AfriCom - a move which has been resisted by African leaders and this is an important interest of the US setting itself up in Africa. I agree with JohnBMal, the BBC needs a more critical perspective on things. Nsandi, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe I am an African who feel very offended by Mr Obama coming to our continent and being a very ungracious guest. Mr Obama where are your manners? You don't get invited into somebody's house and you go and bad mouth them. Yes colonialism and neo-colonialism are responsible for most of our problems in Africa. Who are you kidding?! You want to blame African leaders for the continent's crisis but don't you know that these leaders try to operate in global system that is screwed against them? What really do you know about colonialism and its after effects? I cannot believe that a foreign leader comes into our continent and abuses us and we clap for him. Which other regions of the world will allow that? I don't care if African blood is in him he must not come there and disrespect us. personally I hope he never gets invited back into Africa. But I will advise Mr Obama that if has anything to say next time about Africa, he should instead talk about the immense constraints imposed upon Africa by this international system. The entire structure, organization and function of this system is biased against us. So I am not happy at all with this speech. It was a terrible insult to us Africans. Even if what he said was completely true, he should have met the African leaders, say at the AU meeting, and talk to them there. He has just given Africa's enemies more ammunitions. And I ask my fellow Africans: Where is your pride and love for your motherland? Are you that dumb that somebody will curse you out and you applaud them? WAKE UP!!!! Aminu Wouba, Cameroon Africa has the best politicians money can buy! I know people are not happy with what Obama spoke, he spoke like a distant relative paying a visit and he spoke the truth, it is painful, it is bitter and it is true. Every government in Ghana since independence has had a charge of corruption levelled against them. This hold's true for every government in Africa. Selfish self-centered politicians who get wealthy at the cost of the electorate, set up totalitarian regimes to stay in power, rape the economy and blame it on the foreigners. If you have son or daughter who wants to be a politician, kill them for they will bring shame to your family name. FiveFiveFive, Accra Ghana Africa expected too much from Obama because his father was African, after reading his book "Dreams from my Father" I am in no doubt that he is as biased and as morally arrogant to us as all the other 'white men' that come here. 'White men' don't always have white skin and it takes more to be an African than to just have African DNA. Lesley Agams, Abuja, Nigeria As an American I am absolutely offended by the comment that President Obama is the 'first friend we have had in the White House in a long time.' African's should discount all the efforts and money President George W Bush provided to Africa. As a tax payer who's money went to Africa under Bush, I am appalled by such an ungracious comment. Sure Bush wasn't 'African', but I don't think that is a legitimate qualifier for acceptance. If so, then we should be re-thinking our whole development strategy. Everyone needs to wake-up, Obama's greatest qualification is not his race! Amber, New York I find it disturbing that a President of any nation, addressing the Political leadership of another country, decides to use that venue to discuss a whole continent (50+ countries). As if the men/woman in that room are responsible for what happens in Sudan or Congo, anymore than a congress man in Washington DC is responsible for the actions of a politician in Canada. Why did he not speak that way to the Russian parliament when their Corruption Perception Index is higher then 96% of most other countries and dissidents are being poisoned? There seems to be a "talk-down-to" and a "lump-together" mentality there. He was in Ghana and should have spoken about Ghana. We may all look the same but we don't all salute the Ghanaian flag (in "Africa".) Andrew Priam, Abuja, Nigeria Well said article. I could not add more. Only few exceptions exist in Africa. Belay, Addis Ababa Can someone please tell this guy to stop showering praises to Obama as if he is the king of the world in this age because from the looks of things he is leading a crumbling economy. Instead of him going around the world and having photos of him taken Like his some Hollywood Star and uttering a lot of meaningless words which are not backed by works, he should consider going back into his oval office and think of ways to America before he starts thinking of saving the world. As far as i am concerned at the present moment China is the super power because its the one with all the money so i don't know what's all this craze over Obama. Huddy, Cape Town I take issue with that statement that "yes the President of America is the first friend we have had in the White House in a long time". That is an insult to Bill Clinton, George W Bush and many American Presidents that have been great to democracy on the continent. How is the Messiah I mean President Obama any different from past presidents? He is a man like them all. Wait and see. Isaac Mensah, Baltimore, Maryland, USA This writer says that Obama carries African blood in his veins but cannot fix our problems. Obama can make promises to Pakistanis, Afghans, Muslims and Israelis about what he can do to solve their problems. Yet his only solution to his continent is that Africa solves its problem. President George W. Bush helped Africa more if President Obama were to end his reign on this note. Thomas, New Jersey, US The great orator did not say new things. We always knew that change can only come from within. However, this does to mean that the West did not/is not playing a negative role. We do not produce weapons of killings the West does. We do not topple revolutionary governments but the West does through its hired mercenaries. ...And we Africans, we deserve the governments that we have. We have to change and pragmatically try to bring change to our country. Simply blaming strong men of Africa is not enough!! Kelemu, Alberta,, Canada Well said Mr Sevenzo. What chance does the continent have if after all these years the Godfather of coup plots - Gadafi is repositioning himself as the father of the radical changes Africa Need? Clearly, he cannot claim to have any new strategies he has not already implemented. However, as a mark of his commitment to the illusion that is "United States Of Africa", he should declare Libyan job market open to all Africans and most importantly, step aside and allow the concept of true democracy to come to the fore. Suhood Komeh, London Farai's opinion is 100% correct. There is no leader in Africa but rulers that are being disturbed by indigenous crude mentality. It requires an exotic breed of Obama's Ideology for them to wake up from their slumber. Gadafi is advocating for United Africa that they (leaders) will sit upon to oppress. God will not allow the plan to work. Amen. Dr Gbolagade LAMEED, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria The problem with African leaders is that they lack vision. They have no clue what legacy means. All they think is how to enrich themselves at the expense of their followers. They fear poverty than they fear death. But death is certain. Poverty can be banished or tamed with good governance. Tayo Olayiwola, Tallahassee FL I find this very troubling - why is that the BBC always gets those who support its point of view to write articles? Even in readers/viewers comments only those with view identical to the BBC are printed. The truth is most Africans are unhappy with Obama's speech. Many articles have been written in the past 48 hours on this, yet the BBC again prefers to make the story instead of reporting. JohnBMal, Pretoria I don't agree with John BMal, they may criticize Obama's speech that their right to do so, if you look at where Africa is now and where was immediately after the independence you will find instead of moving forward is going back ward, how are we discuss about United of Africa, while in South Africa are killing other fellow Africans who helped them fight against discrimination. Look where Zimbabwe is now, is that kind leaders we wish to have in Africa, he thinks himself to be the only intelligent capable to rule Zimbabwe until he dies. Alimasi Omari, New Jersey, USA