Conscious Africans everywhere are looking forward steadfastly to the consolidation of the African Union, when village tyrants and their foreign backers will no longer be able to delay the African development process. But the true success of this mission depends on a serious cultural and educational awakening of Africans globally. This is not a pipe dream. It is an urgent necessity that means the difference between survival and extinction.

We have to reclaim the ideals of Marcus Garvey that inspired him to form A UNITED NEGRO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION, and the ideals of Haile Selassie that inspired him to form THE ETHIOPIAN WORLD FEDERATION, both for the purpose of bringing together Africans globally under one political umbrella.

The wealth of Africa can no longer be allowed to be a curse that creates poverty and conflict for Africans, and causes Africans to flee to foreign lands where they are scorned and mistreated while foreign entities keep up the resource drain. See: http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE6AR07I20101128

Let it be known that the healing of the African Diaspora is very much dependent on the healing of continental Africa. Events taking place in the month of January in Sudan also need to be monitored, and it is encouraging to see that other African states are prepared to take action in the case of Ivory Coast. See news item that follows. Act locally, think globally.

Ras Jahaziel

http://www.rastafarivisions.com

Read the latest!

@Jack Spratt

Are you being provocative or naive?

Already there is a deteriorating perception of how individual governments manage Black countries on the African continent, remember Amin and the latest Mugabe, tohttps://bajan.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=all#comments-form name two?

Whether Blacks like it or not how we are globally perceived by ‘others’ is wrapped up in how the Mother nation of Blacks, Africa, resolves its political and social problems.

It is one reason why Barbados, a predominant Black nation but walk the high road on governance issues.

Could you do me the favor of explaining why or how ?

Like Martin Luther eloquently expounded, we are, as an African people, bound together in a single garment of destiny, an inescapable network of mutuality. Africans in the diaspora can never be what they ought to be until Africans on the home continent are allowed to be what they ought to be. In this context, the suggestion that we should not be concerned with what is happening in a, quote, “…..uncivilized African nation….” clearly examines the issue through the same prism as the Imperialist Slave master who use the same description for all people who look like us. Reading that description on this board is a deja vu reminder that the past is not as far back as we imagine.

Whenever the US, UN and western imperialists back any African ‘leader’ its at the detriment of the African people. Already, this stalemate has affected world markets and that’s why the imperialists are so interested…their pockets and their capitalist machine are being affected….they’re not one bit interested in the welfare of the the poor Black African.

Little Barbados without the mineral rich assets of our Motherland is already corrupt, so ‘God’ knows why he didn’t bless us with such riches, because the ‘leaders’ of Barbados with their imperialistic leanings would definitely turn Barbados into a wasteland. So we had better be thankful that we are merely exists at the mercies of the ‘Queen’ who still owns that land and that we are still servants to the tourists and off-shore companies. Ain’t nothing special about BARBADOS!

(Repeat) Yes, we have an admirable record of stability. It has come, however, at a price. The Black majority in Barbados paid, and continues to pay, dearly for the stability that we all enjoy here on this island. As a measure of this sacrifice, ask yourselves if the population was over 90% White or Asian, would Blacks, as a minority, be embraced in the same manner that Whites and Asians are now embraced? So when you, whether Asian, Black or White, reflect upon the stability and quality of life that you enjoy here, spare a thought for the price that Blacks continue to pay for it. Possibly then you would understand why racism and discrimination have no place in Barbados.

I personally don’t have a problem with racist people, once them up front and hold them side I will hold mine and we will agree to disagree.

The Problem lies with people that don’t know they are racist, we, the nation of barbados are being told by our leaders its NISE to SERVE tourist, but how do you define a tourist? the average Barbadian will call every white skinned person a tourist and be NISE to them so white skinned persons automatically get better treatment (good for all you).

I also have nutting against government actively promoting NISEness towards every one, but I get the feeling like natives are being left out and we are being told to only be, “nice little polite percys” towards what we perceive as a tourist.

Not only through direct advertising but also action (where tax payers money is go), eg. Top class airport and the pupee bus stands (all of them). Why is this? can’t we not see how this poor treatment is negatively affecting the moral of the working class that uses PSV’s?.

Also the police need to be properly trained in how to treat locals.

Proper design and appropriate materials will make things hard to vandalizes.

Don’t use bad behavior of a few as a excuse to make majority suffer.

But in keeping with the topic of the thread, mother Africa needs our help, I think GOB should invest in a gold mine or two!

On the subject of perception of Blacks. In Barbados there is a real perception by many that the White community places more confidence in a BLP government. To what extent does such a perception influences the work of government?

@ Ping Pong
“. . . . The best thing Barbados can do for Cote d’Ivoire is not follow its bad example of governance.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

“Ivory Coast reported to be on the brink of genocide”

Exactly. NOW is the time for the UN and IMF and World Bank and ALL foreign investors and ALL westerners to withdraw IMMEDIATELY from ALL of Africa.

Let we Africans have AFRICAN solutions to African problems.

The Ivory Coast is on the brink of genocide because ‘genocide’ has always been the prelude for military intervention. This is one sure way to get foreign boots on the soil to protect the interest on the global multi-national corporations. And one can always guarantee that foreign trouble makers, like Xe, mossad & cia are in there moving things right along. And there will be wholescale murderation going on there once these foreign marauders move in there, under the guise of preventing ‘genocide.’ When there was genocide in Rwanda, didn’t the US, UN, France and the other imperialists know? And why weren’t they interested in getting in there to prevent it?

From 1948 until present there has been ongoing genocide in Palestine, yet the BBC and other media whores aren’t calling it that.

Yet another case of the FOX guarding the HEN HOUSE!

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I wanna wish BU more enlightenment and the Blessings of the ALL for the future. I appreciate the bytes you give to us, the ‘good’ the ‘bad’ and the ‘ugly.’ Stay vigilant and focused and never follow. Chart your own course! You will never be the 4th estate and you will never replace them, because with the aid of the internet, the 4th estate, with all its deceit, hypocrisy and other ‘isms’ will be displaced and please don’t look to be an Assange neither, because he is already bought and paid for. [Just check out his affiliations…..his lawyer Stephens works for the Rothschild, Assange has a book deal in the works for about 1.1mil, he doesn’t accept people discussing 9/11 being a conspiracy…so much for his belief in freedom of speech, the man who is heavily into redacting]. Just know that “Whenever the curtain moves its not always the wind.”

————

And to all the other BU family members & esp those whom I ‘grew’ up with, I wish you all LOVE in its original and purest form….JC, ROK, Negroman, CH, MME,Technician, GP, BP, J, ST, BT, Yardbroom & BAFBFP.

“THE SUN NEVER SETS, WE ONLY MOVE AWAY FROM THE LIGHT.”

FYI

 

TheBlackList Pub

Opening Doors To Being Free

World Awaits Historic Decision, the birth of a New Nation – South Sudan

On January 9th, 2011, one of the worst kept secrets in the world will become public. By overwhelming margins, indigenes of Sudan that trace their lineage back to southern parts of the largest country in Africa will vote overwhelmingly to become an independent republic. According to recently released figures by the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau, 96 percent of eligible voters in Southern Sudan had registered to vote in the referendum. In addition, 43 percent of eligible voters living in the Northern part of Sudan have also registered to vote. Southern Sudanese in the Diaspora are also not left out: more than 58,000 are already registered to vote in the referendum. In addition, the referendum will also determine whether the strategic town of Abyei will become part of an independent Southern Sudan.

It is important to note that the United Nations had adjudged the registration exercise as free and transparent. The government of Sudan is on record restating its commitment to the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including the conduct of a self determination referendum in Southern Sudan. The interim government of Southern Sudan is also on record regarding its preparation for the peaceful conduct of a referendum.

For all practical purposes, a new republic of Southern Sudan will be born on January 9, 2011. The critical question is whether the government of Sudan, Africa and the international community is ready to adequately midwife the birth of a new nation that will rise from the ashes of one of the longest civil wars in Africa.  Will the government of Sudan abide by its international obligations and let go of the oil rich Southern Sudan? If the government of Sudan will not let go, is the government of Southern Sudan sufficiently prepared militarily and politically to survive? Is the African Union ready to intervene if skirmishes or even war erupts between North and South Sudan? What is the measurable, verifiable contingency plan by the United Nations, the European Union and South-South nations if post referendum chaos erupts in Southern Sudan?  How will the powerful five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council react to potential post referendum violence in Southern Sudan? In particular, what will be the specific response by the Obama Administration in view of its significant investment in a peaceful referendum?

To date, everybody involved with the logistics and planning for the referendum in Southern Sudan is playing nice and hoping for the best in what may become an explosive situation. It is better to be prepared than sorry in this delicate situation. Very few countries in the world have peacefully let go a rich segment of their jurisdiction. Stakeholders in the January 9th Referendum need to establish specific contingency plans for a possible post referendum chaos in Southern Sudan. Part of this contingency plan should include specific repercussions for individuals, organizations and nations that sabotage the referendum or support post voting violence. It is also critical that the African Union and the international community ensure that the will of the people of Southern Sudan prevails during the referendum. The referendum should not only be peaceful but verifiably fair and transparent.

It is also important for African governments, the African Union, international development institutions and the international community to invest significantly in a democratic, religiously tolerant, transparently managed Southern Sudan. The will of the long suffering people of Southern Sudan can only be fulfilled if the new country is governed with strong democratic traditions of representative government and transparent management of scarce resources. In particular, an independent Southern Sudan should maximize the advantages of its diverse society by ensuring broad representation in leadership positions, in the allocation of public resources and in the spread of government amenities to all parts of the country.

In particular, the new government of Southern Sudan facing gaps in public and private sector technical capacity should build and sustain a powerful relationship with Southern Sudanese in Diaspora. The Southern Sudanese in Diaspora played important role in the struggle for self determination. Individuals with demonstrable technical skills should be encouraged to come back and contribute to the sustainable development of the new country. The acrimonious dichotomy that often exists between newly independent African countries and their brethren in the Diaspora should be strenuously avoided. 

Soon, the newest independent country in the world will be born on January 9th, 2011 in one of the most historical parts of Africa. Eternal vigilance should be the watchword so that the newly independent Southern Sudan can fulfill its promise to the idealistic young men and women that laid down their lives in search of freedom. Perhaps, finally, the lost boys of Sudan can metaphorically come back home to their cherished, ancient land and help build a modern, prosperous country.

By Dr. Chinua Akukwe.

The author is former Chair of the Africa Center for Health and Human Security at the George Washington University, Washington, DC. He is the Chair of the Africa Union Africa Diaspora Health Initiative, Washington, DC.

SOURCE: African Executive