Month: October 2023

Will the King grant the Return of the Skull of Kenyan Resistance Leader Koitalel Arap Samoei?

On By Dr. Y.In Great People3 Comments
Flag of Kenya

King Charles III is visiting Kenya on October 31. The leaders of the Nandi community in Western Kenya are requesting the returns of the skull of Koitalel arap Samoei, their chief, spiritual, and military leader killed by the British in 1905. Samoei waged a fierce resistance against the colonialists, and was killed by British soldier Richard Meinertzehagen, who had tricked him (the usual European colonial trick) into attending a truce meeting. A few months ago, we discussed the refusal of King Charles III to return the remains of Prince Alemayehu, son of Emperor Tewodros II, to Ethiopia; Ethiopians were told that returning his remains will not be possible, as it will disturb the resting place of several others in the vicinity (UK rejects Calls to Return Ethiopian Prince’s Remains). NONSENSE! Will the king agree to the return of the skull of Koitalel arap Samoei? Or will this be like the skull of King Mkwawa?

Koitalel arap Samoei, Supreme leader of the Nandi people of Kenya

Who was Koitalel arap Samoei?

Koitalel arap Samoei was the fourth of five sons of Kimnyole arap Turukat, Orkoiyot (king / Supreme leader) of the Nandi people of Kenya. His brothers were Kipchomber arap Koilege, Kipeles arap Kimnyole, Chebochok Kiptonui arap Boisyo, and Siratei arap Simbolei. His father, Kimnyole arap Turukat, was a strong leader with outstanding prophetic talents who predicted the arrival of Europeans on his soil. It is said that he also predicted his son Koitalel’s murder. Concerned by his son’s bravery, and to protect them all, Kimnyole sent 3 brothers to live among the Kipsigis people, while Koitalel was sent to live with the Tugen people.

Nandi warriors, ca 1905-1923

At Kimnyole’s passing, 25 years-old Koitalel succeeded to his father after a succession dispute with his brother Kipchomber arap Koilege. In the end, Koitalel was crowned Orkoiyot of the Nandi people, while his brother became the first Orkoiyot of the Kipsigis . He was a strong and fierce warrior. When the British started building the Uganda Railway going from Mombasa in Kenya to Kampala in  Uganda passing through the Nandi territory, Koitalel led an eleven-year resistance movement against the railway. He understood that this marked the doom for his people, and most likely dispossession of their ancestral lands. The Nandi people were fierce warriors and never gave up, even when faced with British artillery. Samoei was a strategic military leader, planning surprise attacks on the railroad workers, and the British when they least expected. He resisted fearlessly.

Richard Meinertzhagen ca 1922

For almost 12 years, the British could not capture him. On October 19, 1905, to end the resistance, British officer Richard Meinertzhagen lured Koitalel to a peace truce meeting after leading a rebellion against the colonial invasion of the Nandi. Both parties agreed to come with five companions each. While Samoei brought five companions, Meinertzhagen brought an entire battalion of 80 people, 75 of which hid in the bushes surrounding the area. When Koitalel extended his hand to greet Meinertzhagen, he killed Koitalel with a shot at point-blank range. Then the British man decapitated Koitalel’s body and took his head to London as proof of his death as well as a macabre trophy of colonialism. This was such a traumatic event to the Nandi people that it ended the Nandi resistance. This is a people who had time-outs to allow all parties to take care of wounded warriors.

Kipsigis warriors ca 1954

The colonial administration subsequently set about banishing, detaining or killing his brothers and sons. In 1909, his brother Kipeles arap Kimnyole was installed by the colonial government as Orkoiyot; Kipeles died in 1912. In 1919 Koitalel’s second son, Barsirian Arap Manyei took over the leadership. However, his reign only lasted until 1922, at which point the British colonial government incarcerated him. He stayed in jail until 1964, making him the longest-serving political prisoner in the history of Kenya; after his release, he died in abject poverty.

Today, there is a museum built in the Nandi Hills to commemorate Koitalel Arap Samoei and his effort. He has also been celebrated by the Google Arts and Culture. Koitalel Arap Samoei is seen as Kenya’s first freedom fighter.

As King Charles III visits Kenya, the Nandi elders are calling for the repatriation of the skull of their great leader, Koitalel Arap Samoei, and their cultural artifacts and compensation for the grievous atrocities suffered during the colonial era.  Do you think King Charles III would return Koitalel arap Samoei’s skull?

Ethiopian Scientist Gebisa Ejeta receives US National Medal of Science

On By Dr. Y.In Great Science1 Comment
Flag of Ethiopia

Over the past few years, especially since the war in Ukraine, we have seen a lot of countries go back to ancestral grains native to their lands and alternatives to wheat. In Africa, it has been sorghum, millet, fonio, sweet potatoes, cassava, and so much more: How Africa Copes with the War in Ukraine : Alternatives to Wheat and How Africa Copes with The War in Ukraine: Alternatives to Wheat – Ancient Grains? Sorghum is one of those plants, and this week Ethiopian-born scientist Gebisa Ejeta has been honored with the National Medal of Science, the highest state honor attainable by scientists in the United States. His work focuses on sorghum, and he has developed a sorghum hybrid that is resistant to drought and parasites. We applaud Gebisa Ejeta for his contributions. Excerpts below are from the BBC. Please also read from the announcement from Purdue University where he is a faculty.

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Ethiopian-born scientist Gebisa Ejeta has received the National Medal of Science, the highest state honour attainable by scientists in the United States.

US President Joe Biden said he awarded Mr Ejeta the medal for his “outstanding contributions to the science of plant genetics“.

Mr Ejeta is acclaimed as one of the world’s leading plant geneticists. He specialises in the study of sorghum, a popular source of food in Africa.

In 2009, Mr Ejeta won the prestigious World Food Prize for developing a sorghum hybrid that is resistant to both drought and the parasitic weed Striga, which commonly invades farms in Africa.

Sorghum is the fifth-most important cereal crop globally – after maize, wheat, rice and barley. It is also the second-most important cereal in Africa and has been embraced as a staple by several countries on the continent, particularly those prone to drought.

… Mr Ejeta, who holds American nationality, was one of nine leading US scientists awarded at the White House by President Biden on Tuesday.

“By developing sorghum strains that withstand droughts and parasites, he has improved food security for millions,” President Biden said at the award ceremony.

“His advocacy for science, policy, and institutions as key to economic development has lifted the fortunes of farmers and strengthened the souls of nations,” he added.

France Delivers Classified Colonization Documents to Cameroon

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
French flag

It is no secret that France perpetrated a genocide in Cameroon in the years leading to independence and after, French President Acknowledges French Genocide in Cameroon. It is also no secret that France perpetrated a genocide in Algeria and Madagascar during the same periods (France Admits Murder of Algerians … A Step Forward?, In Madagascar, People remember one of the deadliest French colonial wars in history). Those were some of the bloodiest and deadliest French colonial wars in history, counting over at least a combined 2 million deaths, and countless injured, and displaced populations.

Ruben Um Nyobé
Ruben Um Nyobé, assassinated during the French genocide in Cameroon

Last week, France delivered classified files to a joint commission of historians from both France and Cameroon; this comes 2 years after France sped up access to Algeria War secret archives (why did it take so long?). The mixed multidisciplinary commission was created 6 months ago under the impulse of Cameroonian and French civil societies to focus on the role of France in Cameroon during the period ranging from 1945 to 1971. The commission is led by the French historian Karine Ramondy and the Cameroonian singer Blick Bassy. A big part of the work now is to collect all the information, 70+ year old information, and interviews from the remaining witnesses. Although we applaud this, and we look forward to this part of Cameroonian history being brought forward, we cannot help but wonder why the French government waited 70 years to declassify these documents? It is so reminiscent of King Philippe of Belgium’s Visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to, among other things, acknowledge the last surviving World War II Congolese veteran soldier who served for Belgium, 97 year-old Corporal Albert Kunyuku; or the story of the 9 tirailleurs Senegalais who at last are now allowed to receive their pension while living in Senegal after serving to free up France during World wars I and II (they are aged 85 to 96 years old); or the British Government which apologized for Mau Mau atrocities. Sadly, this happens when the last witnesses are on their deathbeds, or dead already. We hope to be proven wrong, but these acts feel like these governments think, “let’s open this now that there are no survivors to point out our faults, nobody to complain on the other side, no eyewitnesses left, and just gratitude for our candid opening of classified documents.” We, the descendants, and generations to come will not forget, and we will keep the memories of our ancestors alive.

Excerpts below are from AfricaNews.

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UPC Leaders (L. to R.) front row: Castor Osende Afana, Abel Kingué, Ruben Um Nyobé, Felix Moumié, and Ernest Ouandié
UPC Leaders (L. to R.) front row: Castor Osende Afana, Abel Kingué, Ruben Um Nyobé, Felix Moumié, and Ernest Ouandié, all killed by France during the Cameroonian wars of independence

In a recent turn of events, Paris willingly delivered its classified files to a commission of historians from both countries charged by President Paul Biya of Cameroon and French President Emmanuel Macron to unveil the gruesome yet often ignored part of colonisation and decolonization process of the central African country, as it would seem colonial history remained a negligible component of French Identity.

This comes as one of many actions undertaken by French President Macron to prone a new relationship with Africa.

“Since president Macron, was committed to it, Cameroonian researchers benefit from conditions of access to these files which are classified,” stated Mrs. Ramondy.

Decapitated Heads during the genocide in Cameroon

Comprised of 15 historians, the team, directed by Karine Ramondy, will work on France’s involvement in Cameroon in the repression of independence and opposition movements between 1945 and 1971.

…

Nevertheless, some historians, such as Boniface Mongo-Mboussa, conceptualize memory work as selective and belonging to the realm of enchantment as opposed to the truth of history which is undeniable and indelible.

…

“Refugee Mother and Child” by Chinua Achebe

On By Dr. Y.In Great LiteratureLeave a comment
Dry your tears African

Our hearts go out to those who have been displaced from their homes, and lands, because of conflicts, wars, famines, floods, etc., as we have seen with the conflicts in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, the earthquake in Morocco, the floods in Libya, the western funded conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, and much more. Among the displaced, women and children are particularly at risk, as they face violence, maternal health, malnutrition, reproductive complications, inadequate access to water and sanitation, and other diseases.

An expectant mother, a pregnant woman’s belly

I found this gem of a poem by our venerated Chinua Achebe, “Refugee Mother and Child.” In this poem, Achebe highlights the case of the refugee mother who has to watch her child die because she cannot feed him, the one who still hopes for a miracle. Achebe particularly offers a comparison of a Madonna with her child in her arms, to the horrors of a refugee mother whose child is on death’s bead; or a normal day when this woman was not a refugee, to her life as a refugee. It is very heart-wrenching. This poem was written during the time of the Biafran war or Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s; Achebe found poetry easier to write in the tough times of war. Let’s all send a prayer to our refugee mothers and children, and to refugees all over the world.

Enjoy!

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REFUGEE MOTHER AND CHILD
Chinua Achebe

No Madonna and Child could touch
that picture of a mother’s tenderness
for a son she soon will have to forget.

The air was heavy with odors
of diarrhea of unwashed children
with washed-out ribs and dried-up
bottoms struggling in labored
steps behind blown empty bellies.
Most mothers there had long ceased
to care but not this one; she held
a ghost smile between her teeth
and in her eyes the ghost of a mother’s
pride as she combed the rust-colored
hair left on his skull and then –
singing in her eyes – began carefully
to part it… In another life
this would have been a little daily
act of no consequence before his
breakfast and school; now she
did it like putting flowers
on a tiny grave.

Burkina Faso Names Boulevard in Honor of Thomas Sankara

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Ibrahim Traore, President of the Transition, raises the new plate renaming the boulevard after President Thomas Sankara (Source: LeFaso.net)

On the 36th anniversary of Thomas Sankara’s assassination, Burkina Faso rulers have officially renamed one of the main streets of the capital Ouagadougou, previously known as General Charles de Gaulle Boulevard, replacing the country’s former colonial ruler with its very own leader and inspiration of the nation, Thomas Sankara.

The event took place on October 15 at the Thomas Sankara Memorial in Ouagadougou. Attendees included relatives of the late leader, the president of the transition, Ibrahim Traore, and government officials were in Ouagadougou. During this ceremony, President Thomas Sankara was elevated to the rank of hero of the nation.

“We are heirs of the revolution” by Thomas Sankara

“Article 1. The late Captain Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara is recognised as a Hero of the Nation […] The day of homage to the late Captain Isidore Thomas Noël Sankara is to be celebrated every 15th of October in Ouagadougou,” Bassolma Bazié, Minister of the Civil Service of Burkina Faso said.

The President of the transition, captain Traoré, laid the foundation stone for the Thomas Sankara mausoleum. The mausoleum will be built on the very site of the assassination of Thomas Sankara and of 12 of his companions. The Memorial complex will contribute to the strengthening of national unity, the valorization of history and collective memory, the revival of tourism in Burkina Faso, the revitalization of cultural and creative industries, the blossoming of science productions and education.

Ibrahim Traore lays the foundation for the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum (Source: LeFaso.net)

The boulevard, previously known as Boulevard Charles de Gaulle, adjoining the memorial, has been renamed after the panafricanist icon and former president Thomas Sankara.

“Today the Boulevard has been named Boulevard Thomas Sankara instead of Boulevard Charles de Gaulle. So today we’re very proud. Because if the Boulevard had been named after imperialists, today we think that we also have heroes, we also have valiant Burkinabe [after whom we] can name these Boulevards or streets […]” [Africanews]

Is Air France Resuming Flights in Mali?

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments3 Comments

Flag of Mali
Flag of Mali

The answer is a resounding NO! or rather not yet! When someone has treated another like a sub-human, it might be hard to all of a sudden recognize the other person’s humanity. This is what Air France has been doing on the African continent. After helping to wipe out Air Afrique, it is no secret that Air France has been the main carrier servicing many African countries for the past decades, and it has enjoyed a perfect monopoly with super-hiked up prices… it is cheaper to fly to Paris from any African capital, than to fly to a neighboring country (story for another day).

Map of Mali with its capital Bamako

On August 7, the commercial company, Air France, decided to take a political stand against the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, cancelling its flights to those countries without as much as a notice, a real breech of contract, because of the coup d’etat in neighboring Niger. Air France suspended its flights to Mali (seven per week) and Burkina Faso (five) on August 7 after the closure of the airspace of neighboring Niger following the coup in Niger. Imagine all the passengers who had paid tickets? Air France’s service is notoriously bad in Africa, do you think that they reimbursed them? Why should the coup in Niger make Air France stop servicing Mali or Burkina Faso? Just because the countries are neighbors? Imagine a country has issues with say, Germany, then as a result its airline cancels all flights to neighboring Belgium, and Netherlands without as much as a notice… the height of disrespect! how does it make sense?

After the suspension of Paris-Bamako connections by Air France, the Malian authorities decided on August 11 to cancel the company’s authorization to operate this line.

Now Air France would like to resume flights in Mali and Burkina Faso. Air France was set to resume this Friday October 13, and Malian authorities have halted the process with more requests to Air France. If you were the Malian or Burkinabe governments, would you agree? Shouldn’t there be new conditions to the partnership, if it is meant to resume?

To read more, check out SimpleFlying.

Bye Bye to French Troops in Niger

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Map of Niger

French troops have started withdrawing from Niger this week. The first convoy of French soldiers was escorted by Niger troops out of the country; they are moving to neighboring Chad where they are planning to stay. The French ambassador to Niger has already left the country, after defiantly ignoring the the numerous requests from the Niger government for him to leave (France set to Withdraw Troops and Ambassador from Niger). To this day, the Western media and the West still call the Niger government “junta leaders” or “mutinous soldiers” while they praise the Gabon military coup leader; such double standards! Niger’s government has also given 72 hours to the UN resident coordinator in Niger to leave the country; citing “underhanded maneuvers” by the U.N. secretary-general to prevent Niger’s full participation at last month’s General Assembly in New York, given that Niger’s representative was denied attendance (can you imagine: a nation belonging to the UN has a conflict with another member state, and the UN (organization supposed to serve all nations) refuses it a chance to talk at its tribune?). The US has now called the deposed president (puppet Bazoum), and suspended aid to Niger, while still maintaining their military drone base in Niger… All Niger people should remain on high alert!!!

Excerpts below are from Al-Jazeera.

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French flag

French soldiers have started to withdraw from their bases in Niger, with the first convoy of troops escorted out of the country by Niger’s military as it travelled in the “direction of Chad”, authorities in the capital Niamey said.

Pick-up trucks and armoured personnel carriers laden with French soldiers drove through the dusty outskirts of Niamey on Tuesday, marking a departure demanded by Niger’s military rulers who seized power in July.

In a statement read on state television, Niger’s military called on citizens to cooperate with the troop movements, which it said would involve some of the 1,500 French soldiers leaving Niger by road to Chad, a journey of hundreds of kilometres through sometimes insecure territory.

“The troops based in Ouallam have left their base today. These are the operations for the departure of the first ground convoy in the direction of Chad, escorted by our defence and security forces,” the military said.

In addition to the departure by land, “three special flights” have been registered at the airport in Niamey, two for the departure of “97 special forces elements” and one “dedicated to logistics.”

… Approximately 1,000 French troops were stationed in Niamey, with another 400 deployed at two forward bases in the northwest, near Mali and Burkina Faso, ….

Flag of Niger

Niger’s military rulers, which assured the withdrawal will take place in “complete safety”, said remaining French forces would continue to leave on “a timetable agreed to by both parties”.

The United States on Tuesday also formally declared that Niger’s democratically-elected president was removed in a military coup, which results in officially suspending assistance to Niger [what else is new?]. Though there are no plans to change the US troop presence in the country, senior administration officials said….

There are now about 1,000 US defence department personnel in Niger, according to the officials. …

African Governments should make Contracts Public to their Populations!

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments5 Comments

As we remember the Zambia Sovereign Debt Crisis, the Entebbe airport Uganda-China debt (Ugandan international airport at Entebbe about to be seized by China), the 999-year land lease granted to Europeans in Kenya, and the price of gold in Mali or uranium in Niger, the common thread seems to be that in most of these cases African countries are taken in for a ride, and that these contracts are negotiated without the people’s knowledge, or rather none of these contracts are discussed in the parliaments of these countries were the people’s representatives could all get to vote on it. The contracts are instead negotiated behind closed doors, thus ensuring constant corruption, and of course many years of “walking blindfolded”. If the future of their constituents is going to be traded away, why shouldn’t the people be invited to the negotiation table? Some argue that this would take too long, that sometimes, waiting for parliament’s approval may lead to gridlocks and more… however if the people’s future is going to be signed away like in the case of Zambia and countless African countries, contracts need to be made public. Now if it is confidential, why not release at least the ones that were signed over 20, 50 years ago? or the ones signed at independence (which are now over 60 years old)? This will help the new generations of lawyers to also learn how to negotiate for better contracts in the future. The reason is most likely that, just like in the case of The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa, if Africans were made aware of what their forefathers were made to sign, they would have risen in riots, and many of the puppet governments installed to serve the West will all get toppled down.

It is about time that current African governments release the contracts signed at the time of independence!!! More importantly, it is also high time that when negotiating our future away, that we, the people, are invited at the negotiation table so that our children and children’s children and generations to come do not spend centuries paying interest on a debt that keeps increasing because of poor deals! Some may say, “we are in 2023, why do you need to know what happened in the 1960s? We need to focus on the present!“ Oh yes, but the past will inform the future! The contracts of yesterday still affect today, particularly in Africa, see The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa, and The Bank of Senegal: Ancestor to the FCFA – producing Bank. It is because we do not keep archives that we keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. If we all learned from the fact that, for instance, Pascal Lissouba of Congo was deposed because he asked for the re-negotiation of Congo’s oil and dared change partners from French to Americans, and then later under fire he back-pedaled back to French, we will know never to back-pedal and that once we have set our minds for liberty, no matter how hard it is, we should stay the course.

Senegalese Couple Makes History by Winning Literary Caine Prize for African Writing

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Woppa Diallo and Mame Bougouma Diene (Source: The Caine Prize/Guardian)

A Senegalese couple, Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo, has made history this week by winning the Caine Prize for African Writing. It is the first time in the history of the prize that it is awarded to a couple. Diallo is a lawyer and activist while French-Senegalese American Diene is a humanitarian and a short-story writer. They are married.

Their winning story, “A Soul of Small Places,” drew inspiration from Diallo’s personal experience of gender-based violence in Senegal. Her story highlighted themes of violence, revenge, love, and loss, mirroring her own life experiences. She revealed to the BBC that her personal struggles served as the inspiration behind the story.

Congratulations to this couple, and excerpts below are from the BBC. Please take the time to also read articles at the Guardian and the Caine Prize.

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Flag of Senegal
Flag of Senegal

Senegalese writing duo Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo have won this year’s prestigious Caine Prize for African writing, making it the first time a pair has won the award.

Their story A Soul of Small Places is inspired by Diallo’s experience of gender-based violence in Senegal.

Her story weaves through themes of violence, revenge, love and loss.

“The story is simply my life. It’s the struggles I’ve been through that have inspired me,” Diallo told the BBC.

It was praised for its deep storytelling and ability to celebrate love while also addressing pressing global issues.

… They met when Diene was visiting a shelter in northern Senegal where Woppa was speaking about her advocacy against gender-based violence.

“The co-authoring comes from the fact that the story could not have been written if I hadn’t met Woppa and if I hadn’t heard Woppa speak,” he says.

… The Caine Prize winners receive a cash gift of £10,000 ($12,000), as well as featuring their work in the 2023 Caine Prize anthology.

The award for a short story by an African writer published in English had a record-breaking 297 entries from 28 different countries this year.