Tag: Africa

Libya under Muammar Gaddafi

On By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations, Great MomentsLeave a comment
Muammar Gaddafi (Mouammar Kadhafi)

I would like to share some points about life in Libya under the Guide of the Libyan Revolution Muammar Gaddafi, from an African perspective, not the trash published by the Western media.  Western Media Lies in Libya, NATO’s debacle in Libya, Truth Dispatch: Update on Libya. He was not a saint, but he loved his country deeply and Africa as a whole, and was fighting for our freedom and dignity as human beings!

Libya had significant reserves of crude oil and the discovery of oil changed its socio-economic landscape. Before Gaddafi, Libya had less control on the oil industry as most of the companies involved in oil exploration activities were foreign, but a few years after Gaddafi took control of the government of Libya, his administration nationalized the oil Industry which had a marked impact on the economy and development. Under Gaddafi’s leadership, Libyans enjoyed an exceptional standard of living, financed by oil revenues that were equitably redistributed.

Map of Libya

Thanks to a bold management of oil wealth, Gaddafi transformed his desert country into a model of social and economic development, offering its citizens unparalleled benefits on the continent, and in the world (Norway is now applying his doctrines – just under a different name). While the West often portrays him as a dictator, we want to tell you about the life of Libyans under Gaddafi, and the benefits to the whole of Africa.

Below are the main benefits enjoyed by citizens (source Eurafrica, translated by Dr.Y, Afrolegends.com):

Free education for all: Access to education, from primary school to university, was entirely free. Before Gaddafi, only 20% of Libyans were literate; under his rule, this rate rose to 83%. A quarter of the population held a university degree, a record in Africa.

Free medical care: Hospitals provided free care, and the number of doctors quadrupled in a decade. Diseases like malaria were eradicated, and tuberculosis declined sharply.

Affordable electricity: Although sometimes described as free, electricity was so heavily subsidized that its cost was negligible for households.

Housing, a fundamental right: Gaddafi considered housing an inalienable human right. Massive programs were implemented to build affordable housing, and citizens could obtain interest-free loans to buy their homes. No homelessness like in the streets of some of American and European capitals!

Support for young couples: Newlyweds received financial assistance of approximately $50,000 to acquire a home and start their family life.

Support for mothers: Every woman giving birth received a bonus of $5,000 to support her family.

Car subsidies: The state covered 50% of the price of cars, making mobility accessible to all. Gasoline at a ridiculously low price: With a liter of gasoline costing only $0.14, Libyans enjoyed some of the cheapest fuel in the world.

Affordable basic necessities: Essential goods were subsidized to ensure access for all.

Support for agriculture: Aspiring farmers received land, equipment, seeds, and livestock free of charge to start their farms.

Assistance for unemployed graduates: Unemployed young graduates received an allowance equivalent to the average salary for their profession until they found a job.

Education and healthcare abroad: If local infrastructure was insufficient, the state financed studies or medical treatment abroad, providing a monthly allowance of $2,300 for housing and transportation.

Oil revenue redistribution: A portion of oil revenues was reinvested in social programs, ensuring rare economic stability.

Libya was a debt-free economy and Gaddafi had a pan-African vision. With reserves of $150 billion and no external debt, Gaddafi’s Libya was an anomaly: an African country free from the clutches of international financial institutions like the IMF. This economic independence allowed Gaddafi to dream big. His ambitious project, the Great Man-Made River, transported millions of cubic meters of water across the desert, transforming arid lands into fertile fields. Nicknamed the “eighth wonder of the world,” this irrigation network symbolized his ambition to make Libya self-sufficient.

Gaddafi went even further: he wanted to unite Africa. By proposing a gold dinar to replace the dollar in African trade, he sought to free the continent from Western powers. This project, combined with his support for the African Union, made him a threat to the global order.

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Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kenyan Literary Baobab, is no Longer

On By Dr. Y.In Great LiteratureLeave a comment
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngugi wa Thiong’o

World acclaimed Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is no longer. Millions of school children in Africa grew up reading his first books Weep not child (1964), the first novel in English published by an East African, followed by The river between (1965) and A Grain of Wheat (1967). A Cameroonian friend of mine used to love reading The river between, and could recite almost every line. Weep not child explored the impact of the Mau Mau rebellion on a young boy’s family and education, The river between focused on the cultural clash between traditional Gikuyu society, while A Grain of Wheat focused on the disillusionment of the post-independence era.

Chinua Achebe (Source: AP Photo)

Like the venerated Chinua Achebe, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was counted among the baobabs of modern African literature, as the author of several novels, plays, short stories, critical pieces, and children books. Like Achebe, he was tipped several times to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, leaving fans dismayed each time the medal slipped through his fingers. We are counted among those fans who each time hoped, but were always disappointed… it’s like the real African authors never get rewarded. This is a lesson for all that we need to reward our own, create awards and celebrate our own, instead of waiting for others to celebrate them. His daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ who announced his passing on May 28, 2025, said, “He lived a full life, fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and his work.”

“Weep not Child” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

Ngũgĩ reached fame writing in English, and then decided to write in Gikuyu, his mother-tongue. Today, his books are written in Gikuyu, and then translated into English; he was a strong proponent of African languages and was adamant about expressing his art in Gikuyu. Like so many East African leaders, he attended the prestigious Makerere University in Uganda, and later the University of Leeds in the UK. Upon his return to Kenya, he taught at the University of Nairobi where he worked to “decolonize the minds,” campaigning to decolonize the curriculum by prioritizing African literature and languages. He was instrumental in the abolition of the English Literature Department in favor of a broader, African-centered literary program. The 1970s decade also saw him drop his patronym James Ngugi, to be fully known as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.

The wizard of crow
“The wizard of crow” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

His work spanned over six decades, documenting the transformation of his country, Kenya, from a colony of Great Britain to a democracy with all its issues. He fought the government and was arrested several times, and spent a year at a maximum security prison where he wrote his novel Devil on the Cross (Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ), the first modern novel in Gikuyu, written on prison toilet paper. Once out of prison, faced with constant harassment from the government, he went into exile and taught at some of the world’s best universities, including Yale University, New York University, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Irvine where he was a Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature and served as first director of the International Center for Writing and Translation.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Source: TTbook.org)

His was a unique voice, a voice which never stopped to urge for the decolonization of the minds. To this effect, he wrote Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (1986) which advocates for linguistic decolonization of Africa; the book became one of his best known non-fiction work. In his speech at Wits University in Johannesburg in 2017, titled ‘Secure the base, decolonise the mind’, Ngũgĩ spoke about the ‘power relationship between the language of the conqueror and the language of the vanquished’, and asked whether, after fifty years, we have ‘regained the cultural and intellectual independence that we had lost to colonialism’, adding ‘I have always argued that each language, big or small, has its unique musicality; there is no language, whose musicality and cognitive potential, is inherently better than another,’ he said [The Johannesburg Review of Books]. Ngũgĩ is survived by 9 children of whom 4 are also authors like himself.

To learn more, please check out The Johannesburg Review of Books, Nyakundi Report, Pulse Kenya, and the BBC. So long to our Kenyan giant of literature… we will not weep, but keep celebrating Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o ‘s life!

President Biden’s First Visit to Africa : The Lobito Atlantic Railway Project

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment

Angola President João Lourenço welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden on the day of his arrival on Dec 4, 2024, at Catumbela Airport in Catumbela, Angola 

What could a president who has just pardoned his son from crimes during thanksgiving weekend when everybody was asleep, be doing in a lightning visit to Africa in the ending times of his term? It sounds fishy right? As we have learnt in the past, the transition times are the shady times of an administration. So what was President Biden doing in Angola at this time? Why wait until the end of his term for his first visit to Africa? Why was he not then at the re-opening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France with all world leaders at the end of the week? We are told that this lightning first visit to Africa is to cement a deal that will benefit Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia: the deal called the Lobito Atlantic Railway project.

A map of the Lobito Atlantic Railway project (Source: LobitoCorridor.org)

The Lobito Corridor is connected by a stretch of railway infrastructure snaking through mineral (70% of the world’s cobalt is found in the DRC) and oil-rich parts of Angola, the DRC, and Zambia (70% of the world’s copper). Many of these minerals are considered critical for the energy transition adding an additional layer of urgency (The New Scramble for Africa, The Geological Scandal that is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), DRC and Zambia Sign Over Cobalt and Copper Resources Rights to the United States?, When Einstein Wrote to the US President about Congo for its Uranium ). The Lobito project provides a faster access route to the mines in these parts of the world and a pathway to the Atlantic Ocean. The rail route was established in the early 1900s and thrived until the mid-1970s. During the dark days of Angola, in the civil war era, the Angolan parts of the railway were destroyed. From 2006 to 2015, the Lobito project was resurrected/rehabilitated by the Chinese government in the region, who spent over $2 billion rail-for-oil program, but JLo as João Lourenço, the president of Angola is known, has decided to change hands from the Chinese to the Americans and Europeans. In 2022, the Lobito Atlantic Railway concession, a 30-year concession (extendable an additional 20 years), was awarded to a consortium of Western companies.

Lobito Atlantic Railway (Source: Angola24horas.com)

This investment represents the first alternative from Washington DC to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. As President Biden said in 2023 during JLo’s visit to Washington, “This [the Lobito railway project] first-of-its kind project is the biggest US rail investment in Africa ever,” … “A partnership between Angola and America is more important and more impactful than ever.” President Hichilema of Zambia said, “This corridor is of vital importance to opening up our countries, to opening up our regions, the continent, and truly the global economy,… This project is a huge opportunity for investment, for trade.”

Many see the Lobito Atlantic Railway project more as a West (US/Europe) vs. East (China) war interest on the African continent; while some imagine a money laundering scheme (after all Africa is known for its opacity in accounting) in the last days of an outgoing administration. You, dear reader, what do you think this is?

For more information, please read the Lobito Corridor, US News, CNN, and the White House press release.

China’s presence in Africa

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments1 Comment

China's presence in Africa
China's presence in Africa

The Chinese presence and growth in Africa has not stopped amazing me… but this map from RFI tells it all… Africa is like a big field with great resources, great opportunities (for foreigners) for development, but very little progress. Look at this map and feel the Chinese presence in Africa… Welcome big sister from the East. I just wish Africans could learn from the hard-working and solidaritarian spirit of the Chinese people!

I choose the category ‘Great Moments’ because this map reveals the turning page from the European domination in Africa, and the beginning of a new dawn, the Chinese dawn in Africa.