Clinton Should Tell African Big Men to Emulate Asian Dictators

by Edwin Okong’o of New American Media

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she is carrying a new message of tough love to Africa. But changing the message is not enough. Africa’s leaders are used to talk. It doesn’t mean they will walk the walk.

In Ghana last month, President Barack Obama pointed out that at the beginning of the 1960s, Kenya, the country of his father’s birth, “had a per capita economy larger than South Korea’s.” Recently when Kenyans from the diaspora gathered in Boston to discuss how they can be more involved in the governance of their country, the question of why South Korea had overtaken Kenya came up. One cannot look at South Korea’s history and say that it’s too different from Kenya or many African countries. In the last 50 years, the Asian nation has had corruption, poor governance and violence and dictators – all major ingredients of the perils of the African continent.

As the conventioneers, most of who were born in the last half century, struggled to find the answer, Ali Mazrui, a renowned 76-year-old Kenyan-born professor at the State University of New York, came to the rescue. The answer, he said, was in the nature of the African dictator.

Can one reflect on history in a luxury resort?

What does a slavery memorial have to do with a luxury resort? A lot, if you are Marlon Jackson, one of the Jackson brothers.  Many are calling this project a little more than bizzare. Quite a number of Nigerians are up in arms against the construction of this tourist resort in Badagry, Nigeria. Their argument is that a holiday spot takes away from the seriousness of the Tran Atlantic forced movement of Africans, re: slavery.

The Somali Community and the Twin Cities Mainstream Media: Towards a More Perfect Union?

by Nelima

Frustrations and suggestions were exchanged at a panel discussion on the portrayal of the Somali community by the media. The accusations in the media that the Abubakar mosque was connected to the missing Somali men, seemed to be the cause of the community’s resentment towards and mistrust of the media.

Somali Community frustrations:

• Media presenting a one-sided view in only consulting Omar Jamal.
• Media insensitivity towards Imams, who are respected leaders in their community and mosques, which are the most important institutions in their community.
• Language used in their reporting, this article from NPR was referenced for the descriptions of the Imam’s dyed beard and the youth directors thumbs and other descriptions.

Somali Piracy: When the poor (and abused) fight back.

by Nelima

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Somali pirates got guts and now your attention. Now I am in now way condoning what they are doing, but I think that the American media has sensationalized this issue that the history of how this came to be is completely lost. There’s pressure to come up with a solution, but without careful consideration of the underlying factors, Africans will again be the losers.