When Real Young African Leaders Stood Up

Anti-United States demonstrations have been held in the Republic of South Africa during the visit of President Barack Obama. Washington was condemned for its militarist policy toward the continent., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

When real young African leaders stood up

Thursday, 04 July 2013 00:00
Tichaona Zindoga
Zimbabwe Herald

On August 11, 2010, I wrote an opinion piece in The Herald in which I reviewed the then just-held interface between United States President Barack Obama and a band of what was dubbed Young African Leaders.

The so-called Young African Leaders also included three Zimbabweans — Sydney Chisi, Simba Nyamanhindi and Cleopatra Ndlovu.

In the article I questioned the paucity and the blandness with which the young Africans approached Obama, observing that the so-called young leaders did not merit leading or representing anyone except themselves or what their hosts wanted them to be.

I called the meeting “farcical”, to the extent that “the participants were, if not overwhelmed by the occasion, all too grateful to be in America and talking to one of the most powerful men in the world and would do anything to stroke his plumage.”

Concluding: “What the world saw then were sycophants parading as representatives of African youths, whom no African youth worth the name could really entrust with any mandate.”

With future leaders like these, who would need the external enemy?

But last Saturday, June 29, provided the answer; a hope.

June 29 was the day that Obama came to South Africa’s University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus to address a “town hall” meeting with young African leaders (yes) drawn from South African colleges and universities and civil society.

(Most of the participants were youth who were already under some US-sponsored programmes, according to sources privy to the event.)

It was also at the UJ that Obama was supposed to be conferred with an honorary doctorate, a process that was mired in controversy of huge proportions such that the UJ finally set aside the ceremony ostensibly because of time and logistics, the condition of ex-president Mandela, etc.

The planned conferment had drawn the ire of a strong section of South African students and academia partly because of the hypocrisy of the university in honouring a chief supporter of apartheid Israel when it had been the first South African institution to cut all academic and cultural ties with Israel.

Obama, charged the dissenters, was a man of war whose actions had caused misery from Afghanistan through Cuba to Zimbabwe.
“UJ, no you can’t honour Obama,” was the “Nobama” coalition banner as they spat at the significance of Soweto and the overlooking giant Nelson Mandela mural which organisers of the event had no doubt had some hope of poaching.

The South African Communist Party, the Young Communist League and the Congress of South African Trade Unions were part of the group of protestors.

The UJ students’ representative body withdrew its allotted five participants to the meeting, Levi Masete, UJ Student Representative Council leader, told me.

Nhlamulo Siwela Gauteng provincial chair of the national students’ body, Sasco, told the UJ that by honouring Obama, the institution had become an accomplice to the crimes that Obama and America were committing against the world.

“Your hands now drip with the blood of innocent children of Palestine and Afghanistan,” he charged.

There were other messages, too.

The people were also protesting against the hypocrite in Barrack Obama that publicly flaunted Nelson Mandela as a role model yet he was the very antithesis of the saintly Madiba.

Where Madiba had wanted peace and reconciliation, Obama pursued war and vengeance through his continuation of the so-called war on terror, his failure to shut down Guantanamo Bay prison where inmates are detained without trial.

Even more dangerously, Obama has escalated American brutality by using killer drones — unmanned planes that kill remote targets at the click of a button — just like in a video game.

Obama killed African leader Muammar Gaddaffi, said the protesters.

Protestors likened Obama to Hitler.

They charged that Obama had changed and now assumed a Hitlerite aspect and necrophilia.

There were wonderful posters to this effect, some of which said “Stop World War III, Remove Obama” or cleverly put a Hitler moustache on the well-known face of Obama.

There were messages that denounced the US Islamophobia and continued embargo on Cuba.

There was solidarity with Assata Shakur, a black American woman who has been hounded for decades allegedly for being a terrorist.

A speaker called for the conferment of the honorary membership to the UJ to Edward Snowden.

The Socialist Azania Youth Revolutionary Organisation’s called for an end to US sanctions against the innocent people of Zimbabwe.

(I felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as I was reminded of March 2, 2011, that massive day of the National Anti-sanctions Petition Campaign launch as speaker after Zimbabwean speaker denounced the sanctions against the country.)

South Africa was reminded that rolling out the red carpet for Obama opened the door for the plunder of the country’s resources.

Protestors placed Obama’s visit in the context of its seeking to gain economic traction on the continent at a time when China was had made inroads into the country, having won hearts due to its dignified approach to international relations.

It all made perfect sense.

There was determination and militancy.

They sang struggle songs, “Maiyibuye Africa” (Africa must come back), “Azania”, “Siyozabalaza” (We are going to strike), “Asiyifuni agenda yemacapitalist” (We don’t want the capitalist’s agenda).

They toyi-toyied.

They chanted: “Yankee go home!” “Down, Obama, Down!”

They were prepared to face off with the police, as indeed they did when the police decided to fire rubber bullets and stun guns to disperse the crowd just when the Obama was scheduled to arrive.

For someone who had grown fatalistic about today’s youth, you could find the reason to believe: Yes, we can rise above the good Africans that America wants “Young African Leaders” to be!

And did what Obama said to his captive, hired crowd in the “town hall” meeting matter?

The people had spoken.

They were not awed by having Obama in their backyard.

They were cowed by the massive security machinery around Obama, worth hundreds of millions of rands and a slew of dark glasses around and unseen snipers.

They decided to give him a wintry welcome as all the protests that met Obama in Pretoria, at the UJ Soweto Campus and in Cape Town sent a clear message.

There were young Africans who were prepared to unmask the evil system and its practitioners.

They were prepared to make an Africa that is progressive and move the continent from the anachronism of western domination.

All this comes at a price, largely a heavy one.

The empire is not known to bestow favours on those who do not follow its orders nor subscribe to its evil designs.

But one can feel much relieved, satisfied even, in originality and quest for self-determination.

As indeed one could be on June 29.

Real young Africans stood up against the present and continuing danger to the independence and prosperity of the continent.