Features
Is Africa at the crossroads?
Almost a fortnight ago, the Presidential Guard took over power in the Sahel country of Niger deposing Muhammad Bazoum. This sparked a wave of anger worldwide, except the masses of that country. Our Africa Union and sub-regional body, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have issued threats of reprisal.
The Western powers have also threatened sanctions if the deposed President was not reinstated. ECOWAS went further to give the military junta one week to restore democratic rule or face military action. Their ultimatum expired last Sunday.
But one question no one seems to ask is how come very recent military coups in the West Africa sub-region are happening in Francophone countries? How many of us have averted our minds to this, and made any attempt to find out why?
Before I delve into that, let me address the ECOWAS posturing first. I am amazed at the people leading this Group. An ECOWAS that for over three decades of its establishment has done very little to take our nations out of poverty, political ineptitude, corruption and integration cannot be taken seriously.
How does a serious group of people even consider to elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who just won a supposedly flawed election and was yet to name his cabinet, Chairman of ECOWAS? Are we bereft of serious thinking? An ECOWAS that turns the other way while despots in their midst flout their constitutions to perpetually remain in power is a threat to West Africa and the African continent.
They only find their voices when soldiers remove one of their colleagues as in the case of Niger. Most importantly, their voices are loud because they each fear it could next be their turn. They only fight to protect their power. What they do not know is that nobody takes ECOWAS seriously anymore. Let them do a count and prove this assertion wrong.
I am not one to advocate for usurpation of the democratic process, though I support military in power anytime. But ECOWAS sending soldiers to Niger is laughable. How do they hope to execute this? If the masses of any country support their leaders, not even the might of the superpowers can defeat a determined people. If ECOWAS want to be foolhardy, let them try it. Whose interest are they seeking in this circumstance, anyway?
Already, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali have served notice that any foreign attack in Niger will be considered an attack on their countries as well. Is ECOWAS pandering to Western interests? Maybe.
Now, I have no sympathy for the French, though I abhor the assault on their embassy building in Niamey. France has always deluded itself into thinking that they could subjugate their former colonies for eternity, plundering their natural resources under the guise of armistice.
No former colonies can trade among themselves without the consent of Paris. Not only that; every former colony is bound by French law to keep their foreign reserves in France’s Central Bank. They borrow from their own reserves and pay the interest to France. Call it French hegemony if you may.
Niger has Gold, Coal, Oil, Iron Ore and Uranium. Indeed, Niger is the fourth world leader in Uranium extraction. Over a third of France’s energy comes from Nigerien Uranium, yet the ordinary Nigerien lives below the poverty line. To protect their economic interest the French have military bases in their former colonies. But for their former colonies, France would be the poorest country in Europe after Portugal.
At a point, every head of state of Francophone Africa was an automatic member of the French Parliament. But our African compatriots cannot be fooled anymore. They are no more the half-educated stooges with no intellectual capacity for discernment. These are intelligent people with solid education and now understand what their colonial Master has done to them.
Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and, now, Niger have “woken” up. Let no one think these young military officers are mere adventurists seeking attention. They want to take control of their own natural resources for their people.
It is about time these Western powers and those still with a colonial mentally realised that Africa is no more the patch they met in Berlin and used a pencil to carve to themselves. Africa is no one’s backyard. We have been run roughshod over for long and we cannot take it anymore. And this is the message from the Sahel.
There are still Western stooges in power across the continent of Africa. They know themselves and they have been put on notice. We have them who betray their own ECOWAS and the Africa Union. They have been put on notice.
Our people have been enslaved, our resources pillaged, our women raped and killed in the name of colonisation. Even today, Africans suffer racial abuse all over the globe, yet our resources hold attraction to them. Sadly, there are myopic and self-seeking leaders who still pander to the whims of the imperial West. This is Africa’s dilemma.
What interest have America and the West got in the Sahel other than to steal the wealth of the people under the guise of curbing activities of jihadist movements? Let them tell us how the jihadists come about in the first place. There is a suspected deposit of materials used in the production of californium. Californium is a nuclear material that costs $27million a gramme. Imagine how much a kilogramme will cost.
This explains Wagner mercenaries’ interest and Western opprobrium to the coup in Niger because only the United States and Russia produce californium. That is why the US and France did not coerce ECOWAS for military action in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali because they hold not economic attraction to them.
Who are the West to determine standards of governance for the rest of the world? Even after almost 250 years of independence, the mighty United States of America is in a political turmoil, divided right through the middle on Republican and Democratic lines. These are the people who preach democracy to us who are barely 70 years into nationhood.
An Ewe proverb loosely translates says a bird destined for life never lacks feathers. Left alone, Africa has the capacity to chart a way for economic and political development and progress. No one should stampede us to run their races; we have our own pace.
The so-called advanced countries that cannot protect their cyberspace are the ones setting standards for the rest of the world to live up to. It makes no sense. Haiti is burning in their own hemisphere but they are blind to that country, simply because Haiti does not have resources worth pillaging. Their attention is on Africa just because all natural resources imaginable are on the continent.
No country can claim to love Africa more than Africans themselves. If they so claim, the best they could do is leave Africa to chart its own path. They must respect us for who we are just as they want to be respected for who they are. Who is better equipped to run our lives but ourselves?
But as Africa begins to ask to be left alone, the continent must not let any other foreign elements take their place. That Burkina Faso, Mali and the Central African Republic have opened their doors to the Wagner mercenaries spells doom for those countries. Just like France and its allies, the Wagner Group must also be driven out of the continent. We cannot get one devil out and embrace a more devious one.
Let us do business with America and the West, Russia, China and all other nations, but none should be allowed to plunder our resources.
Back home, it is unnerving that Ghana has allowed a US military base on our soil. It is equally dangerous that the US military has an unfettered access to Terminal One of our Kotoka International Airport, which by all intents and purposes is a security zone. Only God knows what these Yankees do in and out of our space. Would America allow this on their soil?
Personally, I don’t hate America and its people, even if Americans are the most ignorant and ill-informed people per capita worldwide. Anyone who has lived in the US knows this for a fact. It is their Rambo-style foreign policy that is a worldwide irritant.
Let Africa rise up against foreign military bases on the continent immediately. We have the capacity to be at peace with ourselves.
Writer’s email address:
akofa45@yahoo.com
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Features
The Prophet part 4
Antobam woke up with a terrible headache. He checked the time on his mobile phone, 2:30 am. “What! Where is the money?” He asked aloud. “Where are those girls? Why did I drink so much of that whisky? What were those two girls up to?” He sat up on the bed and noticed a bulge close to the pillow.
He lifted the mattress and picked up the newspaper wrappers with the neatly arranged notes. He saw the neatly written record of the value of the notes. No, those girls are not thieves.
“It was my mistake. If I hadn’t drank myself to sleep they would be here in bed with me, giving me the time of my life. Pretty girls, those two. And so loyal and honest. Tomorrow will be different.”
“I will not drink any whisky, and I will show them that I am a real man. Just then he heard the whispers. Very soon it will be time, they seemed to be saying. This is an important day.”
The gold dealer will bring lots of money. Give him some of the liquid to drink, and we will prepare him. He will do very big business, and he will give you anything you ask for. There will be more miracles and testimonies today.
Antobam smiled to himself. “I am going to be a very rich man in only a few days man. Money, power, and women. Wow! Antobam got to the grounds at 5, but there were quite a number of people waiting.
Mr Kwame Dofu was among them. He greeted them all, and they came around to shake his hand. “My brothers and sisters, I assure you that whatever your problem is, you will not go home without a solution.” Shouts of “Amen” “thank” you Osofo and “you are a true man of God” responded.
“Please take your seats, and start talking to the great one about whatever bothers you. Before the service is over, there will be a solution.” He waved Mr Dofu over, and went with him to the wooden structure that serves as a temporary office.
“My brother, I have done quite a lot of work on the issue you came to see me about. I have prepared a special, powerful package for you. Take this, drink it, and go back to your business. I want to see you in two weeks.”
Beaming with smiles, Mr Dofu drank the foul smelling liquid in two gulps, said a big thank you to Antobam and took his leave. “I believe you, Papa Osofo. And I assure you that I will reward you, big time.”
Just when Osofo Antubam finished with Mr Dofu, Mary and Suzzie went over to him. “Good Morning ladies. I am very sorry about yesterday. I drank too much of the stuff you gave me. Today will be different, I assure you.”
“Don’t worry, Osofo. Since you are now setting things up, our main concern now is to help you to put things in place, and to make you comfortable. We are always there to serve you. This morning, Osofo, we want to go and clean up your place, and prepare something nice for you when you close.
And before coming to church, we will pass by the bank and collect the forms. After you have signed them, the account will be open. You can check the payments anytime and, of course, issue cheques whenever you need money.”
“Suzzie and Mary, I am happy I picked the two of you from the very start. Listen, I will take good care of you, okay? Here is some money. Buy whatever you need for the errands you have mentioned.
And here is the key. Please come back as early as you can. You know I need you here.” The service was very lively. The lively singing of praise songs was followed by one and a half hours of testimonies.
Most of them related to money – big sales, new jobs and overdue debts paid. But there were also testimonies about healing. Barren women had taken seed, and, of course, several men who had lost their bedroom authority had regained them, to the delight of their partners.
As he had promised, Antobam preached for only 30 minutes, exhorting the congregation to attend church regularly, pay their tithes and offerings, and strictly follow his ‘directions’ for securing solutions to their problems.
After another round of praises during which the congregation danced to the floor to drop their offering, he closed the service, grabbed the big bowl which was full to the brim with money, and moved to his desk. A long queue was quickly formed at the desk.
Meanwhile, Mary and Suzzie had gone to give Antobam’s place quite a decent look. A new bedsheet and pillows, a secondhand carpet and four plastic chairs placed in the verandah had done the trick.
They also prepared two fish and chicken stews. After all these, they rushed to the National Savings Bank and collected application forms for opening current and savings accounts.
They joined the service a few minutes before the main session closed. Antobam looked round and saw, to his relief, Mary and Suzzie moving towards him. “Hello ladies. What have you been up to?” “Quite a bit, Osofo. We’ve just collected your drink. Here you are. We’ve made a few changes at your place. I think you will like it. You will also have something nice to eat. Now, here are the forms for the savings and current accounts.
If you will sign them, the bank will open the account. From today, we can pay all monies direct into the account.” ‘How can I thank you, ladies?” “You don’t need to thank us,” Suzzie said. “It is our duty to help a man of God succeed.” “Okay, my ladies, please take the offerings and count them as you did yesterday.
You can add the payments made after the consultations. Will it be possible to pay them into the account today?” “Yes,” Mary said. “The bank closes at four. If we leave here at three, we would be there just in time.”
The two friends started counting, as Osofo Antobam gave his clients his directions for solving their problems. On quite a few occasions he closed his eyes as if he was receiving direction from above on what to do.
But as the fetish priest at the Nana Kofi Broni shrine and the dwarfs had assured him, the solutions would certainly be provided. Having heard the huge testimonies earlier in the day, the clients parted with substantial sums of money in expectation.
By Ekow de Heer
Features
The issue of spiritual father in our churches
A student was supposed to go to school as the natural cause of events should be when universities or schools in general opens but this was not the case in a certain young man’s life.
He decided to postpone his trip because apparently he could not get to meet his pastor, his spiritual father. The question is, should this spiritual father die, will the young man’s life come to an end?
Does it mean in such an instance, he is going to curtail his education? This is a worrying trend in a lot of churches where the pastors use this notion of spiritual father to manipulate members especially the youth.
Some unscrupulous pastors utilise this spiritual father concept to have affairs with gullible young ladies in their churches.
Now with homosexuality gradually making inroads into some of the churches, young men are becoming vulnerable to pastors who have hidden homosexual inclinations.
This spiritual father concept is a Biblical concept that runs through both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. We see it in 2 Kings 4:12 where Gehazi is serving Elisha and also in the New Testament we see Paul relating to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:2 as a Spiritual Father.
In fact, the concept of spiritual father is a good thing if executed according to the word of God since it helps in guiding the younger ones. However, it becomes problematic when it is being executed by unscrupulous wolves in sheepskins as described by Jesus in Mathew 7:15.
I see it as a way that these unscrupulous so-called men of God maintain their hold on the congregants so they do not question their unchristian actions.
One of the things I have observed since I got born again many years ago is that, any pastor who often insists that members recognise that he is their spiritual father is a warning sign that he is doing some wrong things or is about to indulge in some wrong things.
A parent complained about how his daughter was being influenced by a pastor of the church she attends and how worried he was. I am sure there are many parents out there with stories to tell about how their wards are being made to see their pastors almost like their Jesus.
These pastors have managed to make their congregants so loyal to them and to believe in them so much that it is terrifying, as a parent.
The way things are going, an immediate intervention is required otherwise I am not a prophet of doom but I forsee unfortunate instances where parents burst into church auditoriums and star shooting some Pastors out of frustration and anger.
We cannot look on unconcerned as a society and allow unscrupulous fraudsters using the name of God to create problems for families. My recommendation is for a certain amount of regulation in order to bring some sanity in religious practices.
I agree that ordinarily regulating religious practices makes it a bit restrictive in terms of freedom of worship as enshrined in our constitution but given the way things are going, a bit of regulation will not be out of place.
Disgusting stuff are being attributed to some men of God. There are cases of manipulation of young ladies and sometimes married women by so called men of God and it is bringing Christianity and therefore the name of the Lord into disrepute.
Christianity is gradually losing its attractiveness as a result of the negative reportage resulting from disgusting stuff happening in Christian circles. The way some pastors have been manipulating congregants to take money from them leaves much to be desired to the point where they are convincing some of the youth to give out their phones. May God help us.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
