Lettre Ouverte à Monsieur Nicolas Sarkozy, Président de la République Française
Monsieur le Président,
Les Kinois, les Congolais et SOS KINSHASA se posent la question sur l’opportunité de votre transit de quelques heures à Kinshasa, capitale de la République Démocratique du Congo ; le deuxième plus grand pays francophone par sa superficie et le premier par sa population. Votre passage éclair sur cette terre congolaise n’est même pas une visite travail, mais une simple visite de courtoisie.
En effet, votre petit tour de quatre bonnes heures est manifestement un manque de considération pour nos gouvernants et surtout pour notre peuple. Oui, Monsieur le Président, la RDC a consacré dans sa Constitution, le français comme langue officielle. Avec une population de plus de soixante millions d’habitants et un taux de croissance démographique annuel moyen de 2,9%, son système éducatif se fonde sur le français pour la dispensation du savoir. Il représente un potentiel énorme pour pérenniser la langue de Voltaire. C’est bien ce pays, par ses dimensions, que vous avez négligé pour un transit de quelques petites heures.
On March 6, Ghana celebrates the 52nd anniversary of its independence from British rule. For a country of over 100 linguistic and ethnic groups, half a century of political sovereignty and national unity is remarkable. Most impressive, however, is the country’s transformation over this time period. For as Ghana goes, so does much of Africa.
Ever the pioneer, Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain freedom from a colonial power in 1957 under Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah’s visionary leadership. Ghana thus emerged as the rising star of the independence movement. Nkrumah became a torchbearer of Pan-Africanism and the non-aligned countries, raising hope for millions of subjugated Africans–from Senegal to Congo to Kenya to South Africa.
"We face neither East nor West," Nkrumah once said. "We face forward." In essence, he captured Africans’ dream of self-determination. Within five years of Ghana’s independence, most sub-Saharan colonies would become independent countries. Nevertheless, the promise dissipated quickly when the military overthrew Nkrumah in 1966 and Ghana embarked on the muddy and bloody path of coups d’état and a long line of dictatorships.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete at the 2008 Sullivan Summit in Arusha ****Photo Mvemba Phezo Dizolele
We Africanists expect a great deal from the Democrats and are often disappointed. We expect nothing of the Republicans and are pleasantly surprised.” —Andrew Young, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
At a time when there is constant talk of America’s bad image around the world, former President Bush can take comfort in his legacy in Africa. Approval ratings for the United States, according to the Pew Foundation’s poll data, exceed 80 percent in many African countries. Gallup polls in 139 countries found that the 62 percent approval rating of U.S. leadership in sub-Saharan Africa is 30 percent higher than in other parts of the world.
Foreign policy analysts and historians will debate the merits of Bush’s foreign policy for the next several years; they will decide how much damage his administration has inflicted on America’s standing abroad and how much time and money will be required to restore it. The Africans themselves, however, will have a different debate. They found an unlikely but invaluable partner in Bush, who did much to rebuild Africa’s faith in the United States.
Think of Congo and war comes to mind. A war fought in places with unfamiliar names–Goma, Kiwanja, Kanyabayonga, Sake and Rutshuru.
This war may take place beyond American shores and rarely appear on local news, but we cannot carry on our daily lives without the territory in which it is fought. The hills of North and South Kivu are abundant with strategic minerals such as coltan, cassiterite and wolframite that are essential to electronics and high technology. Whether we are chatting on a mobile phone, typing on a laptop computer or watching our children play videogames, the Congo conflict follows us everywhere.
Four times the size of France, and as big as the United States east of the Mississippi river, Congo is an important player in Africa and of long-term interest to the United States. As the heart of the continent, Congo borders nine countries. A secure, peaceful and prosperous Congo would positively affect the rest of the continent. With its vast resources and large population, Congo has a regional calling along with South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt.
Conflict Over Resources Sparks Renewed Crisis in Congo
Militia violence in eastern Congo has left many civilians dead in its wake. A Hoover Institution fellow and independent journalist details the causes of the fighting, the combatants involved in this civil war and limits on U.N. troops’ involvement.
RAY SUAREZ: The fighting in one of Africa’s largest and most resource-rich countries is threatening to become a broader war.
Angola today sent in troops to help the Democratic Republic of Congo government put down a rebellion.
For more, we go to Mvemba Dizolele, a freelance journalist and author and now a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He was born in Congo and is now a U.S. citizen.
Well, it’s now being called a civil war. Help us understand who the combatants are and what they’re fighting over.
MVEMBA DIZOLELE, Hoover Institution: Ray, thanks for having me. The conflict in a nutshell is about control of resources and the wealth of the region.
***Photo Mvemba Phezo Dizolele – Air Serv Plane at Ndolo Airport
Air travel is no longer the luxury it used to be. Sluggish security checks, long preflight waiting time and ever-changing requirements make frequent travelers wish for a better alternative. Nowhere in the world, however, do I dread flying more than in my native Congo.
On September 2, a small carrier operated by Air Serv International, a Virginia-based company, crashed in eastern Congo, killing all 17 passengers and crewmembers. Another plane, operated by Kinshasa-based Hewa Bora, crashed in the same area five months ago. It seems that every quarter a plane crashes in Congo.
I was born and grew up in Congo. And during my years living there, I only recall a handful of crashes. They were mostly military aircrafts. Back then a plane crash was an extraordinary event – one that rarely happened. I remember them as vividly as the few eclipses I have witnessed in my lifetime. Today, crashes are common occurrences.
The United States presidential electoral campaign generates as much excitement in Africa as it does in other parts of the world. I just returned from a trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania where the fascination is apparent everywhere. In a sense, Africans feel that they have a stake in this race. They see Barack Obama as one of their own who may get a chance to run the most powerful nation in the world.
Along with Nayan Chanda (YaleGlobal Online Magazine), Martin Klingst (Die Zeit Weekly Newspaper) and Hisham Melhem (Al Arabiya), I joined Judy Woodruff on PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer for a discussion on foreign perspectives on the campaign and the two candidates.
Here is part of the discussion:
RAY SUAREZ: Finally tonight, the foreign fascination with the U.S. presidential contest. Judy Woodruff has the story.
JUDY WOODRUFF: This year’s campaign is grabbing the attention of millions of people overseas. A poll released today by the Pew Research Center, surveying more than 24,000 people in 24 countries, found that many believe the next president may well change U.S. foreign policy for the better and that, just about everywhere, greater numbers express confidence in presidential candidate Barack Obama than in John McCain.
