Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What says the African Union about Colonel al-Gaddafi and current events in Libya?

In the context of history and the history of the evolution of peoples and states, i would think that what a movement or its leaders and symbols become over the cause of time is more significant in taking a position on them than where they started from.

 

That one was initially a revolutionary and progressive humanist does not automatically mean that one will always be such. And that one played a significant role in the liberation and decolonisation of ones people and nation does not mean that even when one then becomes a brutal dictator visiting brutalities on ones people and nation, that one should then be exonorated because ones progressive origins.

 

Although the past matters and it is important, it is what one has become now that is of significance in situations like the ongoing popular uprisings sweeping through the middle east.

 

I think it is infact a very significant historical fact that after 40 years of revolutionary leadership, there is no state, except for its armed apparatus to speak of, and there is no successor revolutionary leadership outside of the scions from the loins of the revolutionary leader in sight!

 

It speakes volume for the success or failure of this particular revolutionary enterprise in Lybia.

---

From: "mbayotam@msu.edu" <mbayotam@msu.edu>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 12:14:35 AM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What says the African Union about Colonel al-Gaddafi and current events in Libya?

Gaddafi is no different from Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko, Bokassa and other despicable dictators who killed and dehumanized their compatriots just to stay in power. What was/is liberating about Gaddafi's involvement in countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia? He provided a training-ground for rebels such as Charles Taylor (Liberia) and Foday Sankoh (Sierra Leone), who only brought horrifying brutality to both countries in the name of "liberation." Please, give me a break about Gaddafi's brand of liberation. Hopefully, the people in Libya won't relent until he is gone, even if the military jets keep gunning down protesters.

Dr. Tamba M'bayo
Hope College

Quoting kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu>:

> khaddifi supported some of the worse dictators on the continent, and
> imposed an ideological regime on his population worthy of soyinka's
> more bitter satires. i wonder why people could fall for his
> liberation rhetoric and ignore his repressive actions. reminds me of
> the rhetoric of idi amin, turned to the same purposes. and if not
> always as brutal, equally hypocritical in the case of ahidjo. or
> mobutu.
> this is the time for the spirit of sony labou tansi to awaken, along
> with so many others. dennis brutus, tchicaya u tamsi, we need your
> voices again. "not a sell out"--no, he was actually worse. a tyrant.
> so what if his billions enabled him to stiff the europeans. what did
> that have to do with being a dictator, a brutal ruler.
> ken
>
> On 2/23/11 1:35 PM, Dompere, Kofi Kissi wrote:
>>
>> Thank you, Cornelius Hamelberg, for this question.
>> LIBYA is a member of the African Union. Libya unlike Egypt has a
>> history of supporting the DECOLONIZATION of the continent. She is
>> the most important contributor to OAU Libration Fund. Colonel
>> al-Gaddafi, unlike other North African heads of states, has also
>> invested heavily in Africa. He also was not a sell out. To be fair
>> to our brothers and sisters in Libya, the history does not justify
>> the bloodsheds going on. The events taking place in North Africa,
>> the information technology that has democratized the information
>> space and the activities of the Wiki Leak are leading to a major
>> global restructuring in terms of power, control and governance, the
>> ending structure and form is unknown to us. What we do know is that
>> global institutional transformation is taking place and is a
>> continual process. What do you think?
>> PEACE
>> KOFI KISSI DOMPERE.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>> [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Cornelius
>> Hamelberg
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 6:48 AM
>> To: USA Africa Dialogue Series
>> Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What says the African Union
>> about Colonel al-Gaddafi and current events in Libya?
>>
>> The Arab League has taken their stance and it is not as if the
>> African nations care less about the fate of Libya and Libyans.
>>
>> An important question for us in this forum, and indeed for the rest
>> of  Africa and diaspora, is why the gaping silence from the Africa
>> Union, about the lastest antics of the man who has played such a
>> pivotal role in African Union matters, not least of all in his
>> largesse  in providing funding for a few projects in Africa and also
>> not least of all his well known ambition to become the first
>> president of the United  States of Africa?
>>
>> http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/2011/02/23/revolutionary-gaddafi-promises-a-bloodbath-shows-his-true-face-to-the-world-and-to-his-own-people/
>>
>> --
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>
> --
> kenneth w. harrow
> distinguished professor of english
> michigan state university
> department of english
> east lansing, mi 48824-1036
> ph. 517 803 8839
> harrow@msu.edu
>
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