As I battle through my office routines of the day, I must deal with schedules, proposals, and curb my emotions in the current news events over the political climate and woes of the financial world. The affairs of Africa are more a part of me since my return from Ethiopia. BBC News Africa has always been a daily event on my Internet review.
Visions of world aid being disseminated to African people and of Ethiopia came in the form of white vehicles. Door labels for Comite International Geneve and Medecins Sans Frontieres depicted the presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders respectively. The opinion of the locals was that funding of any international organization lined the pockets of government politicians and ten percent may find its way to the people in need. It was obvious to me that aid presence in areas of my encounter was for show. Real need eroded the people in the Afar region at the border with Sudan. Eritrea border conflicts with the primitive existence of a simple subsistent society. “Blood Diamonds” do not control this area but like human tragedy is in such a wake nearby. In my meager extent from Lalibela to Konso, I witnessed only fertile land of abundant resources merited to a deserving and hardworking people. Given a fundamental religious base and tribal unity those I encountered appeared content with their station in life. Outside forces bore little influence. Myself, I tread lightly to avoid acts of excess. When asked what I did, I would say, “Just a worker.” It always got a smile and I would nudge in a gesture to say ‘Like you.’ We are all in the same struggle to live as best we can. The only separation is really our place of birth. The benefit for Ethiopians was never to have been colonized like other areas of Africa.
It seems to me that colonial rule by nineteenth-century European nations set a format for tribal rulers dictating over since freed lands in Africa today. Europeans placed borders irrespective of tribal habitats while laying claim to natural resources and displacing citizenry. Toss in historic Arab slave traders in the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions with rape, pillage, and slaughter of entire communities for the sake of marketable human cargo, and you get a caldron to breed unrepentant horror.
Most of us know the distant genocides in Rwanda. In one hundred days 800,000 Tutsi were slaughtered. Cries of mercy were not heard as they sought refuge in churches where Hutu priests allowed annihilation.
Old condemnation is easily thrown at Uganda’s Idi Amin and Gaddafi of Libya, whereas it is merely dictators gone wild. A lesser-known tyrant, Sergeant Samuel Doe beheld the former American freed slave state of Liberia from William Tolbert. That victory was to put three bullets into his predecessor’s head, gouge out his right eye, and disembowel him. Doe became impervious to assault attributed to drinking human blood and eating the fetuses of pregnant young girls. American economic interests were served amidst such carnage. In a continued vengeance, the opposition was annihilated by castration, dismemberment, and cannibalistic consumption of those opposed.
‘Blood’ or Conflict Diamonds fund the rebels of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. I had confirmed interest to buy diamonds while in Ghana in 1976. Late one night at my apartment an unkempt man came to the door, presented a cache of raw stones in a soiled bag, and sought nine hundred dollars for the dozen culled gems. My only vision was that they had passed through someone’s system after a hard day in the mines so I declined. Since I have learned such items are the financial means for weapons. Moreover, what has followed weapons was for rebels to sequester children to take arms for their ‘cause’. Sierra Leone epitomizes the Rebel trauma of the African continent. Fawning youngsters into terrorizing citizens on their battleground was a travesty to humanity that goes beyond civil comprehension. Systematic mutilation of men, women, and children yields irreparably damage. Beatings, starvation, and torture can be overcome. However, a favored mark was to lob off the hand of men. The travesty afflicted on abducted women usurps the bounds of humankind. Sex slaves to the fighters could be a mild consequence for a young lady compared to being gang-raped but uterus mutilation scars the future should psychological forces be overcome.
My appreciation goes out to director Edward Zwick for Blood Diamonds and the performance of Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio in bringing us into close contact with this cause.
Visions of world aid being disseminated to African people and of Ethiopia came in the form of white vehicles. Door labels for Comite International Geneve and Medecins Sans Frontieres depicted the presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders respectively. The opinion of the locals was that funding of any international organization lined the pockets of government politicians and ten percent may find its way to the people in need. It was obvious to me that aid presence in areas of my encounter was for show. Real need eroded the people in the Afar region at the border with Sudan. Eritrea border conflicts with the primitive existence of a simple subsistent society. “Blood Diamonds” do not control this area but like human tragedy is in such a wake nearby. In my meager extent from Lalibela to Konso, I witnessed only fertile land of abundant resources merited to a deserving and hardworking people. Given a fundamental religious base and tribal unity those I encountered appeared content with their station in life. Outside forces bore little influence. Myself, I tread lightly to avoid acts of excess. When asked what I did, I would say, “Just a worker.” It always got a smile and I would nudge in a gesture to say ‘Like you.’ We are all in the same struggle to live as best we can. The only separation is really our place of birth. The benefit for Ethiopians was never to have been colonized like other areas of Africa.It seems to me that colonial rule by nineteenth-century European nations set a format for tribal rulers dictating over since freed lands in Africa today. Europeans placed borders irrespective of tribal habitats while laying claim to natural resources and displacing citizenry. Toss in historic Arab slave traders in the Sahara and Sub-Saharan regions with rape, pillage, and slaughter of entire communities for the sake of marketable human cargo, and you get a caldron to breed unrepentant horror.
Most of us know the distant genocides in Rwanda. In one hundred days 800,000 Tutsi were slaughtered. Cries of mercy were not heard as they sought refuge in churches where Hutu priests allowed annihilation.
Old condemnation is easily thrown at Uganda’s Idi Amin and Gaddafi of Libya, whereas it is merely dictators gone wild. A lesser-known tyrant, Sergeant Samuel Doe beheld the former American freed slave state of Liberia from William Tolbert. That victory was to put three bullets into his predecessor’s head, gouge out his right eye, and disembowel him. Doe became impervious to assault attributed to drinking human blood and eating the fetuses of pregnant young girls. American economic interests were served amidst such carnage. In a continued vengeance, the opposition was annihilated by castration, dismemberment, and cannibalistic consumption of those opposed.
‘Blood’ or Conflict Diamonds fund the rebels of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone. I had confirmed interest to buy diamonds while in Ghana in 1976. Late one night at my apartment an unkempt man came to the door, presented a cache of raw stones in a soiled bag, and sought nine hundred dollars for the dozen culled gems. My only vision was that they had passed through someone’s system after a hard day in the mines so I declined. Since I have learned such items are the financial means for weapons. Moreover, what has followed weapons was for rebels to sequester children to take arms for their ‘cause’. Sierra Leone epitomizes the Rebel trauma of the African continent. Fawning youngsters into terrorizing citizens on their battleground was a travesty to humanity that goes beyond civil comprehension. Systematic mutilation of men, women, and children yields irreparably damage. Beatings, starvation, and torture can be overcome. However, a favored mark was to lob off the hand of men. The travesty afflicted on abducted women usurps the bounds of humankind. Sex slaves to the fighters could be a mild consequence for a young lady compared to being gang-raped but uterus mutilation scars the future should psychological forces be overcome.My appreciation goes out to director Edward Zwick for Blood Diamonds and the performance of Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio in bringing us into close contact with this cause.
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