To The Final Year University students

First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you for having completed your three, four or five year course. It is not a mean achievement, it is a major accomplishment. It takes a lot of perseverance, hard work, and even some luck to reach where you are right now. Some of you have began preparing for the job market, some of you want first clear some small issues here and there, then jump into the workers class. Well, I wish you all the best.

Probably by now you have written down your CV (...or you have copy-pasted and edited a friend’s CV…) and you are ready to drop it. You have probably already attended open days by different leading auditing firms, like KPMG, Delloite, PWC, where lots hope was pumped into you, and you went ahead and applied for the jobs and you are waiting for some correspondence from them. A few of you will then drop your CVs at the placement office and the majority of you will go to the internet and apply for jobs online in the many job advertisement sites. Others (the daring ones) will apply to jobs posted in the newspapers, almost all of which you do not qualify for because they require higher degrees and/or several years of experience.

You will be having very high hopes.

Connections, leadership and luck=Jobs in Kenya

You will see/hear of how some of your friends have gotten jobs here and there, some of the jobs just mediocre, others, well paying. With time, you will learn that so and so (may be seven guys in your campus) has been taken by those firms that had held the open days. And your hopes will begin to dwindle. You will see some of your classmates from the well-to-do families getting good jobs pretty fast. The other group that you’ll see getting jobs will be those fellows that headed the small University Clubs and organisations, including the regional organisations that you used to dismiss as tribal. Others will get some cool jobs from their older (moneyed and connected) ‘girl’ friends and ‘boy’ friends. Then there is the last group that will just be lucky.

But as we all know, very very few of us come from these very well-to-do families. We also know that we can only have one person heading an organisation for any academic year. So these numbers are also few. A majority of you have good morals, so you won’t qualify for the third group. Most of you will want to be in the lucky group, but unfortunately, not everyone wins the lotto.

You will continue applying for jobs, as you wait for your results and the final graduation. In the meantime, you will find yourself indicating on your application form that you are expecting to score an upper-second class (even when the odds are clearly against you.) In the beginning, you will be very choosy on the field that you are applying to. You will apply only where you know you are relevant.

Most of the companies and organisations that you will apply to will not even bother to respond to your well written CV and application letter. Your hopes will now begin to dwindle. One or two will write back to you, indicating that “they regret that they cannot give you the job.” At first you’ll get angry at these regrets, but with time, you’ll begin appreciating them (that they are at least writing something back.)

Others will be kinder, and they will invite you for their interviews. You will find yourself researching about their organisations on the net, and checking out sites that arm one with Interview-handling skills. It is at the interviews that you will realize that some guys in the HR departments are really dumb. They will ask you questions like “what salary you want from them,”“why you want to work for them,” “whether you like working under pressure,”“where you see yourself in five years,” and many other stupid questions and you will find yourself having to lie to them so as to please them and pass the interview. For instance, the main reason as to why you want to work for them is to get the salary and probably get some work experience, but you’ll find yourself cheating them that you are working for them because you like their policies and work environment… and such lies. You will cheat them that you want to be paid what they usually pay, and you will pretend further and even give them some range(i.e if they pay 30k, you’ll lie that you want to get between 27k and 32k) Some will even be more dumber and ask you “what the name of your D.O is!” (You will then wish that you had Ahmed Nassir as the interviewer rather than these lousy fellows!)

By this time, your hopes will be 50-50. Some few days later, they will tell you that they can’t employ you because you are yet to have the actual graduation certificate. You will continue applying for more jobs as you wait for the graduation and the papers.

On Your Graduation Day and upon graduation

On you graduation day, you will be very happy: First because you will finally get your papers, second because you will meet your former classmates, and lastly because you’ll learn that almost all of you are still jobless (…strength in numbers theory…)

At the graduation ceremony, especially for those of you who come from small rural villages, expectations will be very high, and everybody will show lots of respect, and they’ll be thinking that their graduate son/daughter will automatically get some job. You will smile with them and relay back their hope, but deep inside you’ll be aware of the difficulties ahead.

One good thing about holding a ceremony is that you’ll get some little cash. The problem with college is that by the time you are sitting for your exams, you are terribly broke, and the little remaining HELB money is usually saved for the finalists’ Bash. So the little cash from the ceremony will help you get something to buy envelopes, print CVs, browse the net, get some transport, etc.

Now armed with the certificate and the transcripts, you will continue with the job of application job. This job will now become your main job. It will involve sending CVs, delivering CVs to relatives, reading the newspapers’ jobs page, constantly checking you P.O Box and email for any response, and calling your friends to inquire of any openings.

Those who are lucky, will get a job with Safaricom (or one of the communications companies), Equity Bank (or as a clerk in one of the Kenyan banks), some pharmaceuticals, some media houses, or some other employer whose activities do not relate in any way whatsoever with what they learnt at the University. They will earn an average salary, and some of them will behave as if they own the world.

If you are less lucky, but lucky still, you will get a job with either Barclays bank or StanChart Bank where you will work in the position of a Sales Representative. Your job will entail literally hawking Loans, hawking Credit Cards and hawking bank accounts. They will give you impossible targets in order to for you to qualify for commissions. In the meantime, they will be giving you some 8k-10k per month. With the ever rising cost of living, you will realize that 10k is just enough for your survival. The guys at HELB, NHIF and NSSF will also want a piece of your small Wage.

Relatives will begin inviting you for their wedding harambees, and they will expect their banker son/daughter to chuck some good cash. In the meantime, you’ll have began applying for jobs in the currently unstable oil rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, UAE and Southern Sudan. By then, all your pride will have gone, and you will be ready to even work as a graduate Mboch in these volatile countries.

Some other smarter fellows will think of starting up some NGO and apply for funding from abroad. They will look for the most fundable cause, and most of them will go for education and women’s issues. The brighter ones will start NGOs to promote homosexualism defend gay rights (these ones will gets lots and lots of funding.) These NGO founders will realize that one needs things like physical addresses, registration fees and many other impeding requirements and hence they will lose hope even before they start off.
Others will start doing e-jobs, which will mostly involve creative writing, doing University research for some lazy CEO somewhere in Europe, balancing accounts. Some will do it independently(very difficult at the begging) others will do it under people who are more established in the bussiness.

And others, as a last resort, will decide to jump into the business world. They will do their research, borrow cash from family and friends, and start off. Unfortunately, businesses take time before they pick up, and one is also bound to make loses before making profits: Because of this, most of these businesses will fail, and you’ll have people expecting you to pay their money back.

You will come across adverts that claim you can access government Youth loans without the need for collaterals. You will happily walk into some bank (especially family bank, K-rep and K.I.E) with your now perfect business plan. You will then walk out of the bank a dejected person, after realizing that in reality, these government youth loans actually need more security than ordinary loans.

You will now acquire the title, hustler; and when anybody asks you what you are doing these days, your answer will be: “Na-hustle tu..”

Some of you will become extremely religious, and will expect God to hear your prayers. You will fast, you will pray, you will contribute your tithe solemnly (never mind that you actually earn nothing!)

Some of you will wish that you never went to college as you are now not different from those who never stepped in school.

Those who scored first class honors will wonder why the state doesn’t want to sponsor them so that they can use their knowledge to help the society (Instead of awarding a full scholarship to a first Class holder in Chemistry , so that they can discover the cure for cancer, the state will let them hawk loans, or at best, be exploited as sales reps for Asian pharmaceutical companies)

Some of you will hate the ever lying politicians and politics in general.

For those of you who will be lucky to get some average paying job, you will come face to face with exploitation, where you are overworked, where the organisation that you work for rakes in millions of shillings (because of your sweat) and at the end of the month you are paid peanuts, compared to what the owners get. You will realize that job security is a myth, and that you can be sacked any time for whatever reason. At times you will want to quit and kick the boss’ ass, but the pre-employment experiences will sober you up.

Capitalism, The sole problem

Whether you are unemployed or underpaid, you will begin to understand that the system doesn’t work. You will begin to see that there is something terribly wrong with the way the world works. You will now become conscious of the evils of capitalism, only that you won’t know that the system that you are living in is actually called Capitalism.

This is how the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (the most left party in Kenya) website (www.sdpkenya.com ) describes capitalism:

• Capitalism in all its political forms - colonial, neo-colonial, or global - has failed to serve the majority of Kenyans and has benefited only a tiny fraction of the population. Colonial capitalism benefited primarily the white setter and Asian businessmen; neo-colonial capitalism has admitted the rich Kenyan African while global capitalism has further admitted/allowed some professionals into the exclusive club of the rich. The majority of Kenyans standards of living have improved little despite the seemingly major political and economic changes. 

• Capitalism is inherently unequal, exploitative and oppressive; capitalism in Kenya is responsible for the situation where a few enjoy sumptuous dinners and wine, while the majority of Kenyans go to sleep hungry daily!  Only socialism can create conditions that can enable the majority to obtain adequate food daily and other basic needs daily.
• Capitalism is inherently and expensively wasteful; for instance, it wastes the energies of millions of Kenyans, especially the youth, by not availing jobs. Capitalism requires and demands large pools of unemployed to keep wages and salaries down so that high profits may be obtained. 

• Capitalism inherently breeds extreme inequalities not only between classes but between regions and communities, it is the root cause of the ethnic animosities virulent in our politics today. 
• Perhaps, worst of all, capitalism reveals the great possibilities for improving the material and social wellbeing of our people, but immediately closes them to the majority on account of its high inequalities in the distribution of income.

Once you become aware of the fact that the reason as to why you are suffering is because of the system that we are living in, once you become conscious of this fact, the fact that Capitalism has failed failed long ago, you will wonder whether there is an alternative. You will wonder whether there can be a world where there is no Oppression and no Exploitation of man by man. You will wonder whether there is a system which is human.

The alternative is there, the alternative is Socialism (I will cover Socialism more deeply on my next visit.)

If you feel that it is indeed true that this capitalist system is not working, then it is your duty, the duty of each one of you to fight oppression, exploitation and classes, if we are to change how we live.

The bill of rights in our new constitution is a very progressive chapter. Article 41 (1)(2) tends to protect workers, and even gives them suggestions of what to do should they not  get good remuneration or should they not have reasonable working conditions. Article 37 encourages the citizens to fight for their rights, including the right to be employed. Article 55 demands that the Youth be employed. Article 43 states that:

(1) Every person has the right—

(a) To the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care;

(b) To accessible and adequate housing, and to reasonable standards of sanitation;

(c) To be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of acceptable quality;

(d) To clean and safe water in adequate quantities;

(e) To social security; and

(f) To education.

(2) A person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment.

(3) The State shall provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependants.

Now that the Constitution of Kenya demands the above, why are we not fighting for these rights that are being denied to us by capitalism?

The Social Democratic Party of Kenya, which in essence is Socialist, is constantly fighting for these rights, and I am inviting you to the party. The reason as to why we should stand up is summarized in these three verses of the Internationale(Billy bragg Version):

>>>>Stand up, all victims of oppression,
For the tyrants fear your might!
Don't cling so hard to your possessions,
For you have nothing if you have no rights!
Let tribal ignorance be ended,
For respect makes the empires fall!
Freedom is merely privilege extended,
Unless enjoyed by one and all.

Let no one build walls to divide us,
Walls of hatred nor walls of tribes.
Come greet the dawn and join us,
We'll live together or we'll die alone.
In our world poisoned by exploitation,
Those who have taken, now they must give!
And end the vanity of nations,
We've but one Earth on which to live.

And so begins the final drama,
In the streets and in the fields.
We stand unbowed before their armour,
We defy their guns and shields!
When we fight, provoked by their aggression,
Let us be inspired by life and love.
For though they offer us concessions,
Change will not come from above!<<<<<<<<

We should join hands, defend the constitution, fight capitalism and build a Socialist world which shall be free from oppression and exploitation of man by man. A world where we will abolish classes!

In the meantime, you must continue surviving in this system. Do not get tired of sending the job applications. Conduct yourselves in the best way during your interviews. Try and come up with business ideas. Write them down and send them out. If your parents(or good relatives) live in this city and you are not married, and there is some little space then there is no point of moving out, just live with them, as we continue fighting towards a just world. If you come from the rural areas, then you could link up with some friends and live together rather than burdening your folks by wanting to live alone and them paying your rent. Even when you are earning something little, it would be good to have some roommate(s) and save some of your little cash. If you have some Shamba at home, try farming. Get books and read them. Read about Lenin, read about Mao Tsetsung, read about Fidel Castro and Cuba, read about Vietnam and Laos. Read African History read about Kwame Nkurmah, read about Kenyan affairs, read about the Mau Mau struggle, read Not Yet Uhuru by Oginga Odinga, read about Makhan Singh, read Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s works, just read. Try and organise the youth from you village/estate. If funds are available, go back and further your degree (though I find it strange when people do their masters so as to get better jobs-In my opinion, additional degrees should be used to gain further knowledge and to help the society-They should not be used to add prospects for jobs.)

But most importantly, should you get a job, should you get some money, Never allow the small comforts to make you fear or abandon the struggle for the new world that is totally free, a Socialist world which shall be free from oppression and exploitation of man by man. A world where we will abolish classes, a world that we must work towards.

Benedict Wachira

Chairperson, Bureau of Young Social Democrats

30th May 2011

12:08am

Why Africa should commemorate the 50th anniversary of the defeat of the U.S forces by Cuba, at the Bay of Pigs

On the 17^th April 1961, at 1:15am, under the authorization of President J.F. Kennedy and the C.I.A, about 1,500 U.S trained Mercenaries landed on Cuban Soil, at the Bay of Pigs on five Landing Crafts (LCVPs, similar to those used at the WWII Normandy landings) with one clear intention: To overthrow Fidel Castro’s revolutionary regime, which was barely two years old.

Two days before the Bay of Pigs invasion, American B-26 Bombers painted in Cuban Air Force colours struck Cuba’s three military airbases where almost half of Cuba’s then small air force was destroyed, and several Cuban Nationals killed. (it was at the funeral of the killed Cubans that Fidel announced the Socialist Characteristic of the Revolution.)

Fidel Castro Inside a Tank at the Bay of Pigs

As the mercenaries landed, they were met by local people (Campesinos) who defended their motherland armed only with Czech M-52 rifles, until the first battalion of cadet troops arrived in the area. As the War raged on, Castro went and set up a command centre at a nearby sugar mill, from where he was directing the Cuban attacks. Fidel showed remarkable control of events, including when he himself engaged in combat when he had to get into Cuban Military tanks. As more Cuban reinforcements arrived, the rest of the Island was also put on alert, with Raul Castro commanding the Eastern side, Juan Almeida Commanding the Centre, and Che Guevara would be in charge of the Occidental parts.

Fidel Castro, Raul Castro and Che Guevara at the Bay of pigs

The invaders (from the 2506^th Brigade) were escorted by aircraft Carrier USS Essex, five destroyers and six freighters, all which moved with radio silence.  On standby were U.S marines, who were waiting for the Mercenaries to succeed and set up a provisional government which would “invite” them over to the “Free” Cuban state.

The B-26 Bombers continued causing havoc, until four of them were shot down by the Cuban fighters. In the meantime, two American supply ships containing ammunition and communications equipments (the Houston and Rio Escondido) were sunk by the Cuban fighter jets, forcing two other ships to flee back to the U.S, and by 20^th of April (only two days later) the American destroyers picked up the few mercenaries who had made it to the Sea and fled back to the U.S, signaling the end of an invasion which had been planned for over one year. (the planning began during President Eisenhower’s leadership)

Over 1, 200 Captured U.S Mercenaries

Fidel, Raul and the Cuban Combatants Celebrate the Victory at the Bay of Pigs

Cuba lost 161 fighters, while the U.S lost 114 men. Over 1, 200 American Combatants were taken prisoner, all of whom Fidel gave back to the U.S administration, in exchange for medical supplies for children and Agricultural equipment, which, were more of Moral punishments than anything else.

After the Americans were humiliated by this unimaginable defeat, they resorted to using terrorist tactics such as bombing Cuban trade ships, sending terrorists to bomb Cuban passenger planes and tourist hotels, assassinations and above all, imposing the murderous blockade which to date is still in effect, despite persistent U.N condemnation (every year all the countries in the U.N, except Israel and the U.S, vote against the blockade at the U.N general assembly)

It was after the triumph at the Bay of Pigs that Cuba’s first brotherly assistance to Africa came about.

Cuba in Africa-Algeria

In 1961, the African continent was violently rising up against the Colonialists, and one of the bloodiest anti-colonial wars was fought in Algeria, under the leadership of the National Liberation Front (FLN) against the French. Ahmed Ben Bella, who was one of the FLN leaders called for Cuba’s support. Cuba did not hesitate and it sent a ship load of Weapons and tens of doctors to the freedom fighters, the ship then returned to Cuba with over a hundred Algerian children who had been wounded and orphaned by the French forces. One year later, the Algerian people won their independence from France.

In 1963, Morocco, through its Monarchy claimed a large mineral-rich Algerian territory, and decided to take it by force, in a war now known as the Sand War. At this time, the Moroccan Army received logistical aid from the U.S, and arms from France, while Algeria’s rebel army was still recuperating from its long and unequal war with the French Colonialists. After some period of fighting(Deep inside Algerian territory), the Algerian government again called for help from Cuba, and again Cuba did not hesitate, in fact, it sent a battalion of state of the art tanks, together with over seven hundred internationalist soldiers. After the arrival of the Cuban troops, the war did not last for long, and the Moroccans had to retreat from the Algerian-Cuban forces, and finally a peace deal was negotiated by the O.A.U.

Saharawi

It is very important to note here that Morocco, under it Monarch, has been occupying the Western Sahara republic since the departure of their Spanish colonialists.

After meeting stiff resistance from the Saharawi people under the Polisario Front, Spain did not allow for Saharawi independence but instead divided its territory between Mauritania and Morocco in 1975, while it (Spain) controlled Saharawi’s maritime resources. The Saharawi continued with their war against their new Colonizers, and in 1979, they managed to defeat the French backed Mauritania forces. It was after this victory that the O.A.U officially recognized Western Sahara Republic, and because of this, Morocco quit the O.A.U. Since then, the Saharawi have been fighting for independence from Morocco, which receives support from Spain, France, the U.S. and even indirectly from the U.N through the U.N.S.C.

It is quite clear that if the Cubans had not intervened for Algeria in 1963, then probably we could have had two colonies in Africa today.

Cuba in Africa-Congo

In 1964, at the U.N general assembly, Ernesto Che Guevara admonished the U.S and Belgian aggressions against the Congo (DRC) where he said that “every free man in the world must be ready to avenge for the crimes committed against Congo.” Shortly after his speech, the Congolese rebellion was crushed by the Belgian Paratroopers, Rhodesian and South African mercenaries, and the U.S transport planes.

Che Guevara alias Tatu, with Congolese Fighters in Eastern Congo

In 1965, Che Guevara first arrived in Congo with two handpicked Cuban Battalions (all, except four soldiers were black) through Tanzania. Unfortunately, as Ben Bella would later say, the intervention in Congo arrived too late, and several months later, the mission had to be terminated.

Cuba in Africa-Portuguese Colonies

In 1965, after withdrawing from Congo, Che Guevara met other African leaders, and in Algiers he met movement leaders of countries which were still under Portuguese Colonialism, leaders of MPLA (Aghostinho Neto), PAIGC (Amilcar Cabral) and FRELIMO (Samora Machel). A relationship between these movements and Cuba thus began, and the Cubans began preparing fighting units, sending instructors and financial assistance. Finally Guinea-Bissau won its independence in 1974, under the leadership of the revolutionary and visionary leader, Amilcar Cabral(who by that time had been assassinated by the Portuguese).
By then Cuba had over 600 internationalists, among them tens of doctors, all who had stayed in Guinea-Bissau for close to ten years. The rest of the Portuguese colonies(Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Mozambique) would fall in 1975.

Fidel Castro and Samora Machel-First President of Mozambique and leader of FRELIMO

Fidel Castro and Agostinho Neto-First President of Angola and leader of MPLA

Fidel Castro and Amilcar Cabral-leader of PAIGC
"The Cuban combatants are ready to sacrifice their lives to free our countries, and in exchange to that aid to our freedom and the progress of our peoples, the only thing that they will take away with them are the Cuban combatants that fell in the fight for freedom"-Amilcar Cabral

Cuba in Africa-Ethiopia

In 1977, over 15, 000 Cuban combatants participated in the defense of Ethiopia, against the Somali invasion for the annexation of Ethiopia’s Ogaden region. In three years, the Derg(Military Council), under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Miriam had overthrown Emperor Haile Selasie, and Ethiopia had fallen into instability, where internal wrangles had risen, political unrests erupted and secessionist groups emerged from many regions of the country. One of these regions was Ogaden, whose secessionist uprising was supported by Somalia (under Said Barre). Then in 1977, the Somali Army, which had far much superior military and air force strength (after receiving a lot of assistance over the years from the U.S.S.R and Egypt) invaded Ethiopia. Due to superior military hardware (now coming from the U.S and the U.S.S.R), the Somalis managed to seize the Ogaden region in one month, and were still on the offensive. The U.S.S.R then changed sides and began giving military hardware to Ethiopia, and it was at this moment that the Cuban troops landed and began fighting alongside the Ethiopian Soldiers. Strategies were developed and eventually Ethiopia managed to regain her territory in 1978. Again, many of the orphaned and wounded children were taken to Cuba, where they were educated and taken care of until they were old enough to go back and serve their mother country.

Raul, Fidel and Mengistu in Ethiopia

 Cuba in Africa-Angola

But it is the 1975 and later 1987 interventions in Angola and Southern Africa that witnessed the most massive combat involvements by Cuba in Africa.

In the period when Angola was in the process of gaining its independence in 1975, there were around five hundred Cuban Military instructors in Angola.

Of all the Portuguese colonies, Angola was the biggest and the richest, so as the Portuguese colonialism was being kicked out, the American Imperialism was forcing its way in (as was the case in whole of Africa), and America hatched a plan to divide Angola and own it via proxy of Zaire (under Mobutu) and South Africa (under the S.A Fascists.) The two countries were to simultaneously invade Angola before it proclaimed its independence, and the attacks would come from the North (Zaire) and from the South, and in no time, the first battle was waged in Benguela. It was here that Agostinho Neto, leader of MPLA asked for support from Cuba. Over the next few days, Cuba sent over 36, 000 FARs (Revolutionary Armed Forces), complete with the air cover of MiG-17s, MiG-21s and MiG 23s. With these soldiers plus the Angolan Compatriots, the Cubans launched “Operation Carlota” (Named after a woman slave who in 1843 led an uprising against Slavery, and died in the struggle.) In addition to it being the most powerful country on the continent, South Africa also had nuclear bombs, which were delivered to them by the U.S after the Cubans made their presence there.

This notwithstanding, the Cuban-Angolan forces managed to push the South African Forces      1, 000 kilometers, up to the Namibian border. The two countries held some peace talks, but Cuba refused to withdraw its forces, unless Namibia was granted its independence. After some push from the U.S and U.S.S.R, Cuban finally agreed to leave in a timetabled manner, and it, together with the U.S.S.R agreed to train and arm the Angolan Army.

Small intermittent aggressions continued from the South Africans, but that was until 1987, when the SADF(South African Defense Forces) decided to launch a full attack (the last) on Angola.

In 1987, the U.S and South Africa launched a major attack using Jonas Savimbi (leader of UNITA) as a front, and Angola, now under Eduardo Dos Santos called for help from Cuba.

 This time round, Cuba was reluctant to send any support, since their advisers in Angola had always warned the MPLA against attacking the Savimbi outposts in the far South, something that was unnecessary, and dangerous, but the MPLA didn’t take the advice, hence the moment that they attacked Savimbi in the South, the South Africans counter attacked and killed very many Angolan soldiers, destroyed brand new equipments and they continued to surge forward towards the capital. The Angolans had taken the bait.

After more distress calls from the brother nation, Cuba agreed to take the risk and help Angola, but they (the Cubans) had decided that they would fight hard, and end the South African aggressions in Southern Africa, once and for all.

Over 55, 000 soldiers were sent to Angola and the positioned themselves at two fronts, one in the South Western regions of Angola, and another behind the Cuito and Canavale Rivers. The South Western attack included 40, 000 Cuban soldiers, 30, 000 Angolan troops and 3, 000 Namibian guerilla fighters from SWAPO, who were under the leadership of Sam Nujoma (Since 1975, Angola had training bases for Namibia, Zimbabwe and South African freedom fighters). They were covered above by the MiG-23s, and they had over 1, 000 anti-air artillery and around 600 tanks. This, together with the famous thunderous defeat at Cuito Canavale, made the South Africans flee deep into their territory.

A meeting of old Comrades-Fidel and Mandela

Fidel Castro and Sam Nujoma-First President of Namibia and leader of SWAPO

Cuban-Angolan Fighters in Angola

Cuba in Africa-Namibia, South Africa

This time round, the Cubans vowed not to stop the war, until South West Africa, Now Namibia was given its independence. Peace talks were then initiated by the U.N, where South Africans sat on one side, and Cubans and the Angolans on the other side. Ironically, the U.S was acting as the mediator. Namibia finally won its independence in 1990, where Sam Nujoma was elected as the first President of that Nation. South Africa became free four years later.

In the whole involvement in Angola since 1974, over 300, 000 volunteer Cuban internationalists had participated in the Angolan struggle. 2, 077 Cubans had lost their lives. Unlike the U.S, France, Britain and the whole NATO alliance who intervene in other countries because of their selfish interests, Cuba agreed to intervene in all these countries out of fraternal love.

How Cuba is working with Africa Today

Last year, I had the privilege of attending the 3^rd African Meeting of Solidarity Networks with Cuba, which was held in Luanda, Angola and had been organised by Government of Angola, Angolan League of Friendship and Solidarity with the people (LAASP), Association for Angola-Cuba Friendship (ASAC) and the Cuban Institute of friendship with the Peoples (ICAP and was attended by delegations from over 14 African countries.

While Sam Nujoma(81), first president of Namibia remembered how they used to be happy when they, as Guerilla Freedom Fighters used to see the Cuban MiG-23s flying above them; a Ghanaian delegate in his mid 20s told the meeting of how Cuban volunteer doctors are offering medical service in remote regions of Ghana, regions where even Ghanaian doctors avoid to tread.

This trend is not only seen in Ghana, but it is there in many African countries, and other countries in the world. When Fidel was taking over in 1959, Cuba had a total of 6, 000 doctors half of whom were lured over to the U.S after the triumph of the revolution. Since then, Cuba, under the great leadership of Fidel Castro has managed to train over 80, 000 Cuban doctors, and has trained an equivalent number of doctors from other countries.

In a span of less than 10 years, over 30 Kenyan students have studied medicine in Cuba for free, and are now practicing in Kenya, while another 30 have had full University scholarships in other disciplines.

Henry Reeve Contingent

Cuban Doctors Put on stand by to help after Hurricane Catrina-U.S rejected the offer, and many lives were lost

Some Cuban Doctors in Haiti after the devastating Earthquake

Cuba has the Henry Reeve Contingent, which is an army of doctors who largely deal with disasters situations and disease epidemics in all corners of the world. They have intervened in Guatemala during Hurricane Mitch, they were there during the Pakistani earthquake, there were there before, during and after the Haiti earthquake. Even in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Cuba offered 1, 600 doctors, but the American pride could not allow them to accept the offer. As a result, many people (mainly blacks) had to die of salvageable conditions. Fidel Castro while speaking about the U.S reactions to the Haiti earthquake disaster said that Cuba does not send Soldiers, it sends doctors: The Cuban doctors who were in Haiti saved many lives, while the U.S army used the disaster to occupy Haiti militarily. They also prevented many deaths, and saved many during the Cholera outbreak later in that country.

The Cuban doctors have solved millions of medical cases in Africa alone, and all this they do out of the internationalist spirit of love.

Africa in Cuba

Out of all this, Africa has also reciprocated this love through small but firm deeds, for instance, after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90s, Cubans went through a very difficult period (Special Period). A period of hunger, a period of intensified terrorist attacks and a period of blurred future. But Africans stood and stuck with them, giving them moral physical support in the form of food aids and other materials.

Since the mid 1990s, Africa has always voted for the abolishment of the murderous U.S Blockade on Cuba, without fearing reprisals from the U.S. Despite this resolution being passed by over 180 countries at the U.N every year, the U.S continues ignoring these calls and even President Obama, whose father was an African and in whom we earlier had a lot of faith in has continued with these unjustified killing of innocent Cuban people.

African people have also being at the forefront of pushing for the release of the Five Cuban Antiterrorist heroes, who are unfairly held in the U.S jails because of unearthing terrorism in the U.S.A.

These kind acts are so many and they include last year’s Cuban debt cancellation (1$ Billion) by South Africa, which was followed by awarding another loan to Cuba.


Not Enough

Though Africa’s reciprocation has been seen, it is clearly not enough. Whereas Cuba went to great lengths, including risking sending its Army thousands of miles away when it always had an imminent aggression from its neighbor just 100 miles away;

Whereas Cuban internationalists lost their lives in the process of fighting for freedom in Africa;

Whereas Cuba has had to face more difficult times because of the costs involved in these interventions;

Whereas Cuba has always told off imperialism and imperialist advances from this great continent of ours;

Whereas we can never forget what Cuba under the leadership of Comrade Fidel Castro has done and is doing o this continent;

We must also ask ourselves as Africans what we are doing to develop conditions; A Socialist environment, which allowed and is allowing Cuba to have the heart of being in solidarity with us.

We must question, challenge and expose the African leadership that was still in leadership when Cuba’s internationalism was at its peak, but who today have are not walking the progressive and revolutionary talk that they had back in the days.

We must work harder amongst our people, inform them of the Cuban Blockade, the Cuban 5, Guantanamo bay and other Cuban struggles (which in most cases receive no media coverage) so that together we may fight against these injustices in a louder voice, and in stronger action.

In as much as the African countries vote with Cuba on the issue of the blockade every year, in my view this is not enough. We need visible and militant action from our leaders in these U.N meetings, and directly with Cuba that will end this madness once and for all.

Even though our Cuban brothers did and continue doing the positives in Africa out of Socialist internationalism and out of love, Africans must reciprocate this love in equal and even in higher measure.

Cuba, just like all the African countries is a developing nation, but it has managed to build a literacy rate of 99.8% (whereas the U.S has over 40 million illiterate adults), it has managed to become the medical superpower of the world, it has a life expectancy of 79 years (in fact, the oldest person alive is a Cuban, she is 126 years old!), among many other major achievements.

It has made these serious strides in human development due to their patriotism to their country, fostering true friendship with other nations, practicing Socialism, opposing imperialism, revolutionary visionary leadership, and goodwill from the rest of the world.

It is from these, and many other Africa-Cuba relationship that Africa should celebrate with Cuba, as they mark the 50^th Anniversary of the defeat of the U.S forces at the Bay of Pigs: No one knows where the world would be, if victory was never to be.

Viva Cuba!

Viva Africa!

Benedict Wachira

Secretary, Kenya-Cuba Friendship Society

6^th May 2011

04:10am

Recommended book: My Life-Fidel Castro and Ignacio Ramonet Penguin Books, 2007

Simone Gbagbo: Beaten, Tortured and probably sexually harassed by Ouattara soldiers

Simone Gbagbo-Forced to look at the Camera after Humiliation, Brutal Beating and Torture

The first time I came across a photo of Simone Gbagbo was in January this year, at a West African news site that I occasionally follow (allwestafrica.com). She was at a rally in support of her husband, Laurent Gbagbo. The husband was not present at the rally. The site then posted some other pictures in mid march, where she had attended a prayer rally for peace in Ivory Coast. Again, her husband was not there. That was when I developed some interest and googled her name, and I was really stunned to read a little about her. The next time I saw her photo, at the same site, was a day after 4/11, and the above photo was one of them. Since then, these 4/11 photos have been written about and distributed around with words like “Gbagbo deserved this,” “Gbagbo and wife caught in a bunker!” “African dictators should learn from this,” “Kudos to the French, now we go to Zimbabwe, hope Grace is watching,” “Did Gbagbo have to put his family through this?” and many other sickening comments.

Successful African women

There have been many attempts to destroy the fame, character and public perception of Female African Revolutionaries, Female African freedom fighters and Successful Female African Politicians (especially those politicians who are independent of the west.)

In some earlier article, I wrote about Field Marshal Muthoni, a Kenyan guerrilla Independence war heroine, who rose to the rank of a Mau Mau General, but has had a total blackout by the former and current governments and from other institutions such as the media, yet she is still alive and strong. Stories about Winnie Mandela are always focused on her alternative love life and little about her role in the anti-apartheid struggle. And there are many other strong women who have been given the same treatment. Even heroines from the past, heroines such as Mekatilili wa Menza and Wanje wa Mwadorikola who led men in the coast in resisting the British Colonialists, a hero like Muthoni Nyanjiru, who led women in probably the first nonviolent protest recorded in Colonial Kenya, a Heroine like Taitu Betul-the decisive Ethiopian empress who led the resounding defeat of the Italian Colonialists in the battle of Adowa, and many other female heroines.

It is this treatment of our past women heroines, coupled with religious chauvinism that has undermined the rise of women into decision making positions, and has also brainwashed most Africans, both Male and Female, into not entrusting leading roles to women.

Africa was a continent which produced powerful queens and natural female leaders, who were accepted and accorded respect by the communities that they led. Historians tell us that when it was the woman leading, the community became stronger and developed faster. Karl Marx once wrote that “Everyone who knows anything of history also knows that great social revolutions are impossible without the feminine ferment. Social progress may be measured precisely by the social position of the fair sex”, Mao Zedong also, in his quest to liberate the Chinese women once told the people to “Unleash women’s fury as a real force for the revolution.”
There are countries where women heroes are encouraged, celebrated and accorded the respect they deserve. In a country like Cuba, Celia Sanchez, Vilma Espin, Haydee Santamaria, Tete Puebla and many other women leaders are given the recognition that they earned. Strong women like Rosa Luxemburg, Harriet Tubman, Kim Jong Suk and many others are still remembered by the societies that they represented, and beyond.

Of course, just as it is in the case of men, it is not just any woman who can lead. That is why the story of Simone-Ehivet Gbagbo inspires me, in the same extent as some of the pictures that I have posted here (below) bring me to tears.

Who is Simone Gbagbo?

“We will never get tired of saying that more women should get into decision making positions” -Simone Gbagbo

Dr. Simone was born on 20^th June 1949, in the village of Mossou in Ivory Coast to Ehivet Jean, a Policeman and Marie Djaha, who died after giving birth to her. She excelled in her academics, through to the University of Abidjan, where she pursued a degree in Oral Literature and linguistics. She furthered her education in numerous institutions, including the University of Villentaneuse and the University of Dakar. She has also participated in many academic forums all over the world.

In her early life, she aspired to be a teacher, and she became one, where she taught in Secondary school, and later in the University.

Since her childhood days, she was an active member of several youth groups, both in the Community and in the church. As a secondary school teacher, although she never held any position in the teachers Union, she was a very committed member of that union, and used to participate and mobilize other teachers in their activities.

She later shifted to lecturing at the University of Abidjan, where she got deeply involved in the powerful Lecturers’ trade Union (S.Y.N.A.R.E.S) which she headed.

All this time, just like in most African Countries in that era, Ivory Coast was headed by a brutal dictator called Houphouet Boigny, who served as a puppet of the French, a supporter of apartheid in South Africa, a good friend of Jonas Savimbi, and a fervent opponent of Pan Africanism. It was her opposition to the activities of this dictator that landed her to prison on several occasions.

Still at the University, she, together with other Lecturers and Students, joined an underground political organisation, which held clandestine political study circles within the university. It was in one of the study circle cells that she met Laurent Gbagbo, in 1973. Gbagbo was just fresh from Jail (Gbagbo too was used to the prison gates as a political prisoner.)

It was from this underground organizing that Gbagbo, Simone and others formed the FPI (Ivorian Popular Front) which still operated from the underground, since it was illegal to have any other party in Ivory Coast.

Fast forward to the 90’s: Due to the pressure that the underground was putting on Houphouet, the dictator allowed for multipartism, where Gbagbo was his only challenger. Simone on her part vied for the municipal elections in Abobo district. They both lost the elections. After the elections they were both imprisoned again, this was after she was brutally beaten up by soldiers before their arrest. After her release, she and other party members began building the FPI, where she became the National Secretary in charge of Political education and Agriculture. Five years later, she vied for the position of Member of Parliament, representing the Abobo district, where she comfortably won. She was then elected as the Vice President of the Ivorian parliament by the MPs.

In the year 2000, Laurent Gbagbo was sworn in as the President, and she became the First Lady of Ivory Coast. (Unlike other African first ladies who wear expensive clothes and do expensive shopping abroad, Simone, dresses in the ordinary Ivorian clothes, and leads a modest lifestyle.)The parliamentary elections were then held in 2002, and people from Abobo district asked that she represents them again in parliament. She accepted to vie. Some of her party members were opposed to this, and her rivals in other parties began their smear campaigns, where they called her greedy, telling the voters that if they voted for her, she would abandon them and go back to the presidential palace.

The elections were held, and she emerged the winner among the four candidates, garnering over 39, 000 votes, which was 56% of the total votes, while the other three shared the rest amongst themselves. 

Events continued to happen within Ivory Coast, when the Ouattara rebels, aided by France and Blaise Compaore (the French puppet president of Burkina Faso) and wrecked lots of havoc in I.C. During that civil war, the French annihilated Gbagbo’s Air force after the air force bombed some French soldiers who, without the knowledge of the government were secretly training the Ouattara Rebels.

As peace talks were being held, she stood her ground, and insisted that the talks should continue within the contexts of I.C’s constitution. By saying this, she was considered by many to be a hardliner: But one should ask, if people cannot respect constitutions, law and order, then how can countries be governed? Most European countries are stable because people stick to their constitutions. Even African dictators to some extent respect this fact. They always change their constitutions before increasing their term limits; They do not extend their terms then change their constitutions.

At the peace talks (which were held in France), it was agreed that Ouattara would vie in the next elections. It was also agreed that the rebels would be included in Gbagbo’s government. It was also agreed that Ouattara’s rebels would be disarmed, before the elections could be held. Instead of disarming his rebels, Ouattara increased the size of his rebel army, with massive support from the French. This led to the postponement of the election by four years. All this time, Simone would speak her mind. She would speak and stick to the truth and condemn all these developments, especially the French involvement. At one moment during the peace talks, Kofi Anan suggested that because of her strong stand and influence on the populace of I.C, she could be included into the peace talks!

Simone-Dances at a rally in support of her Husband Gbagbo(Jan 2011)

The Jovial African Woman!

Simone Shaking Hands with Charles Ble Goude-Leader of the Young Patriots

 Unfortunately, a lot of international pressure was exacted on Gbagbo, and the elections were held without the disarmament of the rebels. What followed was what was earlier feared. Massive rigging in the rebel held territories, voter intimidation, voting under the barrel of the gun among many other mal practices, especially in the second round voting.

It is highly probable that all this would not have happened, if Simone was the president of I.C. She would have nipped it in the bud.

Speaking of if she was the president, most Ivorians felt that she could vie for presidency after her husband’s term ended. She was termed by the people as the “Hillary Clinton of Africa.”

Many allegations and cases have been brought against her, but she has overcome all of them. The French even accused her of murder, but she won the case, after which Laurent Gbagbo sued the double agent who had presented the false creations to the French.

In my opinion, Simone’s main weakness is her deep religious belief. But believers would consider this as a strong point.

Simone has been at the forefront of many initiatives targeting women and girls.

On her arrival at a Peace Prayer Rally in Abidjan-Always jovial (March 2011)

At the Prayer Rally-Deep in Thought

 The French/U.N led illegal arrest

But it was how she was mistreated after the “Capture” that saddens me most. It made me ask myself very many questions. Very bitter questions.

It is a known fact that one of Gbagbo’s ministers who was with them during the capture was brutally beaten up, and shot dead in head. Ouattara’s men then claimed that he had tried to kill himself (by beating himself up?)

Looking at Simone’s photos at the capture, it is clear that she was beaten up, tortured, and probably sexually assaulted. Ever since these pictures and their videos were made public, nobody has come out to condemn these dehumanizing acts on Simone. No word from the so called civil societies, no word from those who defend universal rights, and surprisingly, no word from any African first lady or politician.

Humiliated-Simone faces down-Gbagbo trying to put up a straight face

It appears as if she is ordered to look at the Camera.Gbagbo sits calmly

The Humiliation Continues,they both appear to protest

 It is clear that the tortures were ordered directly by Ouattara himself, since the rebel soldiers who entered the palace and later took Gbagbo and his family to the Gulf Hotel were not the simple rank and files. His top soldiers were present at capture and at the hotel, and it is clear that they were receiving direct orders from him. Even before the illegal arrests were made, Ouattara had said that he had given his soldiers direct orders not to harm Gbagbo. It is then possible that he had given them direct orders to harm Simone.

But why did Ouattara do this? Why did the soldiers take the orders? Was it Gbagbo that they had a problem with or was it Simone? These photos are just so sad. Furthermore, if this is how the best Ouattara soldiers would treat the first lady and an elected leader in I.C in front of the cameras, then how did they treat the ordinary women that they met in the villages? Even the staunchest Ouattara defenders would now find it hard to refute the torture, the rape cases and the genocidal killings that they are reported to have, and still are committing.

Taken Outside and Forced by Ouattara Rebels to lie on the Floor

French backed-Ouattara Rebels forcefully pose for a photo with her lying down

 This is something that has probably never been witnessed in the world before. Idi Amin was toppled out of power, but the wives were not touched. Samuel Doe was killed and his naked body paraded in the streets of Liberia, but the same was not meted on the wife. Haile Selasie was buried in a latrine, but this treatment was not extended to his wife. In as much as we cannot even slightly compare the above mentioned people with Gbagbo, we see that the rebels and mutineers in these places had some sense of humanity in them.

In these pictures, we see Gbagbo for some reason being made to change clothes three times in one day; hence I would not be surprised to learn to hear that these men sexually harassed or even raped Simone that day, as some sites suggest.

Gbagbo being taken out-He is in his pajamas

Gbagbo without a shirt, wiping tears off his face

Gbagbo in a Green Summer shirt

Gbagbo in a Brown Shirt

 For me, it is clear that Ouattara and the French first wanted their revenge on Simone, and secondly, they fear Simone more than they fear anybody else, and they know that if they do not deal with her once and for all, then she would be back to haunt them, as she has done in the past.

It will be sad if they kill her and claim that she killed herself, but it will not be an unexpected move.

Is this how Ouattara and the French trained their men to handle women prisoners?

How Ouattara's best forces handled the 1st Lady

Young Ouattara Soldiers manhandling the 62 year old African Woman....on Camera

 It is expected that wives of heads of state influence some of the decisions that their husbands make. In most cases, we also see their wives being involved in their campaigns, where they address public meetings and television shows. But does that warrant this kind of treatment? I would feel really sad and angered if some Al Qaeda fellows captured Bush and his family, and then subjected Laura to any bad treatment. How would Obama feel if this was done to Mitchell by one of his many enemies? How would Kenyans have felt if either Lucy Kibaki or Ida Odinga underwent such treatment, because they performed their roles as their husband’s wives?

Laurent Gbagbo's Wife

George Bush's Wife

Barrack Obama's Wife

  

Mwai Kibaki's Wife

Raila Odinga's Wife-Raila was an AU mediator who
openly Supported Ouattara, immediately he was
appointed as a mediator

 Even Gbagbo did not think of doing such to General Guei or his wife in 2000. How would Ouattara, his supporters, and humanity in general feel, if the tables were to turn today, and Ouattara is arrested by Gbagbo’s forces, then his French wife’s hair is torn from her scalp, when she is beaten up, and treated as they have treated Simone?

Ouattara's Wife-Dominique Nouvian Folloroux

Ouattara and Dominique at a public funtion

 Inspiration, rather than demoralization

Whether her husband won or lost the elections, Simone did/does not deserve this kind of treatment.

If they did this so as to depict her image to the public as weak and hopeless, then what they have done has given Africans Strength and hope, to fight the Imperialists and their local representatives. If by torturing her they think that people will fear and run away, then they should know that they have given people the strength, and that people will run towards them with ideas, arms and all that they have. I hope, that if their intention was to curtail the rise of women into decision making positions, then African women will be inspired and take their rightful role in the society in large numbers.

In this last photo below, Simone seems to be looking straight into our hearts, telling us that she has so far played her role, and it is up to us to join hands with her, and continue with the struggle against Imperialism and the attempted re-colonization.

Ouattara rebels-Some pulling her hair, she is holding her cheek as if she has just been slapped, the is holding a piece of torn cloth, her dress and Bra sleeves have been pulled up, she has been forced to sit on the floor of a basement room.

She gives us the look

The look that gives us the Anger

 The Anger that gives us the Hope

The Hope that gives us the Strength

the Strength that will defeat the Imperialists

The Imperialists and their local Representatives

Long Live Ivory Coast

Long Live Africa

Let us join hands. Alluta Continua!

Benedict Wachira

21^st April 2011

11:57 pm

Some important links

Simone Gbagbo’s official Website: http://www.simonegbagbo.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Gbagbo

http://www.allwestafrica.com/110420118925.html

http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/LIN10126lavraobgabg0/?art_cle=LIN10126lavraobgabg0

http://myafrica.allafrica.com/view/people/main/id/06eagrpoT7m49fIp.html

Celebrations after capture?  http://www.allwestafrica.com/120420118940.html

Simone on Stage: http://www.allwestafrica.com/160120118224.html

Laurent Gbagbo in thought: http://www.allwestafrica.com/120120118179.html

During the crisis: http://www.allwestafrica.com/110120118141.html