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The failure of Nelson Mandela
Condemning Mugabe calls into question the concept of African liberation, says Anthony Daniels
Nelson Mandela's description of the Zimbabwean catastrophe wrought by Robert Mugabe as a failure of leadership is a failure either of intelligence or of honesty, or of both. There comes a point at which euphemism turns into untruth; and Mugabe's regime long ago passed the stage of mere human error that the term 'failure of leadership' implies.
The reason most African leaders find it so difficult to condemn Mugabe's rule is that to do so would put in question the whole concept of African liberation. The crimes of colonialism are only too well known; but the crimes of anti- and post-colonialism are still too recent, and too current, to be talked of with frankness by their beneficiaries.
The attachment of the ANC under Nelson Mandela to freedom is comparatively recent, and wholly the result of the downfall of the Soviet Union. Until then, the South African Communist party, which was plus staliniste que Staline, was very powerful, if not preponderant, within it. If the ANC had come to power with the Soviet Union intact - which would have been impossible without a civil war - it would have made contemporary Zimbabwe seem like a garden party.
Moreover, there are still elements within the ANC that would like to move in Comrade Bob's direction. The fact is, for many African leaders of the first and second generation, the impoverishment of the population has been the road to power and riches.
Mugabe has done only what many other post-colonial African leaders have done. A fifth of the Zimbabwean population has fled; but a third of the population of Guinea, under the leadership of another hero of African liberation, Sekou Toure, fled. It would be difficult to say who was the worst liberator: the competition is so stiff.
Africa is the one continent in which, with a few honourable exceptions, there has been little advance or progress in the last forty to fifty years. What Africa desperately needs is liberation from the liberators. But who is to do it without renewing the catastrophe? ·
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Chris,
It seems you aren't recognizing the difficulties involved for a country to develop into a strong, healthy entity, with freedom and justice for all its citizens. The U.S. may be regarded as an ideal case, but even it isn't there yet, and look at the internal inhumanities it has suffered. So, let's consider the state of a colony after the oppressor leaves. The natives have little or no experience at running a country and are vulnerable to the most aggressive and greedy. Add to this the often corrupt influence from strong, Western powers, because of, again, aggression and greed. This situation in Africa is repeated in the Middle Eastern Arab countries, and also in Asian nations, such as the Philippines. I think you'd see things differently if you'd try to understand the result you see, rather than just criticize.
Excellent analysis. Evolution is part of the cure. As a taxi driver once pointed out, democracy and all its so called benefits took hundreds of years to evolve in Europe. It has been 50 years since democracy hit Africa. The next generations will be more tolerant and accepting of the Colonial powers and genuinely work for a better Africa. They will also learn to unite and form an African federation which will yield some true power.
Political correctness has prevented a lot people from seeing Mandela's duplicity not only about Mugabe but also about the Iraq war.
Sir;
It is over 40 years since most of the former African colonies south of the sahara became independent. For the leaders of some of these countries to blame their failure on colonialism after such a long time, is quite deceitful and cowardly. How many of these countries have actually made real progress since independence?
Many who speak of the crimes of colonialism were not around during colonial times. What are these crimes? Is it in fact the crimes of post colonialism that are the real cause of failure?
What is the the concept of African liberation when a so called liberator kills and maims hundreds of thousands of his own people and turns a successful beautiful country into a waste dump while he and all his cronies acrue massive wealth and others in neighbouring states, who also call themselves liberators, sit back and watch the slow death of the people of Zimbabwe.
Beautifully written concise analysis.