THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Oct

11

2023

Nepotism is stealing Africa’s future

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Nepotism is not limited to isolated cases in Africa, but a trend throughout the continent. Allowing nepotism practices through family, friends and those least qualified to occupy leadership positions is tantamount to stealing Africa’s future from its young generation. The liberation movement of the 1960s has not succeeded in addressing nepotism successfully as we see today that the post-colonial project has failed to resolve many socio-economic issues. ZIMBABWEAN President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently raised a number of eyebrows – and elicited no shortage of criticism – when he appointed his son, David Mnangagwa, as Deputy Finance Minister. What further irked opposition…

Oct

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Liberia elections 2023: three things the next president must do

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LIBERIA, Africa’s oldest republic, is about to choose its next president. On 10 October, 46 political parties and 20 presidential candidates will compete for two million registered votes at 5,000 polling stations in 15 counties. But whoever wins will confront a polarised Liberia. CHARLES WRATTO, Associate Professor of Peace, Politics, and Conflict Studies, Babes Bolyai University Liberia is more divided than it has been since the end of its 14-year civil war in 2003. The war ended with the signing of a peace agreement, but its scars are still visible across the country. Frustration around the soaring cost of living,…

Oct

10

2023

By The African Mirror

Theresa Kufuor: Ghana’s former first lady was a quiet and unobtrusive champion of change

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FLAGS have been flying at half-mast in Ghana in tribute to Theresa Kufuor, the wife of John Agyekum Kufuor, president of Ghana from 2000 to 2008. Born Theresa Mensah, the former first lady passed away on 1 October at the age of 87. As a scholar of political science and international relations, I followed her public career with keen interest. LLOYD G. ADU AMOAH, Lecturer in Political Science, University of Ghana In my considered view, Theresa Kufuor in her own unique way transcended the ceremonial role of first lady and quietly exercised considerable political power in the Ghanaian political arena.…

Oct

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria at 63: four reasons for persistent disunity six decades on

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

AT 63 the story of Nigeria can be anything from the “celebration of greatness to an act of barbaric cruelty”. These are the words of Nigerian writer Dipo Faloyin in his book Africa Is Not a Country. Nigeria attained its independence from Britain on 1 October 1960. Nearly half a century earlier, in 1914, the British amalgamated the Northern and Southern British protectorates into the Nigerian Federation. For many — including the Nigerian independence leader Chief Obafémi Awólòwò, in his book Path to Nigerian Freedom – the country that emerged from this amalgamation was “a mere geographical expression”. MUHAMMAD DAN…

Oct

03

2023

By The African Mirror

Siya Kolisi: the South African rugby star’s story offers valuable lessons in resilience

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN the world of sports, some stories transcend the boundaries of the game and become symbolic of something greater. Siya Kolisi’s journey from an adverse upbringing to becoming captain of a World Cup-winning South African rugby team, the Springboks, is one such story. TINASHE TIMOTHY HARRY, Senior Lecturer in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Nelson Mandela University Kolisi made history as the first black captain of the Springboks in a country where, because of apartheid and separate development, the professional sport was once an all-white affair. Rugby was firmly associated with white national pride, and now a black man from a…

Sep

30

2023

By The African Mirror

Salif Keïta, the defiant Malian football legend who created history on and off the field

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

FORMER Malian footballer Salif “Domingo” Këita, who passed away on 2 September in Bamako, embodied a crucial moment in the history of African football, helping shape its relationship with the world. His influence was also felt in Europe when he helped shine a light on the rights of French footballers at a critical time. Born on 6 December 1946, the year that the French West African Cup was created, Keïta (not to be confused with Salif Keita the musician) was also an important leader in Malian football. PAUL DIETSCHY, Professeur d'histoire contemporaine, Directeur du Centre Lucien Febvre (EA 2273), Université…

Sep

28

2023

By The African Mirror

“Let us honour Aziz Pahad by continuing with struggle for justice, equality”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THABO MBEKI AZIZ Pahad was a profoundly humane human being, with a sunny, compassionate, and humorous character. He was born in 1940, in Schweizer-Reneke in the North-West Province, to a family of political activists. His upbringing was profoundly shaped by the indomitable spirit of his family, particularly his mother, herself a stalwart in the fight against Apartheid. In the book, “uMama: Reflections of South African Mothers and Grandmothers”, compiled and edited by Marion Keim, Aziz remarks about his mother, “she taught me that we were all part of one big family simply by virtue of being human and by virtue…

Sep

29

2023

By The African Mirror

Somali piracy, once an unsolvable security threat, has almost completely stopped. Here’s why

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN 2011, pirates carried out 212 attacks in a vast area spanning Somali waters, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, actions that the World Bank said cost the world economy US$18 billion a year. Armed pirates hijacked ships as far away as 1,000 nautical miles from the Somali coast. They held the ships and crews for ransom. The World Bank estimates that Somali pirates received more than US$400 million in ransom payments between 2005 and 2012. PETER VIGGO JAKOBSEN, Associate Professor, Royal Danish Defence College The piracy problem appeared unsolvable. Anti-piracy naval missions undertaken by…

Sep

26

2023

By THABO MBEKI

“Many of the metrics show that South Africa is in steep decline!”

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN an article entitled ‘State of the Nation | SA coming apart at the seams? We need to tread carefully’, published earlier this year in March, the senior News24 journalist, Pieter du Toit wrote: “South Africa has always been a country beset by instability, injustice and inherent tension…If you look at our history of, say, the last 150 years, there really have been very few decades of relative calm and stability which saw the country strain forward in any meaningful way… “Our current malaise should therefore be considered against the backdrop of what this country is, and the citizens who…

Sep

26

2023

By The African Mirror

Kwame Nkrumah: memorials to the man who led Ghana to independence have been built, erased and revived again

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

KWAME Nkrumah Memorial Park lies at the centre of Ghana’s capital, Accra. Recently renovated, it is dedicated to the memory of Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of Ghana’s independence struggle and its first president. Marking the spot of his final resting place at the park is a massive statue. CAROLA LENTZ, Professor of Anthropology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz The statue has been continuously contested since its original commission in 1956 and its unveiling at the first anniversary of independence in 1958. As a social anthropologist who has researched and written about Kwame Nkrumah themed monuments, I have explored the contradiction…