THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Oct

11

2023

What’s the Israel-Palestinian conflict about? The origin of wars explained

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE fighting between Israel and Hamas, which launched a surprise attack on Saturday, is the latest in seven decades of war and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has drawn in outside powers and destabilised the wider Middle East. WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF THE CONFLICT? The conflict pits Israeli demands for security in what it has long regarded as a hostile region against Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own. Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, establishing a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution and seeking a national home…

Oct

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Israel-Palestine conflict divides South African politicians – what their responses reveal about historical alliances

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

HAMAS’ brazen and deadly attack on Israel on October 7 elicited varied responses within the South African political scene. These diverse reactions reflect the long history, since before democracy in 1994, of South African engagement with the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The conflict holds symbolic significance for many in the country. ASHER LUBOTZKY, Scholar in Residence, University of Houston As with the war in Ukraine, taking sides on the issue also allows the different parties to highlight their position on the struggle for or against global Western dominance The South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC), characterised the recent…

Oct

11

2023

By The African Mirror

Catholic synod: the voices of church leaders in Africa are not being heard – 3 reasons why

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE Catholic church today is deeply polarised. This has created doctrinal fissures that are seemingly unbridgeable. There are many rumbling contestations on questions of identity, mission, faith and morality. Other questions touch on pastoral life, the nature of marriage and family life, denial of holy communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, clerical celibacy, authority in the church and reproductive rights. STAN CHU ILO, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University There is also a serious erosion of religious authority. Many church leaders have lost their credibility because of what Pope Francis calls the “leprosy of clerical sexual abuse”…

Oct

11

2023

By BERTIE JACOBS

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…