NO CHRISTMAS IN AFRICA AS DESPOTS CLAD IN SANTA CLAUS ROBES CLAD RULE

One of the most savagely talented despot to ever tread the African soil was Francisco Macías Nguema who spent years as the president of Equatorial Guinea, misruling the country like a master lunatic. His erratic behavior reached climax in 1969 when he mopped all real and imagined political adversaries and put them in a dungeon. The political prisoners, some his close relatives scared like cornered rats knew their fate was sealed.

Nguema, true to his toxic and vile nihilism waited for Christmas day in 1969 for him to put the political prisoners through a carefully prepared lavish ‘’party’’ served by men neatly dressed in Santa Claus robes. On 24^th December, at the height of his lunacy and satisfy his warped hearts desires, 150 political prisoners were ‘’prepared’’ for the luncheon and taken to the Malabo Stadium in the capital city.

At the stadium, they were welcomed by blaring music; Mary Hopkin’s melodious song lyrics, ‘’Once upon a time there was a tavern, Where we used to raise a glass or two, Remember how we laughed away the hours, Think of all the great things we would do? Those were the days, my friend…..’’

Thinking that were in a party to raise a glass of champagne and dance along to the Mary Hopkins song titled, ‘’Those were the days,’’ shocking was on them when in a flash, the men dressed in Santa Claus robes opened deadly gun fire and killed all the 150 men. Their bodies slumped to the ground and their blood drenched the tracks and field. One of those killed include the current President’s brother and this triggered a bloody coup detat.

Christmas, an idolized Christian festivity to celebrate the birth of the messiah, Jesus Christ is purposed to be a day focused on empathy, sharing and being considerate to the less fortunate in society. All these virtues are in line with the global Human Rights Based Principles (HRBA), which in essence calls for all societal frameworks grounded on human dignity, and promoting justice by making rights real for everyone.

Referring to the Equatorial Guinea massacre of 1979, the devil possessed presidential imp may have chosen to show his true colors during the hallowed day. However, how many other despots in Africa are dressed in Santa Claus robes yet serving pain, suffering and death to their subjects today? Many African countries are today replicas of ‘’Dachau,’’ the most torturous and extensively operated concentration camp during the demonic reign of Hitler. In-fact, Teodoro Biang, ousted his uncle, Macias Nguema and had him executed to rescue the country from his despotic lunacy. However, 46 years later, he is mismanaging the country by perpetuating the same madness and the citizens won’t have a merry Christmas and happy new year for sure.

The state of human rights affairs in East and Central Africa is so bad that cross border violations are a norm- abductions, corruption, electoral theft and clinging to power by the despots. In South and Central Africa, the story is the same; calculated conflict to fleece proceeds from public natural resources, poverty and highhandedness. The West and North Africa is the epicenter of human rights violations by leaders who have turned the states into stadiums and theatres for humiliation and death. Old and frail leaders encircled by equally senile family and friends amass unnecessary wealth and continue to misrule the countries decades after decades. Some of them rule from foreign lands hosted by the same leaders who siphon resources from their countries.

Africa is ailing from three key problems, which if not addressed; the leaders will continue to serve a daily Christmas of pain, misery and suffering. The first problem is the continuous grip onto power by senile leaders suffering from severe dementia and frailty. Some of the leaders are in octogenarian and nonagenarian years heading to centenarian phase. Their official entourage details have more medics than security and advisory teams. What does one want to do seeking reelection after 40 years of service if for four decades they did not accomplish? In this case, equally absurd clique of friends who cannot advise better surround them.

The second problem emanates from the first in that foreign interests especially European, American and others take advantage of the weak leadership to exploit Africa by offering them fake goodies, loans and military support for protection. In return, they exploit the natural resources for their own foreign benefit, which brings poverty in Africa. The only panacea in the offing is the Confédération des États du Sahel, (the Alliance of Sahel States), a confederation formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, located in the Sahel region of Africa. This constellation of forward thinking leaders might give Africa the Christmas leadership it deserves.

The third problem which makes Africans not enjoy a ‘’merry Christmas’’ is the Africans themselves. Despite the obvious misrule and suffering, it is as if many African citizens have resigned to fate due to prolonged poverty, which exerts profound, long-term effects on their psyche, acting as a “cognitive tax” that reduces available mental bandwidth. It reminds me of a moment on 27^th December 2002 when were determined to uproot KANU from leadership in Kenya. I was accompanying the late Kibwezi legislator, Kalembe Ndile to cast his ballot in Makindu A Primary School polling center (Makueni County-Kenya), when an old lady said that she wanted to be shown (cockerel) the mark for the KANU party because she wanted to vote for the late Dictator Arap Moi. Kalembe almost fainted and asked me, ‘’when will people learn?’’ I was also at a loss.

Africans need to know that Christmas will only be merry if they are not fooled by the ‘’Santa Claus robes’’ and fake goodies by their leaders and ensure that they control the delegated power. As things remain, Africans courtesy of their leaders will have their Christmas and the entire festive season in poverty, pain and misery since they have allowed the great continent to be a place of conflict, free resources, underdevelopment and misery.