Can Blair, corrupted Bliar by Comrade Bob and other detractors, be a true friend of Africa? Madiba thinks so. I will be the last to dismiss Madibas public statement off-the-cuff, knowing his love for Africa and his respect for others who genuinely love Africa. We recall how he resisted Thatcher and Reagan, when they tried to wean him from his infatuation with Castro, Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat. Madiba resisted the wooing temptation to jettison friendship tempered in the dark days of the struggle, for the new-fangled love. Fancy, these born-again good guys who previously called him terrorist, trying to worm themselves into his bosom, now that he had proved them wrong in their besotted self-interest on Africa! He rejected manipulation by these new converts. He was not a puppet-on-string. We must not forget however, Madiba is a forgiving man. He is a reconciliation maniac and more than a seven-times-forgiver of those who wrong him. Were Lucifer to appear, contrite before him, he would pardon him all his anti-God iniquities! On his road to reconciliation, he paid a courtesy call on the widow of the late Verwoerd, former premier and renowned architect of the ideology of apartheid. He enjoyed rooibosies tea and koeksusters with the apartheid widow (in more than one sense), keeping the conversation cordial in heavily Xhosa-accented Afrikaans. The widow did not mind!
Even after berating GW Bush as somebody who could not think properly, when he invaded Iraq, Madiba was later gracious enough to pay a courtesy call on him, to chat, without rancour, on the broad political spectrum. According to reliable sources Condoleezza Rice who was on one of her ritualistic excursions to the Middle East, dropped everything and scurried back when she heard Madiba was in Washington to see Bush, suspicious some bodily harm might befall her President, without her protective presence. Unfortunately for Condi, Madibas visit, had no ulterior motives. We also remember that when he gave Bush that tongue-lashing, he also ridiculed Blair as Bushs Foreign Minister.
Well, can Madiba, then be trusted to comment on Blairs friendship to Africa? I would not depend on his word alone. Personally, I believe, Blair blotted his legacy copybook badly, by his subservience to GW Bushs dictates. Former US President Jimmy Carter recently said Blairs conduct on the invasion of Iraq was abominable. He is of the opinion that had Blair not supported Bushs unilateral action, the US would not have invaded Iraq. I agree with Carter. The invasion was a tragic event in the history of modern world politics. Though Blair is adamant, he supported the invasion in good faith, he must realise, that it substantially undermined his efforts to mobilise resources for his undoubted passion on Africa development programme.
Political observers argue, none should be judged on one issue, in life. True. But Iraq was a gargantuan blunder in Blair premiership. A big fly in the ointment of his legacy. Otherwise, he performed with distinction in the Kosovo imbroglio and in the Northern Island stalemate. Bravo, on these two!
Africa? The rumour mill has it: Tony left his umbilical cord in the continent, born of expat parents. Precise spot may be Sierra Leone if the mill is authentic. Coincidentally it was in Sierra Leone where Blair made his robust intervention debut in an African conflict situation. Foday Sankohs agenda of savagery was taking its toll on the population. Africa herself, paralysed by incapacity, disunity and indecision, looked askance instead of calling Sankoh to book. Reminds one of the Zimbabwean situation, doesnt it? Non-African nations, obviously thought, why interfere when Africans opted for non-interference? They became spectators in a cruelly grueling sport! I am one with Sierra Leoneans in declaring Blair, the paramount chief of Sierra Leone!
Together with Bob Geldof, the Irish Africa connection, Blair conceived the Commission for Africa project, whose objective was concerned with Africas development: eradication of poverty, writing off IMF debts, fighting HIV/AIDS and zeroing in on education. The climax of this project was the Gleneagles Summit in Scotland, at which some of the rich nations committed themselves anew, to the plight of Africa. That the pledges may, in the end come to naught, as they often do, should not detract from Blairs efforts. A zealous campaigner in what he believes in, he has campaigned passionately for development issues in Africa, warning his colleagues in the G8, that they would be judged on the basis of their attitude towards Africa. Mozambiques economic recovery is attributed to Blairs stout support. Might he be privately, consumed by the reparations debt owed Africa?
There is bad blood between uncle Bob and Tony, arising ostensibly from the Gleneagles protocol on land redistribution from which Tony, according to Uncle, reneged. So? That is not a valid excuse for Uncle to turn despotic on his people: unleash hell; kill, plunder, intimidate, rig elections and gag press freedom! Approximately 4 000 per cent inflation rate, 85 per cent unemployment, close to 4 000 000 Zimbabwean economic refugees in SA and Botswana; the formally employed money illusion millionaires, who struggle to make ends meet, in real life! Is comrade-uncle blind? Or just, does not care, two hoots!
Blair condemns Bob over all this. I concur with Blair and think his humanitarian ideals overshadow those of comrade-uncles! Sure, Africa has had enemies in her history - slave traders, colonisers and cold warriors. I do not think Blair, intelligent as he is, has any truck with those Neanderthal men and their outdated views. He would not attempt to re-colonise Zimbabwe or any part of the world for that matter. He knows he would fail dismally. Africa, de-colonised, cannot be re-colonised except by her own children masquerading as modern-day prophets mouthing the tired rhetoric of the threat of re-colonisation by Bush and Blair, may temporarily succeed in re-colonising Africa!
