Farewell to the Brotherly Leader

Colonel Gaddafi
Source: African politics.com 

Nine months after vowing to fight until the very end, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, 'Brotherly Leader and Guide of the [Libyan] Revolution', met his demise in his hometown of Sirte on 20 October 2011. I should point out that the Revolution he was the guide of was not the one in 2011 that led to his demise but rather the one in 1969 that saw him topple King Idris before installing himself leader of Libya.

A lot has been said about the circumstances surrounding  Gaddafi's death. Many people were horrified by the images of a battered and bruised Gaddafi being shown captured and alive followed by images showing him dead. Events took a turn for the macabre when Libyans lined up outside a cold storage unit in their hundreds to take pictures of their former leader's body. Interestingly,  amid the  sounds of jubilation coming from Libya, the only voices lamenting his passing appear to be from sub-Saharan Africa where he is heralded by many as a great African leader. This is despite the fact that just last year, Colonel Gaddafi sought to cash in on illegal African migration to Europe by asking the EU for 6.3 billion dollars per year to prevent a "black Europe". I stumbled across a very interesting op-ed piece in The East African online that examines Sub-saharan African love for Gaddafi entitled "What secret do Africans know that the majority of Libyans don't?"

Regardless of his record, one cannot escape from the fact that the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi's death are questionable and unsettling to say the least. However, after all that is said and done, the reality is that Libya faces a long arduous road to rebuilding a nation. 

It is fascinating to note that since 1 January 2011, the list of   African-leaders-still-in-power-when-I-was-in primary-school, has lost three entries. Time will only tell who is next to vacate that list. In the meantime, may Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi Rest in Peace.

Occupy [Insert City]: Global 'Spring' of Discontent or Universal Boredom Spawning Rebels without a Cause?

An iconic Time Magazine cover depicting the spirit of the Cold War in the 1980s
Source: time.com

It was about 20 years ago that the Cold War officially ended. For those of you too young to remember the Cold War, all you have to know is that it made for some great James Bond films. On a more serious note,  I am sure there are history books out there with glossy chapters about how the epic Cold War ended with Western Democracy/capitalism victorious over the evil menace of Eastern Communism /Marxism. However, back in 1991, would anyone have predicted that two decades later, the mighty machine that is Capitalism would implode plunging the entire planet into an economic crisis of grave proportions? Moreover, would anyone have known that a global wave of socio-political discontent would lead people of all ages and walks of life registering their disaffection with Capitalism? 

I must admit it is hard to decide whether the Occupy Movement is a real expression of global popular anger and discontent spurred on by the World Economic Crisis and the Arab Spring or just a case of universal boredom spawning masses of rebels without a cause. The latter view comes from listening to interviews with some protesters at Occupy Wall Street many of whom articulated the fact that the protest had no clear-cut goal or targets. Is it all about bank bail-outs and corporate greed? 

Anyway, until this afternoon, I was under the impression that the Occupy [Insert City] protests were restricted to the US. This impression crumbled when I came across two notices.

Occupy Den Haag (The Hague) and Occupy Amsterdam:

This is our land.We occupy these our streets, we occupy them. We are here. We are increasing in number

A global movement has indeed been born and you can follow its activities at www.occupytogether.org. I am still yet to decide what it is really all about but the words of that popular Buffalo Springfield protest anthem  from the 1960s For What It's Worth are ringing in my ears:

"There's something happening here

What it is ain't exactly clear

There's a man with a gun over there

Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound

Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn

Nobody's right if everybody's wrong

Young people speaking their minds

Getting so much resistance from behind....."

- Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth (c) 1967