After 123 years, the Land of Orange gets a King

Twas days before the coronation and all through the land, the people made ready with their orange robes at hand. 

Queen Wilhelmina Source: wikipedia

In a few days time, the Netherlands will erupt into a sea of bright orange as part of the annual celebration of Queen's Day (Koninginnedag). This year, things are going to be a little different. Although many people outside of the Netherlands know that there is a constitutional monarch and royal family with a penchant for biking, not as many people are aware that for the past 123 years, the Netherlands has actually had three queens in quick succession.

Since the ascension to the throne of Queen Wilhelmina in 1890, the famed House of Orange-Nassau has been headed by a matriarch. Reigning through two world wars and a dismantling empire, Queen Wilhelmina was  eventually succeeded by her daughter Queen Juliana who ruled from 1948 until 1980 when she abdicated in favour of her eldest daughter Beatrix.

Queen Juliana Source: Royal Correspondent Blog

Queen Beatrix and her late husband German-born Prince Claus of the Netherlands at her coronation in 1980.                Source. dutchnews.nl

In a surprise announcement in January this year, Queen Beatrix herself announced she would be abdicating in favour of her son, 46 year old Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange.

Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima. 

Source: UK Times

So aside from the usual merry-making and excessive drinking that comes with the annual Queen's Day celebration, the people of Orange will be bidding farewell to their beloved Queen Beatrix as she retires. They will also be welcoming Prince Willem-Alexander as their king and his popular Argentinean-born wife Maxima as their new queen consort. Does it not appear that Argentinean are doing pretty well for themselves this year when it comes to ascending various throne? Did someone say Messi? Pope Francis?

Novel excitement aside, it is somewhat sad that as a new king is crowned in the Land of Orange, his ascension marks the end of 123 years of women firmly at the helm of affairs at the House of Orange-Nassau.

Farewell to The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, 1925 – 2013

"Barack Obama, interestingly, said in his statement that [Margaret Thatcher] had "broken the glass ceiling for other women". Only in the sense that all the women beneath her were blinded by falling shards. She is an icon of individualism, not of feminism"

- British comedian Russell Brand writing in The Guardian newspaper

Baroness Margaret Thatcher as I remember her 
Source: telegraph.co.uk

For children of the '80s and early '90s, there was nothing strange or pioneering about Margaret Thatcher being a prime minister. After all, this was the world we were born into. In fact, in the dying years of the Cold War, we all remember her as the unrelenting and powerful Iron Lady on the stage of world politics.

The Margaret Thatcher I also recall from the brilliant political satire show Spitting Image.
Shown here with 'Ronald Reagan'

Interestingly, as tributes for Baroness Thatcher pour in, contrasting images are emerging of celebrations on her passing: 

An anti-Thatcher celebration in Brixton, London following
her passing. This was captured by the Dutch daily de Volksrant

Baroness Thatcher was indeed a controversial and divisive figure. Particularly memorable for me were her stances on apartheid South African and Mr. Nelson Mandela. Whether you loved her or hated her, one thing is for certain; she was indeed an unforgettable politician who helped shape the direction of world politics at the end of the Cold War.... for better or for worse.

Ghana Politics 101: Ex gratia (New Addition to the Ghanaian Political Lexicon for the Aspiring Politician)

Source: wikipedia.org

Ex gratia: When a low-to-middle income country is completely befuddled and overwhelmed about how to provide water, electricity, jobs and access to health-care to its populace but has absolute clarity on how to dole out masses of money to relatively small numbers of politicians at the end of their tenure. 

Closely related words: Judgement debts, emoluments  

Of Three Reasons to be excited about Ghana and 200 Pastors

American philanthropist extraordinaire Mr. Bill Gates made a somewhat unexpected visit to the Beacon of African Democracy (Ghana) last week. According to his blog, he was there to see first-hand why the Ghanaian immunization system is working so well and the people involved. Whatever Bill Gates saw impressed him enough to write a glowing tribute to Ghana entitled "Three Reasons I'm Excited about Ghana's future". 

Bill Gates' post
Source: http://www.thegatesnotes.com/

A simple but powerful read that it is being shared worldwide via social media. This is the kind of post that fills all Ghanaians with a deep sense of pride at the strides our country is making. 

One fascinating juxtaposition is that around the time Bill Gates was arriving in Ghana to see feasible projects that actually reduce mortality, the fiercest debate raging in our nation was about a government-facilitated trip for 200 pastors to Israel.

What trip to Israel you may ask? Well, it all started in early March when a sensational headline announced preparations underway in Ghana to "[fly] 200 pastors to Israel" for a pilgrimage. Amid the storm that the article ignited, the government communication team came out to say that this was not a 'government-sponsored' initiative but rather a 'government-facilitated' initiative. The plot grew even thicker when it emerged that the sponsor(s) of this trip wished to remain anonymous but were willing to provide $600,000 to fly the pastors to Israel to pray for Ghana. An even more intriguing question is why these anonymous donors would not rather put the money into:

1. Strengthening the immunization system that so impressed Bill Gates

2. Boreholes to provide clean potable water to a few communities

3. Investing in exploring energy alternatives to solve our persisting energy crisis

4. Various sanitation projects around the county including initiatives to convert human waste to energy  

5. Strengthening the education sector. 

Is it a simple case of us Ghanaians not realizing our own priorities? How much money could we actually mobilize in our own country without relying on outside donors? 

These are all questions I cannot possibly know the answers to but like Mr. Gates I cannot help but be excited about Ghana; a Ghana where logic and prudence wins over bad ideas.