Africa is an unfortunate continent. Centuries of slave trade coupled with cultural and political exploitation with decades of corrupt, insensitive and tyrannical regimes. Here is a rich continent suffering from decades of neglect by its political leaders with years of socio-economic exploitation, deprivation and marginalisation. Africa is groaning under a multiple assault from preventable diseases, poverty, hunger, environmental neglect and degradation, corruption, illiteracy and ignorance. Perennial political turmoil which of recent has simmered down to pockets of political instability remains prevalent with devastating effects on the continent. Our history is replete with genocide including fratricidal ethnic and tribal conflicts, accentuated by the ignominy of the slave trade and recently by the shameless antics of Arab Sudan against the black indigenous populace. In the midst of these entire shambles, while better educated Africans are struggling to correct the negative stereotype associated with the continent, some shameless and hungry “kings” mostly centred on countries such as Mozambique, South Africa, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo, decided to fan the ember of a “negative and ridiculous” Africa. They decided to crown the over-ambitious dictator of Libya, the “King of Kings” of Africa.
It is extremely important at the outset to state that the selection of the dramatis personae in this gallery of shame is quite reflective of the remnant of the anti-progressive elements in the unfortunate continent. Indeed, it is not surprising that Ghadaffi would carefully select the poorest of the continent among his preys. The only one that stands out as a bit odd of this odious selection is that of South Africa. However, since the news media are yet to specify the type of king from South Africa that was involved, it is only right to assume that it could be none other than one of those hungry, shameless usurpers of the title. Something is however extremely clear and incontestable, Muammar Ghadaffi remains the “King of Kings” amongst those who selected him. He remains the “King of Kings” amongst his cabal of hungry, shameless and corrupt kings from Mozambique, South Africa, Ivory Coast and the DRC. He is NOT and can never be the “King of Kings” of Africa. We Africans are too proud and liberated to accept this odious, shameful and disdainful imposition. Not in this century!
Muammar Ghadaffi has always remained suspect, both in terms of political intents and ambitions in Africa. In particular, his contemptuous perception of black Africa has never endeared him to reasonable elements within the continent. Ghadaffi sees the prevalent hunger and deprivation in black Africa as a weapon for personal aggrandisement and pursuit of inordinate political ambition. Failing to be fully embraced by his ilk in Arab Africa, Ghadaffi turned his searchlight to poor black Africa to realise his psychotic dreams. That of ruling a larger geographical territory than his desert country. He decided to misinterpret and abuse the dreams of genuine African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Haile Selassie, Mosiah Marcus Garvey and so on, to pursue his personal ambitions. He wants to rule a united Africa.
How they came to this grandiose title in their mind of minds remain puzzling. The political implication of this somehow ridiculous title is however very glaring. Muammar Ghadaffi seeks political domination of Africa and series of these ridiculous titles and appendages only serve to bolster his self confidence in achieving his aims. But he should have had the decency of not ridiculing the continent. Also, this latest gamble on the part of this desert dictator raises serious concerns on his mindset. It has been known for a long while that his psyche is megalomaniac in conception. In his initial befuddled state, he thought he could become a world power by competing with the United States and Western Europe. He freely sponsored and incorporated terrorism into the acts of governance in his attempts at intimidating the world. The humiliation occasioned by the bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi made him realise the futility of his dangerous ambition. He thereafter made a brief romance with the Arab world. Again, here he was perceived as someone with unstable mental state and hence was rebuffed. This was when he suddenly woke up to the concept of African unity as a platform for manifesting megalomaniac and dangerous ambitions. However, the futility of Ghadaffi’s ambitions needs no soothsayer. It is an inevitable thing, the only bother being the shame and ridicule we have to contend with while this shameless man roams free in Africa.
History has never been short of “King of Kings”. And by this title, Ghadaffi has probably been able to combine monarchical and divine titles with political powers. He has, in effect, become the only "complete" ruler of the continent of Africa in modern times and probably the only such ruler in the world. However, he needs to be reminded that this conjecture of Africa exists only in his delusions. By this ridiculous appellate, he has become the Nebuchadnezzar, the Buddha, the Mansa of Mali Empire, the Roman Emperor, the Pharaoh, the Ethiopian Nagusa Nagast, the Turkish Ottoman, the Zulu Shaka and the Armenian King Tigranes the Great, of our time. He has been immorally elevated above mere mortals and political rulers. He has become the omni omnibus selected be a decadent few.
Ghadaffi remains an interesting subject on the effects of absolute powers on the mental stability of a human being. It has been recognised that unbridled power has a deleterious effects on the mind of man and hence the term: absolute power corrupts absolutely. What needed intense studying are the effects of an un-checkmated power on the mental functioning of a dictator. A rich dictator existing in the midst of impoverished and vulnerable neighbours. A dictator not contented with paying huge amounts to the Lockerbie victims but still looking for where to throw his inexhaustible wealth. This is the portrait of Ghadaffi that the world needs to study. Ghadaffi is still deluded that achieving political supremacy in Africa would put him in good stead to complete his crusade against Europe and the United States. He is currently in a state of tactical withdrawal – remember he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day!
At this juncture, it must be stressed that the relevance of the monarchy in the African socio-political system calls for a review. Our so-called Kings since the dawn of history have been nothing but nightmares to us. The conditions prevalent as of the era of slave trade over two centuries ago still persist to this day in Africa. At least, in the minds of our numerous irrelevant kings. History has attested to the fact that the slave trade was only as successful as it was because of the active connivance of the traditional rulers in Africa. They were very eager to accept gift items from the group of marauders from Europe to sell their kith and kin into slavery. The bunch of useless traditional rulers accosted and manipulated by Ghadaffi are only a throw-back of that better forgotten era in African history. Ghadaffi represents the marauder of the 21st century that should be seriously shunned by all.
In conclusion, it must be stressed that the battle to checkmate Ghadaffi is not that of Africa alone. The world needs to be wary of its current rapprochement with this calculative man with over-blown ego from Libya. There is no visible African nation that can attempt the battle of checkmating Ghadaffi. Most of our leaders are busy looting their countries and fighting to maintain their stranglehold on power to face the task of fighting Ghadaffi. South Africa is still battling with the consequences of so many years of apartheid rule. Nigeria, the natural leader of the pack, is a nation in deep slumber, groaning under the impact of political hegemony, marginalisation, mismanagement, socio-economic deprivation and unabating corruption. It is a nation that cannot solve its own problems not to talk of assuming its natural mandate. Thus the battle becomes that of the whole world. This sudden “King of Kings” must be checkmated. The development of Africa remains the only weapon in fighting the surge of our modern day Napoleon using economic aids as his battle weapons. Europe and America must realise that a concerted effort to develop Africa remains a top priority. This remains the only way that the world can really know peace as we desire it.
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