You know I have always thought there were many intelligent, some absolutely brilliant, insightful people on this list...even those I disagree with demonstrate an overall intelligence that can not be denied.
It struck me the other, while reading the many posts on the LRA-Government negotiations and the dialog about the internecine violence, and tribe-based antagonisms, that Uganda has historically been a key element of the drive for African integration since the era of the anti-colonial struggle in the latter part of the 20th century; and that much of what I was reading reminded me of a little episode in the conflict between the American settler colonialists and the British Empire in the 18th century (popularly known as the American Revolution.)
During the early days of his command of the Continental Army, (the African slave owner) George Washington was faced with intense hostility among his raw, ill-disciplined, untrained volunteer troops -- some of these individuals were drawn from the various colony's militias, but quite a few had no real organized military or para-military experence to speak of.
Hostility based on the particular region and colony that the troops came from, the New Englanders, the Middle colonies, the Southern areas were hostile to each other as regional groupings and also hostile to each other intramurally -- that is inside a given region, for various reasons, commercial rivalry, land disputes, religious distinctions and so forth, plagued this rag tag band of settler colonials.
It got so bad that Washington had to issue an edict saying that individuals in the Continental Army could no longer identify themselves as Virginians, New Yorkers, Pennsylvanians, Marylanders, citizens of Massachusetts and so forth -- they had, to use/paraphrase Washington's words, "sink their differences into the identity of American." This was a brilliant stroke on that old bastard's part as it threw cold water on the growing intra- and inter-colonial antagonism, at least inside the Continental Army...and was key to helping that body survive as a semblance of a fighting force...survive and fight long enough to secure an alliance with the French crown which in turn doomed the British effort to hold on to the thirteen colonies.
I say all this, only to suggest that it might be useful to follow the lead of AU Commission Chairperson Konare who last May 25 (Africa Day, what we born here in this part of the Diaspora generally call African Liberation Day) who said,
It struck me the other, while reading the many posts on the LRA-Government negotiations and the dialog about the internecine violence, and tribe-based antagonisms, that Uganda has historically been a key element of the drive for African integration since the era of the anti-colonial struggle in the latter part of the 20th century; and that much of what I was reading reminded me of a little episode in the conflict between the American settler colonialists and the British Empire in the 18th century (popularly known as the American Revolution.)
During the early days of his command of the Continental Army, (the African slave owner) George Washington was faced with intense hostility among his raw, ill-disciplined, untrained volunteer troops -- some of these individuals were drawn from the various colony's militias, but quite a few had no real organized military or para-military experence to speak of.
Hostility based on the particular region and colony that the troops came from, the New Englanders, the Middle colonies, the Southern areas were hostile to each other as regional groupings and also hostile to each other intramurally -- that is inside a given region, for various reasons, commercial rivalry, land disputes, religious distinctions and so forth, plagued this rag tag band of settler colonials.
It got so bad that Washington had to issue an edict saying that individuals in the Continental Army could no longer identify themselves as Virginians, New Yorkers, Pennsylvanians, Marylanders, citizens of Massachusetts and so forth -- they had, to use/paraphrase Washington's words, "sink their differences into the identity of American." This was a brilliant stroke on that old bastard's part as it threw cold water on the growing intra- and inter-colonial antagonism, at least inside the Continental Army...and was key to helping that body survive as a semblance of a fighting force...survive and fight long enough to secure an alliance with the French crown which in turn doomed the British effort to hold on to the thirteen colonies.
I say all this, only to suggest that it might be useful to follow the lead of AU Commission Chairperson Konare who last May 25 (Africa Day, what we born here in this part of the Diaspora generally call African Liberation Day) who said,
"Beyond conflicts, there is a need also to begin to
strengthen our solidarity and co-operation in the vital areas of trade
negotiation and political and economic relations with other regions and
blocks of the world. Africans in general tend to bemoan the phenomenon
of marginalization and the place of Africa in the global hierarchy. As
we observe the rise of Asian giants, particularly, China and India, we
must confront the challenge of ensuring that we claim the twenty-first
century as ours. We can only do this, if we bequeath to posterity the
legacy of Africa's arrival on the global scene as a vibrant, decisive
actor. To achieve this, we must dream, together, plan together, work
together, achieve together, and enjoy together.
"We cannot do this in isolation. We have to interact meaningfully with other actors and regions in the international community.
"I,
therefore, wish to seize this opportunity to express our deep gratitude
to our international partners from the other continents: America,
Europe and Asia – for the constant interest and support that they
continue to lend to our efforts. Nonetheless, the onus remains on us.
No one else except Africa has a stake in securing Africa's future. The
continent must forge a united front in setting and maintaining its own
agenda, dictated only by its own needs and the imperative of applying
homegrown prescriptions that are adapted to its particular conditions.
The assistance that we obtain from our international partners can only
be additional or supplementary to our own hard work and resources. We
are the architects of our own destiny.
"On
this memorable day therefore, forty-three years since the inception of
our first continental organization, the OAU, I call on all Africans to
rise as one and march together for integration and development. I
assure all and sundry, that if we do our utmost, with commitment and
passion within the framework of the African Union, the results will be
ultimately rewarding in terms of the outcomes, dignity, respect and the
legacy we would share and give to posterity
I salute and congratulate the governments and peoples of our single continent and country, Africa.
May God Bless our Great Country, Mother Africa.
Forward ever the United States of Africa!
http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences/Past/2006/May/BC/CP_statement.htm
And perhaps utilize your common African citizenship as a device to assist in resolving the admittedly troublesome, traumatic and in many cases absolutely tragic problems that have plagued Uganda's specific history...just as similar problems have plagues other areas of Africa, the Congo, Nigeria and well you know the litany better than I.
Africa, and Africans, need Uganda, and Ugandans. At the same time Uganda and Ugandan people deserve justice and prosperity, as Africa moves closer to a semblance of a broader, more comprehensive integration politically and economically, the people of Uganda might consider how they can utilize such activity to enhance and strengthen their discrete and universal desires and aspirations for a better quality of life, real justice and a fitting quality of life for such a heroic peoples.
I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to express my two cents worth...
Roy Walker
http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences/Past/2006/May/BC/CP_statement.htm
And perhaps utilize your common African citizenship as a device to assist in resolving the admittedly troublesome, traumatic and in many cases absolutely tragic problems that have plagued Uganda's specific history...just as similar problems have plagues other areas of Africa, the Congo, Nigeria and well you know the litany better than I.
Africa, and Africans, need Uganda, and Ugandans. At the same time Uganda and Ugandan people deserve justice and prosperity, as Africa moves closer to a semblance of a broader, more comprehensive integration politically and economically, the people of Uganda might consider how they can utilize such activity to enhance and strengthen their discrete and universal desires and aspirations for a better quality of life, real justice and a fitting quality of life for such a heroic peoples.
I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to express my two cents worth...
Roy Walker
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