UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is the largest religion in the world having an approximate population of over 2 billion followers largely concentrated in North and South America, Europe, parts of Asia especially in the Russian Federation, in Australia, and in many localities of Africa. Christianity is classified as an Abrahamic religion just like Islam and Judaism. Beginning as a Jewish sect in the Eastern Mediterranean, it quickly grew in size and influence by the 4th century due to the influence of the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic Church or the Catholic Church is the largest church in Christianity, has one-sixth of the world’s population, and represents over half of all Christians. Comprising 2782 dioceses that include Latin rites and Eastern rites, the Catholic Church is currently headed by Pope Benedict XVI who is the highest authority in matters of faith, church governance, and morality.

The headquarters of the Catholic Church is in the Vatican within the City of Rome in Italy. Measuring approximately 44 hectares (110 acres) and with an estimated population of 800, the State of the Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city-state consisting of a walled enclave that came into existence only in 1929. The Pope is ex-officio and head of state and head of government. The Pope, who is technically an absolute monarch, has legislative, executive, and judicial power over the Vatican. In Italian, the State of the Vatican City is known as Stato Della Città Del Vaticano. The Vatican City is clearly distinct from the Roman Catholic Church known as the Holy See. The administrative apparatus of the Holy See is called the Roman Curia consisting of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Since the Holy See dates back to early Christianity, it should not be confused with the Vatican City which came into existence in 1929.

The second largest Christian communion is the Eastern Orthodox Church after Roman Catholic. Most of the adherents of this church are concentrated in Greece, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Macedonia (part of former Yugoslavia), Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Russia. Some adherents may also be found in Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon. There are some traces in Africa, Australia, North America, Asia, and South America. Orthodox Christians believe in a God who is both three and triune.

On the other hand, the Church of England is the officially established Christian Church of England which is considered to be Catholic and also Reformed. It is reformed because it was influenced by the doctrinal principles of the Protestant reformation of the 16th century. Queen Elizabeth II of England holds the constitutional title of “Supreme Governor of the Church of England.” The oldest see was founded in England by St. Augustine of Canterbury in the year 597 and the current Archbishop is Rowan Williams who is 104th in a line that stretches back to 104 years.

Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism since the earliest Christians were Jews or Jewish Proselytes. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary-a Jewish resident of Nazareth in Galilee. Conceiving by the agency of the Holy Spirit while she was already betrothed to Joseph of the House of David, Mary’s most common titles include “The Blessed Virgin Mary” (also abbreviated to BVM), “Our Lady”, “Mother of God”, and “Queen of Heaven.” In the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus to address the teachings of Nestorius in 431 BC, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Anglican Church, and all Eastern Catholic Churches refer to Mary as “Theotokos”, literally meaning “Godbearer” and more common in Latin as ‘Mater Dei”. Because Jesus was regarded as ‘King of Kings” and because of His lineage of King David, Mary was known as “Queen Mother” in early Christianity.

The birth of Jesus Christ is known as the Nativity of Jesus or simply the Nativity and is an account of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels and in the apocryphal accounts. The re-enactment of the Nativity often seen in Christmas celebrations signifies Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the reincarnation of God. Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one spirit of God thought acting in concert with and sharing an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ).

In Trinitarian theology, the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the ‘Third Person” of the Triune God with the Father being the First Person and the Son the Second Person. Early Christianity is defined as the period between the crucifixion of Jesus (c. 30) and The First Council of Nicaea (325). The genealogical accounts of Jesus Christ are documented in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke though substantially different with contemporary scholars viewing them as theological constructs. Jesus Christ has been recorded as having miraculous healing powers such as cleansing of the leper, healing of a paralytic, curing of Simon’s mother-in-law; he was brought many possessed by the devil and some suffering from various diseases, and was credited with going to the synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee. (Mark)

The First Council of Nicaea was held in Nicaea in Bithynia in present-day Turkey under the command of Constantine the Great. With the exception of Britain, approximately 250 to 318 Bishops attended including Alexander of Alexandria and Eustathius of Antioch while Macarius of Jerusalem and Sylvester 1, Bishop of Rome, sent legates. Other participants included church historian Eusebius of Caesarea while Athanasius of Alexandria who was best known for his battles against Arianism, attended as a Deacon.

Jesus had twelve Apostles namely: Peter, James son of Zebedee, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus (identified with Jude), Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot. These disciples were chosen, trained, and named by Jesus of Nazareth so they could spread the “good news” and establish the Christian church by evangelism.

Of the twelve apostles, one among them called Judas Iscariot, keeper of the “money bag”, who is mentioned in the synoptic gospels, the Gospel of John, and the Acts of the Apostles, became the betrayer by conniving with the Romans who were out looking for a way to have Jesus Christ arrested. The author of the Gospel of Luke records that Saint Matthias was chosen by the remaining eleven Apostles to replace Judas Iscariot after his betrayal of Jesus. (Acts 1:18-26). According to Acts 1, it was Peter who proposed an assembly numbering one hundred and twenty to have Saint Matthias replace the traitor Judas Iscariot in the Apostolate.

According to the Church of England’s Book of Liturgy, the feast of Saint Matthias is celebrated on 24 February; in the newer common worship, he is celebrated on May 14 although he may be celebrated on May 24; in the Episcopal Church the feast is on My 14; the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast on 9th August. In the Roman calendar, it was transferred in 1969 to May 14 so as to celebrate it in Eastertide during the Solemnity of the Ascension. Besides, Christianity is famous for the celebration of Christmas day, Easter, Thanks Giving, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Saint Patrick’s Day, Lent, and the Feast of the Tabernacles. Though many, the above are holidays are the most observed in the Christian world.

There are four canonical gospels of the New Testament: the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, and the Gospel of John. According to Christianity, Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross during the reign of the Roman emperor Pontius Pilate; he died and thereafter was resurrected on the third day after the crucifixion and according to John, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the tomb where she saw two angels who asked her why she was crying. (Matthew 28: 1-10). It was Joseph of Arimathea who asked Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus Christ afterward wrapping the body in a linen cloth and placing it in a tomb. The Christian doctrine of ascension holds that Jesus Christ ascended the heavens in the presence of his eleven apostles as mentioned in the Gospel of Mark (16:14-19). To many Christians, Jesus Christ will return to earth in what is known as the “second coming” for the full establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.

Beliefs concerning future and end times are espoused in Christian eschatology although it is a relatively recent development. It concerns the end of the world, Last Judgment, resurrection of the dead, hell and heaven, renewal of creation, the fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy, the beginning of the Messianic Age, and among others the consummation of all of God’s purposes.

As the end of the year 2008 approaches, Christians all over the world will commemorate a special day dedicated to honoring the birth of Jesus Christ which falls on December 25 for the majority of Christians. From the Anno Domini system of dating, the day is marked with celebrations including gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of the Christmas tree, mistletoe, nativity scenes, Holly, and lights.

UNDERSTANDING JUDAISM

Judaism, the religion of the Jewish people, is monotheistic and has its practices embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), further explored and explained in the Talmud and other Hebrew sacred texts. Judaism began with the covenant between God and Abram (ca. 2000 B.C.E), the father and ancestor of the Jewish people whose name changed to Abraham later on. The central religious belief of Judaism is that there is only one God and that the earliest followers were called Hebrews later to be referred to as Jews. The Torah (the law) comprises the writings and the prophets. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are the main five books sacred to Judaism. The Book of Genesis details how God created the heavens and the earth in six days from a formless void covered by darkness.

From the first verse to the sixth, Genesis documents the creation of the heavens and the earth in chronological order as outlined below:
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Genesis).

The 20th verse of Genesis documents the creation of creatures. It begins as such:
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the sea, and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.”

The book of Genesis shades light on the creation of man. The first man, Adam, was created from dust by his Lord and made to dwell in the Garden of Eden in the East which contained every tree that was pleasant to eat. In the Garden of Eden there was a river flowing out of it to water the garden thereafter dividing into four other rivers namely: Pishon which flowed around the whole of Havilah with bdellium and onyx stone found there; the second river, called Gihon, is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush; Tigris is the name of the third river while Euphrates is the fourth river. From there on, according to Genesis, God created a woman out of Adam’s rib later to become his partner.

Eve conceived and bore “a man” whom they named Cain who was to become tiller of the ground. Next she bore his brother Abel who became keeper of the sheep. Schisms about offerings to the Lord led Cain to kill his brother Abel. Adam fathered a son named Seth when he was eight hundred years old. Besides Seth, Adam had other sons and daughters. In all, Adam lived nine hundred thirty years. While one hundred five years old, Seth became the father of Enosh. Seth died at nine hundred twelve years. Enosh was the father of Kenan; Kenan was the father of Mahalalel; Mahalalel was the father of Jared; Jared was the father of Enoch; Enoch was the father of Methuselah; Methuselah was the father of Lamech; Lamech was the father of Noah. Those days, people lived long lives as can be seen from the years inhabited on earth by Adam and his direct descendants.

Abraham is widely regarded as the patriarch of monotheism and Judaism. From the Aramaic words “Aba Rama”, the name Abraham stands for “High Father” while in Hebrew “Av” means “Father” while “Raham” in Arabic implies to mean “Nations or Multitude.” Abraham’s father was Terah while his grandfather was called Nahor. Abraham’s brothers were named Nahor and Haran. Abraham was born in the Chaldean city of Ur in Mesopotamia. At birth he was named Abram by his father Terah. According to Genesis, Abraham was brought by God from Mesopotamia to the land known as Canaan. Abraham was born during the Sumero-Akkadian Empire of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Ur-Nammu took the title "King of Sumer and Akkad"; his mightiest work was the erection of the great ziggurat at Ur which was known as "the hill of heaven" or the "mountain of God" by the people of old.

Abraham gave up the ways of his people, the Hebrews, and sought the mercy of his Lord, for the Lord God revealed himself unto Abraham with the promise ‘I will be your guide” therefore “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” The Lord God told Abraham that he would make him a great nation. God told Abraham that he would bless him and that he would also bless those who blessed him (Abraham) while cursing those who cursed Abraham.

Abraham and his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot left Haran for a land called Canaan. At this time there was a great famine so Abraham went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien. Fearing that the Egyptians would kill him because his wife Sarai was exceptionally beautiful in appearance, Abraham instructed Sarai to maintain that she was his sister and not his wife. Seeing the gorgeousness of Sarai, the Egyptians reported to the Pharaoh who ruled over Egypt about the good looks of Sarai and the cantankerous Pharaoh took Sarai unto him. Then the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with plagues because of taking Sarai forcefully against her wishes and those of Abraham. The Pharaoh returned Sarai to her husband, Abraham, where, accompanied by Lot they left for Negeb and then to Bethel where they pitched tent. Scuffles over grazing land between the herders of the livestock of Abraham and Lot led them to separate where Lot settled in the Jordan plain and Abraham in the land of Canaan. So Abraham settled by the Oaks of Mamre, which were at Hebron where he built the Lord an altar. After living ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai gave Abraham an Egyptian slave girl called Hagar who resided in their house. Hagar conceived a son they named Ishmael and Sarai looked at her servant in contempt. Thereafter, the Lord gave Sarai a son whom they named Isaac. Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight years old. Isaac appears in Genesis 70 times and 33 times elsewhere.

Jacob (also called Israel) was the son of Isaac with Rebekah, the twin brother of Esau, and grandson of Abraham. According to Genesis, Joseph or Yosef, a major figure in the Hebrew Bible, was the 11th son of Jacob and Rachel’s first. Joseph was thrown into a well by his brothers and was retrieved by an Ishmaelite caravan who sold him in Egypt to Potiphar who was an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, and an Egyptian. Joseph became a victim of false accusations when his master’s wife asked him for sexual favors. Despite his innocence, Joseph was sent to jail where he became interpreter of dreams. He was placed as an overseer of the provisions. Later on Joseph was reunited with his brothers and also with his father and mother.

In Judaism, ritual purity or ablution, as emphasized in the Mitzvah, is an important ritual practice and an integral part of the holy observance of the Jewish people that sets it apart from other polytheistic religions. This practice, though most commonly observed in Orthodox Judaism, is not normally acted upon in Reform Judaism while in Conservative Judaism; the practices are normative with certain exemptions and lenience. Besides the rituals, the Jewish traditions of celebrating special religious holidays have been in the records for millenniums. Customarily, all Jewish holidays begin at sunset and end at sundown. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, it is also the Day of Judgment and also when the creation of the world was completed. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement; Sukkot is the Festival of Tabernacles; Hanukkah, preserved in the books of the first and second Maccabees, marks the defeat of the Seleucid Empire; while Passover commemorates the freeing of Israelis as slaves from the hands of the Egyptians.

Today, there is a nation in the Middle East called Israel which proclaimed independence on the 14th of May, 1948. David Ben-Gurion became the first Prime Minister of Israel. The parliament of Israel is called the Knesset. The last Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, took over the highest office in Israel after Ariel Sharon suffered severe hemorrhagic stroke in 2006. Israel has fought several wars mainly over land in the Middle East spanning roughly one century of political tensions. Conflicts over territorial ambitions kicked off after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.

SHACKLED BY DISTORTED MENTAL IMAGERY

Nowadays, a look at how some of the Somali youth living in the western hemisphere prepare for their future upon graduating from High School is cause for alarm. By developing distorted mental imagery, these youth who hail from disadvantaged backgrounds and broken families, find it difficult to heed the advises given by their school counselors because of preconceived established ideas ingrained in their minds that are hard to alter. Ironically, with falling school performances reported among school-going Somali children in Europe and North America, choosing the wrong careers after the gates of the school are kept under lock and key creates unease for any mindful educator and parent who wishes to see all kids remain in school until they are capable of handling their affairs. Even with plenty of financial aid and other grants available and reserved for those willing to partake in the furtherance of their education, the prospects of remaining in school diminishes for reasons best known to them.

Because of their obsessions to immediate jobs and some cash to propel them in to the murky waters of the underworld, these kids end up taking up menial jobs and often find themselves shoved in to contemptible and unprofessional fields like cab driving, janitorial, doormen, cooks, and the manufacturing industry considered to be the lowest paying in terms of job classifications. However, because of overabundance of narcotics and other mind altering drugs readily available in the streets, tardiness and ill-fated temptations usher them in to the corridors of social rejection and disobedience that ultimately lead them to rub shoulders with the law.

Thus, the youth who was touted to be a shinning star unto himself, his family, and his nation, becomes a subject of condemnation when an unpardonable and strange act leads him to the gallows of a dreaded prison. Though many divinely fortunate convicts who serve their sentences cautiously emerge out of the gates of dungeons with rosaries in hand as signs of repentance, the hard core ones who remain behind could find themselves rewarded with extended jail terms due to other horrible felonies committed while behind bars. Such sarcastic miscalculations in life may be attributed to poor parental and societal upbringing, lack of role models and mentors, resettling with careless and unfamiliar faces and families, failure to grasp the exhortations of the elderly, and taking the wrong path in life.

Also, the effects of the horrendous civil wars that separated family and friends, child abuse and neglect, familial indiscipline, parental drug addiction and illiteracy, abject poverty, and hordes of imperfections content in the social fabric they live in become the driving levers for their self-immolation or self-destruction. In addition, the social depravity of the host environment and the guest youth’s competition for space and recognition coupled with the desire to assimilate opens a path for unintended social interactions and exposure to malignant, apathetic, and alien cultures that easily consume the diminutive empathy exported from country of origin.

Furthermore, the harboring of a sense of inferiority by the novel guest and the ardent desire to participate in the affairs of the newly exposed locale tremendously alters, defaces or may even erase whatever little was left of his brain chemistry. The once exotic youth finds himself immersed in an unfathomable bottomless pit commandeered by criminals of the most awful category. Societal fragmentation in the Diaspora, lack of extra-curricular activities, exposure to pornography, cinematographic obscenities, and lack of parental involvement in Parent Teacher Associations, are the deriding factors behind the collapse of the once youthful Somali Empire.

The stubborn outgrowth of filaments of animosity and the division of society along clan lines has never been so profound in Somali society before. While it is true that poor governance, foreign interference in Somali affairs, and lack of reconciliation between warring factions added to Somali calamity, what we should note with dismay is how the Diaspora’s disregard for unity and coherence culminated in the break up of many who cherished trust, love, and unanimity in matters exclusive to the Somali people and nation.

The handouts and welfare benefits provided by the host nations to Somali societies and individual families are the main arteries that finance malevolent designs and the major propulsion engine of hatred in the Diaspora and in beleaguered Somalia. Wired via electronic remittances to Somali antagonistic forces on a monthly basis, these monies could be used to rejuvenate the education of Somali youth in the Diaspora and also those in impoverished Somalia.

While the number of Somali youth lagging behind bars in the western hemisphere could run in to the thousands, still there are an equal number of law abiding, sagacious, and hard working youth struggling to go beyond permanent barriers, traveling the hard road to prosperity, and effecting change by transforming the impossible in to the possible.

Act now on Somali Piracy

Last week, the commander of the Indian Navy warship Instabar reported that they had sunk a suspected Somali pirate ship that fired on them. However, that information has been disputed after it was found the ship that was sunk was not a pirate ship but a Thai fishing trawler. This incident will obviously cause strained relationship between the two Asian nations.

The coasts of the Horn of African nation of Somalia has become a hot spot for pirates who have so far hijacked over a dozen merchant ships since the beginning of this year. The international maritime trade along the Red Sea has been disrupted and flow of oil reduced since pirates started wrecking havoc on the free movement of maritime cargo. As reported by media houses, Somali pirates have secured over $150m from ransom paid by owners of hijacked vessels.

With dozens of western navies around Somali coasts including those of Russia, India, Malaysia and others, still, the Red Sea's major strategic shipping lanes remain volatile. Formerly, oil tankers and other cargo ships from the Middle East destined for Europe and North America and other parts of the world used to pass through the strategic Suez Canal because the Suez Canal alleviated the long and torturous ocean voyage around the southern tip of Africa.

The continued hijacking of ships along this route and the demand for ransom by Somalia's heavily armed and well organized maritime crime syndicate will reduce movement of ocean liners through the Suez and will tremendously set an economic obstacle for the Egyptian government and for the rest of the world in the near future.

Just last week, a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying 2m barrels worth $100m was seized off the coast of Somalia and is now being held hostage by Somali pirates who are demanding $15m ransom. MV Sirius, as it is called, the Saudi Arabian supertanker is said to be five times the size of an aircraft carrier.

While the areas along the Somali coasts ruled by these pirates continue to expand and thrive, the rest of the world is experiencing dwindling oil supplies and shortage of other materials in high demand. A few of the correspondents that had access to pirate-held territories have reported seeing massive new infrastructures including gigantic mansions and sprawling neighborhoods, brand new luxury cars, thriving businesses, uninterrupted weddings, and convoys of newly purchased 'technicals'-anti-aircraft mounted wagons.

With the world eyes on the falling global economy, election euphoria in the U.S., and the war against terrorism, the poor Somali nation continues to deteriorate day by day. Undoubtedly, global inattention of piracy will strengthen pirate activities and perhaps create a new cold war phenomenon. Surreptitious military activities along the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea by major powers could lead to a permanent blockade of the Suez Canal.

On the other hand, the presence of the Russian Navy and her allies along the Eastern rim of the African coast and its continued expansion in the Caribbean Sea could open a power struggle in the not so distant future. The expected naval exercises between Hugo Chavez's Venezuelan forces and the visiting Russian Navy warship is already raising eyebrows that could open old wounds.

Somalia's Transitional Federal Government formed in Kenya by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is already in tatters and on the verge of collapse as the powerful Al-Shabab flexes its muscles ready to deliver the last decisive blows. Somalia's President Colonel Abdullahi Ahmed and his Prime Minister remain at loggerheads while Somali parliamentarians remain stranded in Kenya.

The African Union has failed to meet its expectations as the peacekeeping troops destined for Somalia remain elusive. The withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somali soil as stipulated by the Djibouti charter remain to be seen. The few nations that have peace keeping troops in Somalia will have no other option but embark on troop withdrawals if measures are not taken to reinforce their overstretched peace keeping missions in the city of Mogadishu.

Tribal power jostling has been the major obstacle to Somali peace and stability since the collapse of the military junta in 1991. The over dozen reconciliation conferences held by the international community have all ended in fiasco and disastrously failed to materialize.

Therefore, what is now elusive is a concerted global community effort to stabilize Somalia. It is in the interest of the international community to take drastic action to destabilize international piracy and bring the perpetrators of genocide in Somalia to book.

Gunpowder Obsessions and Africa's Monstrous Leadership Styles

You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership-Dwight D. Eisenhower

If the world's economic powers could join hands to uplift the living standards of the poor African continent, humankind's origin and cradle of civilization could provide a lot in return. Ironically, distorted policies and economic strangulation on the continent by powerful half-hearted philanthropists coupled with inhuman practices endorsed by Africa's own ineffective, dictatorial, and lame-brained leaders have set the stage for recurrent rivalry and gunpowder obsessions.
Until donor nations denervate the supply lines that feed Africa's monstrous leaders, suffering and destitution will remain on the faces of millions for an indefinite period. A look at past and current African leaders shows none ever died of underfeeding or food shortage. Perhaps the youngest African leader to leave the political spectrum was Sergeant Samuel Doe of Liberia who died not because of malnutrition but because he was executed by an adversary.

Most African leaders outlast their compatriots in the West in age and in power. Men like Siyad Barre of Somalia and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia were ousted in coups at advanced ages. Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya died after ruling for 15 years. Hassan Guled Aptidon of Djibouti gave up power at an advanced age to his son Ismail Omar Gelle. Julius Nyerere of Tanzania ruled until poor health forced him to pave way for Hassan Ali Mwinyi. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, former President of Malawi left the political scene a bachelor and a senile. He dominated the politics of this landlocked African country from 1958 until his death in 1994. A graduate of Edinburgh and Glasgow universities, the learned doctor left the world without even claiming children of his own. He spent his entire life living with a girlfriend. Is this not un-African? The man who succeeded him, Bakili Muluzi, a Muslim, was no better because his term as President was marred by controversy and scandal over the sale of Malawi’s maize reserves to other countries. Africans don’t gamble with their favorite dish-corn meal!

Omar Bongo seems to be President-for-life for the nation of Gabon. The term President-for-life has been used by merciless dictators who prefer to rule until death. It came to light during the reign of Julius Caesar who made himself “Perpetual Dictator.” Then he was followed by Napoleon Bonaparte, the French leader who crowned himself “First Consul for Life” in 1802. Some rulers prefer to be called “Eternal Presidents”. A few examples of such ruthless rulers the world has seen include: Josip Broz Tito of former Yugoslavia, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Kim Il-Sung of North Korea, François Duvalier alias “Papa Doc” of Haiti, Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow of Turkmenistan, Dr. José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco who became the first President of Paraguay after gaining independence from Spain, Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, and Idi Amin of Uganda.

Ironically, Muammar al-Kaddafi is holding Libya hostage since 1969, Hosni Mubarak has refused to relinquish power since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981, and most importantly, Africa's most extravagant ruler, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire died disgracefully in Morocco having left behind billions of dollars of looted money accumulated over three decades of ruthless leadership. Joseph Kabila, the current President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), had his elementary and secondary education in Tanzania and later attended Makerere University in Uganda. A fluent speaker of Kiswahili, Zairians see him as a foreigner. He ascended the throne after his father was gunned down in 2001.

Ironically, all these men ruled their countries through forceful means. They looted foreign aid and stashed them in foreign accounts. Sani Abacha of Nigeria and Charles Taylor of Liberia left millions of dollars which could be used to feed millions of their citizens. While writers categorize leadership styles into transactional and transformational, most African leaders exercise pseudo-transformational-a peculiar leadership approach that instills fear and servitude in their followers. This type of leadership style was put into use by David Koresh, Jim Jones, Adolph Hitler, and Saddam Hussein. It implied the use of repression, emergency laws, and callous seductive applications meant to benefit the authoritarian leader.

James Warren “Jim” Jones forced 918 adherents of the Peoples Temple to drink poison made from a concoction of cyanide and other hazardous chemical products on November 18, 1978 in Jonestown, Guyana. Born May 13, 1978 in Indiana, U.S.A, the mass suicide perpetrated by Jim Jones is regarded as the largest and worst of its kind in human history.

Leadership and power are inter-related because both are part of what is called 'influence process' and both have the potential to persuade. Doctors, ministers, coaches, and teachers have the potential to influence people. How do the totalitarian leaders of Africa influence those they lead? Do killings, displacements, division, starving or bickering over petty issues have the potential to influence people who are hungry, sick and homeless in any way?

Leadership is not about false accusations of kuyeenahoo/kuteenahoo (he said; she said). An effective leader must have human and conceptual skills. Leaders must be task motivated and relationship motivated so as to reach a goal by developing close interpersonal relationship. Leader-member relations create confidence, loyalty, and attraction between the leader and the follower. A leader must also set a task structure to be followed with clearly spelled out requirements for the sake of reward and punishment outlined in what is referred to as 'position power'.

Opportunism for the purpose of personal advancement has been an impediment to African social governing. A leader must have the brain to effectively solve problems in a logical, unique, and effective style or way that go beyond given information. The performance of a leader raises productivity and also elevates level of allegiance of loyal followers. The ineffective performance of a leader has been shown to produce disastrous effects and lead to consequences that are detrimental to the overall management of any kind of organization. A leader is a role model who sets examples to be followed by those under his or her command.

Africa does not need arms and monstrous leaders. What the continent desperately needs is economic empowerment, political maturity, environmental responsibility, decent healthcare, and educational enrichment.

THE SPIRITS HAVE SPOKEN

The United States, the most technologically advanced nation, politically mature, and the strongest military power in the world, witnessed, on Tuesday the 4th of November, 2008, the most out of the ordinary historical tidal wave when Barack Obama, son of an immigrant black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother was elected the 44th President. For 232 years, beginning in 1776 when it gained independence from England after a brutal war of independence, “the Land of Milk and Honey” as it is popularly called, the United States has been predominantly ruled by white presidents some of whom owned slaves brought from Africa during the slave trade.

The former Senator from Illinois garnered 364 of the electoral votes and 51% of the popular votes, while his opponent, Republican Presidential contender and Senator, John McCain of Arizona, trailed behind with 162 and 49% of the electoral and popular votes respectively. Delivering a passionate speech that echoed across the globe in his famous political power base and hometown of Chicago in the splendid Grant Park which was packed to the brim with over a 100 thousand estimated spectators, the President-elect who is known for veracity, competency and thoughtfulness, raised many broad issues including the difficult tasks ahead for his presidency.

As a result of the economic meltdown that began with the collapse of gigantic financial institutions, the new President will need a tough economic team to steer the nation to a new direction. As the election results trickled in from the 50 states, territories, and overseas absentee ballots, millions across the country remained glued to their television screens to watch the most spectacular political event in American history. Obama’s rival, Senator John McCain of Arizona, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a political juggernaut in Washington politics, spoke to his supporters though in a low tone with less applause from his followers. However, Senator McCain heaped praiseD on Barack Obama while at the same time sending his supporters a poignant appeal to support and rally behind the initiatives of the new President-elect. Likewise, the incumbent President of the U.S., George W. Bush relayed a similar message.

On the other hand, world leaders, friends and foes alike, delivered messages of congratulations and felicitations to the man who shook the political conundrum of the world’s only superpower.

According to reports by election observers, political analysts, Washington pundits, media houses, and polls, the titling of balance of power to the side of the Democratic Party was made possible by Obama’s articulate speech delivery and powerful energy, the exceptional strategic planning of the party electioneering team, the trust and discipline demonstrated by his aides and volunteers, the meticulous fundraising skills, the scrupulous thrust of house-to-house visitations, e-mail contacts, telephonic and text messaging and the outstanding communication techniques put into force by the party’s political maestros from day one until the final finish. The swearing of the top stratum of the campaigning team to secrecy coupled with strict observation of the essential schedules culminated in a well organized mix of willing supporters who set the ball rolling day and night without any conceivable difference of opinion or divergence from point of departure.

Despite harangues from his opponent, malicious misinformation circulated by racially prejudiced publications, loquacious radio hosts regurgitating propaganda, deplorably doctored malevolent accusations by racist media houses and incredulous insinuations by powerful individual political misfits, Obama repulsed his foes with sheer force and unbending articulation using double-edged sword of philosophical expressions that transformed him into an immovable barrier and a force to reckon with. Going by the old adage “what man has done man can do”, Obama saw himself as an indispensable pioneer whose intended objectives if effectively managed will open a path for millions of citizens politically decapitated either by color, creed, religion, gender, and national origin. Thus, the election of Obama as the first African-American President of the United States heralds the evolvement of a political platform for all hyphenated racial classes who were denied a place in many secluded, alienated, and subjective arenas reserved for and commandeered by peers of the realms.

In his father’s birthplace nation of Kenya, in Indonesia, Australia, and almost in every habitable landscape of our planet earth, the name Barack Obama received incomparable celebrity status. No doubt many children who were born the night Obama was pronounced the winner, will have their birth certificates decorated with the first, middle, and last names of the most famous man of this century. Barack, Hussein or Obama-three out of the ordinary African and Arabian names that resonate with blessings, courage, knowledge, and other favorable predilections will resonate with any language, topography, and demography. If African-Americans of today carry names like Kwame, Kenyatta, Tunisia, Aaliyah, Kunta, and Kalindi, why not get rid of colonial baptismal names and switch to beautiful African names like Ndebele, Meygag, Koroma, Bakarow, Njagi, Barack, Hussein, and Obama.

In Kenya, a land familiar to the President-elect, witchdoctors, sages, and jugglers scrupulously prognosticated and then promulgated Obama’s ascendancy of the White House long before the pronouncement of the election results.

There was a night when several volcanoes that were to erupt burped and instead secretly spewed aroma that nourished the surrounding fauna and flora; that was the night when many spiritual worshipers communicated with the spirits of the dead to find out their special man in the making; thereafter, it was my turn to fry my favorite bun iyo cambuulo galley to close the chapter for the day ahead.
The day before the election, I received a phone call from a sweet talking mademoiselle who wanted to know whether I had a few hours to volunteer to the cause of democracy. My message to her was “you don’t need me as the message has been clearly spelled out and that it has been confirmed to me by my own ruuxaan that the winner of the election will be a man called Barack Obama.”

African Sangomas uncovered extraordinary microscopic messages intricately splashed across the linings of abdominal and intestinal organs of squirrels, salamander lizards, and porcupines that prophesied the reclamation of black and other minority inalienable rights that had been trampled upon for centuries in the northern hemisphere. Intercommunication between witchdoctors and the spirits of the mountains, oceans, and the crust of the earth yielded fruitful results after painstakingly offering sacrifices and performing rituals that appeased the invisible powerful spirits they so profoundly depend upon for the disclosure of relevant information that are of vital significance to their material and spiritual world.
Pro-life supporters found solace in Obama’s respect for the inviolability of human life- priestly thoughts that were in conformity with their sacerdotal beliefs. Obama received blessings, votes, and unparalleled prayers of African-American voters; a great number of Latino electors threw their weight behind him; women cast their ballots in great numbers for they had votes that were of crucial importance as that of the other opposite gender; adherents of various denominations supplicated against the racially obsessed few while keeping vigil all night long for a once-in-a-lifetime miracle to shake America’s bloated racial divide, and millions of young and elderly whites joined the election fever in support of Barack Obama’s attractive economic and health packages. Many red states switched allegiance to Barack Obama because they found John McCain’s policies were a continuation of George Bush’s failed policies.

The life of a pregnant woman in Zimbabwe

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Posted on October 31st, 2008 by Fungisai Sithole. Filed in Shortages and Inflation, Uncategorized, Women's issues.
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Because of the challenges and difficulties I am exposed to on a daily basis I wake up with pains all over my body. My body is mostly swollen and weak. My doctor tells me that my blood pressure levels have gone high. She tells me that I need to rest, but I cannot afford rest, I cannot afford to be sick. Not in this environment where I am subjected to economical, social, political and psychological frustrations. My bulging stomach has become representative of the problems I endure on a daily basis and an antithesis of the joys of womanhood and every growth of my tummy is an increase in my pain, frustrations and agony. I long for joys of motherhood but the environment I live in makes sure I can only long and dream of how it feels to be pregnant in an environment where I can afford the basics – a reality that remains an elusive quest.

Every day I wake up with worries and serious issues of concern regarding my pregnancy. I am employed but nothing seems to balance and work for me. I have to think of ways of raising money for my next appointment with my gynaecologist and for the hospital delivery charges and the doctor’s delivery fee. All these are charged in US Dollars. I have even attempted to apply to the Reserve Bank for the authority to withdraw cash in excess for the 50 000 daily limit but with no success as the whole financial system is corrupt and dysfunctional. Every day that passes brings an element of fear and anxiety as I still do not know when and how I will be able to raise the monies.

The doctor and the hospital fees are just one of the few elements I have got to worry about. Most of my clothes can’t fit anymore. I need new big clothes to accommodate my growing body and for my baby. The clothes are very expensive. I move around shops daily hoping to find something affordable but have no luck. I have money in the bank but can only withdraw fifty thousand dollars a day which only covers my one way transport costs to work. The cheapest clothes I can get are around 700 to 800 thousand dollars and I am expected to pay for them in cash. The shops do not accept cheques or transfers. The prices change on a daily basis and have no idea how I am expected to raise such figures a day. In Zimbabwe being pregnant has grown to be some form of punishment whose fine no one seems to know.

The sad part is dealing with my cravings. The environment in Zimbabwe just wipes away the joys of womanhood. Everything is a frustration for me. I can’t seem to find things I crave for and if I do the price just thwarts the excitement completely. It is an unfathomable task to afford a basic healthy diet something I need seriously in such circumstances. Sometimes my appetite just fades as eating the same vegetables and sadza everyday is a pain to me. I lead a miserable life and cannot wait for the day I will deliver and look at the new challenges.

With my mind dawdled with the challenges and frustrations of pregnancy, after work I get to a home without electricity and water. I now have to fetch water from a nearby school borehole and make fire as no one knows when the electricity will be back. I now view pregnancy as a burden and the burden is made worse by the miserable living conditions I am expected to endure every day. I dread the day my baby will be born in this environment and I shudder to think if he or she will be able to survive in this mire.

SEEING BEYOND THE EPIDERMIS

There is a lot of talk in the media nowadays that America’s image in the world has been tarnished by the way its foreign policy was handled. Now that a black man who is son of a Kenyan father and Kansan mother is vying for the Presidency, many want to know whether Americans have the moral fiber to see beyond the epidermis. There has been a lot of hubbub about Barack Obama’s ability to handle the highest office in the land. What these folks don’t understand is that graduating from Harvard, the most prestigious university in the world, is not peanuts. Furthermore women political aspirants have not been fortunate either. Geraldine Ferraro, Hilary Clinton, and McCain’s best pick, Sarah Palin, have seen the unbalanced taste of American politics. The only time humans will see each other as equals is when color and gender become things of the past.

AMERICA NEEDS MADAM PRESIDENT

To break the barrier to the racist sentiments, male chauvinism, misguided political phantasms, and macho that have been dragging on since 1776 when America declared independence from England, it is best we carryout a research into the world’s past and present historical perspectives to unravel the gigantic roles women painstakingly played to advance human civilization.

History is replete with awe-inspiring women leaders who left behind philosophical and immeasurable historical legacies and immense archeological treasures articulately illustrated in cuneiform, hieroglyphic, and scriptural writings and other ancient books and I wonder why the greatest democracy in the world, the United States of America, has never given contemporary American women the chance to hold the reins of power to exercise their inalienable rights as enshrined in the U.S. constitution.

The closest an American woman has been to the U.S. Presidency was in 1984 when Geraldine Ferraro, who represented New York’s 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed by Democratic Party Presidential contender Walter Mondale as his running mate. Just recently, New York Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, conceded defeat in the 2008 Democratic Primaries in a tightly contested race that saw Barack Obama trounce her by a wide margin. The irony is that, Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, a man who has been in Washington politics for over three decades to fill the VP slot.

Whichever preceded the other, Mesopotamian, Persian, Yemeni, and Egyptian past antiquities highlight the existence of women queens who ruled with astuteness, uprightness, and fortitude better than their male partners of their time. Queen Hatshepsut, meaning ‘foremost of noble ladies’, a Pharaonic queen of judicious willpower has been mentioned in the writings of Manetho, a historian who lived during the Ptolemaic era, as having ruled Egypt for 21 years and 9 months.

The Queen of Sheba, a wealthy woman who lived the time of Prophet/King Solomon has been called by a variety of names by different people at different times. Her historical accounts have been cited in Egyptian, Hebraic, Christian, Qur’anic, Ethiopic and Nubian, medieval and renaissance accounts and also in popular culture, academic and archeological discoveries. It is said that she ruled upon a people who worshipped the sun instead of the Lord of the Worlds. In Christianity, Sheba is mentioned in a passage from Isaiah 60:6 that states: “and they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring forth gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.”[1] Likewise, the Qur’an mentions the Queen of Sheba in the 27th chapter when a Hoopoe bird at the time of Solomon pioneered to investigate her palace and mighty rule supposedly located in modern Yemen. Upon returning to her departure point, the Hoopoe presented herself before Solomon with the following announcement: “I found them reigned over by a Queen, and she has been given abundance of everything, and she has a magnificent throne.” [2]

The United Kingdom, a monarchy separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel has had Queen Elizabeth II on the throne since 2 June, 1953, when she was coroneted in a televised ceremony watched by over twenty million people held at Westminster Abbey, London, when her father, King George VI, died of lung cancer. News of her father’s death was relayed to her while vacationing at Sagana Lodge, Kenya, a colony of England by then. Queen Elizabeth II is head of the Commonwealth, “…a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, most of which are former British colonies, or dependencies of these colonies (the exception being the United Kingdom and Mozambique).” [3]

Prominent women leaders of this century include Indira Gandhi, a former Oxford University graduate and former Prime Minister of India who ruled for three consecutive terms between 1966 until 1984 when she was assassinated by her own bodyguards. She was reputed for having nationalized her nation’s banking industry and for overseeing India’s inclusion into the nuclear fraternity. In Bangladesh, former Prime Minister Hazina Wazed spearheaded democratic institutions while President Chandrika Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka, a woman who escaped many attempts on her life in the pursuit of peaceful coexistence between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil, served multiple terms between 1999 and 2005 as Prime Minister and as President. Her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was elected first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on July 1, 1960; the same day my Horn of Africa nation of Somalia proclaimed independence from Italy and England respectively.

The fabulous input of women in global organization does not end there. Benazir Bhutto, daughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan at the age of 35 in 1988. She became the first woman head of state in modern history to lead a Muslim nation of over 100 million inhabitants. A graduate of Radcliffe College at Harvard University, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with cum laude honors in comparative government in 1973. Pakistan’s 12th and 18th Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto became a victim of assassination on December 27, 2007 while leaving a political rally in the city of Rawalpindi, two weeks before the general election of 2008.

Chronology of World Women Leaders

• 1916: Jeanette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
• 1930: Alexandra Kollontai of the former Soviet Union appointed ambassador to Sweden becoming the first woman in modern history to hold such a position.
• 1933: Frances Perkins appointed Secretary of Labor becoming first female Cabinet member in U.S. history.
• 1960: Japan’s first female cabinet member, Nakayama Masa is appointed Minister of Health and Welfare.
• 1960: Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka becomes the world’s first female Prime Minister.
• 1966: Indira Gandhi elected first female Prime Minister of India.
• 1968: Soong Ching-ling named Co-Chairwoman of the People’s Republic of China.
• 1969: Golda Meir becomes first female Prime Minister of Israel.
• 1974: Maria Estela Martinez succeeded her husband to become the first female head of Argentina and the first female head of state in the Americas.
• 1977: Patricia Harris becomes the first African-American woman to join the U.S. Cabinet becoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
• 1979: Maria Lourdes Pintasilgo named first woman Prime Minister of Portugal.
• 1979: Lidia Geiler becomes first woman President of Bolivia.
• 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1979: Simone Weil of France named first woman President of the European Parliament.
• 1980: Iceland’s Vigdis Finnbogadottir elected first woman President.
• 1980: Jeanne Sauve of Canada appointed first woman speaker of the House of Commons.
• 1981: Gro Harlem Brundtland becomes first woman Prime Minister of Norway.
• 1982: Agatha Barbara of Malta elected President.
• 1982: Milka Planinc becomes first woman Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.
• 1985: Maria Liberia-Peters becomes first woman Prime Minister of Netherlands-Antilles.
• 1986: Corazon Aquino elected first woman President of the Philippines.
• 1988: Benazir Bhutto elected first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first woman Prime Minister in the Muslim world.
• 1989: Violeta Barrios de Chamorro becomes President of Nicaragua.
• 1990: Mary Robinson elected first woman President of Ireland.
• 1990: Ertha Pascal-Trouillot elected first woman President of Haiti.
• 1990: Carmen Lawrence becomes first woman Premier of Australia.
• 1991: Edith Cresson elected first woman Prime Minister of France.
• 1991: Khaleda Zia Rahman elected first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
• 1991: Rita Johnson of Canada elected first woman Premier.
• 1992: Hanna Suchocka becomes first woman Prime Minister of Poland.
• 1993: Tansu Ciller becomes first woman Prime Minister of Turkey.
• 1993: Sylvie Kinigi becomes Burundi’s first female Prime Minister. [4]

While the list could be endless, between 1993 and 2008; more than twenty nations have had women Heads of States while the strongest power in the world, the United States of America has had none. The U.S. has produced the likes of Condoleezza Rice who became the first black lady and the second female to head the Department of State after Madeleine Albright who served the Clinton administration.

Recently, Republican Party Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain picked Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his Vice President and running mate -a choice that caused consternation among opposition Democrats. Bill Burton, Barack Obama’s spokesman, in a strongly worded statement, was quoted by the press as saying: “Today John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the Presidency”. [5]

Elisabeth Bumiller sent the following to the New York Times after McCain announced his choice of Sarah Palin for the VP slot: “In 1982 she was given the nickname “Sarah Barracuda” for leading her high school basketball team to the state championship, and in 1984 she won the beauty pageant-as well as the title of miss congeniality-in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. She is also a hunter, fisher, and member of the National Rifle Association. ” [6]

Many leaders who jumped on the bandwagon with tons of experiences in foreign policy, strategic military planning, economic emancipation and displaying credentials from distinguished institutions of higher learning failed in their endeavors to lead effectively either because they were short of personality perspectives, lacking focus of group processes and acts or behaviors that were the main leadership embodiments expected of by their body of voters.

Ironically, I find it absurd for any party member to point fingers at Governor Sarah Palin since her own political background clearly indicate how she has been a dedicated supporter of the democracy American forefathers championed. Writing in the NPR’s all things considered, Elizabeth Arnold had this to share with her radio listeners and web readers: “At first glance, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin comes across as a tough, independent-minded budget cutter and ethics crusader, a whistle-blower who has not been afraid to take on her own party leaders and the oil industry.” [7]

The male-dominated political apparatchiks in Washington are fearful of the takeover of politics by our women and that is why there is an outcry in the male circles whenever a female is elevated to a position of power and prestige. What they need to know is that history has evidently shown that women are as successful as men in leadership and that it is enough to look around the country to make sense of the number of women who held or hold great positions like Army generals, air force marshals, navy admirals, ambassadors, state governors, house speaker, and secretary of states.

In conclusion, American male voters have been unfair to Geraldine Ferraro in 1984; again, forthright Hillary Rodham Clinton was left humiliated and brokenhearted as majority of male votes went to the sweet-talking Barack Obama; and now, McCain’s best pick, Sarah Palin, is facing tough scrutiny from the side of the Democratic Party. The truth of the matter is we’ll taste the true meaning of democracy when an honorable lady becomes the President of the United States of America most likely in 2012 and beyond.


CITED SOURCES

[1] Byrd, Vickie, editor; Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, (Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004), p. 17.
[2] The Glorious Qur’an (27:23): Translated by Dr. Ahmad Zidan and Mrs. Dina Zidan. Islamic Inc., Publishing and Distribution. 1993. Cairo, Egypt.
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/commonwealth_of_nations
[4] http://www.iwdc.org/resources/timeline.htm
[6] http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes/2008/08/29/mccain_vice_president/
[7] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story/.php

UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM

Buddhism, named after its founder Gautama Buddha, is an offshoot of Hinduism and a religion that sprung from the current modern nation of Nepal approximately 560 B.C. before spreading to Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia respectively. Buddhism became a religion after the death of Siddhartha Gautama in 480 B.C.
Siddhartha Gautama’s father was Suddhodana, chief of the Shakya nation, while his mother, Queen Maha Maya, was a Koliyan Princess. There were mixed reactions among the sages before his birth. Some thought he would become a great king while others foresaw in him as having the attributes of a great holy man. He was born in a place called Lumbini which was part of Ancient India under a Sal tree while his mother was on her way to her father’s Kapilvastu principality to conceive. His father, who chose for him a luxurious life as a Prince, protected him from being associated with spiritual wisdom and understanding of human affliction, though at a later age, Siddhartha felt material life was not his ultimate goal.

At the tender age of 16, young Siddhartha got married to Yasodhara, a cousin of the same age who gave birth to a son they named Rahula. When he was 29, Siddhartha began to visualize the material world after seeing an old man, a scene that disturbed him immensely. It was his charioteer, Channa, who broke the news that all people are destined to experience old age in later life-an alarming phenomenon that drove him to further explore the world until he saw a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. Embarking on a journey that became known as “The Great Departure”, Siddhartha escaped from his palace to become a mendicant. This is where he will discover what Buddhists refer to as the Middle Way-a path of self-control that dissuades the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Siddhartha sat under a Bodhi tree for 49 days until he experienced the Enlightenment while aged 35 years. From there on he was known as the Buddha or “The Awakened one” or “the Enlightened one”.

Unlike Hinduism with its millions of deities, Buddhism does not mention the existence of god; followers believe there is no life after death; no heaven, no hell, no paradise and that you are unto yourself. It has no central figure deserving direct worship. Set apart by the development of various movements and divisions within its adherents, Buddhism is today practiced as a central religion most notably in areas where a greater force of its devoted followers are concentrated including Nepal, Bhutan, China, Korea, Burma, Japan, and Vietnam. In Muslim Afghanistan, two great monumental statues of Buddha that towered above the cultural landscape in the sandstone cliffs of Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan northwest of Kabul were intentionally dynamited by the Taliban Mullahs in 2001, despite international outcry. It has since been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Buddhism is based on “Four Noble Truths” namely:
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

Suffering is the human condition; it is caused by possessiveness, greed, and self-centeredness caused by others’ selfishness. The origin of suffering is self-attachment; the cessation of suffering is attainable; and there is a path to the end of suffering-the first reserved communication after the great awakening that evolved as novel discoveries.

According to Buddhism, the main predicaments or root figments of the imaginations are: attachment, anger, and ignorance. On the other hand, Buddha summarized an eight-fold noble path that center on:
1. Correct thought: avoid covetousness.
2. Correct speech: avoid lying, harsh speech, and idle gossip.
3. Correct actions: avoid killing, sexual misconduct, and stealing.
4. Correct livelihood: make a living with thought, speech, and action.
5. Correct understanding: develop genuine wisdom.
6. Correct effort: continue with joyful perseverance
7. Correct mindfulness: Beware of “here and now.”
8. Correct concentration: have steady, calm, and attentive state of mind.

As is common with all humans, fragmentation in religious, philosophical, and idealistic thoughts have not been exempt from Buddhism as it broke ranks into what became known as Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism with Theravada becoming a so common in South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia while Mahayana Buddhism found a place among the nations of Korea, Japan, and Tibet. We will borrow a leaf from modern history to find out how the two sects differ in beliefs. In Theravada, the Buddha is regarded as a saint, supreme teacher, and inspirer while in Mahayana he is a simply a savior; Theravada’s key virtue is wisdom while in Mahayana the key virtue is compassion; Theravada minimizes metaphysics while Mahayana elaborates metaphysics. Theravada minimizes ritual while Mahayana emphasizes it; in Theravada practice centers on meditation while in Mahayana there is an inclusion of petitionary prayer.

A common form of Buddhism that has become widely accepted in the West is Tibetan Buddhism headed by its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama has become an admired figurehead for his unreserved struggle and fight against Chinese oppression of Tibetans and the forceful invasion and illegal annexation of Tibet by communist China in 1959 subsequently leading to his voluntary exile in Dharamsala, his current headquarter in India, with thousands of fellow Tibetan refugees. A Nobel laureate, the Dalai Lama has become a symbol of peace and a man who does not shy away from his pursuit of restraint and dialogue. The Dalai Lama is the Bodhisattva (“one whose essence is perfected wisdom”) known in India as Avalokiteshvara (“the Boddhisattva of compassion” or “the merciful lord of utter enlightenment’), Goddess of Mercy Kwan Yin in China (“Born of the Lotus” in Sanskrit), and Kannon in Japan. He has reincarnated himself for the last centuries to empower and regenerate Tibetan tradition.

What distinguishes Tibetan Buddhism from others is that it enables one to attain Nirvana in a single lifetime. Also, Tibetan Buddhism gave Tantra, derived from weaving, where strands warp and denoting interconnectedness, in its current pride and place.

UNDERSTANDING HINDUISM

Hinduism is a religion practiced in India, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Suriname, Canada, United States, and Trinidad and Tobago. Archaeologically, it is thought to be the oldest religion in the world as suggested by evidences of carbon dating experimented on artifacts unearthed in India and across the Indian Subcontinent(according to Archeologists). Also, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is a religion of many gods and complex religious practices, rituals, and traditions that is hard for a Westerner to comprehend.

From the daily reverent gesture of Namaste to the discipline known as yoga, Hinduism through its law, duty, and correct behavior of dharma unlike Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has seen changing dimensional religious postulations and the creation of gods and goddesses reaching a staggering 33 million mark and increasing. In Hinduism, the mantra is the sacred word or formula while moksha denotes to mean liberation from cycle of rebirth. Wherever one belongs in Karma, the cause/effect criterion remains solely responsible for the reincarnation of the soul.

Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge while tantra implies visual focus. The pivotal sacred text of Hinduism written in Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures, is the Vedas, epitomizing knowledge. Brahmins, Hinduism’s doyens of religious propagation, are proficient at the dissemination of the sacred word for the varied temples dedicated to particular gods of one’s choosing. Thus, depending on one’s proclivity to a particular deity, the modus operandi of the congregation pinpoints to where one belongs in the caste system-a level in society as a result of Karma.

Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism

Hinduism’s three most revered gods include Brahma the creator god, Vishnu who is the preserver god with 10 avatars, and Siva or Shiva, the god of destruction. Brahma is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity, while Saraswati, the goddess of learning, serves as his consort. Brahma is thought, according to myth, to have been self-born having sprung out of the lotus flower in Vishnu’s navel at the beginning of the universe while another legend says he was born in water. Despite being one of the major gods of Hinduism, few temples have been dedicated to Brahma in present-day India.

In Vaishnavite tradition, Vishnu is the supreme god who epitomizes the five primary forms of god. He is the master of the past, present, and future. He is the creator and destroyer of all beings. He supports, sustains, and governs the universe. He is the originator and developer of all elements within the universe.

Followers who focus worship upon Siva or Shiva, the god of destruction, and over and over again called Shaivites or Shaivas, worship him in the form of Shiva Linga having the attributes of being in deep meditation and refer to him as the lord of the dance. Besides the gods, Hinduism has many goddesses having female forms. One example is Ganesha, the elephant-headed goddess whose original human-head was severed by Shiva; Annapurna is the goddess of food and cooking; while Maya is another goddess whose literal meaning of the word is “illusion”.

The Caste System

Hinduism, according to one’s Karma, categorizes society into four distinct groups. This structure of organization or criterion has been in use for centuries, and is strongly held by its adherents without distortions serving as a decisive factor for the continuation of a historical and religious legacy the Buddha, Dayananda, Gandhi, and even the British colonial administration failed to obliterate. A traditionally held theory is that a group of immigrants known as Aryans possessing unusual culture, tradition, and physical features settled in India in the second millennium B.C. imposing the current caste system in place. A fifth group or untouchables emerged afterward to add up to the number. Despite the outlawing of the caste-based system by the Indian Constitution to keep in touch with the socialist, secular, and democratic principles of the world’s largest democracy, the order still stands tall among Hindus of contemporary India. Going by the old adage ‘old habits die hard’, critical politics and social perspicacity continues to degenerate the system into marvelous dimensions throughout India.

The caste system identifies superiority through behavioral observations, purity of character and traits, food consumption associated with caste, limpidness of body and clothing, polluting substances, and traditional observations. It is a hierarchical system based on quintessentially identifiable or relative ranking chiefly beginning with the visible priestly Brahmans who are knowledgeable in the propagation of the Holy Scriptures and are adept at serving the gods.

Thereafter, the level of human arrangement drops down to a degree of depreciation. The Kshatriyas who are warriors and landowners and typically known to be vegetarians fall second in rank only to the ceremonial Brahmins. Hinduism’s most venerated Lords Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Mahavira belonged to the Kshatriyas social order as outlined by the Vedas and the Laws of Manu. Classified as the elite military and ruling order, Kshatriyas symbolize fearlessness and vigor, forethought and formidability, and are empowered with absolute authority and reins of power to galvanize resources for the command of the armies, protection of territorial and national borders, overseeing social order, and offering top echelons with the necessary tools and means needed to govern the nation meticulously.

The third group is known as Vaishyas and they are the producers who are the skilled artisans and farmers competent at making material things. The fourth is the Shudras categorized as followers and servants. A fifth category known as untouchables or ‘Dalits’ (oppressed people), emerged a few centuries ago. Mahatma Gandhi, father of modern-day India who has been recorded in history as the first leader to usher a nation to independence without shedding a drop of blood through non-violence applications, named the Dalits ‘Harijans’, which stands for ‘god’s people’. Mahatma Gandhi went a step further raising the status quo of this oppressed people by founding the Harijan newspaper printed in English, Gujarati, and Hindi respectively.

Hinduism, known for its massive temples of awe-inspiring architectural designs, unlike Abrahamic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that are known to be missionary, is a non-missionary religion. Surprisingly, a good number of the 33 million gods and goddesses of this faith have taken leaps and bounds breaking global barriers. It has millions of adherents in almost every continent of the world who have taken with them gods and goddesses, the dharma and mantra, gurus and Gandhis, Vedas and Upanishads; and the most important holidays of Diwali and Holi and the philanthropic occasion known among its devotees as Dasehra. With India expected to become the most populous country in the world any time soon, demographers aren’t sure where Hinduism will stand in the global religious setting in terms of size within the next half century.

From Machiavelli to Meles Zenawi, the Prince of Addis Ababa

Part I



Dear beloved disciple,

I have been observing your unseemly political career with fascination for the past three decades. Your astute political maneuvers have the hallmark of my half millennium old scriptures. Your capacity to outmaneuver your political peers and hoodwink the unsuspecting public; your rhetorical eloquence and the unsightly perversions of your regime had always captivated my attention. I am very grateful to know that you have been using as a reference manual, The Prince - one of my best writings on preserving and exercising brute power.

For the past three decades, I assigned Prince Enver Hoxa, one of my beloved surrogates, to enlighten and groom you as you keep climbing up the ladder. However, as you are approaching the end of your two decades term in office, I felt the need to become your minder for the way forward. On the eve of your re-election as the chairperson of the EPRDF party for the seventh time in a row, I wanted to provide you some guidance in executing and maintaining your power.

Throughout the annals of world history, greed and self-indulgence had been the cornerstone of political ambitions and policies of self-centered absolute rulers – the high and mighty who keenly adhere to my ideology. Greed is what prompted Prince Blair and Prince Bush to conquer Iraq. Greed is what impelled you to invade Somalia. In politics, greed and autocracy are intertwined and no tough and self-regarding leader can afford to forgo the expedient tools for self-enhancement. That's why I am so enthralled with your self-absorbing, condescending and patronizing style.

I dealt with ruthless and power-crazed monsters of every epoch. But my fascination with you is indeed unequaled. Remember the Commission for Africa? That was my Idea. I was the one who convinced Prince Blair to invite you to that short-lived Commission and to the influence-wielding Plutocratic Club – the G8. From a firebrand radical guerrilla fighter with no political credence, I leaped you into the limelight. Now you are a flamboyant aristocrat - a member of the glitterati, the well-heeled filthy-rich.

Your track record is somewhat extraordinary. You will go down in history as the first Ethiopian ruler to conquer the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. You have realized dreams that evaded your equally ambitious predecessors; Menelik, Haile Selassie, and Mengistu Haile Mariam. You will also go down in history as a ruler who unraveled the archaic medieval nation into fragmented and ill-governed, ethnic-based satellite regions. Your archenemies are envious of your impressive feat in vanquishing the irredentist Somalis while keeping Eritrea and the internal opposition at bay. Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam, one of your worst nemesis and author of Somalia: The problem Child of Africa is full of admiration for you these days. Thanks to the eminent professor, the Amnesty International – the renowned human rights watch-dog, is presently on your side, keeping lip-sealed silence on the appalling human rights records of your regime.

I understand that you are preoccupied with and haunted by feelings of guilty of the thousands of innocent persons murdered, incarcerated, maltreated and molested in your notorious torture chambers which are now widely known as “Africa’s Guantanamo”. I am aware that the boomerang of your profound and prolonged mission to silence dissent has had adverse effect on your rickety, paranoid throne. Reports of summary executions, electroshocks, grisly torture and terror in your detention camps and institutionalized brutality against your political opponents may ultimately effect spontaneous universal condemnations. But that is not something to be worried about. Your benefactor Prince Bush who committed similar crimes in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib is on your side and shall forestall any attempt aimed at putting you on trial for crimes committed against humanity.

To my delight, you have snatched the spotlight from other autocratic rulers, including your political ally - Omer El Bashir, who was found guilty of genocide by the International Criminal Court. Some in the West are already calling you the “world’s worst dictator” an accolade befitting to your narcissistic, egotistical disposition and ruthless temperament. Some in the West are also becoming acquainted for the first time with your primordial machinations, curmudgeon character and deeply ingrained genocidal passion.

High-placed officials of your key Western allies are quietly accusing you of committing war crimes and collective punishment in your “dirty secret war” in the restive Somali region. Your ethnic cleansing, scorched earth programs and shockingly heavy-handed tactics in that beleaguered region had alarmed the international court of public opinion. International aid agencies and key Western donors are accusing you of showing lack of concern in respect of the unfolding famine in the Somali region where your “troops are destroying villages and property, confiscating and forcing civilians to relocate”, according to Human Rights Watch. Your inhumane and brutal collective punishment against your own Somali population has been described by New York Times as “a starve-out-the-population strategy. If something isn’t done on the diplomatic front soon, we’re going to have a government-caused famine on our hands.”

Well, your honeymoon with the West seems over. At this point in time, do not try to play hardball to secure concessions from Washington or London. You have to look to the East for a new saviour – China. You need to backtrack on promises you made to the West in ensuring transparency, human rights observance, freer and fairer democratic practice, decentralization of governance and economic reform.

Unleash your propaganda machine! You need to revamp your political formula for manipulation of quasi-autonomous regional states in Ethiopia which has already served you well for most of your 18 years in office. Your life time acolytes, Addisu Legesse, Abadula Gemeda, Shiferaw Shigute, Abbay Sehai and Bereket Simon are already experts in the fine arts of the EPRDF’s monkey business – the expedient strategies of manipulation, divide and conquest and gerrymandering of regional elections. Remember that the end justifies the means. You have to do everything possible to get “re-elected” for another term of premiership.

Though Ethiopia’s Moslem population accounts to more than half of the population, you have successfully held them at bay throughout your reign. You have done well in making the EPRDF - your ruling party, an exclusive Christian Club. Prince Bush and I are thrilled to see that there are no Moslem names in the central committees of the TPLF and the ruling EPRDF party. As long as you continue treating your Moslem population as second citizens, the West will look the other way. You will not be made accountable to your war crimes and crimes against humanity.

And what is all this ridiculous babble about famine? You have better things to worry about than the dying of the impoverished, poverty-stricken, deprived, disenfranchised, systematically neglected poor peasants and nomads. Ethiopia was already synonymous with famine even before you took the reins. At Arat Kilo you are already far away to notice the lean, emaciated and starving fellow countrymen who are distressed by the sheer weight of the ongoing enormous natural calamities in Ethiopia. Honestly the only thing that I would like to caution you is the handling of the dead bodies. Avoid organizing mass graves for the deceased. Intrusive Satellites with powerful and penetrating lenses are hovering over Ethiopia ever since you started burning villages in the Somali region.

Beloved disciple, keep reading The Prince.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Dean, Machiavelli School of Leadership

E-mail: followmetohell.tohell3@gmail.com

More African Union Troops for Somalia

Whenever the African Union sneezes, it is either Burundians or Ugandans who flock to Somalia as peacekeepers though for the many splinter groups fighting in Somalia, their presence ignite more violence, bloodshed, refugees, internally displaced, and political instability. Just yesterday, 400 well-armed and well-trained troops meant to boost Somali peace efforts arrived the city of Mogadishu in high spirits from the tiny landlocked central African nation of Burundi. The good thing is that, the international airport in Mogadishu that had been nonoperational for 20 days because of a decree by the fundamentalist religious group Al-Shabab opened doors a day earler allowing even deported Somalis from Saudi Arabia land safely, according to local Somali media reports.

For the past few months, armed resistance groups in Mogadishu and troops from Uganda had been engaged in bitter firefight after contingents from the Ethiopian army paved way for what is thought to be preparations for a complete withdrawal from Somalia of Ethiopian forces pursuant to agreement reached in neighboring Djibouti between the Asmara group and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) that calls for the complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia within 120 days.

However, many Somalis are pessimistic and an equal number remain optimistic about the change of affairs in this volatile region. For some, the arrival of Burundians means the world has at last heeded to calls by concerned groups for the pacification of Somalia and the complete withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. For others, the departure of Ethiopian forces from the Somali political spectrum will lead to further divisions and protracted enmity among tribal groups.

An-all out War Against Piracy in the Horn

Since her capture by a dozen well-armed pirates a few weeks ago off the coast of Somalia, the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina remains guarded on all fronts by a squadron of foreign navies each there to safeguard the dangerous cargo of ex-Soviet era T-72 tanks, rocket launchers, and thousands of ammunition whose destination remain a mystery. Because Somalia is perceived by the West as a haven for terrorists and their sympathizers, caution is being taken to ensure these dangerous cargo falls not onto the hands of terrorists.

The man who blew the whistle as far away as Kilindini in Mombasa, Andrew Mwangura, has been released on bail by a Kenyan judge a few days ago. Mwanguara's only crime is that he let the worms out of the can and revealed to the world what was expected to have been probably a top state secret. As head of the Sea farers Association, Mwangura carved out for himself a world grounded in secrecy. He has been a well known negotiator and well informed about the underworld of piracy in this part of the world. The claim by the Kenya Police that he was in possession of four rolls of Marijuana at the time of his arrest, has left many Kenyans laughing for weeks. It is common for the Kenya Police to frame whoever is in their list for eradication. One of the most corrupt nations in the world, Kenya's image in the world continues to dwindle drastically. What they want to tell you is that, Mwangura did not speak his mind freely, but was made loquacious by the puff of Cannabis sativa retrieved from his pockets.

Right now, Somalia's Red Sea coast has become a trouble spot where friends and foes feel it is time they join hands and rub bows so as to defend the world's oil energy passageway at a time when every nation is experiencing the worst economic gloom. Despite demanding $35 million at the initial hijack of the ship, the pirates have softened their stance and now demand a staggering $8 million ransom. Even as the world's most sophisticated navies gather in this dangerous waters of the Horn to deter further oil spill and energy hijack, what is being relayed by the media is nerve cracking: a couple ships have become victims while all eyes were turned on MV Faina.

Never have so many ships from an amalgamation of nations with differing ideologies and philosophical foundations gathered at a single spot since the end of the Cold War. While the nations of NATO have just announced that they will be sending a flotilla, the Russians, Kenyans, Malaysians, South African, and the Spanish have also embarked on the same efforts and level. Thus, the Horn of Africa will undoubtedly experience the greatest naval concentration of the century. Aircraft Carriers, Cruisers, Destroyers, Frigates, Submarines, Auxiliaries, Mine Sweepers, Mine Layers, and Corvettes of all makes will perhaps converge sooner or later to clean the Red Sea of the most monotonous pirates of the 21st century.

For Ali Sugule, the pirates' spokesman and his henchmen, there is a shadow of doubt whether the allies of the French commandos who wrecked havoc on your pirate cousins a few months ago, will ever fulfill any promise and deliver a suitcase containing $8 million without a thorough fight. Finally, after the dust settles, navies from all walks of life will eventually regroup to have naval exercises of the century where pirates once ruled undisturbed.

My best bet is that these navies will turn their radars on to the west coast of Africa where Africa's giant, Nigeria, remains a victim of piracy that has failed to grab international attention after Somalia is cleaned of piracy. A nation that has been at the mercy of dreaded generals since independence, Nigeria, a nation of over 100 million people, should not be left to suffer the pains that had Somalia capture international media the past few years.

Horn of Africa Weekly Review

A Ukrainian cargo ship laden with 33 Russian built T-72 tanks destined for the port of Kilindini in Mombasa, Kenya, is the latest victim highlighting the enormity of piracy in the beautiful Horn of Africa. Earlier, as reported by the Egyptian news agency, Mena, an Egyptian ship and its crew hijacked off the coast of Somalia has been released without mentioning whether ransom demands have been met.

According to the New York Times, the ship that has attracted international media attention, MV Faina, is owned by an Israeli, operated by a Ukrainian, registered in Belize, has 17 Ukrainian sailors, 2 Russians (one died of hypertension), and a Latvian. It is laden with 33 Soviet-era T-72 Tanks, 150 grenade launchers, 6 anti-aircraft guns, and lots of ammunition. The ship was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on the 25th of September, 200 miles off the coast of Somalia. The international maritime agency reports the hijack of 18 ships in Nigeria and 26 in Somalia this year alone. Piracy has become a lucrative business especially in Somalia where it is managed by a well organized syndicate traversing a 200-mile deep sea territory.

Meanwhile, the Russian Navy has sent a Frigate to secure the release of the ship carrying the Kenya-destined tanks. Also, San Diego-based destroyer U.S.S Howard is within watching distance of Faina-the Ukrainian cargo ship under Somali pirate control. Besides, a man claiming to be the spokesman for the piracy group that is holding MV Faina, Ali Sugule, has issued a stern warning to any power that may attempt to use force to release the said cargo liner.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s out spokesman representative for seafarers union, Andrew Mwangura, has been placed in custody by a judge in Mombasa for sounding the alarm about the ship’s cargo and destination. The government of Kenya earlier claimed ownership of the consignment though western intelligence sources have highlighted to that effect that the arms were destined for southern Sudan. On the other hand, Kenya police claim to have arrested Mwangura while in possession of four rolls of marijuana, a claim refuted by Mwangura.

Earlier this year, French commandos raided a luxury yacht to free 30 crew held hostage by Somali pirates. French commandos captured half-dozen hard-core criminals who terrorized the luxury yacht off the Red Sea coast sending them to France for prosecution.

Whether the rest of the world will mobilize to fight a few hungry Somalis to safeguard international trade in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean is now a burning desire for many affected shipping magnates.

For a long time pirates in this part of the world played into the lives of Somalia’s hungry population by disrupting food supplies and killing dedicated aid workers struggling to make changes to the starving millions. Right now it is the Canadian Navy that is responsible for escorting bulk carriers transporting food for the World Food Program (WFP) and other humanitarian agencies working in Somalia. But still, the waters off Somalia is a risky adventure even for the most advanced navy.

Somalia’s coastline may invite a new Cold War phenomenon as old rivals gather in these untested waters to deter belligerent pirates who claim to be responding to overfishing and damping of nuclear wastes along their coastlines by callous outsiders.