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ALF Executive Director Comments on 'African Dinosaurs' in Spanish Paper El Pais
Read original story written in Spanish. Below is an unofficial translation of the story.
Translation via Google translate
STORY
Paul Biya, who was already president, has been declared the winner in the elections in Cameroon with a 77.9 per cent of the vote and amid criticism of international observers, for whom the elections have been fair. With the win, Biya will add seven years to the 29 already leads as president of this country.
Biya is one of the so-called 'dinosaurs' in Africa, a group of leaders who have spent decades in power in several countries of this continent, have been aged in their jobs and seem unwilling to leave.
These leaders are known for their lavish lifestyles, far removed from those of the overwhelming majority of the populations of their countries, and a little political work despite his objections. Paul Biya spends most of the time out of Cameroon, one of the world's most corrupt countries, and just participated in the election campaign in this election.
Dinosaurs are living longer Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, and Angola Jose Eduardo dos Santos : both have 32 years as president. He closely follows Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, with 31 years in power, and the very Biya in Cameroon, who has 29 years and may reach 36 after this election. After Yoweri Museveni appears, a leader in Uganda for 25 years and won an election in February to give another five years as president.
The presidential elections in Cameroon, as happened with Uganda, have followed a common script to other countries in Africa. The opposition alleges fraud and harassment during the election campaign. The elections were held without a great turnout. During the recount, the opposition accuses the government of stealing the elections and international observers point out irregularities in the process. Finally, the president is that it was declared the winner and extends its mandate.
"In Africa, presidents do not lose the election, do whatever it takes to cling to power," said Godfrey Mwampembwa, "Gado", a renowned Kenyan cartoonist. When it happened a few weeks in Zambia exceptional and the president lost the election, Gado published a cartoon in the largest newspaper in Kenya which graphically described the situation.
In it, Rupiah Banda, who had just lost the elections in Zambia, was pursued by some of the African dinosaurs like Mugabe, Dos Santos and Museveni, armed with a rifle and even a grenade launcher. In the vignette, the pursuers yell at Banda: "You had it all, the police, the army controlled the electoral commission ... ... and still lose! **** You are a disgrace ... "
"I wanted to ridicule the fact that here's this 'club' of leaders who work so hard to steal elections and maintain power and imagine the situation where one strip all that away," describes Gado.
Although not a phenomenon that is given only in Africa, if this is the continent most abundant political dinosaurs. "After the independence of African countries in the 50 and 60, the parties degenerated into machines at the service of a man or access and control mechanisms of wealth based on a particular ethnic group," says Malik email Azaad, whose name is actually a joint pseudonym used by authors of African Dictator's website , which compiles and reports on non-democratic African leaders.
Azaad anonymous calls and tells how his website has been receiving threats hackers and even death, especially from Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda.
The tremendous inequality prevailing in most sub-Saharan African countries that monitor the state is the only guarantee of access to wealth are the reasons why some of these leaders are trying to perpetuate himself in power, according to coincide experts. "When you're president, is easy to forget the pain and problems of grinding poverty," says Ayodele Aderinwale, executive director of the Africa Leadership Forum . "And when you've been for too long, you can not imagine or understand how a parent can see life away from her six years because they can not afford five dollars to buy anti-malaria treatment."
In addition to the cult of personality that these leaders build around them, also play an important role family, friends and the whole court of sycophants who depend on the dinosaur to escape reality in which the majority of the population in these countries . "The wives of dictators have an important role: Grace Mugabe, Jeannette Kagame, Chantal Biya, Janet Museveni are queens accustomed to a life of unbelievable luxuries they could not even dream of when they were poor," says Malik Azaad. 'Now can not imagine life without private jets, luxury hotels, mansions and live large. "
As an example, last month, French police seized 11 cars in Paris super luxury worth 5.7 million euros and belonging to Teodorin Obiang , son of the president of Equatorial Guinea. Authorities found the car during a raid in the Paris home Teodorin, valued at 17.8 million euros.
Nevertheless, in Equatorial Guinea, more than 70 per cent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day (1.4 euro), despite being an oil-rich country with a GDP per capita similar to Spanish. While the dinosaur, his family and all his circle of acolytes live "big life" and enjoy an almost absolute power, it seems that the population of these countries can do little to advance democratic reforms.
"The remaining options are shuffled like North Africa or violent revolutions to remove dictators," said Azaad. "But by the time these letters are on the table: the largely peasant population sub-Saharan Africa could not rebel, because they require a great deal the mere fact of survival."
In fact, before the revolution north of the Sahara, the undisputed leader of the African dinosaurs was the now defunct Muammar Gaddafi , Libyan leader for 42 years. It also occupies a prominent former President Hosni Mubarak , who had been in office 30 years before resigning this year forced by the revolution in Egypt.
"The West is both a very important part of the problem and some very relevant for solutions," said Aderinwale the Africa Leadership Forum. "Of course that Africans are responsible for our ills, but the West has always been support among racks and covertly animated dinosaurs, but only complain when their creations become Frankenstein." |
