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From Thabo Mbeki
Sir-- The death of Fathiya Nkrumah must surely remind the people of our country and indeed those of the rest of our continent of the indomitable spirit of that generation of African leaders that led the struggle to rid Africa of the scourge of colonialism and the system of apartheid.
It is ironic that Fathiya Nkrumah passed away during the year when Africa and most certainly the rest of the world celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence which was led by that shining African star, the late Kwame Nkrumah.
It is indeed instructive to note that her death also coincides with current debates within the African Union aimed at the political and economic integration of the continent of Africa, an idea championed during the launch of the AU by, among others, her late husband Kwame Nkrumah.
Fathiya Nkrumah must certainly have worried as do the rest of us about the poverty and under- development that continue to afflict millions of our people in the continent of Africa.
Yet Fathiya Nkrumah died in the full knowledge that Africans are now the authors of their own destiny through the African renaissance to build a continent characterised by peace, harmony, and prosperity and thereby ensure it takes its rightful place among nations of the world as an equal partner.
Accordingly, and as we lay the mortal remains of Fathiya Nkrumah to rest, the government and people of South Africa join the rest of the peoples of our continent in extending our sincere condolences to her three children, the government and people of Ghana.
President Thabo Mbeki
South Africa
Indomitable spirit
Sir-- It was with profound sorrow that the Secretariat of the Global Pan-African Movement Kampala learnt of the untimely demise of Madame Fathia Nkrumah. Our regrets are all the more keenly felt due to the conspiracy of events that did not enable her to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of Ghana's independence. As the proud heirs of the Pan- African Movement spearheaded by the generation of your illustrious father and his peers, we salute the indomitable spirit Madame Fathia displayed, as the forces of reaction and infamy assaulted the African unity project.
A dedicated spouse, a caring parent and a conscientious citizen of Africa to the last, Madame Fathia has left an irreparable gap, but the movement she personified by dint of perseverance and grace will soldier on. Though the paucity of means spells distance from kith and kin, rest assured that the manifold challenges, reversal of gains and the tragedy of untimely losses can never lessen the pace, nor the scope of our perpetual commitment to the supreme ideal of Pan-Africanism.
On behalf of the Global Pan-African Movement, we extend our heartfelt condolences to our comrade Gamal Nkrumah, your siblings Sékou and Samia, your respective families, as well as the rest of the Nkrumah family in Ghana, Egypt and beyond. Be comforted to know that millions of genuine Pan-Africanists all over the world are with you in spirit and pray for the Almighty Allah to give you strength in these trying moments. In our hearts, your mother has now joined that hallowed pantheon of those we celebrate in the cannon of African independence, dignity, identity and worth.
Kahinda Otafire
Chairman
Global Pan-African Movement
Lion with a roar
Sir-- The reality in the Middle East is horrendous. Lawlessness abounds. Consider the American frontier in the 1800s. Setting: the city of Dodge, KS, which was ruled by the gun. Human life was cheap, and self-interest and personal gain was the motive.
International organisations have failed. Nation-states have failed. Prior artificial checks and balances have failed. The strong prevail. Might makes right. The interests of the small and the weak are overlooked.
The Middle East gave birth to many of the world's earliest civilisations and cultures, and was the setting for the religious origins of monotheism; however, no matter how old or noble a society, in division there is weakness. It is time for a new regional responsibility which can be the only answer to the present dilemma on the Arab peninsula. Look at Iraq: sides can argue till the cows come home about fault, blame and motive, but the fact remains that everything has failed, including the media and self-centred governments that are directly and indirectly involved, and vacillating international organisations. Iraq should have been and still should be solely an Arab matter, not the business of an American or coalition of nations from outside the Middle East.
The only legitimate or practical geopolitical organisation, which so happens to be headquartered in the region is the League of Arab States. It should empower itself to become a greater regional authority, unlike, for example, the UN, fashioned in the image of a toothless, clawless old lion, which has only the roar. An empowered Arab League could counter a growing Iranian or Persian threat of intrusion into the Arab sphere, or a wandering Israeli excursion and it would be a greater counterweight to European and American military projection for the purposes of political, economic, manipulation and exploitation.
I believe a good practical example would be the American Monroe Doctrine, which in its conception was established or enacted to repel foreign colonial intrusion into the American hemisphere. The mindset of Arab brotherhood and unity should move beyond a mere myth or slogan, into a modern geopolitical reality beyond the concept or point of the charter mentioning collective security. It is my suggestion that since we are returning to a grimmer reality of an era of force, the only practical solution is to bring forth a lion, with not only a roar, but both teeth and claws. I would like to suggest a new regional security organisation: in a sense, a new Arab Legion, a military entity with a new concern for air defence and coastal protection. This force could lessen an Israeli threat and growing Persian/ Iranian potential. I would recommend no less than 500,000 troops in number, which could be expanded to a more practical number as soon as it can be accomplished. These suggestions are not given in the vein of being anti- Israeli, anti-Iranian, or even anti-Western, but more importantly are offered to implement a balance of power and to fill the strategic void in the region to establish a greater regional stability. I believe that if a single modern Arab military organisation were to be established, it would fill this vacuum of insecurity.
Craig Aberle
Minnesota
USA
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