- The author of this article (below) is a black journalist
in Botswana, the only truly pro-Western, pro-Capitalist country in southern
Africa. He writes under the psuedonym of "Loose Canon" and he's
know for speaking his mind.
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- Botswana is probably best viewed as the "Switzerland"
of southern Africa. Of course, this state of affairs will not remain so
because South Africa and Zimbabwe will undermine Botswana and do all they
can to derail it. Botswana has a stable economy and is probably the safest
country to invest in in all of Africa... and rest assured, jealousy abounds.
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- Its current President is Ian Khama. I once heard, from
someone extremely well-connected, that an international businessman of
note remarked to a friend that the Khama family of Botswana are the most
honest ruling family in Africa south of the Sahara. They've never taken
a bribe from anyone - despite the fact that many lined up to give them
bribes.
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- The Khama family can be considered to Botswana in the
same light as the Kennedy family was considered in the USA. The current
President, Ian Khama is a good man. But his enemies are using every means
to undermine him and to try to sow dissension in his political party and
in his country. His enemies are of course, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They
do not like Ian Khama because Ian Khama stood up to Robert Mugabe the fiend
from the pits of hell. - Jan Lamprecht
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- Haiti And The Blacks!
- By Loose Canon (a Black man)
- Botswana News Paper Southern Africa
- 1-29-10
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- I hope black people will learn a lesson from the earthquake
that hit Haiti.
- If they don't learn anything from it, then I throw up
my hands in despair and give up.
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- Let's start with a few basic facts.
- Until the earthquake, I never knew there was a place
called Haiti. I was taught geography at school but I cannot remember a
time when the mistress told us about Haiti. It must have been one of those
insignificant countries that we had no reason to know about.
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- I was fairly good at geography because I knew which country
was on which continent. I also knew many capital cities. But as for Haiti
I was clueless.
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- Now the whole world, including myself, knows about Haiti.
I heard news of the earthquake on the radio. I wondered where Haiti was
and what sort of people lived there.
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- Finally, when I switched on the television, I was informed
that Haiti is an island out in the Caribbean. Television pictures revealed
a place populated by black people.
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- From the non-stop television coverage of the earthquake,
I got to learn about the history of Haiti. It was not a good history lesson.
It would seem throughout its existence Haiti has suffered a series of natural
calamities. In the process it has sunk even deeper into poverty and deprivation.
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- Like all places populated by black people, Haiti is poor.
As I watched the television images, I felt very sorry for that forsaken
place. Then I was hit by a thunderbolt.
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- I wondered what if there were no white people. You see,
when the earthquake hit Haiti somebody had to come to its assistance. There
had to be a rescue effort. The Haitians who survived of course did their
fair bit by digging out their families from the collapsed ramshackle buildings.
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- But such was the scale of the devastation and the loss
of human life that a bigger effort was needed. For that sort of work, you
need heavy lifting gear and other sophisticated rescue equipment. I have
been following the story of the earthquake keenly. I can attest to the
fact that the first people to arrive with sniffer dogs were white crews
from all over the world.
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- The aero planes that set off carrying water and food
were from white countries. Not only that, the teams of volunteer doctors
that I saw on television comprised white people from across the world.
As the sniffer dogs went into action, the organized rescue teams that carried
the stretchers were made up of white people.
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- It was announced that a mobile hospital was on the way.
It was coming from a white country. For all intents and purposes in the
aftermath of the earthquake, Haiti was literally swarming with white people.
They had all arrived to save the poor blacks. And the locals were so happy
to see them. Granted there were teams from the Orient such as the Chinese
and Japanese. They too had quickly left their homes and families to go
and assist the stricken people of Haiti.
- It is obvious to everyone that this was a devastating
earthquake and the work to repair Haiti and return it to a modicum of normalcy
will take many years. Somebody had to commit funds to this effort. Most
of the countries that have committed funds to aid the recovery are white.
In fact, it would seem the whites are running the show in Haiti.
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- What is my point?
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- My point is that ever since Haiti was hit by the earthquake
I have not seen any of my folks from Africa. Unless the television cameras
deliberately ignored them, I never saw a rescue team from my motherland.
Nor did I see any sniffer dogs from down here.
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- Heck, I never saw a single traditional doctor busy divining
where to find people buried under the rubble.
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- Haiti is a land of black people. I would have expected
the place to be swarming with black people helping their own. They were
nowhere to be seen. I never saw any ships from black countries pulling
into the harbour.
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- As the air traffic circled above the small airport, none
of the planes was reported as coming from Africa. The blacks were nowhere
to be found. They issued tepid statements of condolence to the people of
Haiti and a few of the African countries donated small amounts of cash.
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- Granted that was better than nothing. But I must say
I was disappointed. I was sad because the blacks did not behave as I had
expected. You see, for far too long black countries have been insolent
to the point of being abusive. They have a tendency of insulting the white
man and telling him to keep out of their countries. In fact, black people
have the temerity to tell white people they can perfectly survive on their
own.
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- So I had expected the black countries to be consistent
and behave true to form. Why didn't black countries tell white countries
to stay away from Haiti because we were quite capable of leading the rescue
effort? We should have insulted them as we often do at international forums.
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- There, our countries insult white countries and accuse
them of imperialism and neo colonialism. I was extremely disappointed when
our countries failed to accuse white people of practicing imperialism and
neo colonialism by coming to rescue the blacks of Haiti.
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- We should have told them we have better sniffer dogs
that have been taught only to rescue black people. We should have told
their ships to stay away and their planes not to overfly Haiti because
we were up to the job with our own ships and aeroplanes.
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- We should have brought in our traditional food instead
of the strange rations the Haitians are not accustomed to.
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- I am so disappointed by the black leaders that I hope
never to hear them again bleating about how bad white people are. The earthquake
in Haiti was the most opportune time to show the whites, once and for all,
that we don't need them.
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- From now onwards, I want black leaders to shut up and
never accuse, ever, white people of being bad. I am sick and tired of big
words such as imperialism and neo colonialism which are unable to rescue
victims of the earthquake.
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