In his poem "Over There, World War II", the outstanding African American poet, Langston Hughes, spoke about the hopes and aspirations of the African American soldiers who served in the US armed forces during the Second World War. Foreseeing the end of the war and the victory of the Allied Forces, he wrote:
"Dear Fellow Americans
I write this letter
Hoping times will be better
When this war
Is through.
I'm a Tan-skinned Yank
Driving a tank.
I ask, WILL V-DAY
BE ME-DAY, TOO?
I wear a U.S. uniform.
I've done the enemy much harm,
I've driven back
The Germans and the Japs,
From Burma to the Rhine.
On every battle line,
I've dropped defeat
Into the Fascists' laps.
I've seen my buddy lying
Where he fell.
I've watched him dying
I promised him that I would try
To make our land a land
Where his son could be a man -
And there'd be no Jim Crow birds
Left in our sky.
So this is what I want to know:
When we see Victory's glow,
Will you still let old Jim Crow
Hold me back?
When all those foreign folks who've waited -
Italians, Chinese, Danes - are liberated.
Will I still be ill-fated
Because I'm black?
When I take off my uniform,
Will I be safe from harm -
Or will you do to me
As the Germans did the Jews?
When I've helped this world to save,
Shall I still be colour's slave?
Or will Victory change
Your antiquated views?
Or will you stand up like a man
At home and take your stand
For Democracy?
That's all I ask of you.
When we lay the guns away
To celebrate
Our Victory Day
WILL V-DAY BE ME-DAY, TOO?
That's what I want to know."
The countries of Africa, including our own, owe their liberation and independence from colonial and racist rule to the struggles of the African masses. As these masses engaged the foreign and racist masters, as did those who fought against fascism, they were asserting their right to determine their destiny.
They fought to free themselves from the humiliating and degrading racist "Jim Crow" laws and practices put in place by the oppressors to keep them in subservience. They hoped that times would be better when their struggles for liberation and independence were through, as did the African American soldiers when they dropped defeat into the fascists' laps.
Unfortunately, soon after liberation from foreign domination was achieved, many of our countries fell victim to military dictatorships. When the soldiers used their guns to seize political power, they took away the right of the masses to determine their destiny. They put in place "Jim Crow" decrees of a special type, also intended to keep the people in subservience.
In his long poem, "History is the home address", our own poet, Mongane Wally Serote, addressed some pointed questions to Africa's soldiers:
"where were you when the coup happened
where were you when the whipped cracked
when the shot rang through the sky
African soldier,
with your uniform
with your stern face, mr gun commando,
what did you command this morning
did you hear
when the shot rang
when the plane fell and killed Machel
where, soldier?
African soldiers, intelligence men,
African intelligence women, where were you?
Where were you and your gun and your report?
where were you and your gun and the training we paid for
where
where were you when the African revolution began
where were you, African soldiers,
on whose side are you?
did the beer and the brandy and the whisky
work on you that night
and that morning?
your sins are so big,
boy, what will you do?"
Using his own words and speaking from a different continent in a different setting, the African poet in Africa, Mongane Serote, asked the same questions that the African poet in America, Langston Hughes, asked.
Together they asked the question of their people - where will you be when the powers that be deny us our rights! And what will you do! On whose side are you! Will you stand up and take your stand for democracy! Will you act to guarantee the people the right to determine their destiny!
And so we must say that the "letter" that Langston Hughes wrote to his "Fellow Americans" is a letter that we, the Fellow Africans, should read as a letter addressed to us as well. As the continent of Africa, we have no choice but to respond to the simple but passionate plea that an African in America made in defence of the humanity of his fellow Africans in America.
We are close to the close of the year 2004. I believe that we can honestly say that during this year, our continent has responded to the challenge thrown at our feet by Langston Hughes. We have acted in a manner that has saved us from the big sins of the African soldiers, of which Mongane Serote spoke.
We have in practice made the statement that we are determined that the African masses should reclaim their right to determine their destiny. We have done what we should and must do to ensure that the people fully enjoy the fruits of their liberation from colonial and racial domination.
The African masses have sought to answer the question posed by Langston Hughes - will V-Day be Me-Day too! They have striven to answer the question - will Independence or Freedom Day be our Day of Liberation as well! Perhaps Africa's soldiers have also done what they needed to do to answer the question posed by Mongane Serote - on whose side are you?
This year, millions of Africans participated in electoral processes freely to choose their governments, freely to determine their future. They have acted to give expression to the goal that each and everyone of our liberation struggles sought to achieve, that the people shall govern!
More than 45 years ago, in 1957, independent Ghana was born out of the colonial Gold Coast. This historic African victory marked the beginning of the process of the total liquidation of colonialism and white minority domination on our continent. Nevertheless, regardless of the hopes of the peoples of Africa including our own, it took another 37 years before this was achieved, when we achieved our liberation in 1994.
The African liberation process slowed down because the region of Southern Africa represented the strongest manifestation of colonial rule in Africa. Apart from Algeria and Kenya to some extent, it was here that Africa would face its most difficult challenges in the struggle to realise its total liberation.
In the end it took two decades totally to liberate Southern Africa, if we start with the seizure of power by progressive soldiers in Portugal in 1974, leading to the liberation of Angola and Mozambique in 1975, to the emancipation of South Africa in 1994, which was preceded by the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980 and Namibia in 1990.
To achieve these results, other countries and peoples in our region made many sacrifices, including the loss of life. Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana and Lesotho all had to pay a price for the support they gave to ensure the achievement of the objective to liberate Southern Africa and thus contribute to the final liquidation of the colonial system in Africa.
Inevitably, given the sacrifices that were made throughout our region to drop defeat into the oppressors' laps, the question had to be answered practically - would Independence or Freedom Day also be the people's Day of Liberation! Would our hard fought victory guarantee the right of the masses of Southern Africa freely to determine their destiny!
At the beginning of this month, December, the international broadcasting network, BBC News, asked the question, "Is democracy taking root in Africa?" It opined:
"It had been a year of elections in Africa with polls in South Africa, Algeria, Rwanda, Malawi, Mauritania, Tunisia, Cameroon, Namibia. In just the past couple of weeks, Niger, Mozambique and Ghana have also gone to the polls. (The BBC did not mention the elections in Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Tunisia and Comoros). The results have been largely predictable, and a few hitches aside, voting has been comparatively peaceful. So is this a sign that Africans are embracing the concept of democratic rule? Or are they being fooled - with the system being manipulated behind-the-scenes to ensure the ruling party is re-elected?"
This year, 2004, democratic elections in the SADC region took place in South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique, the last being held this month. In all these instances nobody has contested the reality that, "a few hitches aside", these have been truly democratic elections, whose results genuinely express the will of the peoples of our countries.
Even the BBC has found no evidence of "manipulation behind the scenes to ensure the ruling party is re-elected."
To confirm this, we can take just one example to represent our region, Mozambique, and the comments made by the Observers who followed the Mozambique elections.
The EISA Election Observer Mission said that "as of today (4 December 2004) (the Mission) is largely satisfied that the process of voting and counting so far meets the standards enshrined in the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region."
The Observer Mission of the African Union said: "On the whole, the elections of 1-2 December 2004 were conducted fairly and in a mature and transparent manner. The people were offered the opportunity to express their choices freely. The AU Observer Mission wishes to seize this opportunity to congratulate the NEC (IEC) for well organised and executed elections; the political parties for mature contestation and the people of Mozambique for their responsible participation in the electoral process."
The US Carter Centre delegation led by former President Jimmy Carter said: "The Carter Centre congratulates the people and leaders of Mozambique for the conduct of the presidential and legislative elections. To date, with a few exceptions, our assessment of Mozambique's elections is positive. We are especially pleased about the peaceful atmosphere that prevailed on election day and the calm and orderly manner in which the poll was conducted in most places."
The EU Observer Mission said: "During election days, voting and counting at polling stations were conducted in an organised way and polling staff was very committed and well trained. Voters demonstrated a high degree of civic behaviour and voted peacefully and orderly. No incidents were observed during the election days. The secrecy of the vote was respected and the ballot boxes properly sealed."
Next year, 2005, elections within the SADC region will be held in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. We are certain that these elections will confirm the excellent track record our region achieved this year, concluding with no "manipulation behind the scenes to ensure the ruling party is re-elected."
As happened this year, next year our region will demonstrate its commitment to meet its obligations contained in the SADC Election Guidelines, the AU Guidelines and the NEPAD Peer Review Guidelines on Good Governance. But above all, it will once again prove its determination to give full expression to the goal for which the entirety of our region fought a difficult struggle - that, the people shall govern!
Despite the challenges it faces, we can nevertheless say that Africa has concluded the year 2004 on a high note. It has positioned itself the better to confront the various problems that continue to afflict the continent.
It has helped to release the creative energies of the masses of the African people, expanding their possibility to become their own liberators from war, dictatorship, instability and poverty, in the same way that they were their own liberators from colonialism and apartheid. Indeed, Africa's time has come! Ke nako!
