Cote D’Ivoire - Weeping With Every Tear in My Body

A Guest Post by Georges Njamkepo 

"In Mr. Gbagbo's look, I saw the depths of his introspection into the recent history of his country; I saw the regret of having started this conflict, but most of all, for having accepted to play the escalation game which Africans have mastered so well..."

It has been painful, very painful indeed, to look at the images of the arrest the President of Cote d'Ivoire. Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, President of Cote d'Ivoire, has been humiliated, and with him the institutions of the Republic, that is, the people of Cote d'Ivoire. And by extension, all Africans, including Mr. Ouattara, are without light, in total darkness.

Whatever the reasons for which we fight, in as much as it is not necessary to allow the killing of human beings, it is equally pathetic to kill the image of a person, whatever his crimes, because there's history. And history will retain that Mr. Gbagbo was humiliated, with the blessing of Ivoirians and all those who participated in this farce, this murderous folly; he was humiliated with the blessing of African heads of state who did not raise a single finger to try and cool the ardor of the warring parties; his image was dragged in mud because of our legendary irresponsibility, our propensity to blame others for our misfortunes. Laurent Gbagbo was used to tell Africans that after everything, they're nothing but cattle... and I hope that all of Africa saw it this way.

I saw the distress in the expression of this man, who in just a few months, a few years, ended up losing his uprightness.

In this man’s look, I saw the confusion, the suffering of having fought only to find himself tracked down like a rat; in his look which spoke to me, I saw the cries of all those families now in mourning over nothing, nothing really.

In Mr. Gbagbo's look, I saw the depths of his introspection into the recent history of his country; I saw the regret of having started this conflict, but most of all, for having accepted to play the escalation game which Africans have mastered so well...

Laurent Gbagbo, after having known glory, after having controlled the coat of arms of Cote d'Ivoire for 10 years, after having lived a life of distasteful gain under the gilded marble walls of the republic, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo was arrested - what a victory for his adversary, what a pleasure for those who like Mr. Ouattara want his head.

After his career as a combative politician, Mr. Gbagbo ended up in a poorly lit, dirty underground  bunker with no ventilation, deep in a cave from which there was no future for someone who, while on the run, had taken time to set fire above, in the house above his hiding place.

Who will foot the bill? Who will pay for Cote d'Ivoire's dead? Who will wipe away the tears of the mothers, the women, the children? Who will make a fuss over the many who have learned the hard way that when two elephants fight, it is best to be far away, far, far, away...

I suffer in my flesh to see mutilated bodies on the pavement, lifeless bodies; I suffer in my flesh to realize that a life is worth nothing but a bullet...

I scream, I scream my pain, and hear my body twitch as it is jolted by the sight of this waste, of this enormous human misery. In Africa, we have lost the meaning of life, the desire to live is gone...
I can no longer hold back the tears at the thought that the history of violence on the continent still has a long way to go, worse, it is now commonplace and natural because two cocks are fighting for the control of the courtyard. Am I that naïve? Am I still too weak to understand that in the end, the debate in Africa is ultimately about issues of raw materials and hardware? Did I really have the same upbringing as my fellow Africans...

It is possible that I am right, and Africans are simply cruel folks who at the slightest turn decapitate with the same ease that one cuts off a leaf from a mango tree? Are Africans simply barbarians by tradition, savages who refuse to be enlightened, and who prefer to bask in their obscurantism?

I suffer in my skin as I look at these images. But I retain the sole lesson from this episode in the history of Cote d'Ivoire which lasted far too long: 

If you are involved in a conflict, you should definitely not turn to the West for help; dialogue with your adversary for as long as it takes, and let the Western powers stay home because no one in the West will allow that their head of state to be disgraced as was the case today. 

Africa is torn apart, Africa is humiliated, Africa has been reified as a result of this Ivoirian conflict... shame on us Africans because things are falling apart for us.I weep with every tear in my body and my nights will henceforth be filled with nightmares... I hope my cries will go far, very far down to the 100th generation after us. I am weeping, please let me be...   

Translated from French by Dibussi Tande (Originally posted on Facebook)

Comments

[ADO for ever]

I think there was a certain amount of dignity here given the circumstances. For example, in the first picture, it is Army Commander Issiaka « Wattao » Ouattara, the chef d’Etat major of the anti-Gbagbo forces who is helping President Gbagbo to get dressed. That is as civilized as it gets! I will not shed a tear for L. Gbagbo and his evil wife Simone

[cadmun]

"And history will retain that Mr. Gbagbo was humiliated, with the blessing of Ivoirians and all those who participated in this farce, this murderous folly;"(Not true Gbagbo had 46% of electoral support and many Ivorian soldiers and civilians have lost their lives defending Gbagbo).
"he was humiliated with the blessing of African heads of state who did not raise a single finger to try and cool the ardor of the warring parties;"(Not exactly true in Nov/Dec 2010, some African heads of State visited Ivory Coast to resolve this issue).
'In Africa,we have lost the meaning of life,the desire to live is gone.'(Certainly not true,these are phases that we must go through.Look at Europe today an imagine how bloody european history was.From Britain, France,Germany and so on. Don't think there is a quick fix for Africa).
"Am I still too weak to understand that in the end,the debate in Africa is ultimately about issues of raw materials and hardware?" (No,it is that we are ignorant.....an enlightened african populace will shun violence).
"Are Africans simply barbarians by tradition, savages who refuse to be enlightened, and who prefer to bask in their obscurantism? (Oh no, we are learning and do not expect us yet to think and act like europeans.We are still in an infancy of our mental growth)."
Let the humiliation of Gbagbo not distract us from asking what he as a President did for Ivory Coast during his 10 year rule.What was his vision for his country? Onething is clear,we depend on the West to resolve our internal disputes.Africans continue to proof that independence was granted prematurely and that we need enlightened authoritarianism to guide our destiny.

[renaud]

when gbagbo was in power i admit that i did not really like him because i thaught that he was like other african leaders.but after his arrestation i felt very bad so i went back to his history to know what he has done for cote d'ivoire and today i know that i was wrong and i think gbagbo although he has been arrested for he is a cote d'ivoire's hero in particular and an african hero in general.thank you gbagbo for your heart.however let note that somebody supported by french does not need the happiness of his country because we know that there is nothing for free.

[Eyengue]

If there was any flaws in the disputed elections was there any room for re-counting the votes? Shame to France and shame to our African brothers who have decided to sell their brains and conscience to the West. Shame!! Shame!! Shame!! Gbogbo you stood up for what was wrong. You have opened the eyes of French-Africa youths. Thank you.

[Kevin]

Mr. Ouattara is now like a sales boy in an Ibo man's shop.

[facter]

Do not smear the Igbo man, my friend. Not necessary.

[Waffo]

Were the complete election results ever announced? The Constitutional Committee concluded rightly or wrongly that there had been electoral fraud in 7 Northern districts (with a total of 13% of the electorate). Rather than call for fresh elections in these regions it simply cast away their votes and declared Gbagbo the winner. Imagine Paul Biya's Supreme Court declaring that there was electoral fraud in the NW and SW provinces of Cameroon and then simply declaring the President winner without counting a single vote from these 2 provinces! There would be war!! Even Biya has the decency to even organize sham by-elections in the case of alleged Fraud confirmed by the Supreme Court. The SDF even won some additional parliamentary seats in this manner the last time around..

Today some folks are asking for a recount in the North? Wouldn't it lead to the same results since the issue was not fraudulent counting but fraudulent organization? In its blatant attempt to support Gbagbo, the Ivorian Constitutional Council did irreparable harm to Gbagbo and to Cote d'Ivoire and set the stage for what followed.

[Sam]

Facter, what else is Mr. Ouattara in your opinion if he is not akin to a sales boy in an Ibo man's shop? Yes he will only do what the French will ask him to do in Cote d'Ivoire.

The French will begin by presenting him a bill for forcefully installing him in power. Then as usual, he would be a French marionette, that he has always been. Then the French will proceed to plunder the country and weaken its institutions. That they have already done to all their other former colonies in Africa. Changing the puppets in the French puppet show in Africa for their own interest has been an old unwritten French policy.

The problem with many of us Africans, who cry foul to neocoloniasm, is that we are just like the proverbial slave whose yoke of slavery was removed, but went back to his master to say he did not feel secured without the yoke.

There were sveral options to resolve the Ivorian palaver. That the "international community" resorted to what it did requires careful and diligent examination.

We should be very careful on this matter, historians will eventual analyse the Ivorian crisis and some of us in this forum will be ashamed of the opinions we had posted.

[Radicale5]

In case none of you noticed...the bill attenuating ELECAM's authority was passed, stripping it of the power to oversee elections in Cameroon (2011). Once again power has been usurped and handed to the constitutional council of Cameroon. I mean these clowns think we are fools huh? We should probably brace ourselves for an Ivoirien repeat in Cameroon this October!! besides, where are the sham jobs which popaul created? I see another soon-to-be beleaguered dictator preparing for another round of deception, theft, kleptocracy, and basically setting it up to further the neocolonialist francophone agenda- FranceAfrique mon cul!

They should all die! Gbagbo deserves NO PITY whatsoever. Ouattara is the better devil for choosing the democratic way, no matter how sham it was. Gbagbo should have handed power regardless of his patriotism, neocolonism, Francism or whatever -isms are in the backrooms of power!

[ofundem]

Radicale5, as someone recently pointed out, all Cameroonian activists and intellectuals have abandoned the fight in Cameroon to chase the Gbagbo chimera. I can state without fear that the real winner of the Ivorian crisis is a guy called Biya whose most virulent and effective critics have abandoned shop for the Ivory coast. Cameroon elections will come and go without them noticing. Biya for 7 more years! Thank you Laurent Gbagbo!!!!

[Koko Missiles]

Biya might organize whatever elections he thinks fit, that is his business.

This blame game that Cameroonians are not putting enough fight against the Biya regime riases an eerie feeling of déjà vu, déjà lu, and déjà entendu.

In the early 1990s we actively militated for change. Sacrifaces were made, but disappointments were brought to the door steps of many.

Why we have not moved fowrard in our struggle to entrench democracy in Cameroon is partly becuase we have not identified a rallying ideal and also partly because we are bedeviled by greed and single minded political opportunism.

Even if ELECAM were truly an independent electoral organ, the choice of a credible and agreeable presidential candidate is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The list of presidential hopefuls, without any political fief, defies imagination.

Once somebody becomes a frontline figure in the opposition in Cameroon, the first thing he does is to negotiate for personal favours from the CPDM. Crosscheck this with Fru Ndi, Mbah Ndam, Awudu Mbaya, Ndam Njoya,Anicet Ekane, Bouba Bello, Issa Tchiroma, the list is indeed long, very long indeed.

With the way our political institutions are now being designed, with the way the CPDM elections machinations remain unbeaten, that much expected change in Cameroon will take decades to come.

The hope is in a major opposition reconciliation conference. This conference should hold immediately and should be facilitated by Cameroonians in the Diaspora. Such an oposition come-together must come out with a blue print for a new main opposition party, agreeable to the civil society,and go beyond ethnic and tribal consideration. It must also lay down clear and unequivocal conditions for its presidential candidate, assure reliable sources of funding, then challenge the entrenched system.

Because as things stand now, the SDF is just a ghost of its former self. A ghost which now frighten its corrupt and incompetent leadership, a ghost which is scared of the the system. But, a harmless ghost.

[andinewo]

t
The events in the Ivory coast demonstrate the fact that francophone leaders should be comfortable with the home base before standing up to the demands of Paris. All political figures in Cameroon should give complete support to President Paul Biya to use his last mandate to server Cameroon from French servitude. If all Cameroonians understand the stakes and give the old man the chance to work for a truely indepenednt Cameroon .All the potential Cameroon Ouataras should please forget the international community this time.They should address Biya an urgent letter for an aggreement to work together for the future of this country.If all political figures in the country understand the stakes and even if France should import a last minute Ouatara I think the world had enough of the French in Africa.