Konongo Fordjour - 26 August 2009
The year was 1820. The story was piracy. A group of semi-skilled African slaves from USA accepted freedom to sojourn back again in the motherland. They selected the present day Liberia and sought for their unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in 1847, similar to the 1965 Rhodesian Ian Smith-style. Discrimination against the indigenous Africans by these African-Americans gave birth to savagery and the worst form of atrocities against humanity in Liberia.
Charles Taylor, a descendant of an African-American returnee and a high sea pirate, murdered his own people more than anybody in the history of Liberia, mutilated and vandalized humanity in his own country comparable to Adolf Hitler in his own Germany.
Interestingly, Sheila Jackson-Lee remained quiet about the evil against Liberians. Some of our own black folks even cashed-in at the sufferings of the black African people. Today, Charles Taylor is fighting for his head under the European justice [not American!]
Controversy unlimited! Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, the disgraced Democratic Party former Illinois lady senator lost her senate job by supporting dictator and murderer Sani Abacha of Nigeria. In spite of the world outcry of Abacha criminal government in Nigeria, this dishonourable lady from the so-called most “civilized democracy” in the world defiantly and openly supported Sani Abacha against her own kind of black race.
Again, the disgraced Democratic Party former Louisiana Congressman, William Jefferson, also soiled the good name of Africa with his penchant for bribery.
In Ghana itself, the atrocities committed by one of the most notorious killers in modern world history, Gun-man Jerry Rawlings, was ordained into sainthood by our own revered black American teacher, Minister Louis Farrakhan. I will spare the world ears of the tales of the murdered military heads of state, judges and the deliberate actions and/or inactions that killed President Limann softly under Sheila Jackson-Lee’s “father-of-democracy“.
I will not delve further into the innocent men and women, who were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean (not the Bermuda Triangle!) and murdered on tribal lines by our narcissistic Gun-man Jerry Rawlings. Many writers, European and British historians alike, have given detailed accounts of the sufferings of Ghanaians during the 20-years ordeal of Gun-man Jerry Rawlings misrule.
I will not invoke sentiments to build up emotions against Gun-man Jerry Rawlings, whose tribal calculations have negated world-class performances of our great leaders, such as the true ‘Fathers-of-Democracy” Dr. J B Danquah, President Kwame Nkrumah, and President J A Kufuor. It is not in the best interest of any right thinking Ghanaian to repeat the vituperative rants by Gun-man Jerry Rawlings against his own people deliberately intended to disrupt the internal cohesion built by our fore-fathers dating as far back as late 1190s to mid-1300s under the successive governments of Sundi-Atta and Mansa Musa-Kankan.
It is sad to see the few noisy pro-Rawlings people take the field day to dignify Gun-man Jerry Rawlings to hurt the already broken-hearted families of the afflicted. Consequently, a response is needed to be made to some irresponsible African-Americans, who have decided to pursue their selfish and senseless interests with their misguided words.
On 19 August 2009, Ghanaian media reported a visit of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee to Ghana. Myjoyonline.com quoted the Democratic Party of the USA Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee as saying: “You have turned the coin on how you handle democracy, on how you define democracy, your own African democracy and we should never forget that,” to Gun-man Jerry Rawlings.
By the way, how many Ghanaian gold bars were awarded to the Democratic Party Houston-Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and her linear track henchmen for singing those praises to that murderer? Gun-man Jerry Rawlings is noted for bribing his black American surrogates to carry on with his agenda.
Could Ms. Jackson-Lee’s actions be considered as a deep-seated African-American Executive revenge? What will Sheila Jackson-Lee do if she woke up the next morning to find her “father-of-democracy” behind bars for crimes committed against humanity just like Charles Taylor did? Honestly, can someone advise our brothers and sisters in the Democratic Party of the United States of America caucus, please? Tough-Love lectures, and deliberate insults, all happening in Accra within one month are not in the best interest of our mutual family relations.
The Ghana Sheila Jackson-Lee visited is a very civilized nation - very tolerant and offers everyone the chance to improve themselves - but not weak. Ghana has never been to war and will never go to any senseless war. Jackson-Lee must know that democracy existed in Ghana long before the Italian, Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus), visited Ghana in the company of the Portuguese voyager, Don Diego d’Azambuja, to do international business with Ghana in 1471 before Christopher himself initiated a voyage to America in a later attempt in 1492.
Sheila Jackson-Lee should also find time to take tutorials from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair about Ghana. Ghanaians love their country and would not destroy it for Gun-man Rawlings sake. However, I can confidently assure Sheila that Gun-man Jerry Rawlings will definitely not get away with it. Crimes committed against humanity are never erased; Gun-man Jerry Rawlings will have to answer his own actions one day.
Now let us be a bit realistic here. What motivates Jackson-Lee so much to the extent of risking her career for bestowing “A Father of Democracy in Ghana” to such a ruthless murderer like this guy? Money (Ghana’s gold) is one most probable indicator. The other possible alternative is an identity deficit. During Gun-man Jerry Rawlings 20-years of horrific rule, a national gossip of declaring dual citizenship for black Americans (not Ghanaians resident in the US!) ensued.
The whole idea sounded too cumbersome in the constitutional language; and the national gossip died off naturally. The then P/NDC government under the gunman figured out that Ghanaians in Diaspora - dominated by the NPP lads - would benefit from that declaration. Therefore few clauses, such as denial to vote in general elections, contest for public office, etc. needed to be added to block ambitious Ghanaians resident abroad, who might become “menace” to them. Is this dictatorial hand-twisting manipulative handicraft of a criminal you call “Democracy”, of any similarity in Houston-Texas?
The NDC lost the constitutional elections to the NPP, but the mere fact that NDC initiated the conversation and NPP did not implement it gives credit to the NDC in the eyes of the identity-deficit black American Congresswoman Jackson-Lee.
Perhaps it may sound realistic for the sentimentalist Sheila Jackson-Lee faction for any butcher that may appear within to murder all the mammalian African chiefs and their heir-apparent, who negotiated slave trade with arch-rival white folks. If Sheila Jackson-Lee and her faction did not see anything wrong with human sufferings in Abacha’s Nigeria, Idi Amin’s Uganda, Habiyarimana’s Rwanda, Mobutu Sese-Seko’s Zaire, Charles Taylor’s Liberia, Al Bashir’s Darfur, may be Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, etc. then there is no reason why she should see anything wrong with Jerry Rawlings’ Ghana.
After all didn’t Gun-man Jerry Rawlings bring democracy back to Ghanaians after 20-years of misrule? Sheila Jackson-Lee is suffering from cretinism. Her lack of education about Ghana in her little brain; and failure to seek knowledge and wisdom on her way to Ghana undermine the great efforts that human rights advocates in the USA and around the globe have fought to maintain order and decency in Ghana. Shame on you! Sheila Jackson-Lee, shame on you! Bow down your head in shame. Your actions are in contravention to the position you hold now.
Turning around to educate Sheila Jackson-Lee on her own black American history, let it be known that all Africans, especially Ghanaians both home and abroad, respect and love African-Americans. My own mentors from childhood have always been Dr. Booker T Washington, for his classical inculcation of small business investment in his black race. Dr. W E B du Bois, a disciple of Dr. Washington, for infusing spirituality into his black race. Dr. du Bois even sacrificed his whole life in Ghana to move his black race to the next level where Sheila and I find ourselves today. And Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for all what he stood for.
Together with the indomitable Marcus Garvey, add Boston University’s intrepid Ambassador Charles Stith of African Presidential Archives and Research Center (APARC), who has started rewarding good governance in Africa, and many more. It is so sad to feature caricatures like Sheila Jackson-Lee to upset a lovely relationship among great people. Shame on you! Jackson-Lee, shame on you!
I call upon the Great minds of all African-American men and women to condemn Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and her mockery and designated clandestine movement against civility and democracy that she seeks to spearhead. Deviating from American-defined democracy, that all in the civilized world understand, demands immediate expulsion from the august house of the United States of America.
Sheila Jackson-Lee does not deserve to be where she is because she is an embarrassment to the House of Representatives. Leaving Sheila Jackson-Lee where she is automatically gives her a government’s mouthpiece to continue misrepresenting the USA. Jackson-Lee even has problems in her own 18th Congressional District in Houston-Texas.
The Texas ultra right wing website campaign against her might be too radical and she might win liberal sympathy; but Michelle Malkin site provides a huge list of Sheila’s faults. For the sake of space and time, please Google Sheila Jackson-Lee and the rest must be singing “Sheila-must-go!”. Please join the campaign to oust Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. Sheila must go!
Konongo Fordjour, Boston-MA
Copies to: Houston Chronicle, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Times, Ghanaweb.com, Modernghana.com, Myjoyonline.com, Searchlight Newspaper, African Radiant Newspaper, The Sun Newspaper, and Ghanaian Chronicle.