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S O S LETTER TO AFRICA By Major ( Retired) Joel Rop, Kenya On 22 nd  October 2013  1.0: Lamentation of Africa Africa is reeling in perpetual slavery!  The open-air slave trade in the last millennium, which was perpetrated by the rich world of that time, did n ot disappear despite being abolished in the late 19 th  century.  The practice simply mutated and thrived in a more distinct and aggressive form as Colonization. Subsequently, the Continent was gradually an d systematically subjected to a more intensive and deadly monster; i.e. Socio-Economic Exploitation.  The developed parts of the world, in the West, North and East, are now relentlessly competing to exert their influence in Africa a nd to increase, in their own favor, the massive trade deficit already existing in the African countries. Alas! The current scramble operations and intrigues against the Continent are so intricate and powerful that the well-known former “Scramble for Africa ” of the late 19 th  century would appear like just one of the battles in a massive war theatre. 2.0: Avenues of Exploitation of Africa by Rich Countries Anyway, the demonstrable achievements for the developed countries now include:-  Siphoning off the natural resources, i.e. minerals, oil and wood, from Africa at throw- away prices. In the process, they also engage the African labor force on pathetic servitude terms and conditions of work in the mines, oil industry and wood logging/timber business.

S O S LETTER TO AFRICA

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S O S LETTER TO AFRICA

By Major ( Retired) Joel Rop, Kenya 

On 22 nd  October 2013  

1.0: Lamentation of Africa

Africa is reeling in perpetual slavery! 

 The open-air slave trade in the last millennium, which was perpetrated by the

rich world of that time, did not disappear despite being abolished in the late

19th century.

 The practice simply mutated and thrived in a more distinct and aggressive form

as Colonization.

Subsequently, the Continent was gradually and systematically subjected to a

more intensive and deadly monster; i.e. Socio-Economic Exploitation.

 The developed parts of the world, in the West, North and East, are now

relentlessly competing to exert their influence in Africa and to increase, in their

own favor, the massive trade deficit already existing in the African countries.

Alas! The current scramble operations and intrigues against the Continent are

so intricate and powerful that the well-known former “Scramble for Africa ” of 

the late 19th century would appear like just one of the battles in a massive war

theatre.

2.0: Avenues of Exploitation of Africa by Rich Countries

Anyway, the demonstrable achievements for the developed countries nowinclude:-

  Siphoning off the natural resources, i.e. minerals, oil and wood, from

Africa at throw- away prices. In the process, they also engage the African

labor force on pathetic servitude terms and conditions of work in the

mines, oil industry and wood logging/timber business.

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  Supplying their insatiable consumer markets with agricultural produce

obtained from the Continent’s arable land in exchange of ‘  pea-nut ’ dollars

for the poverty stricken African farmers.

  Dumping in Africa, duped as a ‘ growing market ’  , all the manufactured

goods ranging from simple pins, threads and second-hand clothes to

sophisticated systems like electronic equipment, automobiles, ships and

aero-planes.

Consequently, Africa’s economy is now literally collapsed; and the last bits and

pieces of the pristine and resourceful Continent have rapidly been consigned to

a horrendous vicious cycle in the Capitalist-created and Western democracy-

sustained Socio-Economic Limbo.

 The scenario of easy and steady colossal capital flight from Africa to the

outside world has invariably established and periodically enlarged and

reinforced the horrific situations in the vicious cycle; which include poverty,

starvation, squalor, unemployment, corruption, dictatorship, human rights

violations, civil war, piracy, perilous migrations, brain drain, etc.

In fact, it is an historic societal vicious spiral!

It is a classic inter-millennium crisis that menacingly evolved in the mid 2nd 

millennium AD and it will culminate in catastrophic fruition early this 3rd 

millennium AD; unless …………………………..

3.0: Major Plan for Africa

Come on Africa!

It is a Continental State of Emergency. We can no longer sit back and make

merry. We must urgently find solutions.

Move now! I suggest we must go for a marathon two-month Emergency

African Conference starting on Thursday 2nd January 2014 at the Au HQ in

Addis Ababa to be attended by all kinds of elite from all the countries in Africa.

 The suggested crucial Items of Agenda to be placed on the table at the

proposed Continental Emergency Theatre include: Socio-Economic

Revolution, Political Revolution, Agricultural Revolution and Cultural

Strategies.

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Each of the proposed items of agenda will be briefly explained in the

succeeding sub-headings.

4.0: Outline of Socio-Economic Revolution in Africa

i.  Closing the Entire African Market to the outside world until favorable

terms and conditions of trade are formulated and agreed at an

appropriate international forum.

ii.  Promptly Establishing a Unified African Economic Zone. Virtually all

the intra-African trade barriers must be demolished over-night; perhaps

by 31st January 2014.

5.0: Outline of Political Revolution in Africa

  Establishing one National African Government ( Executive, Parliament

and Judiciary ). The Parliament will be based on the age-old, albeit

malnourished, African political ideology of Gender and Age Democracy (

GADEM ); i.e. it will comprise three parties: namely Men Political Party,

Women Political Party and Youth Political Party.

Note 1: For details on this beautiful ideology, please refer to a book entitled: 

African Indigenous Political Ideology by Dr David G Maillu . The renowned 

African writer lives in Nairobi .

Note 2 : Unlike the lackluster Pan-African sentiment that has slowly precipitated 

over the last half-century, the above-envisaged Political Union of African 

countries will be an abrupt and pragmatic real-time search and rescue 

operation to evacuate the distressed Afri-nation from the sunken Socio- 

Economic Afri-wreck and to immediately embark on salvage and rebuilding 

 program of a modern Afri-Continent !

  The existing independent African countries will dutifully and

expeditiously transform into constituent States of the Federal

African Nation ( FAN ). Each State will also elect its State Government

based on the same afore-mentioned GADEM ideology of three political

parties.

  As part of the National African Government, a Continental African

Defense Force ( ADF ) will be established. Initially, a one million-

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strong military force will be tenable. A large proportion (say 50%) of the

force will invariably be Navy, because, after-all, the entire African

territorial boundary lies in the international waters. And, owing to the

huge support services required, possibly 30% of the ADF will be Air

Force while the remaining 20% will be Army.

Note 3: From the point of view of internal security, it is hereby envisaged that 

the colossal security problems, for instance, the armed conflict, political unrest,

terror attacks, piracy, etc, currently prevailing in places like Somalia, DRC,

Egypt, Libya, Eritrea, Central Africa Republic, Darfur and Nigeria will largely 

dissipate because the various tendencies and demands for separatism,

tribalism, sectarian political power struggles, etc, will have suddenly been 

overtaken by the events of the Continental Emergency Response .

6.0: Need for Agricultural Revolution in Africa

 This is an area that has persistently been my dreamland since 1998.

It is always amazingly ironical that, despite the fact that the economies of 

many African countries have been described as agrarian, the Continent

remains the only place on earth where video footage has regularly shown

hungry people and livestock, malnourished deep to the bare bones, and often

starving to death.

 Time has now come, I think, for this depressing international picture to cease

within the first massive agricultural season; if at all we are to claim any 

measure of modern civilization.

 The second massive agricultural season, apart from sustaining the basic

feeding program commenced in the first agri-season, will be devoted to

establishing huge granaries at several locations in the Continent as an

aggressive move toward maintaining adequate strategic food reserves.

In the third massive agri-season, the Continent should embark on the

promotion of agri-business among the subsistence farming masses of Africa.

Note 4:  “I think these are the critical  first three paces of a 1,000-km journey 

on foot through the Wilderness, where manna occasionally rains from above, to 

the Canaan of abundant olive oil, bread, honey blended with butter, milk and 

 fruits, where healthy human beings can actually grow wings and fly places 

including the outer space ”. 

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Anyway, once the dust raised on the floor of the Emergency African Conference

by the foregoing items, under the sub-headings of Socio-Economic Revolution

and Political Revolution, has settled, it is recommended that the issue of Agri-

Revolution be placed squarely on the Continental Conference Table as a

matter of utmost priority; and, I am sure, all the relevant details for successful

farming in Africa will rigorously emerge.

7.0: Need for Cultural Awakening in Africa

In order to put my in perspective, I shall briefly highlight only one aspect of the

Culture; the need for an African National Language.

For example, Kiswahili is one African International Language that has

tremendously flourished over the last two centuries. It has considerableresonance in East and Central Africa, also along the entire East Coast of Africa

and among the millions of Bantus as well as among many Arabs.

Tanzania is perhaps the only country that has impressively developed the

language. It is truly remarkable that in Tanzanian schools, students learn

many subjects, including Mathematics and Sciences, in Kiswahili from the

lowest to very high academic levels.

Anyway, this is a clarion-call for fresh ideas on African Culture. Bring them to

Addis in January 2014.

8.0: Future Hope and Potential for Africa

I want to end this SOS Letter by saying that I see plenty of hope and potential

for Africa; but the journey ahead will be very tedious and often torturous.

Nevertheless, I think, human beings have the intrinsic social quality of wanting

to help others, particularly in times of calamity. In that respect, I expect that

each African country ( call it State ) will sacrificially contribute whatever iswithin their means toward the Continental common good. For instance:-

i.   Tanzania dispatches hundreds of thousands of Kiswahili teachers to

schools and other institutions all over the Continent.

ii.   The African States that are economically strong will contribute the

biggest share to the Continental Treasury.

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iii.  A State that cultivates a lot of Tea will supply the rest of the Continent

with high quality made tea.

iv.  And, so on and so forth.

9.0: Transient Conclusion

I have at least three other successive letters to follow this one; but for now I

want to run with this SOS Edition to as many African countries as possible

within the next two months.

Consequently, I urgently appeal to well-wishers to donate to a kitty to fund my 

travel and related expenses.

You can send your donation to Standard Chartered Bank (Kenya), Account

Number: 0100154972900 or MPesa to my phone number or purchase a bus

ticket or air ticket.

In the meantime, also expedite the spread of the contents of the SOS Letter

through any kind of Media at your disposal.

Yours Sincerely,

MAJOR ( RTD ) JOEL ROP

Phone: (Kenya)0729549379 

Email:  [email protected]  

Facebook: Joel Kiprono