There is nothing new under the sun. Absolutely nothing. Not even woman presidents. Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba are among the very first of notable women leaders in the annals of history who wielded massive influence on what was then a global stage. Cleopatra (late 69 BCE – August 12, 30 BCE) in particular,…
Private parts are just that. They are private. And even though the president is not exactly a private citizen, his privates have no place in the public arena. Not everyone agrees of course. It is, after all, the way of democracy but it seems even democracy has a nasty divisive side to it. The Spear…
The naïve amongst us really believed that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stood a fighting chance at landing the World Bank presidency. The realists and the cynics knew that the whole thing was but a mere charade. As things eventually turned out, the decision had already been made. If anything, the formality of going through the election process…
In SA, as in most of Africa, a struggle of epic proportions has been raging between the “haves” and “have-nots”, this in a world where we are told no-one owes anyone anything. It is a dangerous world because the “haves” have much and are few and the “have-nots” lack much and are plentiful. It has…
When Harrison Ford starred in The Fugitive, who would have thought subsequent adaptations of that motion picture would feature the likes of Sadaam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and now, the brother leader himself, Muammar Gadaffi? With each sequel, the plot thickens. On closer reflection however, it would appear that the ever elusive fugitive is not…
There is a story of a candle that caused a conflagration which incinerated a celebrated war hero in a house that could well have been fire-proof. It is a story full of intrigue. It is a story that over the past week has been told in hushed tones; a story that delves into the macabre…
Apparently, Bingu wa Mutharika is not the learned fellow we all thought he is. An economist by training, Malawi’s once highly esteemed president has shown himself to be anything but the bright spark we tend to ascribe to holders of PhD degrees in Development Economics. It is a dubious distinction, I am told. In any…
Today, many a young American found a new spring in their step. It is the bouncy step of patriotism and sheer euphoria. Seventy-two hours before it was their president who strode with purpose on the White House red carpet to deliver a bombshell of an announcement — the death of Osama bin Laden. President Barack…
Luis Moreno-Ocampo is a hero for many in Kenya. For others, he represents the worst manifestation of the West’s holier-than-thou attitude towards Africa (this notwithstanding the fact that Ocampo is an Argentinian by origin). There isn’t a shadow of doubt that this famous prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a man who holds…
It has been a long time coming. Many thought it would never arrive. But slowly, the seers of our time have started confirming it. The long awaited African Century is finally here and it has announced its arrival with a series of revolutions in the Arab section of the continent. The African Century is a…
