GOSH in deed, new year came and 8 months have passed by. It is truly something to strive for completing a full PhD with enormous amount of empirical data in 2.5 years. Uh Huh! I know I am crazy. But there is nothing for nothing. You have to give something to have something. Please accept my sincere apologies for the long silence. Thanks for continuous reading and viewing...almost 16,000 hits now. I'm humbled.
No doubt that "the writing hiatus" is filled with bouts of highs and lows. Albeit, the most important thing is to keep the pace, reduce distractions and aim for the end-point. Speaking of "lows", two days ago I was embroiled with the former Deputy of the Executive Protection Service, Mr Darlington George brutal violence against a young woman in Liberia. Whilst I wholeheartedly welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's immediate response; four issues/questions are disturbingly concerning:
1. Why do men (generally) in Liberia (specifically) have a sense of entitlement to control women's bodies? Where do they get the audacity and authority to physically inflict harm, pain, and suffering on women and girls? I think I know the foundation of patriarchy and male dominance but why must it be so? Aren't we human beings?
2. Is the President of Liberia (the Executive) interfering with the due process of law (Judiciary) when she says Mr George should report to the Ministry of Justice for further investigation? What other investigation would there be apart from a police one?
3. Why did Front Page Africa go out of their way to reveal the true identity of the survivor? Isn't there survivor protection law in Liberia (save Liberia's ratification of the ICCPR) that prevent media houses from revealing survivor's identity in certain sensitive circumstances?
4. Considering the supposedly high-profile nature of this case (i.e., the case involves a presidential guard), will the police and courts deliver fairly and justly in adjudicating for the survivor? In the candid words of Mamensie Kabba, a Female Activist:
If it was an ordinary person who did what Darlington George did, that person would have been arrested by government, since it is someone who is around the President that's why he still passing around here and the girl is in pain.
It saddens me each day to see unfairness and injustice against women and children, yet the "Rule of Law Illusion" prevails.
Yesterday morning I woke up to Ahmed Mohamed's news. The first thought that ran through my mind was how simplistic, dismissive and condescending some ignorant people can be when they make comments like, "Black people are lazy" or "Africans are not intelligent". Without realizing the full impact of their actions, some are very good at Drawing the Global Colour Line to segregate and disenfranchise Black people. And if your name is Ahmed Mohamed and you live in America, then the stakes are even higher. You might think I am making a mole hill out of an ant hill. But I always think complex picture. Think about a bunch of 10-14 year olds watching Ahmed arrested, handcuffs, and interrogated by police without his parents or lawyers (partly why the United States of America would not sign on to the CRC) because his ENGINEERING TEACHER thinks he's created a bomb rather than a clock. How distasteful and offensive! The very teacher(s) who is supposed to inspire, support and be a mentor, is the very one who behaves as if s/he never went to school. Though troubling, I am so glad it all turned out well. Not only is Ahmed a positive force to be reckoned with, he gets to hangout with the President of the United States and the Founder of Facebook, Google and the list goes on. I do look forward to seeing Ahmed at MIT in readiness for his great inventions to revolutionise the world! Kudos my young friend.
