A Long Hiatus

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.

(REPRINTED) LIBERIA: AN ASYLUM FROM OPPRESSION -- HAPPY 166TH

This Message is reprinted with permission from the author: A. Teage Jalloh, Esq.

"We've been suffering in this nation for so long, cause we couldn't find a better leader. We want someone who can lead this nation, so that all Liberians can be happy....Give us hope, Ma Ellen, hope for a better Liberia." ~~Sundaygar Dearboy

It’s been 166 years since Liberia declared its independence. And while progress has been made in some areas, we have somehow failed to acknowledge that our nation, at all levels of government, has work to do with respect to education, performance, fairness, accountability, and development. 

So yes indeed, President Sirleaf, with her awesome powers, is expected to give us hope. But let's expand the expectation and ask the Legislature, with its awesome powers, to give us hope as well. Let's expand the expectation and ask the Supreme Court, with its awesome powers, to give us hope as well. Let's expand the expectation and ask the autonomous public commissions, with their unique roles, to give us hope as well. And let us, as Liberians in the Diaspora and at Home, increase our efforts to make Liberia a more accountable, progressive nation.  

At the dawn of generations to come, may we be remembered as nation-builders who upheld the founding vision of Liberia by rejecting any attempts to use geographical location or other means to pit one group of Liberians against another. May we realize that there is strength and perseverance in constructive, collective efforts. And, may we continue to work to have Africa’s oldest republic as an “asylum from the most grinding oppression,” where no one wins a total victory or loses a total defeat.

Happy 166th.

Respectfully,

Teage

(REBLOGGED) AFRICAN WOMEN RESILENCE: ANTIDOTE FOR WHITE SUPREMACY COMPLEX IN DEVELOPMENT DELUSIONS

On 5 April 2013, I attended a postgraduate event at my university here in Australia. It was a UN Women presentation on a “white women” empowerment scheme for poor, dirty, inferior women from the “developing world” (whatever that means). As usual, there is nothing new, albeit my initial impression when I walked into the room. I thought to myself, “this lady is so young, how did she get this position?” As a matter of fact, I am enamoured with this question because I am always confused by the fact that, regardless of our/my unique lived experiences and extremely successful backgrounds, white women (and/or man) with a “deep passion” (or guilt) to “help poor Africa” is preferred for scholarship, research, empowerment and development projects. It’s so pervasive that it seems stupid and fruitless (to me) most of the time. But I guess, as William Easterly said in the White Man’s Burden, “[t]he West spent $2.3 trillion and still had not managed to get $3 to each new mother to prevent five million child deaths.” Why is it that even uppity Dambisa Moyo can see this squander but not the so-called makers of difference (who would do well to read this)? There is certainly an undercurrent at play, an introspection each “development zombie” should mull over before taking that two-week volunteer trip to "help Africa"...continue

PROUDLY LIBERIAN

When you are very sensitive (I guess because you are born in September - so my Mama says) you hurt a lot! Because, when your history and identity is tied to slavery where the oppressed becomes the oppressors - the shame it generates catapults you to a position of simultaneous regrets and acceptance. You mutter on a daily basis, you criticize and you end up shunning your own (most times) because the worse happens - a bloody civil war that lasted for 14 years claiming 250,000 lives and forcing many into the state of protracted displacement, refugeehood, undocumented status. You are beaten, raped, and abused in all shape, form, size and colour. Yet, you get so mad (I mean really ANGRY) when outsiders only see the negative side of your culture, your people, your society, ecetera ecetera - you know like VBS TV Guide said "Liberians eat human flesh"?

Then, on October 7, 2011 you wake up to the most beautiful news ever ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF AND LEYMAH GBOWEE two distinct Liberian women takes away the most prestigious honour in the world. Then you begin to wonder - so good things do come out of Liberia/Africa. And as a matter of fact, some African countries, (Liberia, South Africa and Botswana - to name but a very few) have made historical strides which makes topics such as "feminism in the Western world" a mockery sometimes. Because on the one hand, these societies claim to be more progressive, civil and respectful of women's rights yet, are so far removed from the realities of most African women.

Well, there's not much to say but for the first time in my life, I feel PROUDLY LIBERIA - so emotional! CONGRAT MA ELLEN, SIS LEYMAH and my friend TAWAKKUL KARMAM!!!!