Jonathan Zimmerman: Obama’s test in Ghana
[Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, is author of “Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory.’’ ]
ACCRA, Ghana ‘OBAMA FEVER Grips Ghana.’’ So read a recent front-page headline in a local newspaper, as Ghana prepares to host President Obama this weekend. Wherever you look - from billboards and wall murals to T-shirts and soccer balls - you see Obama’s smiling face. His picture is often paired with a photo of Ghana’s new president, John Atta Mills, and adorned with a simple slogan: “Partnership for Change.’’
Like Obama, Mills won his office last fall on the theme of change. He also capitalized shamelessly on Obama’s international popularity, even placing Obama’s picture next to his own on campaign posters.
This weekend we’ll have an opportunity to find out how much change they envision in Africa, especially in the matter of human rights. That’s because the African Union recently decided not to help arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have died and more than 2 million have fled their homes since 2003.
Some African Union representatives condemned the indictment last week as “racist’’ and urged Western powers to stay out of African affairs. Yet five of the ICC’s 18 judges hail from Africa, as do 30 of the 108 nations that signed the treaty establishing the court. Racist? The real racists are the butchers in Khartoum, who regard the black Africans of Darfur as inferior to Sudan’s Arab ruling class.
Other African Union leaders said the charges against Bashir would interfere with the “peace process’’ in Darfur. But you can’t build peace when one side continues to rape and murder, as 20 African human rights organizations argued in a joint statement last month.
According to news reports, African Union representatives engaged in a vehement debate about the Bashir indictment last Thursday. Yet once the resolution passed, just one member nation - Botswana - announced that it would not abide by the Union’s decision to ignore Bashir’s arrest warrant.
That’s because Botswana is a democracy. Most African nations are ruled by despots, who worry that an indictment of Bashir - or of any other African leader - will bring new international scrutiny of their own human rights conduct. But Botswana - with its open elections, independent judiciary, and free press - has nothing to fear.
So what’s stopping Ghana? Ghanaians are justly proud of their democracy, too, which transferred power to President Mills after a bitter but violence-free campaign. The election marked 16 years of uninterrupted civilian rule. On a continent marred by coups and military dictatorships, that’s truly something to celebrate.
Most of all, Ghanaians are proud of their historic role in the African freedom struggle. As the first independent nation in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has been a beacon of hope for black people around the world. So it’s particularly disappointing to see Ghana backing the African Union resolution on Bashir, who is allegedly responsible for the murder of thousands of Africans. Ghanaian foreign minister Muhammad Mumuni noted that Ghana joined an AU petition back in February to lift Bashir’s arrest for a year, but the United Nations Security Council, which has the power to suspend ICC indictments, refused to do so.
“Ignoring that request was a slap in the back,’’ Mumuni said. But ignoring the warrant against Bashir is a slap against Africans everywhere. “What benefit is there in Ghana ruining its international reputation so needlessly, by supporting the untenable position of the AU and giving comfort to a mass murderer who is busy killing our fellow black Africans?’’ asked Ghanaian blogger Kofi Thompson. “Do we not pride ourselves as a democratic nation with solid pan-Africanist credentials?’’
With respect to Atta Mills and his ministers, Thompson added, “Ghanaians did not vote them into office to give succor to African dictators, who brutalize and kill scores of their own people.’’ So when Obama visits this weekend, Mills should announce that Ghana will continue to press for Bashir’s arrest. If he doesn’t, Obama should urge him to do so. A joint statement from these two leaders might trigger a new commitment to human rights across the continent. Now that’s a change we could all believe in.
Read entire article at Boston Globe
ACCRA, Ghana ‘OBAMA FEVER Grips Ghana.’’ So read a recent front-page headline in a local newspaper, as Ghana prepares to host President Obama this weekend. Wherever you look - from billboards and wall murals to T-shirts and soccer balls - you see Obama’s smiling face. His picture is often paired with a photo of Ghana’s new president, John Atta Mills, and adorned with a simple slogan: “Partnership for Change.’’
Like Obama, Mills won his office last fall on the theme of change. He also capitalized shamelessly on Obama’s international popularity, even placing Obama’s picture next to his own on campaign posters.
This weekend we’ll have an opportunity to find out how much change they envision in Africa, especially in the matter of human rights. That’s because the African Union recently decided not to help arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have died and more than 2 million have fled their homes since 2003.
Some African Union representatives condemned the indictment last week as “racist’’ and urged Western powers to stay out of African affairs. Yet five of the ICC’s 18 judges hail from Africa, as do 30 of the 108 nations that signed the treaty establishing the court. Racist? The real racists are the butchers in Khartoum, who regard the black Africans of Darfur as inferior to Sudan’s Arab ruling class.
Other African Union leaders said the charges against Bashir would interfere with the “peace process’’ in Darfur. But you can’t build peace when one side continues to rape and murder, as 20 African human rights organizations argued in a joint statement last month.
According to news reports, African Union representatives engaged in a vehement debate about the Bashir indictment last Thursday. Yet once the resolution passed, just one member nation - Botswana - announced that it would not abide by the Union’s decision to ignore Bashir’s arrest warrant.
That’s because Botswana is a democracy. Most African nations are ruled by despots, who worry that an indictment of Bashir - or of any other African leader - will bring new international scrutiny of their own human rights conduct. But Botswana - with its open elections, independent judiciary, and free press - has nothing to fear.
So what’s stopping Ghana? Ghanaians are justly proud of their democracy, too, which transferred power to President Mills after a bitter but violence-free campaign. The election marked 16 years of uninterrupted civilian rule. On a continent marred by coups and military dictatorships, that’s truly something to celebrate.
Most of all, Ghanaians are proud of their historic role in the African freedom struggle. As the first independent nation in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has been a beacon of hope for black people around the world. So it’s particularly disappointing to see Ghana backing the African Union resolution on Bashir, who is allegedly responsible for the murder of thousands of Africans. Ghanaian foreign minister Muhammad Mumuni noted that Ghana joined an AU petition back in February to lift Bashir’s arrest for a year, but the United Nations Security Council, which has the power to suspend ICC indictments, refused to do so.
“Ignoring that request was a slap in the back,’’ Mumuni said. But ignoring the warrant against Bashir is a slap against Africans everywhere. “What benefit is there in Ghana ruining its international reputation so needlessly, by supporting the untenable position of the AU and giving comfort to a mass murderer who is busy killing our fellow black Africans?’’ asked Ghanaian blogger Kofi Thompson. “Do we not pride ourselves as a democratic nation with solid pan-Africanist credentials?’’
With respect to Atta Mills and his ministers, Thompson added, “Ghanaians did not vote them into office to give succor to African dictators, who brutalize and kill scores of their own people.’’ So when Obama visits this weekend, Mills should announce that Ghana will continue to press for Bashir’s arrest. If he doesn’t, Obama should urge him to do so. A joint statement from these two leaders might trigger a new commitment to human rights across the continent. Now that’s a change we could all believe in.