Article on Haiti in Botswana press.

[Masanilo]

This came to me yesterday and I think you will find it interesting.

If a White person had written this there would remonstrations of

Racism. The Black journalist is forthright and accurate.

Please pass this on as you think fit, it deserves to be read by many.

I believe this a genuine article & would think the journo was educated in South Africa.



This is an interesting perspective !!!



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The following is an article which appeared in The Sunday Standard (Botswana) of 24.01.10.
It was written by a black journalist who writes under the name 'Loose Canon' .
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I hope black people will learn a lesson from the earthquake that hit Haiti.
If they don’t learn anything from it, then I throw up my hands in despair and give up.

Let’s start with a few basic facts.
Until the earthquake, I never knew there was a place called Haiti. I was taught geography at school but I
cannot remember a time when the mistress told us about Haiti. It must have been one of those insignificant
countries that we had no reason to know about.
I was fairly good at geography because I knew which country was on which continent. I also knew many capital cities.
But as for Haiti I was clueless.

Now the whole world, including myself, knows about Haiti. I heard news of the earthquake on the radio.
I wondered where Haiti was and what sort of people lived there.

Finally, when I switched on the television, I was informed that Haiti is an island out in the Caribbean.
Television pictures revealed a place populated by black people.

From the non-stop television coverage of the earthquake, I got to learn about the history of Haiti.
It was not a good history lesson. It would seem throughout its existence Haiti has suffered a series
of natural calamities. In the process it has sunk even deeper into poverty and deprivation.

Like all places populated by black people, Haiti is poor. As I watched the television images,
I felt very sorry for that forsaken place.
Then I was hit by a thunderbolt.
I wondered what if there were no white people. You see, when the earthquake hit Haiti somebody
had to come to its assistance. There had to be a rescue effort. The Haitians who survived of course
did their fair bit by digging out their families from the collapsed ramshackle buildings.

But such was the scale of the devastation and the loss of human life that a bigger effort was needed.
For that sort of work, you need heavy lifting gear and other sophisticated rescue equipment. I have been
following the story of the earthquake keenly. I can attest to the fact that the first people to arrive with
sniffer dogs were white crews from all over the world.

The aeroplanes that set off carrying water and food were from white countries. Not only that, the
teams of volunteer doctors that I saw on television comprised white people from across the world.
As the sniffer dogs went into action, the organized rescue teams that carried the stretchers were
made up of white people.

It was announced that a mobile hospital was on the way. It was coming from a white country. For
all intents and purposes in the aftermath of the earthquake, Haiti was literally swarming with white people.
They had all arrived to save the poor blacks. And the locals were so happy to see them.

Granted there were teams from the Orient such as the Chinese and Japanese. They too had quickly left
their homes and families to go and assist the stricken people of Haiti.
It is obvious to everyone that this was a devastating earthquake and the work to repair Haiti and
return it to a modicum of normalcy will take many years. Somebody had to commit funds to this effort.
Most of the countries that have committed funds to aid the recovery are white. In fact, it would seem
the whites are running the show in Haiti.

What is my point?

My point is that ever since Haiti was hit by the earthquake I have not seen any of my folks from Africa.
Unless the television cameras deliberately ignored them, I never saw a rescue team from my motherland.
Nor did I see any sniffer dogs from down here.
Heck, I never saw a single traditional doctor busy divining where to find people buried under the rubble.

Haiti is a land of black people. I would have expected the place to be swarming with black people helping their own.
They were nowhere to be seen. I never saw any ships from black countries pulling into the harbour.

As the air traffic circled above the small airport, none of the planes was reported as coming from Africa.
The blacks were nowhere to be found. They issued tepid statements of condolence to the people of Haiti
and a few of the African countries donated small amounts of cash.
Granted that was better than nothing. But I must say I was disappointed. I was sad because the blacks
did not behave as I had expected.

You see, for far too long black countries have been insolent to the point of being abusive. They have a
tendency of insulting the white man and telling him to keep out of their countries.
In Fact, black people have the temerity to tell white people they can perfectly survive on their own.

So I had expected the black countries to be consistent and behave true to form. Why didn’t black countries
tell white countries to stay away from Haiti because we were quite capable of leading the rescue effort?
We should have insulted them as we often do at international forums.

There, our countries insult white countries and accuse them of imperialism and neo colonialism. I
was extremely disappointed when our countries failed to accuse white people of practicing imperialism
and neo colonialism by coming to rescue the blacks of Haiti.

We should have told them we have better sniffer dogs that have been taught only to rescue black people.
We should have told their ships to stay away and their planes not to overfly Haiti because we were up to
the job with our own ships and aeroplanes.

We should have brought in our traditional food instead of the strange rations the Haitians are not accustomed to.
I am so disappointed by the black leaders that I hope never to hear them again bleating about how bad white people are.
The earthquake in Haiti was the most opportune time to show the whites, once and for all, that we don’t need them.

From now onwards, I want black leaders to shut up and never accuse ever again, white people of being bad.
I am sick and tired of big words such as imperialism and neo colonialism which are unable to rescue victims
of the earthquake.

I hope this is not the last earthquake that hits a black country. I want the next one to specifically hit the
residence of The Evil Self-centred Old Man in Harare, Zimbabwe who does nothing for his people.
Then we will see if he will abuse the white crew coming to rescue him and his wife Ghastly Grace!

 

[Edson]

mwandishi wa makala hiii mpuuzi na mshenzi mkubwa!

ni hilo tu

 

[Gaijin]

hehhe mwandishi kaandika uzuri hadi mwisho kafuja kutaja watu kwa jina............isitoshe huwezi kuombea nchi ya mwenzio maafa

he had a point kuwa waafrika hatujawahi kusaidia mtu, viongozi think kuhusu matumbo yao tu

 

[mfianchi]

unajuaje kama mwandishi kweli ni mmatumbi(mweusi)na kwa uwezo gani nchi za kiafrika zingepeleka missada huko Haiti,nchi za kiafrika zimejaa matatizo na umasikini mkubwa sidhani kama zinaweza kukodi ndege za kupeleka maji hadi huko Haiti

 

[BabuK]

Asante Masanilo kwa kurumegea makala hii.. Mwandishi pamoja na makala hii sina uhakika kama ni mweusi kama anavyodai kiitikadi. naona pia hasomi habari za kidunia kwa kina... je anajua kwamba kuna nchi kama ivory Coast au Ghana sikumbuki vizuri imetoa ardhi kwa watu wanaotaka kwenda kupata hifadhi huko???
Je anajua KWAMBA NCHI NYINGINE ZINACHUKUA MUDA KUJIKUSANYA????

 

[Namtih58]

Hebu huyu mpumbavu ajiulize, hao rescuers ambao walikuwa wakitumia USHAHIDI kulocate nyumba amabzo zilikuwa na watu ndani. Ama kaambiwa hao sniffer dogs walikuwa wakienda kila nyuba iliyobomoka. USHAHIDI si kutoka afrika, alichoona yeye ni mbwa tu.

Huku ndiko kuwa mtumwa wa ki-fikra, hata unakuwa huwezi beyond unachoambiwa na cnn. Hao marescuers wenyewe watakuambia kama kuna chombo kilichowasaidia ni USHAHIDI na open street maps.

Sasa OSM walio populate data ni kina nani isipokuwa wakazi wa huko, ambao kama alivosema mwenyewe ni weusi.

Yaani mtu anamuabudu mzungu hadi haoni wanachofanya ndugu zao! Aibu.

 

[Nkamangi]

I am developing love-hate feelings towards loose canon

 

[Kiranga]

Kwanza muandishi anatueleza jinsi alivyo ignorant kwa kutuambia alikuwa hajui kuna nchi inaitwa Haiti mpaka siku ya tetemeko.

Halafu anauliza "what if there were no white people?" Is the journalist serious?

Kama kusingekuwa na white people kusingekuwa na Haiti yenye poverty hii, watu wa Haiti wangekuwa Africa, na let's face it, hatujui Africa bila kuingiliwa na weupe ingeendeleaje.It is very tempting kui picture Africa without whites as this glorious land of food and water, kings and queens.It is also very tempting to see Africa as a poverty stricken backwater, but the simple fact is alternate universes are characterized by intrisic unknowability. Africa would probably have charted a totally different civilization that to make comparison with our existing status quo would be comparing the proverbial apples to oranges.

So let's not ask alternate universe questions in journalism, they belong in Science Fiction.

 

[Nyani Ngabu]

Kama kusingekuwa na white people kusingekuwa na Haiti yenye poverty hii, watu wa Haiti wangekuwa Africa, na let's face it, hatujui Africa bila kuingiliwa na weupe ingeendeleaje.

Not much. We didn't have much then when they came and changed everything. Tungekuwa bado tunavaa vimajani kiunoni kama wale jamaa wa Papua New Guinea....