Geza Ulole
Platinum Member
- Oct 31, 2009
- 72,681
- 103,518
WITH AN EAGLE'S EYE : Hello East Africans, some corrections please!
IN SUMMARY
Almost everybody knows Adolf Hitler, but not everyone knows everything that this murderous man said during his life, especially the observations and propaganda he unleashed under his rhetoric stratagem.
In one of his writings he argues: "If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."
The teaching is found in Chapter 6 of Volume 1 of Hitler's autobiographical manifesto, Mein Kempf, which translates "My Struggle" written in 1925 but published in 1939. Hitler titled the chapter "War Propaganda".
Hitler was not the first to speak these words as the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution who played a key role in the creation of communist Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, before his death in 1924 once noted: "A lie told often enough becomes the truth." It is the question of perception.
This interesting art of converting lies into truth is popular among politicians, activists, religious leaders, and unfortunately journalists as well, especially when there is a goal to be reached. Often a lie is told deliberately, but things may get worse when a lie is told not because of anything but ignorance or much worse, irresponsibility.
Currently, East Africa is witnessing the spread of lies not seen before conducted by those who are determined to deceive others and those who are irresponsible. These people care less about what philosophers teach us, that truth is the conformity between what is being said and what exists.
One lie for example,says that the governments of Tanzania and Rwanda or their leaders, have been exchanging ugly rhetoric since President Jakaya Kikwete advised his counterparts in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC to talk to their enemies rather than fighting endless wars. Some people made it as if Kikwete had advised only Rwanda, which wasn't the case.
Yes, it is true that various people have been talking too much about this issue, but it is not true that the Tanzanian government has been doing so. The only statements related to that are two so far: first, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Bernard Membe, responded kindly to those demanding that Kikwete apologises, saying President cannot apologise for telling the truth.
The second time was when Kikwete assured Tanzanians in his monthly speech that Tanzania harbours no ill intent towards Rwanda, which is the fact, frankly. Nowhere else has anyone from his government ever said anything else! The President's statement that Tanzanian troops are ready to defend the country was a normal thing that any Commander-in-Chief can say when officiating on heroes' day.
When Kikwete gave 14 days to illegal migrants residing in northwestern Tanzania to leave he didn't name a single country, and consequently people who identified themselves as Ugandans, Burundians, Congolese and Rwandans, left Tanzania.
However, some people created a deception that Kikwete had ordered the expulsion of Rwandans. Not true! Noticeably, other countries are not throwing words at Tanzania.
Another deception going on in East Africa says that Tanzania is dragging its feet on the East African dream to attain political federation under the so-called fast track process.
None of these propagandists care to speak the truth that all five member states agreed on concrete stages and further insisted that, to move to the next stage the previous stage has to be fully implemented and assessed diligently.
As we speak even the first stage of the Customs Union has not been fully implemented. Tanzania didn't object to move to the second stage known as the Common Market, which again, apart from demanding Tanzania's land and free movement of people regardless of issues like security, none of the member states has done enough to attain it.
The third stage, Monetary Union, has already been forced into initial processes by other four member states without any assessment of the previous two, and Tanzania didn't waste time to caution about this irresponsible move, which won't help the Community.
Well, we all know that the United Republic of Tanzania knows better than any other member state about this animal called "unification" because we have lived it, and we are the actual founder of another successful regional body, the South African Development Community (SADC), a much older body than the current East African Community (EAC).
Additionally, let us not forget that Tanzania was the only force behind the creation of the first East African Community, and history attests to that. Thus, when Tanzania reminds other member states in the Community to watch their steps, it knows what it is talking about. You can follow the advice or leave it but do not play Hitler's game.
Hello East Africans, we do not need to deceive each other day and night! Let us build trust among ourselves and build this Community perfectly, not harshly just to satisfy temporal needs.
Mr Matinyi is a consultant based in Washington, DC
WITH AN EAGLE'S EYE : Hello East Africans, some corrections please! - National - thecitizen.co.tz
IN SUMMARY
- One lie for example, says that the governments of Tanzania and Rwanda or their leaders, have been exchanging ugly rhetoric since President Jakaya Kikwete advised his counterparts in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC to talk to their enemies rather than fighting endless wars.
Almost everybody knows Adolf Hitler, but not everyone knows everything that this murderous man said during his life, especially the observations and propaganda he unleashed under his rhetoric stratagem.
In one of his writings he argues: "If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."
The teaching is found in Chapter 6 of Volume 1 of Hitler's autobiographical manifesto, Mein Kempf, which translates "My Struggle" written in 1925 but published in 1939. Hitler titled the chapter "War Propaganda".
Hitler was not the first to speak these words as the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution who played a key role in the creation of communist Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, before his death in 1924 once noted: "A lie told often enough becomes the truth." It is the question of perception.
This interesting art of converting lies into truth is popular among politicians, activists, religious leaders, and unfortunately journalists as well, especially when there is a goal to be reached. Often a lie is told deliberately, but things may get worse when a lie is told not because of anything but ignorance or much worse, irresponsibility.
Currently, East Africa is witnessing the spread of lies not seen before conducted by those who are determined to deceive others and those who are irresponsible. These people care less about what philosophers teach us, that truth is the conformity between what is being said and what exists.
One lie for example,says that the governments of Tanzania and Rwanda or their leaders, have been exchanging ugly rhetoric since President Jakaya Kikwete advised his counterparts in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC to talk to their enemies rather than fighting endless wars. Some people made it as if Kikwete had advised only Rwanda, which wasn't the case.
Yes, it is true that various people have been talking too much about this issue, but it is not true that the Tanzanian government has been doing so. The only statements related to that are two so far: first, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Bernard Membe, responded kindly to those demanding that Kikwete apologises, saying President cannot apologise for telling the truth.
The second time was when Kikwete assured Tanzanians in his monthly speech that Tanzania harbours no ill intent towards Rwanda, which is the fact, frankly. Nowhere else has anyone from his government ever said anything else! The President's statement that Tanzanian troops are ready to defend the country was a normal thing that any Commander-in-Chief can say when officiating on heroes' day.
When Kikwete gave 14 days to illegal migrants residing in northwestern Tanzania to leave he didn't name a single country, and consequently people who identified themselves as Ugandans, Burundians, Congolese and Rwandans, left Tanzania.
However, some people created a deception that Kikwete had ordered the expulsion of Rwandans. Not true! Noticeably, other countries are not throwing words at Tanzania.
Another deception going on in East Africa says that Tanzania is dragging its feet on the East African dream to attain political federation under the so-called fast track process.
None of these propagandists care to speak the truth that all five member states agreed on concrete stages and further insisted that, to move to the next stage the previous stage has to be fully implemented and assessed diligently.
As we speak even the first stage of the Customs Union has not been fully implemented. Tanzania didn't object to move to the second stage known as the Common Market, which again, apart from demanding Tanzania's land and free movement of people regardless of issues like security, none of the member states has done enough to attain it.
The third stage, Monetary Union, has already been forced into initial processes by other four member states without any assessment of the previous two, and Tanzania didn't waste time to caution about this irresponsible move, which won't help the Community.
Well, we all know that the United Republic of Tanzania knows better than any other member state about this animal called "unification" because we have lived it, and we are the actual founder of another successful regional body, the South African Development Community (SADC), a much older body than the current East African Community (EAC).
Additionally, let us not forget that Tanzania was the only force behind the creation of the first East African Community, and history attests to that. Thus, when Tanzania reminds other member states in the Community to watch their steps, it knows what it is talking about. You can follow the advice or leave it but do not play Hitler's game.
Hello East Africans, we do not need to deceive each other day and night! Let us build trust among ourselves and build this Community perfectly, not harshly just to satisfy temporal needs.
Mr Matinyi is a consultant based in Washington, DC
WITH AN EAGLE'S EYE : Hello East Africans, some corrections please! - National - thecitizen.co.tz
