Transition, Transformation and Radical Thinking.
The results are out and from the look of things the Kenyan Candidate Amina Mohammed is not pleased. She has chosen language similar to what American representative to the U.N chose when she cautioned 'allies and foes' alike against taking positions against the U.S saying, "we will be taking notes" or in the case of Amina making references to broken promises (directed at a Ugandan neighbor who did not play ball).
The race for the top position for the AU, was complex and convoluted. From Uganda we presented Specioza Wandera. She was the first Female Vice president. Uganda has done a lot for inclusion and much of this work has been replicated by governments throughout the continent reflecting this response in the composition of their respective parliaments. S. Wandera did not appear to enjoy a large support base when her intention to run for the AU position was revealed. Much later and after quite a lot of push back from some locals and social media she was edged her on and even managed to persuade the government to foot the bill for her bid. Uganda probably borrowed heavily (in terms of ideas) from the Keyans who were rallying behind their pick. But in hind sight it seems as though both countries had ignored the the warning signs. It appears the AU uses a model similar to what is used in Nigeria. The rotation between North and South or Muslim and Christian which determines who rules. If that is applied in this context after the decision of Ndlamini not to renew her term, then it makes sense that the next leader for the AU would have to emerge from the Northern African states (after a reign from a leader from South Africa). That and the other unmentioned idea of gender? But Suggesting that is bound to ruffle a few feathers. We are also not certain why Mrs. Ndlamini Zuma did not seek a second term. The second question has to do with the vastness of the continent and the need for lobbying and the amounts of cash that were splurged into an exercise which as we have hinted was almost already lost given the facts on the ground. The fallout is interesting because the votes are cast by heads of state whose control and leverage rests entirely in the regions of their origin and the influence these respective blocs hold over the governance of the massive continent. So Ms. Amina's veiled attack falls squarely into the lap of the Ugandan president. This also exposes possible political underpinnings that direct seemingly unrelated events and that work internally (within countries ) and externally (within regions). This is a continent that can hold North America and
India and Europe with some space left for others. So governance as it stands now would depend heavily on these blocs which also tend to overlap memberships. What was interesting to watch is how these groups and their influence affected the likelihood of elections for the AU leaders. Also one could almost see a future when say the dreams of a Nkuruma came to pass and all roads were leading to a presidency of Africa. Would we learn any lessons form this race and how well would our leaders perform were they placed against each other. This was strange because the regional stalwarts were instead of standing for these posts themselves were sending their foreign ministers. Notable regions of strength were ECOWAS especially after we saw demonstrated their abilities to harness military strength. But also in the North, Chad probably benefited from previous experience in military matters having managed quite a number of conflicts from Libya, to Egypt, to Tunisia and Sudan. Are we therefore going to see a decreased influence from the Southern parts of Africa? Will be see a shift up North? Is it as some have observed really just a line between English speaking Africa and Francofone Africa? Maybe the African states are beginning to push back against perceived corruption and disdain for constitutions visible both in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa? Successive governments are going to need to find ways of entrenching themselves in power perhaps by use of business or other institutions directly or otherwise through additional methods of influence. Or are there much more complex dynamics. We leave that to you.
The results are out and from the look of things the Kenyan Candidate Amina Mohammed is not pleased. She has chosen language similar to what American representative to the U.N chose when she cautioned 'allies and foes' alike against taking positions against the U.S saying, "we will be taking notes" or in the case of Amina making references to broken promises (directed at a Ugandan neighbor who did not play ball).
The race for the top position for the AU, was complex and convoluted. From Uganda we presented Specioza Wandera. She was the first Female Vice president. Uganda has done a lot for inclusion and much of this work has been replicated by governments throughout the continent reflecting this response in the composition of their respective parliaments. S. Wandera did not appear to enjoy a large support base when her intention to run for the AU position was revealed. Much later and after quite a lot of push back from some locals and social media she was edged her on and even managed to persuade the government to foot the bill for her bid. Uganda probably borrowed heavily (in terms of ideas) from the Keyans who were rallying behind their pick. But in hind sight it seems as though both countries had ignored the the warning signs. It appears the AU uses a model similar to what is used in Nigeria. The rotation between North and South or Muslim and Christian which determines who rules. If that is applied in this context after the decision of Ndlamini not to renew her term, then it makes sense that the next leader for the AU would have to emerge from the Northern African states (after a reign from a leader from South Africa). That and the other unmentioned idea of gender? But Suggesting that is bound to ruffle a few feathers. We are also not certain why Mrs. Ndlamini Zuma did not seek a second term. The second question has to do with the vastness of the continent and the need for lobbying and the amounts of cash that were splurged into an exercise which as we have hinted was almost already lost given the facts on the ground. The fallout is interesting because the votes are cast by heads of state whose control and leverage rests entirely in the regions of their origin and the influence these respective blocs hold over the governance of the massive continent. So Ms. Amina's veiled attack falls squarely into the lap of the Ugandan president. This also exposes possible political underpinnings that direct seemingly unrelated events and that work internally (within countries ) and externally (within regions). This is a continent that can hold North America and
India and Europe with some space left for others. So governance as it stands now would depend heavily on these blocs which also tend to overlap memberships. What was interesting to watch is how these groups and their influence affected the likelihood of elections for the AU leaders. Also one could almost see a future when say the dreams of a Nkuruma came to pass and all roads were leading to a presidency of Africa. Would we learn any lessons form this race and how well would our leaders perform were they placed against each other. This was strange because the regional stalwarts were instead of standing for these posts themselves were sending their foreign ministers. Notable regions of strength were ECOWAS especially after we saw demonstrated their abilities to harness military strength. But also in the North, Chad probably benefited from previous experience in military matters having managed quite a number of conflicts from Libya, to Egypt, to Tunisia and Sudan. Are we therefore going to see a decreased influence from the Southern parts of Africa? Will be see a shift up North? Is it as some have observed really just a line between English speaking Africa and Francofone Africa? Maybe the African states are beginning to push back against perceived corruption and disdain for constitutions visible both in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa? Successive governments are going to need to find ways of entrenching themselves in power perhaps by use of business or other institutions directly or otherwise through additional methods of influence. Or are there much more complex dynamics. We leave that to you.
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