By Grace Hamwemba
In the next few days, US Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to preach peace to Africa and probably give a lecture to African political leaders and civil society elites.
The leaders attending this Summit have strategically been selected to give a monotonous endorsement of American ideals and not ask hard questions.
But American leaders have never known people. Peace is when people are able to resolve their conflicts without violence.
Maybe this Summit should be dedicated to remembering Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and many who have died from senseless wars.
America has spent trillions of dollars funding wars in the world. US Vice President Kamala Harris, even as she gets to sign some investment deals in Africa, she won’t tell these leaders that what America is spending on the entire Africa is a fraction of what they spend in wars on other regions.
In 2011, the Washington Post reported that U.S. involvement in the war in Libya cost American taxpayers an estimated $896 million through July 31, according to the Pentagon.
The 20-year Afghanistan war was done at a cost the US, an estimated US$8 trillion dollars with over 1,000,000 people dying, including U.S. military members, allied fighters, opposition fighters, civilians, journalists and humanitarian aid workers who were killed as a direct result of war, whether by bombs, bullets or fire.
In Syria, World Vision reports that the economic cost of conflict in Syria after 10 years is estimated to be over $US 1.2 trillion and reduced Syrian children’s overall life expectancy by 13 years. About half a million of people died in Syria.
In Iraq, the total cost to the United States of the Iraq war at $3 trillion and we know that between 315,190 have died from direct war related violence caused by the U.S., its allies, from the time of the invasion
The US is the largest contributor to Ukraine in terms of money spent. Congress appropriated more than $112 billion dollars in 2022 alone.
So as the elites will be enjoying a lecture from Vice President Kamala Harris, there must be room for Africa to ask one hard question: Why does America spend so much money in wars than it does to alleviate suffering around the world?
America is a war monger and uses war as a business. It certainly has blood on its hands, including the blood of son of the soil, Muammar Gaddafi.
6 January 2021 Republican party members stormed the Capitol with the view to stop the confirmation of results the just ended elections. Up to today the Republicans haven’t accepted those results. So what is America’s vice president going to teach us about democracy. Just like certain fish cannot live in certain waters, American democracy cannot be the best for every region in the world.
Gaddafi was murdered by the US and now they want to come and lecture us on peace and democracy
Libya had its own brand of governance. Libya was a successful model. Libya threatened USA influence so Gaddafi had to go. Now Libya is ruled by war lords and the country is fragmented beyond repair.
America’s atrocities keep haunting them and they see everyone as suspect. Kamala Harris is wasting time here. She is w
Here worshiped by our begging leaders and civil society but not us.
When America feels like going to the toilet, everyone must forcefully visit the lavatory too. We all must follow American methods of doing things without questions. Why must America use undemocratic methods like wars to install democracy?
When America raided Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan to install democracy in those countries, it backfired. American democracy is not the only standard there is on the globe.
Democracy is dialogue, not monologue; and we expect that at the Summit.
They killed Gaddafi to introduce what they called democracy. So why didn’t they hold this conference in a country where they established democracy?
We won’t be asking any of those hard questions… or else Biden will come for our backsides.
American democracy is not best for Africa and America knows that. But this ain’t reason for Harris coming here, they want our leaders feel the weight so that China and Russia should be moving further away. Its about our natural resources they fight for
USA is trying to fight China through africa. What people want is economic development that is roads, hospitals, electricity, industry etc. If America wants to penetrate the market, they need to do what has been doing in Africa.
Under the principle of free speech and opinions, you are free to ask these questions and America is free to give the reasons for the decisions and actions taken. So attend the summit and ask these questions if you dont know the answers already.
Upnd will not allow you that chance. Already the Upnd controlled ZP have threatened to arrest those who are planning to demonstrate…. and yet demonstrating is part of democracy. How paradoxical.
Again I can predict, our leaders will miss an oppressive to tell this Vice President that we ordinary Africans trust China more than the US. America has terrible records in killing people. China and Russia have not killed millions of people as America is doing
I agree. They will be singing praises for Harris and clapping the loudest
Who on this planet has ever dropped an atom bomb on another nation apart from the doubletalking Americans?
Simple message for Kamala and Biden: your country must apologise for the killing of Gaddafi and being an accomplice in the killing of Patrice Lumumba. You must come and apologise for according Madiba a terrorist status. And above all, stop telling us whom we must associate with. China and Russia stood with us when you were against us in Rhodesia, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa. You owe us an apology while lecturing those leaders you will be sharing crumbs with.
Dorothy, they were not accomplices in the killing of Lumumba. The CIA picked Joseph Mobutu to replace Communist inclined Lumumba
Hope Kamala Harris will make an announcement that America is paying for our $14 billion debt and give us the $1.3 IMF was going to give us otherwise her coming will be useless.
Kikikikikikikikiki!
China has made more investment in Africa than America. We can see these tangible things. America says it invests in Africa but that is on paper only. Only investment I see is Bombay drainage.
USA has been great for some time but it will not be all the times. The best way to win a fight with the US is to desert them. Countries should start applying silent economic sanctions on the US to counter their bullying tactics.
We cannot continue to blame America for foolish decisions we make right here in Africa. We know the US is not here for charity but for business, for our minerals and other resources. Africa’s biggest problem is poor and unprincipled leadership. These are times I miss Robert Mugabe
She is coming to preach gay rights like Obama did only to be told off by the real patriotic leaders of Africa. Hh is a soft muzungu anikonde. He licks the floor Americans walk on.
We in pf support Russia and China.
“Stretegically selected”… right on point. The muzungu anikonde, the yes men and women who have no shame of licking the American wrong place. Like someone from the past who said Africans enjoy posing with whites because it makes them feel like they’re a different shade of black. Such a shame that a morden black man can still think like a stone age man. All the education they have hasn’t been able to remove the bush from their brains. When they put on their expensive suits and gold watches they forget they’re living in Africa, they forget the people they begged to vote for them to be in those positions. Sellouts is a better discription for them. They’re no better than the slave traders who sold their own kin to the slave masters for beeds and bungles. An African is his own curse
Funny enough someone somewhere on social media has said that only Zambia will accept to be lectured to by KH. The rest of the African leaders will not take kindly to be told on how to run their countries.
The Summit is a punka. Zambians are worried about money and not those window dressing events. If Kamalas visit won’t change our lives, it adds no value. Bring China on
So true how America has spent trillions of dollars funding wars in the world. Just in Southern Africa; Funding the Angolan civil war and delaying Southern Africa’s progress, Installing uneducated Mobutu and killing Lumumba and causing the Katanga war, Supporting the very undemocratic apartheid regime and therefore destabilising Southern Africa. Now they come to lecture us about Democracy!
Kamala Harris only started identifying herself as black for Politicial reasons….she is a race faker….she used to identify herself as indian…and she hates black people….alot of blacks are in prison in California because of Kamala Harris…she is such a nasty woman….America killed Gaddafi and Sadam….Bill Clinton bombed a hospital in Somalia….American Politicians are evil