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Part III: African reality--Rights of Man and the free Citizen

french revolution

The words Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood) became the slogan of the French Revolution and are currently the national motto of France.

 

by Joseph Earnest May 12, 2014

 

Newscast Media HOUSTON, TexasTired of empty promises from the old order who were ruling France, the French exerted pressure on their government and eventually achieved the goal they had fought so hard for—reform.

 

The Tennis Court Oath was a declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen which was a symbol of the French Revolution. The citizens wished to air their grievances in their meeting hall, but on the morning of June 20, 1789, they found they had been locked out, so they met at the nearby royal tennis court, and wrote the document that came to be known as the "Tennis Court Oath."  The citizens asserted their rights and achieved a victory over the old order that was hindering them from realizing their fullest potential. At the end of that month, the Assembly of citizens issued a "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen" which was a bold assertion of principles condemning the old order.  The preamble reads:

 

"The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth a solemn declaration the natural, inalienable, and sacred rights of man..."

 

(2)The aim of all political association is the preservation of  natural and imprescriptible rights of man.  These are liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression...

 

Click here to read or download the entire Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. (pop-up)

 

After the grievances were met, France went from having an almost empty treasury to flourishing in the industrial revolution, and became one of Europe's strongest economies. Power was not just concentrated in the hands of a few anymore, many of the citizens were now able to empower themselves without having to worry about the past oppressive regimes that had hindered their growth and arrested their development.

 

While Africa is rich in resources, they are concentrated in the hands of a few, who care little about alleviating poverty in the Motherland, very much like what led to the "Tennis Court Oath" in France. All the "backdoor deals" between investors and African governments that are not disclosed to the public, are a sign that the profits are not intended to help the citizenry of the mineral-rich nations, but to be retained by those abusing their power.

 

These same African rulers prefer to intentionally keep their citizenry in poverty because they believe it is easier to control someone who needs the government for sustenance, than a person with financial independence.  It is therefore to the benefit of these rulers that Africans are kept in poverty, while they themselves enjoy their nations' loot.

 

Even when an African nation decides to pull itself out of poverty, you'll be surprised to learn that other African nations will attempt to sabotage its growth. While former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi appeared to love Africa, he actually did not wish to see other nations develop because he wanted to always be the one to rescue them.  This would cause them to heavily depend on him, in return, he would have control over their natural resources and continue to enrich himself.

 

For example, in 1971, during Idi Amin's presidency, he discovered oil in the western part of Uganda around Lake Albert. This was reported by The Milwaukee Journal in the U.S., since Amin was speaking to American and British companies about further oil exploration. On December 6, 1971, Amin signed papers giving the sole authority to develop oil deposits to Kirkwall Associates.

 

George Ivan Smith, a special UN representative said, "Amin found a tin of oil then poured it over his head and uniform in excitement, believing he had found a way of extricating Uganda from its economic problems."

 

In February 1972, Amin went to West Germany to meet executives from oil drilling firm Bowman and Collins. When Libya's Col. Gaddafi found out, he persuaded Amin on February 13, 1972, not to proceed with the drilling and to cut ties with the West. Gaddafi himself was the largest oil producer in Africa yet he did not offer Amin the equipment and expertise to explore oil. Those oil fields remain unexplored as of this writing.

Click here to read the article in The Milwaukee Journal about oil. (pop-up)

 

The above example demonstrates that even people who are seemingly friendly to Africa, may not necessarily want it to develop and become a global player on the international market.  To add insult to injury, wanting to act like a hero to Africans, in June 2005, Australia's Hardman Resources Ltd., claimed it had discovered oil in the western part of Uganda. The Ugandan government celebrated this alleged new oil discovery with a thanksgiving ceremony.

 

What Hardman and the Ugandan government failed to reveal to the citizenry is that Idi Amin Dada had already discovered oil in 1971 and the announcement was printed in newspapers worldwide, as shown in the link above.

 

Most Africans appear to be free, yet are still in bondage because of the unwillingness of their leaders to allow them to reach their fullest potential and become beneficiaries of their own natural resources.  Instead, the foreign investors have raped the continent of its resources, land, wildlife and raw materials under the watch and treachery of the old regimes, that make the colonialists look like saints.

 

 Part IV: The African reality--Did the colonialists leave Africa too soon?>>

 

 

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 Related stories:

Part I: African reality is a product of pseudo democracy

Part II: African reality is a product of pseudo democracy

Part III: African reality is a product of pseudo democracy

Part IV: African reality is a product of pseudo democracy

Part V: African reality is a product of pseudo democracy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

  

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