Why Sudan leaders’ “Cheapens and Chicken” African leaders?
By Trayo A. Ali
With all the shock, surprise, anger, dismay and protestation, indignation and outrage by which the world wide pro-justice forces greeted South African decision of letting al-Bashir to escape, the average Sudanese, both supporters and opponents alike, including Al- Bashi0r’s war crime victims, remain to belief that, President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir can never ever be arrested in an African country. Why that? How come the two dichotomous poles (victims and perpetrators) to come into this paradox?
(1) “fear of him” not “solidarity with him”
The reason they all give? Is the “fear of him” from the side of the African head of states, and not because of “solidarity with him”!!
On how that come, and why this strange “bed-fellow” come to this similar conclusion? They build their argument on psychological explanations and on the prevailing game of power politics.
Well, who knows? They are entitled to their opinion. Then let us examine some of their logical premise that justifies such a conclusion. Probably they got a point, while others may be waiting for nothing!!
Out of thousands of posts, letters, messages, video and audio tapes in the internet groups commenting in support or against Al-Basheer, jubilating or condemning, hailing or wailing, I took only three samples of their argument (all in Arabic) to demonstrate this “strange” common conviction they advanced and the ground upon which they moved from on “President Al-Bashircan never be arrested in an African country”.
To start with, here comes this Sudanese blogger who sent me this piece of article, granting me the permission to translate, edit whenever necessary, and if I deem it relevant, he suggests, I could publish it.
(2) In Arabian dictum “Slave listens to big stick”.
The blogger captioned his piece with the above title and wrote: “It all has to do with the psychology of superiority complex versus inferiority complex”, he starts.
“Remember how the racist Arabian poet treated the Black Slave Egyptian King of the time”, the blogger asked and continues to explain:
“The story has it that, the satirical and notoriously racist Arabian poet of the 9th century, Abu-Al-tayyab al-Mutanabbi, who was bitterly disappointed for not getting a post he earnestly sought for, from the then castrated former black slave who was “King of Egypt” of the time, Kafur Al-ikheshidi. So upset was he, the racist poet, escaped Egypt, showed his true racist color and rebuffed in an insulting manner the “Black Slave King” in a sarcastic poem, which a part of it (in unofficial translation) reads as: I never thought I would live to a time when a black Slave would insult me and he would be praised for doing so”.
“Who, on earth, have taught the castrated, emasculated, neutered black slave to become a noble?
“His white masters did? Or, how possible his ancestors were aristocrats?”
“I am amused by how your flat foot looks in your shoe”.
“I would think you had shoe on, even if you were bare foot”
“Upon buying the Slave, it is a must to have a stick in your hand”
“For the Slaves are sleazy and belligerent creatures”.
All that above being said, the blogger insists that: “What many people do not know now a day is the fact that, Sudanese leaders treat African leader on the basis of the above Arabian dictum. They, the Sudanese see the Africans nothing more than the one depicted by this classical racist Arabian notion”. “And that once master (or even if one claims to be so) always remains to entertain a kind of master-behavior and tends to down look, undermine, diminish and devalue those whom he imagined were once his slaves. It’s a state of a sick mind, yet it works in him and that is damn unfortunate reality”. The blogger asserts.
According to the blogger, “The unfortunate and devastating fact is that, in the eyes of the Sudanese leaders, nothing cheaper and subject for ridiculing and manipulation than African leaders. And nothing equally unfortunate fact than to see African leaders do compromise with this self demeaning reality, especially as that is done on the expenses of their very dignity and that of their people. They do this as they bow and their heads down in shame and fear”. The blogger concludes.
Today, in Sudan’s political literature it is a heroic piece of poem, and it inspires when recited in every challenging occasion. Every single secondary school student in the “Arab-World” (including Sudan) is compulsorily taught, memorized and considered as part of Arabian apocalyptic “legendry” literature.
Our question is that: Could it then be, as one reflects and conjugates over this comic drama that befallen involving Sudan president Gen. al-Bashir where he ruthlessly ridiculed and rolled every African leader in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa (the symbol of Africa’s liberty, freedom and dignity), the result of this psychological intimidation that effected this mess, as the blogger asserts?
You better check it yourself and you will be surprised to find out that this is the hero poet whom Gen. al-Bashir imitates and impersonates his character, recites his poem and raises his stick whenever he feels victorious. He always displays when his army comes out of a battle against the “rebels” and claim victorious. He also shamelessly utters against Southern Sudanese too. The last time he said it, while “indicatively” waving his stick, was during the Heglig clashes 2012.
(3) All are in his pocket, none would dare to challenge
In Sudan, and probably anywhere else, when they say someone is in somebody’s pocket, it literally means he or she has bribed the person to the extend he or she can’t dare to harm him in any way or by any means, leave alone dare to think of him be arrested.
Thus, the other argument (in audio records) authoritatively insists that that “President al-Bashir can never be arrested in an African country”, because of “Fear of him” and not “Solidarity with him”. It bluntly reveals that “President al-Bashir has all the African head of states “in his pocket” and that “he takes every African president for granted” and he was dead sure that nobody could have dared to arrest him”. This serious allegation means that Sudan government virtually bribed and / or corrupted all the African head of states and their governments. So in that sense, al-Bashir is not only committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, but he is also polluting the entire Continental body politics with one most demonic and infernal diseases!!
(4) “Mama NCP” degrades African leaders
A few weeks before the “great escape” episode, a Sudanese comedian, who was emulating himself as “Mama NCP” (Sudan’s ruling party) and acting as a wise and experienced adviser to Sudan’s “First Lady” have released a play in which she sarcastically laughs at African head of states.
She calls the “First Lady” and gives her counseling on who to be invited to the inaugural dinner party to be organized by the “First Lady”. Hear her saying her remarks on African leaders:
“Hello darlings, the first-lady, how are you, God bless you. Darling, listen to this very important protocol arrangement. Please put the names of your invitees in clean order. I know you can do, just to remind you. Do not forget that the name of His Majesty, King Suleiman of the Holy Land (Saudi Arabia) should be on the top of the list. He is the guest of all guests. The name of the Egyptian President (His Excellency president Sisi) should be the second on the list. Names of the Gulf Sheikhs should come third in order”.
Remarkably, “Mama NCP” deliberately avoided mentioning African head of states.
When the First-lady asked her whether “those Africans” could be invited, “Mama NCP” then squeezed her face and said: “What!!! Afriii?….Afffroofro?….Aficanius. Mmmme. Well, in case the Gulfs are not coming then you may invite them.” And then She reminded the First-lady and told her that: “Those guys eat a lot of food, so you better be aware. They just come for food and that is all. Remember what we need most in the coming five years are the Gulfs and not those. Those, we can have them anytime and anywhere”.
(5) What “Lion of Africa” symbolizes?
Sudan ruling party (the National Congress Party-NCP) officially gave Sudan’s president al-Bashir the title “Lion of Africa”. As one analyst observed, the name was carefully selected and has particular significance and message. The analyst is of the view that, depicting al-Bashir as a “Lion of Africa” means he is the “the King of Africa’s jungle”, and that everybody else can be anything else, except Lion. The rest can be Giraffes, hyenas, elephants, birds, zebras and so on and so forth. But after all the Lion remains the “King of all animals”
(6) With him free, the victims will pay more
It should be considered that, this South Africa’s ill-judged decision has not only dealt a profound and deadly blow to the flourishing South African judicial system and opened all kinds of speculations about the viability of the rule of law and further damaged the already diminishing capability and eroding reputation of the ICC and exposed the court as a toothless mechanism. But most importantly the encounter encouraged the perpetrator who is a “free-fugitive” to gain more impunity and unleash an uncurbed vengeance against the victims in Darfur, N. Mountains and the B. Mile.
The author is the head of external relations of the Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minawi (SLM-MM) Sudanese Revolutionary Front secretary of humanitarian affairs. He is reachable at [email protected]