FOOTBALL IS THE OPIUM OF THE PEOPLE!

by Simeon Nkola Matamba (Follow on Twitter)

                     Karl Marx(1818-1883)

The man behind "religion is the opium of the people", Karl Marx, is not present to see how various entertainments now fit his description. The slogan that lowers the belief that religion is real and rational is very popular and still gets endorsements. Religion is identified to a drug relieving pain and creating fantasies for a short moment during which worries of life are on the wane as perceptions of the unseen are reinforced through spiritual exercising.

Today, more than religion, entairtenments fits Marx's view the best. The excitement around the ongoing World Cup competition is an example. From many countries around the world, hundreds of thousands of fans run to Brazil to support their team with songs, dances, shoutings and praises to exhaustion.

Those who can't travel connect to the event as games are broadcasted on TV. Every team has devoted worshipers and a talented priest in the forefront of the game. Argentina's Messi, Brazil's Neymar, or Portugal's Ronaldo are all charismatic figures worshipped by ecstatic supporters.

Last week when France beat Switzerland, on my Twitter timeline, the french whom I often see rant about their president and the disastrous economic situation were jubilating over their national team's performance. A wave of positivism and french pride was perceivable, as if de Gaulle had come back from the dead.

The amount of satisfaction people draw from football is amazing. When crises bash the people, football is one of the many exhaust pipes to let off pressure. More than letting of pressure, hardcore football fanatics with an extreme love for the game transcend in admiration and display emotions labelled as ridiculous only when manifested by churchgoers.

Marx's "religion is the opium people" is the opium of religion's opponents in that it makes them think repeating it parrot fashion will have an impact on religion. And football is the opium of the masses, with an increased support as its industry expands.


                         

HUMAN RIGHTS THROUGH AMERICAN GLASSES

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )


In response to the anti-gay bill signed by the ugandan president Yoweri Museveni in February, the Obama administration has announced retaliatory measures by cutting financial aid, imposing visa restrictions on ugandan citizens if proven to have contributed to human rights violations(gay rights), and canceling a scheduled military exercise with the ugandan army. Uganda's tough sanctions against homosexuality go as far as to life imprisonment. Following the White House decision, the Ugandan government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said:"Uganda is a sovereign country and can never bow to anybody or be blackmailed by anybody".

Gay rights evangelism has clearly become one of the hallmarks of Obama's foreign policy and his top priority, when the world would have wished to see him more comitted in addressing issues that can change the prevailing wrong image millions worldwide have about america and dispel the growing anti-US feeling.

"Human rights" for Obama means "gay rights" as he willingly ignores all human rights violations that he can stop. During the 2008 campaign for the presidency of the United States, in his rousing speeches accompanied by the famous "Yes We Can", he promised to close Guantanamo. Not only he hasn't kept his word, but he will probably never do as the end of his second term is looming. Guantanamo is a stain on the american flag because of brutal interrogative methods and torture reminiscent of Middle Ages' savagery.

Fighting against terrorism, president Obama sends drones that end up killing innocent civilians. Additionally, stunning revelations by Edward Snowden gave a glimpse of America's spying techniques utterly violating people’s privacy, going as far as to spy on leaders of other countries like Angela Merkel of Germany, or Dilma Roussef of Brazil.

The country that violates human rights on a daily basis, that established, funded and supported African dictators for decades, that created Al Qaeda, that perpetrates coups and  arms heartless fighters in Syria; wants to dupe the world with the gay rights campaign.

Uganda is one of many african countries ruled by a dictator. Human rights violations and nonsensical brutal policies are very common to the extent that a TV channel was recently banned for showing Museveni slumbering in the parliament. Museveni who has been in power for decades never suffers enmity with Washington when political opponents are brutalized or when ugandans are victims of poverty caused by the country's resources mismanagement. The US shamelessly backed Museveni's dictatorship for years and his human rights violations.

To show that the USA is being hypocrite as always, Saudi Arabia, one of the US strongest allies has more laws and policies in place not only against homosexuality but even more concerning women as they cannot drive cars. Qatar as well is one of those countries sticking to principles of islam and banning everything contrary to its teachings.

Due to the importance of their strategic alliances, Obama casts a blind eye because there is more to lose than to win by threatining to stop relationships and cooperation with those two countries, unlike Uganda that lacks leverages in relations with the US to be taken seriously.

Nevertheless, either financial aid or not, ugandans are not fazed. Only officials that had an interest in aid flows have lost one of their sources of revenue. Repression against opponents and poverty will continue as the american top human rights chief will be playing golf.

But this issue is a good occasion to remember that african countries can survive without assistance. There is a good opportunity for africans to focus on their own potentials because Washington and European Union's aids are insignificant compared to what we can achieve ourselves. Africa as a whole can be a partner that will have a say in the world and more leverages than Saudi Arabia or Qatar if we work to position ourselves in the universe of nations. Then there will be no room for blackmail when we vote laws on par with our values and beliefs.

                       
     
                       

ACTIVISM: THE NEED TO ACT WITH A NEW PERSPECTIVE

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

From day one of our physical existence, either consciously or unconsciously, we have a drive to fight for rights bestowed upon us by the Almighty. And beyond the scope of our private lives, we oppose the ever increasing level of injustice in the world, claiming rights of the oppressed by denunciations, online activism, petition signing, and the like. Imperialism, dictatorship, human rights violations, terrorism and all vices trigger a humane reflex to the extent that it is impossible for one to hold their peace.

Famous human rights fighters and supporters remain unconstested examples and sources of inspiration. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, or Martin Luther King Jr are among the most notorious ones in terms of recent history. Those were fighters of freedom, human rights and equality of all races.

But there is a disparity today when we consider methods they once resorted to for reaching their goals and win their battles compared to what we are doing. To them fighting meant sacrifice as far as to be rentrenched from the living. It is obvious that we are less effective. Activism that meant taking action and fully committing oneself for a cause is fading.

Today's battles are fought on sofas,  or behind computers as we relentlessly send thousands and millions of posts on social networks, sometimes in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. Our popular struggles though legitimate suffer from a lack of strategy and approach to have things moved ahead.

Not long ago the world was moved by the incident that took place in a stadium where the brazilian player Dany Alves was thrown a banana at. In a smart move, Alves ridiculed the person who threw the fruit by eating it. As a result, days that followed saw Twitter and Facebook being filled with pictures of people around the globe with peeled bananas in support to the player but mainly with the intent of fighting racism. But the question is: how does a banana picture tackle racism?

To mention another example, the more than 200 girls' abduction in Nigeria had a larger social network impact. The slogan "#BringBackOurGirls" went viral and became a meme which has seen a timid version of it, "#BringBackOurBoys", referring to the three boys kidnapped in West Bank by a terrorist organisation according to Israeli authorities. But simply showing sympathy towards grieved families of victims or spreading the word to get the world aware as said above cannot solve problems.

A cosmetic commitment is the least one can do and think they have done something. But more must be done. We cannot be proud of Mandela, Dr King, Ghandi or any other soldier of freedom and justice if we do not take solid action.

The Arab Spring despite its mitigated results was a great example of what can be done when the struggle ceases to be cosmetic and when one knows that they are risking their lives for a cause. Though social medias were used to raise public awareness, toppled presidents in Egypt and Tunisia resigned because of the people's resilience and no intent to give up, as they prolonged demonstrations.

Therefore, activists must endow themselves with a new perspective. Action must have an impact on the actor. Action cannot leave the actor unscathed. There is always a price to pay for what we do no matter how small it is. We look at scars with pride and see how strong we were to go through hard times and remain standing. And a work is valued when we run out of energy but reap benefits. It shows that our commitment must reach another dimension where we don't just tweet or pull an hashtag, but rather become soldiers in the battlefield.


           

BY THE BANKS OF THE RIVER

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )

By the banks of the river I sat
Watching endless rolling waves
Travelling with my reflection on the waters
So far for eyes to follow

I sat, hearing the humming water
Tears rolling down my cheeks
The river in me is flowing
As I think of Land beyond the river

Lightnings, thunders, winds and storms
Shaking me, threatening life
But also this river I am watching
Waves stirred by sea monsters

Darkening skies, darkening life
Lights of strength and health going off
No power for a new breath
No hope for mortals

By the banks of the river I stand
As from afar I can see
Like a dot coming closer
Finally to look like a Ball of Light

In the beginning God created the world
And His Spirit moved upon the waters
Faster than the speed of my life's light
Upon the waters it comes to take me

In Fire Ball I am wrapped
Storms, lightnings, wind smiting behind
Travelling faster than the speed of light
My condition has come to change

I crossed the river, fading memories
I have come to the Haven of rest
Sun always shining, eversweet wind
All is beauty, all is peace

By the banks of the River I sit
This River of Life I have found
This River boiling in me
And its waters the thirsty desire



                       

AFRICA:  THE DISSONANCE IN ECONOMICS

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )


For last years news have been awash with reports of growth in african economies. Apart from BRICS and asian economies' emergence, Africa is also drawing attention. To mention but a few countries, Nigeria has been recently promoted the first african economy, ahead of South Africa, after a GDP rebasing. Also, the war torn Democratic Republic of the Congo is believed to be experiencing growth in GDP(7 to 8 % between 2012 and 2013). Not forgetting Ghana, Angola, etc .

The African Development Bank foresees a 4.8%  expansion of average growth in 2014 and 5.7%  in 2015. Updates of numbers, figures, curves, graphs enhance the "Africa Is Rising" creed, in spite of the fact that not everybody can fathom their significance.

But contrary to what it should be, increased GDPs surprisingly don’t directly influence populations' daily lives. Though economists would like to demonstrate that the rise is coming, nothing so far dispels the feeling that things are moving on the opposite direction. For the child who wakes up to find no food, the father who keeps his head down in shame because he cannot keep the bread on the table, or the mother selling coal at the market to support her family, growth is nonexistent.

The large majority is not ready to believe in any idea of growth. Not because production is not expanding but rather because of the persistent precarity in access to basic goods and services. African countries still have high levels of unemployment, famine(239 million undernourished according to estimations by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation ), lack of infrastructures, poor health care systems causing rulers to brazenly go abroad for treatments, wars and endless conflicts. The list is not exhaustive.

Growth alone is not enough, as showed Tresor Chovu (@chovenstone) a congolese business negotiator I encountered on Twitter. To growth must be added the notion of fair distribution of wealth and opportunities. One of the main causes of not sensing growth is the corruption scourge that does not facilitate an organised allocation of benefits of growth to different sectors of the economy. Institutionalised corruption is sand in Africa's machine, blocking the steering movement so as to near development

Fair distribution does not mean dishing out bank notes or organising charity-style events that we often see when a politician goes out to test their popularity and feed their ego with the poor coming out to sing praises.

There are a some areas that can be considered for improving living conditions. For instance education, health care, agriculture, or energy. A good education resulting in a skilled population in various domains is a great factor of  development and it also enables workers to get rewards based on their qualification. Efforts to create sustainable and affordable health care will lengthen life expectancy, halt the spreading of diseases or at least visibly reduce them. Agriculture's role as one of the key areas to attain food security must not be downplayed as Africa houses 60% of the world uncultivated land. Outstanding potentials for energy need to be focused on because energy is of paramount importance for households, as well as individuals and firms in production chains.

Novices in economics are more concerned about their living conditions. Obviously we want to believe that Africa is rising but what matters most is to see the rise of the african man. It is achieved when respective governments deal with priorities with the aim of lessening the burden of life upon people's shoulders. Showers of figures-there are also critics to the growth narrative-cannot blot out poverty unless there is impulsions in concrete projects aimed at improving living conditions. That is what we need.



                   

RELIGION IS NOT THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD

by Simeon Nkola Matamba ( Follow on Twitter )



As always, religions keep witnessing an increase in the number of followers. Predictions that technology and development would wipe off religions or cause the whole world to embrace materialism and atheism are being proven wrong. On the contrary, technology's instruments are now vehicles for all groups to reach out and impart beliefs and philosophies. Also, mass medias are well integrated in religious activities.

With teachings to regulate the lifestyle of followers, different levels of interpretation determine the scope of someone's conduct and involvement in social life. Loathsome religious fanaticism is an example. Though jihadists' acts are more notorious, the Middles Ages' persecution by the catholic church widely known as "The Inquisition" against heretics cannot be disregarded. Wars have been fuelled by religious motives and continue to be.

It opens the door for religious critics to holler. In an advanced world where humane feelings and peace must prevail, religions are seen as disruptive. Slogans uttered parrot fashion reinforce that impression as it is easy to believe such when the propensity to view religions as vicious is big.

But not all wars and crimes are motivated by religious points of view. Despite extremist groups like Boko Haram that recently abducted over 200 girls in the name of islam, and several other extremist groups, a greater responsibility resides at another level. The civilized world  keeps producing more weapons and means of destruction that contribute to destroying mankind in the name of technological progress. The danger it represents is above all what religious extremists put together can do.

The Second World War itself is familiar with bloodthirsty characters Hitler and Stalin whose cruelty is almost unparalleled. Their actions can't be blamed on religion but their egos.

Fanatics warring to impose beliefs and moral codes cannot do it all alone. They walk hand in hand with science-weapons- meant to liberate the world from barbarism and religious nonsense.

Al Qaeda, the most famous terrorist organisation initially founded to fight the USSR in 80s could not exist without the support of the USA. Advocates of human rights and peace trigger troubles only to blame religious fanatics. It also applies to Boko Haram with last year's reports about its suspicious funding. Also in Syria, jihadists fallaciously called "syrian rebels" benefit from sustained support from western capitals to topple Bachar All Assad.

Religions are not the enemy of the world. Religions speak of justice, peace and love towards neighbours. There is a minority of fanatics that cannot be mixed with the majority. And, most of all, western powers use fanatics as proxies for conflicts they don't want to be direclty involved in. Thus it cannot always be blamed on religion. Religion has neither face nor adress. It must be blamed on evildoers, men and women using religion as a cover for wickedness and cowardice to assume their acts.