Some Thoughts on Ghana, (just a few)

Both the history and the current state of African politics and economics are drenched in complexities. Where Africa stands relative to modern capitalist world economic powers leaves the continent in a position of dependency and open to exploitation. After fifty years of political independence, many regions remain unstable, impoverished, and unable to either compete with global powers or become self sustaining.
Although many great thinkers have brought forth various ideas about where African politics and economics should head, there are three perspectives which will be discussed here. These hypotheses were, quite obviously, founded on the events and issues corresponding to Africa during the era in which they were conceived. Although the ideas can conflict, the reader should keep in mind that each theory is backed by passion, logic, and an earnest desire to invest in the resurrection of the Mother Land and her children.
During the first wave of African independence, Ghana was an example of statism being used in an effort to expedite modernization. Kweme Nkrumah may have intended on transforming Ghana into a trend setter in the eyes of the west. His economic plans for the country included varied agriculture and industry working symbiotically. In The Origins of Modern African Thought, Robert William July states “Productivity had to be increased significantly and changed from subsistence farming to a commodity cultivation carefully designed to provide adequate food for a steadily rising population while supplying local industry with raw materials and producing cash crops which could pay for necessary imports”(July 2004, 470). His method for application was to centralize economic power and planning which included establishing one party-rule of the state. It should be noted, however, that a one party state may have been an effort to create a sense of nationalism and unity within Ghana as well.
Under British colonial rule, Ghana exported cocoa to a degree that verged on excluding crop diversification. To combat this problem, Nkrumah directed attention towards other potential exports such as rubber, coffee, palm products and tobacco. Diversifying Ghana’s exports could potentially protect against price fluctuations felt by international markets (July 2004, 470). Nkrumah’s plans seemingly relied on a little of everything, taking a somewhat “post-modern view… that Africa uses whatever works” (Hudson 2009). In this case, at the birth of African independence, Ghana was attempting to diversify its assets and compete in a modern economic paradigm.
The goals appear honest and sincere, but many problems were to arise with the attempt to modernize and the use of statism. The centralization of the government brought about the socialization of the agricultural system and, thus, diminished wages for farmers who began migrating to urban areas. The government took control of the cocoa industry which was sold on the international market at inflated prices while the cocoa farmers saw less and less of their earnings. Also, larger cities contained government run centralized facilities such as universities, hospitals and other such “modern” services. Urban centers had high unemployment rates and the farmers struggled.
Ghana’s attempt at industrialization was somewhat blunderous. A canning plant intended to can about 7,000 tons of mangoes per year was built and the cost was well over budget. Shortly thereafter, it was found that barely any wild mango trees grew in the region and that it would take years for new trees to bear fruit. Another example was the government’s attempt at creating a shoe industry. The shoe plants were located at a great distance from the cattle industry, making the necessary leather and tanning facilities nearly inaccessible (Koney 2006). Simply put, Ghana was experiencing urbanization without industrialization.
The International Monetary Fund invested in Nkrumah’s plans. In 1973, however, the IMF began asking for early reimbursement of the loans made towards the failed projects in Ghana (Hudson 2/10/09). Ghana remained underdeveloped and dependent on the West. As Mazrui said, “100 years of African colonial rule demands structural revolution to make right 500 years of systematic exploitation” (Mazrui 1986). Africa needed to be reinvested in by those that stole from the continent and reaped the benefits of such thievery. Included in this idea is debt relief for cases such as that of Ghana.
Many people believe that the only way for Africa to survive is to compete in a neo-liberal economic paradigm. It seemed as though Ghana made an attempt which only created a sustained dependency on the West and further exploitation from global investors. Africa began to try out new leadership styles. Examples include Rhodesia/Zimbabwe under Mugabe’s rule and Mandela’s South Africa (Hudson 2/12/09). Mugabe is an example of highly corrupted statism, as with Ghana, where the power wielding elite benefit at the expense of the masses. This type of exploitation is usually initiated under the cover of forming a national identity.
Centralized political and economic planning can be cause for hope as well, however. When centralized, an economy could potentially be more closely guided in the desired direction. As mentioned in the case of Ghana, although a failure in practice, statism may help expedite a nation’s leap into the 20th century after hundreds of years of systematic exploitation. Different types of systems, both economic and political, were toyed with to move towards the “structural revolution” Mazrui demands (Hudson 2009).
Surely there are those who are enamored with the idea of Sankofa, returning to an era before Africa was defiled by the West. It is true that before European influence Africa contained many rich kingdoms, economic systems and trade routes that had been well established for hundreds of years in some cases. Perhaps Africans can return to this era in some metaphorical sense, but the sheer fact of the matter is that there has been too much damage done to allow for the necessary unification and direction of the entire continent towards the application of Sankofa. The poverty and conflicts within Africa (which I would term the results of European intrusion) make the return home seem impossible.

Santa Claus Can Suck A ****

I am sick of Christmas, and especially Santa Claus. Yes, he was a real person. Yes, he was generous to the less fortunate. Perhaps he deserves recognition for that, but not in this way. If Christmas is supposedly a religious holiday, and Santa Claus is a saint, then shouldn't there be an underlying understanding that we should thank God for what we have and the people He has blessed with generosity? Instead, we surround ourselves with pagan symbolism, ignore our parents in favor of toys, and thank some fat, magical white guy. "Oh thank you, rich white man, for all these gluttonous possessions." Ok, ok, I know it's hard to see it that way. The only difficulty you are having right now in visualizing how useful this type of propaganda can be is that you have been trained from birth to accept these persuasions. So the next time you get ready to write "From Santa"on the tag of a new bicycle, think about how many hours you put in at work to buy it, and how blessed you are to have a job... and stop. Write YOUR name in the "From" spot. And when your children finish opening their presents, have a family prayer time in recognition of who really provided the gifts. This would be a much more appropriate celebration that would be closer to worship than the typical Christmas. Although hard to convince people of, the MOST appropriate version of Christmas would be a Christmas where we tear down the pagan symbols (i.e. Christmas trees and reindeer) and give away things to people who are in NEED of things. As people of the line of Abraham (PBUH) we have an obligation to provide people with basic necessities and, based on the luxurious Christmas's possible in America, we have more than enough to do that. God would be praised in that way.

Obama: Friend or Foe (Maybe Both)

So he won! I voted for him and I am excited about the future. At least, I'm much more excited than I was four years ago. I mean, it appears that he is the lesser of two evils. He's still a politician. He had to reject Jeremiah Wright for the campaign, and I guess we can all understand why. He can't complain about Israel, and I guess we can all understand that as well. I guess. He's just a politician, right? He's gotta play the game to win. What that means is that he's still the elite even if he is half black. Of course, you know, he's ALMOST acceptable to the system as a black man because they always have his white half in the back of their mind yet can still call him black. I'm sure he'll help incite changes in the government, but we must never forget that although individuals are to blame for certain decisions it is the ENTIRE SYSTEM AS IT STANDS TODAY that supports and gives rise to the elitists within it. Will he talk of reparations (whether one agrees with the idea or not, it should be discussed)? Will he help every non-white and/or poor person in prison be retried by a jury of their peers? Will he admit that Jeremiah Wright is more sane than most people? Well I believe the answers to questions like this lie in the simple fact that the system itself will not allow him to- whether he wants to or not. Please, just don't forget that Obama is not some sort of savior, he's a politician.

White Girl Repatriates to Africa

Damn, this is not something I really like to think about, but I know someone has to. I honestly hate the fact that I have to even think about what color my skin is. It wouldn’t be an issue in my mind if people hadn’t told me to look at it. People think I’m crazy, but I really feel like I relate to and feel patriotic about Africa and not western culture. People don’t take me seriously because of that, like I can’t possibly mean the things I say or understand the things I claim to. Racism and what’s called “post-colonialism” are direct causes of what Mandela refers to as “two features of African life in South Africa…. poverty and lack of dignity.” I am sickened by the way Western Europe has destroyed the lives and wills of billions of people and has touched every inch of the earth with a destructive force. It is not to say that every single person in or descended from the region is an asshole. In my experience, however, I think most white people don’t understand the gravity of their “little biases”. At this point, ignorance is not an excuse. I think Africa needs to be repatriated, especially by the good people living in Babylon, regardless of their color, because they understand how Babylon works and, perhaps, how to fight fire with fire. I think everyone came from Africa and Europe has used it as the continent of resources and resorts for too long. I think that every country involved in colonialism and/or the African slave trade should be paying to develop the continent according to what Africans want. We owe it to them. And don’t ask me where the money would come from! We waste so much of the world’s resources that I’m sure we can figure something out… we always find a way to fund a war. I also don’t want to hear the freedom of choice bullshit…. Like Americans should be able to choose whether to give what they “own” because “freedom is the foundation of the United States.” We are so wasteful and sickeningly fat and spoiled that it’s sinful and we can’t blame starving or oppressed people for being angry at us for not only hoarding resources but also wasting them in a profuse manner while others suffer. Impoverished people (I mean physically and spiritually) don’t have freedom of choice. No one would talk about freedom of choice if they were watching their babies die of starvation and there is NOTHING you can do about it short of cutting off your own toe and feeding it to the emaciated, innocent creature looking up at you with forgiveness (pause to wipe eyes, blow nose). This is real, and every day in America we reap the benefits of other’s suffering. And what do we really get? Dependency on the murderers to keep us comfortable and separate from those we rob, because it’s too hard to accept. So we aren't free either. It’s happening right now, as I’m watching my cable television talk at me about Jeremiah Wright being just some “angry black man”…. I wonder why.

A Breif Overview of the Use and Reverance of Cannibis

Throughout history, human beings have attempted to use the plants around them to improve their quality of life. Through trial and error we have learned a great deal about what natural resource best serves what purpose. Certain plants ease certain maladies while others supply nutrition or thread. There is, however, one plant that seems to stand out as an amazingly renewable and versatile resource. The various strains of cannabis available to mankind have contributed to such a degree as to become a component of spirituality to many - revered as a blessing.

The book of Exodus, in the Old Testament, records an ancient recipe for anointing oil. This included about six and a half liters of olive oil along with over nine pounds of flowering cannabis tops, Hebrew “kaneh-bosm.” In the Temple of Solomon, 20,000 incense burners were passed around filled with kaneh-bosm, followed by the biggest meal of the week. The title “Christ” is Greek, means “Anointed One”. The title in itself at least implies that Jesus was anointed in the typical method used for Hebrew kings who were completely soaked in the oil.

After the discovery of the Book of Law (1 Kings 23), the holy anointing oil was associated with pagan worship and banned. Some sects of Judaism still practiced the older religion in secret, waiting for another Messiah-king of the line of David. For these people, amongst others, Jesus was the return of the Jewish Messiah-kings, and the holy anointing oil re-emerged. There are many parallels between the anointing of Saul and David by Samuel in the Old Testament and the anointing of Jesus by John the Baptist including “visions” (Herer, pages 232-235). Today we would call it a “high”. To the ancients, it might have been referred to as “being possessed with the spirit of the Lord”.

Hundreds of years later, another social movement invited cannabis into their traditions. After their discovery of cannabis, certain Sufi Muslims came to believe it held the spirit of the prophet Elijah. The legend of the Sufi master Sheik Haidar of Khorasan’s personal discovery of cannabis is one of the earliest known narratives about the intoxicating effects. For Sufis, eating ma’joun, a chewy cannabis confection was part of worship. According to Sufi al-Is’irdi there was a hidden benefit in cannabis use which allowed the user to experience peaks of disembodied understanding.

Scythians probably spread cannabis use along with goddess worship through the Near East on to Europe. Their version of a goddess mother of life and death was Rhea Krona. In Scythian mythology, she would reap her children after their death with a scythe. This agricultural tool, named after the Scythians, had been designed for reaping cannabis harvests. Popular images today depict The Grim Reaper with a scythe stemming from this mythology. Herodotus told of the Scythians use of cannabis in the fifth century BCE:

“On a framework of tree sticks, meeting at the top, they stretch pieces of woolen cloth. Inside this tent they put a dish with hot stones on it. Then they take some hemp seed, creep into the tent, and throw the seed on the hot stones. At once it begins to smoke, giving off a vapour unsurpassed by any vapour bath one could find in Greece. The Scythians enjoy it so much they howl with pleasure.”

One group of ancient worshipers worth mentioning is those of the goddess Ashera. Ashera seemed to be revered even by the Hebrews. Supposedly, King Solomon burned incense to Ashera, Queen of Heaven. Images of Ashera often depict her holding snakes, and her worshipers believed the serpent in the Garden of Eden was sent by her. The Tree of Knowledge was cannabis and brought enlightenment to the earth when the serpent advised Eve to ignore the male god’s command not to partake of it. Worshipers praised her for the knowledge she brought through the Tree of Life.

Although some argue that there may be negative consequences to cannabis use, it has been noted as one of the least harmful medicines available, even today. Ancient Egyptians knew well the ability of cannabis to heal. They were some of the first people outside of Asia to discover the antiseptic and analgesic properties of the plant. However, neither Egypt nor Europe knew of the psychoactive properties of the plant until the middle ages when crusaders and Arabs spread Cannabis Sativa. Both the Egyptian and European climates had yielded mostly Cannabis Indica which contains much lower levels of THC.

The first documentation of cannabis in ancient Egypt was around 2,000 BCE. It was apparently used to treat eyesores and perhaps cataracts. Eber’s Papyrus (circa 1600 BCE) offers a treatment for gonorrhea where cannabis is ground in honey and administered to the vagina. It was also used in simpler maladies such as preparing a compound for in grown toe nails or enema preparations. According to Deodorus Siculus, a Sicilian Greek historian who lived from 90 BCE to 21 BCE, it was used to cure sorrow by Egyptian women as well.

During the Dark Ages, the Roman Catholic Church dispersed a number of edicts against scientific research, medical research in particular. Arabic medicine, however, was way ahead of it’s time. Their medical practices were delicate enough to perform cesarean sections as well as complicated eye surgery. Cannabis was used for numerous treatments ranging from swelling and post-partum depression to seizures and mania and was administered in various ways.

As mentioned, for some Sufi Muslims, cannabis holds the spirit of the prophet Elijah. Medieval alchemists such as Paracelsus also refer to Elias, which is equal to Elijah, when discussing Cannabis. A major contributor towards the practical use of cannabis during medieval times was a Benedictine monk and qualified Bachelor of Medicine named Francois Rabelais (1494-1553). He was familiar with the alchemical writings of the Sufis. One of Rabelais’s books, “Pentagruel”, being a metaphor for the good works of cannabis, was greeted with outrage by the Roman Catholic Church who considered it heretical. He was known to have taught common people Greek so that they could translate scriptures directly and prescribed cannabis to those who yearned for enlightenment, noting ignorance as a malady. One can assume this angered the Papacy further, eventually forcing Rabelais into exile and it is mainly unknown what happened to him thereafter. Rabelais even went on to consider cannabis the greatest of plants and spoke in great length about the transcendental properties available. He was completely enamored with the plant, always emphasizing the infinite beauty of it.

One of the most common medical uses of cannabis across the board has always been for labor pains during childbirth. This may be due to the fact that most deities associated with cannabis were female. The goddess Ashera in the Near East was closely associated with the Egyptian goddess Seshat, “Queen of the Seven Points.” However, there may be a more intricate aspect. Some active compounds in cannabis have a molecular resemblance to the female hormone estrogen. Although ancient peoples had no way of knowing this, many did know that menstrual fluid and cannabis were equally good fertilizers. Also cannabis seeds contain gamma linoleic acid which is only found in three other seed oils and human mother’s milk (notendur.centrum.is/~snorrigb/cult-fem.htm). Perhaps the connection between the fairer of the sexes and cannabis is instinctual. One very obvious reason for cannabis use during childbirth was that the only other option at any given point was opium which caused drowsiness among mother and child.

Hemp for textile use comes from the stalk of the cannabis plant. During the Middle Ages, flax was most widely used, but hemp held second place and was less costly. Even with church mandates against it, cannabis grew naturally from the northern Baltic region to southern Italy. It was easily accessible because of this. It was used in Europe for fuel in the form of oil and it was used for underclothing because it could me made to have a silky texture. It could also be used as a coarse fiber. The word “canvas” originates from cannabis and it was common for things such as dish towels to be made of it. Another common use was for cordage, particularly used for long bows since it was both strong and pliable (de Bonnevile, pages 67-78, 117, 312).

There are mass amounts of necessary nutrition in cannabis. Scythians ate it regularly. Throughout Europe it was used for gruel, and most ancients ate the seeds during travel at some point, especially nomads. Aside from the confections of the Near East, Polish, German and Russian natives made it into pies.

There are too many references and too much information about the uses and reverence of cannabis to be mentioned here. It appears that the only opponents of cannabis throughout known history have been those in a position of authority. Proponents of cannabis use in any form have felt oppressed and the common thread between them has been a desire for enlightenment, merriment, and good health. According to many, the oppression of cannabis use is a fight between good and evil. To this day, the fight continues.

To Compete or Not to Compete

Competition has a time and place in which it is appropriate. The one and only circumstance under which a person should compete is when the opponent is themselves. When one competes with their present self in order to see a better self in the future, great things can happen. We should all strive to win in the race for self improvement.

What does it mean if you win a competition at which you are more skilled or experienced? It simply means you are more skilled or experienced. What if the victor is left with the impression that they are the “best”? Where does he or she go next? Perhaps motivation is lost when one competes with others and wins. When competing with ones self, however, there is no limit to “best” because you are in a never ending rivalry with your present “best.”

It seems to me that even competition for food and other resources is a negative concept. It is true that other animals need to compete for necessities even to the point of what some would call violence. Be that as it may, human beings are very different in the sense that we can choose how we obtain resources, how we manage resources, and what resources we use. In this day and age, I feel that the human competition for resources is invalid. Human beings can manipulate the world around them in amazing ways. At this point in globalization, we should be united enough as a species to collectively compete with our present “best” using a conglomerate of our resources.

The idea of solely competing against yourself can be difficult, but it’s something I try to apply to my own life. In college, I have learned to compete academically with myself much more than against others. If my grades are improving, it doesn’t matter to me what grades my peers have. In the long run, I will have to deal with the grade listed under my name, not theirs.

It is true that competing against others can motivate a person to improve on a skill or ability. However, it is more productive to combine skills, abilities and talents for a common goal. At some point in evolution (both physical and mental), competition amongst humans was necessary not only for daily survival, but also as a platform on which to learn about the essence of competition. Today, I find it inefficient and immature in an evolutionary sense.

Love and the Plane of oneness

What is love? Where does it come from? Who and what are worthy of love? Is love positive, negative, neutral or a combination of the three? Is it even possible to explain love in earthly terms? I will attempt to answer some of these questions, but I make no promises.

Love, as far as I can tell, is the ability to project yourself and your connection with Allah into wanting the best for someone. Allah exists on a plane of oneness. It goes beyond mere connection. Everything (which also equals nothing, by the way) exists as one. Energy is still energy in any form. Love is what leads you to understand this oneness. Love taps into the connections that we all have to each other and the rest of existence (and non-existence, by the way).

As to whether love is positive or negative depends on one’s definition of positive and negative. If positive is all that’s “good” and negative is all that’s “bad” then love is positive. However, if your definition of positive and negative include the concept of balance then love plays a role on both ends. Without negative, there is no positive. Movement in either direction is positive in terms of the first definition because it equals balance which is a “good” thing. Love is balance- the way Allah holds the oneness together.

People often question, ‘who is worthy of love?” Well, since positive and negative are actually “positive” and we all exist on an infinite plane of oneness which is Allah, we are all equal and important and we each have a specific role in the balance that holds it together. Therefore, all forms of energy deserve love, the pathway to understanding the oneness and accepting it.