'King of Kings,' oh Lord of Lords: Gadhafi drives home his point, again

July 4, 1:43 PMAfrica Headlines ExaminerIsaac Ugbabe

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Africa Headlines Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Gadhafi, 'king of kings,' at the AU summit in Sirte, Libya
(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The 13th African Union (AU) summit is currently underway in Libya, home nation of its incumbent chairperson, Col. Muammar Gadhafi. Officially, the theme is  “Invest in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security,” but if the proceedings of the last summit are anything to go by, there will surely be a didactic digression from more organic issues. As reported by the BBC, the 12^th summit had to be extended by a day as Col. Gadhafi tried to convince attendees of the pressing need to form a United States of Africa. Several African heads of state viewed this as wishful thinking, and openly disagreed with his call for, amongst other things, a single market (even as burdensome trade barriers within the continent continued to stifle development). It wasn’t enough that Gadhafi had circulated a document prior to the meeting reminding them he’d recently been named “king of kings” by a group of 200 African traditional rulers; he’d have to wait for a better opportunity to win over Africa’s presidents and prime ministers.

At the 13^th summit, it comes as no surprise that Gadhafi has reiterated his plans for a continental federation, and we anticipate further mention of his belief in one-party politics. This follows his autocratic suggestion that democracy in Africa inevitably causes violence. Reuters news agency quoted the North African leader as saying, "[African] parties are tribal parties - that is what has led to bloodshed." He went on to use Libya, a country he’s ruled since 1969, as an example of successful African governance.

More immediate concerns at the 13th summit, including the escalating conflicts in failed-states like Somalia and a global recession that threatens to hit Africa the hardest, will also be competing for the panel’s attention. However, the hammering out of an agreement on Friday to strengthen the AU’s defense and trade negotiating powers, makes it clear that Gadhafi, champion of AU empowerment, is indeed winning them over.  

The summit is being staged in Gadhafi’s birthplace, Sirte, which as reported by the BBC, isn’t the most accessible of locations, “a hot and bumpy four hour drive from the Libyan capital Tripoli.” Diplomats and journalists have poured in to find there's no room in any of the hotels, and have been forced to seek shelter in a Greek cruise ship moored in the harbor; not quite the nativity scene, but nonetheless cramped. And although two of the three intercontinental invitees, Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are noticeably absent, the more respected of the three, the wiser man if you will, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has crossed jungle, ocean and desert to witness the spectacle.

President Obama, if invited, would have been late; his first trip to Africa as ‘leader of the free world’ is scheduled for next week. Even though the Obama administration, like the AU, has made the continent’s agricultural security one of its top priorities, Reuters news agency reveals there’s been just as much mention of trade relations, particularly surrounding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which, incidentally, is more focused on trade with America than on trade within Africa. Then there’s the itinerary: He’ll only be visiting Ghana, the nation he’s holding up as a paragon of good governance. In an interview with AllAfrica, President Obama said, “You’re not going to get investment without good governance.” And he added, “Countries that are governed well…where leadership recognizes that they are accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one person, [such countries] have a track record of producing results for the people.” If asked, he would probably have had something equally doctrinaire to say about other key issues at the AU summit, namely the body’s decision, reported by Reuters, to ignore an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on charges of human rights abuses in the Darfur region. Gadhafi, the BBC claims, has repeatedly accused the court of delivering “warped justice.”

Whoever has the final say on Africa, be it the king of kings or “the chosen one”, we hope for the sake of its citizens, united in their humanity if nothing else, that it won’t take a miracle to resuscitate the economy, and that no more blood will be spilled on a messianic leader’s behalf.