An Eulogy to a Great Revolutionary

They say, "the valiant never taste of death but once". I would agree. No leader embodies the meaning of this adage more than Fidel Castro does. After surviving multiple assassination attempts, he gave up the ghost at a ripe old age and on his own terms. Such is the befitting end to the captivating life of a true revolutionary. And his story will be told for generations to come. He will stand tall in the annals of history as a true revolutionary. 

I was filled with sadness when I learned of his death on November 25 2016 at the age of 90. Castro was a divisive and controversial figure through out his life. To those who did not like him, he was viewed as a ruthless dictator. But to those who loved him, he will be remembered as a freedom fighter - one who dedicated his life to the fight against, injustice, imperialism and colonial rule all over the world. A true revolutionary who stood up for his people and refused to be pushed around by the most powerful nations of the world. I am one of those who love him. As an African, who knows and understands the history of the role Castro played in liberating many African countries, I have nothing but love and admiration for him.

At his finest hour, Castro sent Cuban troops into Angola, Mozambique and Namibia to help fight what was then the increasingly hostile military adventurism of South Africa's apartheid regime towards its neighbors. The apartheid regime had a policy of de-stabilizing the newly independent African countries along the South African border, as these new sovereign nations provided weapons, training and asylum to black South African freedom fighters participating in the armed resistance against apartheid. Through its counter-insurgency activities along the South African frontier, the South African Defense Force (SADF) sponsored rebellions in Angola and Mozambique to try to de-stabilize these newly independent nations. This was a critical piece of the regime's strategy to suppress resistance to it's racist policies and preserve the apartheid system inside South Africa. You see the Afrikaner led apartheid regime was hell-bent on continuing its despicable white supremacist wet-dream well into the 21st century. 

When it's counter-insurgency operations failed to topple the Angolan government, the apartheid regime sent in the South African army to invade Angola (whose newly independent government was providing asylum to ANC freedom fighters) and tighten South Africa's occupation of Namibia. These events/wars started in 1975 as Angola/Mozambique moved towards independence from Portugal and lasted well into 1988. In the 14 years of the different theaters of the war, which collectively became known as the Angolan Bush War, Fidel Castro sent over 36,000 Cuban troops, doctors and personnel to aid the Africans (Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and black South African freedom fighters) in their fight against the apartheid government. 

During the decisive battles of the war in 1988 (known as the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale), it was the presence of Cuban troops on the ground, and their brilliant battlefield tactics, that helped defeat the apartheid regime. These events played a pivotal role in South Africa's withdrawal from Angola and its decision to end its occupation of Namibia, which ultimately led to Namibia's independence in March 1990. South Africa's defeat in Angola also led to the growing isolation of the apartheid regime, which put pressure on them to release Nelson Mandela from prison in February 1990. Mandela would go on to become the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994, an event which officially marked the end of apartheid.

So as far as I'm concerned, Fidel Castro is a BIG part of the African liberation story. He is the reason, or certainly a big part of the reason why the freedom fighters defeated the apartheid regime. So in my eyes, Fidel is an African Hero!! 

In addition to the central role he played in liberating many African nations, he also sent medical doctors, teachers and engineers to help with health care, education and construction projects. Growing up in Ghana, I saw with my own two eyes the millions of lives saved by the Cuban Medical Brigade. In the early 1990s as Ghana moved away from military rule towards multi-party democracy, medical doctors went on strike countless times to protest their working conditions and ask for higher wages. When the situation was hopeless, it was the Cuban Medical Brigade that stepped in and treated the sick. I was treated for malaria once, by one of these Cuban doctors. So Castro's impact on the under-privileged of the world, reached way beyond the battle fields of Southern Africa. 

You have led a life well lived El Comandante Fidel Castro. Rest now. Thank you for your service to the African people, to all oppressed people around the world and to all Humanity. Rest in Power.

My Tribute to Muhammad Ali

I would like to pay my respects to the late Muhammad Ali with this tribute. Ali lived a full life. He was the greatest boxer of all time but he fought and won the most important battle of his life without throwing a single punch. 

I am referring to when he was drafted to participate in the Vietnam war in 1967. For refusing to go to Vietnam, Ali was immediately stripped of heavyweight title, convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to 5 years in prison, fined $10,000 and was barred from boxing for 3 years. In refusing to be inducted into the US Army, Ali said, to paraphrase him..., "I have nothing against the Vietcong. They never called me nigger. They never enslaved my ancestors, neither did they lynch us or hang us from trees. I have nothing against those people and so I will not let a white man to order me to go kill a yellow man, with whom I have no quarrel with. I would rather die than dishonor the teachings of Allah by going to kill innocent people." 

Ali's comments shocked the nation but he stayed true to his convictions. He kept his honor. But more importantly, his refusal to go to Vietnam took away legitimacy from the war. His actions turned out to be the biggest blow to the US government's PR stunt to deceive Americans into supporting the war. The government had lied to the good American people that the US was fighting for freedom in Vietnam. But the reality was that Gen. William Westmoreland, the general in charge of the US effort in Vietnam, was pursuing a genocidal war of attrition, with the goal of killing as many North Vietnamese as possible using deadly incendiary bombs such as napalm and chemical weapons such as agent orange. 

Ali's refusal and growing antiwar sentiment, eventually led to public outcry when images of innocent people burnt to death by napalm bombs started showing up on US media. Once the American people realized the evil their government was perpetrating in Vietnam, they protested the US presence there. Ultimately the forces of good prevailed when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces under the leadership of Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap and the US military finally pulled out. 

Such was the character, greatness and conviction of Muhammad Ali. He truly is the greatest of all time.May he rest in eternal peace.

Happy birthday to my big bro Daniel Kalevor

Happy birthday in advance to one of my favorite people in this world - my older brother, Daniel Kalevor. Sometimes the noise of life prevents us from appreciating loved ones that have played a pivotal role in defining who were are. But such occasions give us a reason to pause, and really take stock of the people whose love and nurturing has materially defined the course of our lives. For me, one such person is my brother Daniel. There are others, but today, I'm using your birthday to sing your praises.

For me, whose father (our father) passed away when I was barely 2 years old, Daniel, was really the older brother/father figure whom I looked up to in the formative years of my life. When I was an exceptional student in elementary school in Nsawam and I had to be jumped ahead a couple grade levels, it was Daniel, who came to speak with the Headmaster (aka Principal) of my school (the great Mr. Frank Obeng, RIP) to make that happen. When it was time to choose a boarding school for high school, it was Daniel who played the deciding factor, in my choice of Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School - arguably the best high school in Ghana based on academic record and achievement. I was so desperate to follow in his footsteps, as that was his alma mater also.

It was Daniel who nurtured my interest and curiosity in history, global affairs and an unrelenting curiosity about the world around me. He was on popular radio quiz shows in Ghana, winning prizes and making us proud. He was on the 'What do you know" Quiz show a few times in the 1990s and each time he contested he won. He was on the "Sunlight University Challenge" in 1996 and although his team, Atlantic Hall, from the University of Cape Coast, lost in sudden death/overtime, by a slim margin, everyone in Nurses' Quarters, Nsawam, where I grew up, saw his gallant fight and I got the street cred for it. "Yeah, that's my big brother" I used to brag. If you're a 12 year old kid and you look up to a guy like that, how would this not make you feel good about yourself?

When it came time for me to enroll at the Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, it was Daniel, who took me to school, helped me get settled on my first day of boarding school. It was my first time away from home, so I was terrified. But he was there to encourage me every step of the way, visiting on weekends, as often as his schedule would allow. When I was awarded the best performing student at the year 2000 SSSCE from Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, along with 3 other graduates, again, Daniel accompanied me to receive my award. I believe my sister Pearl was there too. When it was time to go to university, Daniel, yet again, was the one who took to Legon on my first day on campus to help with the mind-numbing registration process.

He was the one consistent, recurring figure that was always there in those formative years. I know, as we both got older, we used to occasionally bump heads every once in a while - after all we are both alphas, but I have never doubted your love, loyalty and sense of duty to your family. Thank you for all you do for our family. You're the best big brother anybody could ever ask for. May the best years lie ahead of you. Indeed, may the best years lie ahead of us. I'm there for you as you've always been there for me. Happy birthday brother.