Sweet Liberia

I am convinced that the truce is holding for now in Liberia, however I am not totally convinced that Taylor will step down at all for the formation of an Interim government excluding him. This is a man that have been to many of such peace talks, and after he left and returned to Liberia, withdrew his signature by doing the contrary to what was agreed upon in the first place. My current concern is that people in Liberia are still dying of malnutrition, cholera, malaria and starvation. What most people don’t understand is that these can account for more deaths than those taken be the barrel of the gun. These are all silent killers stalking the population of Liberia. The international community must work towards curbing the spread of these diseases.,

Is Taylor willing to leave Liberia and get process? There is nothing called trial for Taylor at the court in Sierra Leone. There are tons of witnesses lined up to testify against him. He killed the Sierra Leonean war Lords with the hope of avoiding credible witnesses been put on the stand against him. Too bad Mr. Taylor you are going down come what may. My only concern is who will care for the little children he had by the little girls in Liberia. How will they feel when they grow up and find out that their father was the worst leader in Africa, second to none?

Well I bet that will be the responsibility of their mothers.

I am still pondering over the objective of the two rebel groups, LURD and MODEL. Are they coming to liberate or to rule? If anyone have the answer to my question please send me e-mail. There is no way the gun that Liberate will ever rule in Liberia anymore. If this is to ever happen, I will make fighting them my primary objective for the rest of my life.

I can only sit and hope for the best in Liberia. The best thing that can happen for Liberia Now is the stepping down of Taylor and him been processed by the International tribunal in Freetown. We can only hope for the speedy deployment of a monitoring force in Liberia and the peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Here is a copy of the Liberian Peace Agreement that was signed in Ghana.

As we celebrate the day of the African child, I can only sit and ponder on the fate of the children of Africa. The African child’s day celebrated on the 16th of June every year is to commemorate the 1976 Killings of the African school children in South Africa, who took to the streets to protest their living conditions during the apartheid era. They felt the need to be educated in their own language, and not that of the oppressors. In 1991 the organization of African Unity set this date aside to remember the African child. The theme for this year’s celebration is: 'Popularizing the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.' The choice of this theme I believe was good idea. It serves as a reminder to all Africans what our forefathers envisioned for the African child. During the conference in 1991, this charter was written, and it is imperative that we as Africans act upon what is written on those pages.


How many African children actually know what it means to be a child? Not too many. Unfortunately, many children don’t know what peace really is. They were conceived during the time of war, and the only way of life they are familiar with is war. Some are forced to become the head of their families when their parents succumb to the deadly AIDS. Others are forced into child labor, and some become ruthless solders for heartless warlords all over Africa. In some African countries, men in high Governmental positions use their status to prey on young boys and girls.


It is time for Africa and Africans to give our children a normal life. We have to provide the most conducive environments where our children can once more live like the African children, where they can have access to education and affordable health care. African leaders must think about the future of Africa. How can Africa have a future when the children of Africa are not provided with the environment where they can be bred and nurtured into good future leaders?

Until we make the African child a primary objective, the future of Africa will remain questionable. We cannot achieve a great Africa in all aspects of life until we empower the children. The children is our future, we must invest in them.

Today is also the birthday of my brother Jerry; I wish him a happy birthday.


“United we stand, divided we fall”

God Bless the African Child. Long live Africa.

I finally picked up my cable modem from my ISP yesterday. I am connected via cable modem as of now, and can actually blog at night when my thoughts are flowing. I also worked on my FTP server most of yesterday. It is now up and running. There are a lot of goodies to download from there. Send me an e-mail and I will reply with the address of the server.

I am also closely monitoring the current mayhem in the capital of my country Monrovia. I pray that God provides security for all those innocent civilians that are caught up in the middle of this senseless war.

Why can’t we strive for peace in Africa? Africa is a continent full of potential. Africans should be focusing on creating opportunity for potential young Africans and not creating a bleak future.

AIDS, Faming, and Malaria are currently the primary causes of death in most African countries. Civil wars and the ethnic cleansing that goes along with them has also made a significant contribution to deaths in Africa. Are Africans too dumb to know that united we will definitely stand? It is evident that divided we have indeed fallen. Power and voracity, I believe are the root to most of our problems in Africa.

How can we jointly fight to eradicate AIDS, Malaria, and farming that have threatened our survival, when we are killing one another by the thousands? Wake up mother AFRICA!!!!! Wake up!!!!!!!! Is been black a cursed?

Was there another black male or female in the Garden of Eden that we never heard of, and was cursed by God? Did God cast a spell of eternal confusion, inability to reason, hater of peace and tranquility on this individual, and his or her offspring?

Can’t we learn to live in peace? Are the barrels of the gun the only feasible way to solve a problem? Remember, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Stop the fighting; make us proud of our nationalities ones more. Let the positive vibes start coming out of the motherland. Once we stop the senseless fighting, together we can all build a stronger Africa for all black people. We can then tackle the problem of AIDS that is plaguing our continent and threatening our very existence.


Jambo

Here is a report from the voice of America.

Liberian Rebels Demand President's Resignation
VOA News
09 Jun 2003, 00:01 UTC


Delayed peace talks on Liberia are set to resume in Ghana Monday, in the wake of renewed fighting around Liberia's capital, Monrovia.

Liberia's main rebel group pushed to the outskirts of Monrovia, Sunday, sending thousands of already displaced people fleeing towards the city center.

The rebel group, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, issued an ultimatum to President Taylor Saturday, giving him three days to step down or face a new offensive to take the capital.

In a statement, the rebels said they do not recognize Mr. Taylor as the leader of Liberia, but as a wanted international criminal.

Mr. Taylor has been indicted by a United Nations-backed tribunal for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone.

The talks to end four-years of civil war were postponed last Wednesday as renewed fighting broke out and because envoys for another rebel group, known as MODEL, had yet to arrive.

Mr. Taylor now controls less than half-the country.

But, the Liberian leader has remained defiant, saying the capital will not fall into rebel hands. He said government troops drove the rebels back during fierce fighting Saturday. The offensive is one of the largest the rebels have made on Monrovia since they began their campaign four years ago to oust Mr. Taylor, himself a former rebel leader.

The U.N. backed war crimes court for Sierra Leone indicted Mr. Taylor last week in connection with atrocities committed by groups he supported during the 10-year conflict. The world body has accused him of amassing a fortune by fomenting regional instability.


Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Current Situation in Liberia

It is crazy in Liberia right about now. Rebels are advancing towards the capital of Monrovia. We also had a football game today. It is part of the qualification for the African cup of nations. Liberians are one strange group of people. They played an International soccer match despite all the heavy fighting going on around the outskirt of the capital. The game was against the Ethiopian national team, and we manage to win the game 1-0.

Taylor has finally been indicted for crimes against humanity. How long did this have to take? I understand it was to coincide with his arrival in Ghana, did they achieve their goal? They surely did not. The Ghanaians claimed they allowed Taylor to return home in the Interest of peace. PEACE!!!! Is that the new word for the total bloodshed that is going on in Liberia? I have only one word for the Ghanaian authorities. “Town trap is not for rat alone.” When you disappoint an individual you can easily be forgiven, but when you disappoint a people as desperate as Liberians, it takes a while for you to be forgiven.

The authorities in Ghana believed that allowing Taylor to depart their country was the best decision. I hope they made a sound decision, but I strongly believed that if Taylor was arrested, we would have been singing a different song. I also know it would have come with a price, but the price my people are paying now is one far more expensive. War is not the answer, I am pleading to all arm factions involved in the Liberian conflict to lay down their arms and negotiate in the interest of our beloved country Liberia.

Wow!!! I just received a e-mail from my boy Ayo. He is serving in the Persian Gulf.He been one of my young boys, means a lot to me. He is a good man. I recently got his contact, and send him a mail. Following are a few lines of the reply I received from him. It is been posted without his permission, if he expresses dissatisfaction about this post, we will handle that later.

“hey bro,
whatz going on with you back home? How is business coming on? Hope everthing is
good with you. I've been trying to contact you since shit seize down a little
bit over here, but i'm glad i have your e-mail now. well, life here is fucked
up. the living conditions are fucked up and iraq is a @##$%^&. we are staying
at one of saddam's palaces in the town of Al-hilla which is about an hour from
baghdad. this place in unreal.although, it has been looted of all its values
prior to us getting here. Adjacent to the palace is the babylonian ruins which
holds biblical history. I think the ruins is the birthplace of Abraham. i really
don't know. i didn't pay much attention in history class. you can research it
and find out more about it. i will tell you all the details when i get back
home. The word around here is that we might be home by december or earlier. by
the looks of things aroound here i think it might be September of october, and
then again its the army shit never goes as planned.ter. Thanx for the
e-mail i appreciate your concern about my welfare. I'm okay, but to tell you the
honest truth, this is the real deal. life is not easy at all. Say hello to
everyone for me. Later”


Well this is an E-mail written by a young man that I love so dearly. This was posted so we all can assume the position of one of these soldiers, and for once put ourselves in their position. From his writing I can tell that he is coping with what life has to offer him at the moment, but it is tough. I admonish all my friends to pray for these guys that are putting their lives on the line.


Peace

Greetings.

I had a wonderful experience the last two days of my life. I was at the home of Teddy Pendergrass I. My buddy had some computer work to do for him and I accompanied him.
I heard a lot about him, but really never knew who he was. I finally met this great musician. Our meeting was one of great excitement and sadness.

I was happy to be in the company of such a great guy, but on the other hand realized how ones life can be transformed so quickly. He is now confined to a wheelchair, but still has the zest for life. This experience has changed my perception of life greatly.

We had a good time. I helped hooked up his computer, and got him online. We also bought a new all in one printer, scanner and fax that he loved. I will definitely be seeing more of him in the near future, since we have him as a client.

I am still trying to cope with the reality that my family will be coming to the US as early as this month. I am optimistic things will definitely fall in place.

Bless day.

Jambo folks
I write with great excitement and sentimentality. I receive word today that my family will be arriving here in the US on the 23 of June. This happens to be the eve of my birth day. I always knew there was going to be a reunion with the rest of my family, but I did not know it was just around the corner. Thanks to all those that prayed for me. I now know that God works in a mysterious way. He does things when he thinks it is appropiate. He works at his time, and not that of man. I hope you all continue to pray for their smooth transition into the culture of the United States.