As the Fire Rages By Mukoma Wa Ngugi
"Lisbon lies in ruins, while in Paris they dance," Voltaire wrote of the 1755 Portugal earthquake. The contradiction arrests and startles.
Barely a month into 2010, Haiti lies ruins. President Wade of Senegal offers displaced Haitians land. Can an earthquake succeed where Garvey's return to Africa movement failed?
Wait a minute! In 2009 President Wade built a 27 million dollar statue, 37% of profits from tourism will go to him, because the idea was his he says. When did the corrupt start taking care of the displaced?
Port-au-Prince lies in ruins, Dakar wants to bury its 27 million dollar statue lie in Haiti.
In a time of crisis when those suffering are dying of thirst, it is the thankless job of the discerning poet, writer, or intellectual to point out that the mirage will not turn into water. It is no surprise then that, Kaasa - an African blogger in reaction to my essay on Kenya's dire prospects - concluded that African intellectuals are a depressing lot
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