The Deaths of Statesmen: The Case of Gaddafi and Doe

I have been asking myself, why has it taken me so long to write this blog? Well, the simple answer is, because I just haven't been able to. The most realistic response is - the topic is contentious and I've been mulling over the idea of not what to say to but how to translate my thoughts into tolerable words and language, especially for those who are directly impacted by the situation. Before I even begin to share my thoughts, let me reinforce my disclaimer. I DO NOT in any way condone violence or human rights abuses. But I do subscribe to critical analysis and self-reflection which involve forcing my thinking faculty out of subjective worldview toward unfamiliar and uncomfortable zones.

For a moment, try to suppress the fact that the issues of women and children caught up in war and violent conflict fall short of daily media attention. If the media do manage to come up with anything at all, it will usually be centred around women as the "spoils and helpless of war" - sexual and gender abuse (e.g., rape), starvation, displacement, medical care an other basic needs. Except for extremely few, such as Benazir Bhutto (with much respect and honour may her soul rest in peace); Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and Tawakkul Karman who have proven beyond reasonable doubt that women are fully capable of fronting the stage of non-violent struggle for peace, equality, justice and human rights. So, why aren't women and children's voices heard, especially when their statesmen husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, and sons are dehumanized in public display? Two cases in point are those of: 1) Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe, and 2) Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. These two men came to power around the same time when I was relatively young - tho' Gaddaffi did when I wasn't born yet). But as I grew older, I begun to study their philosophies, power dynamics and leadership struggles. For this, I write an introspective piece not just about my relatively short journey with their "rise and fall" but also about the role/positioning of the women and children who stood beside them.

Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe took control of Liberia in the early 1980. As the first indigenous to skyrocket to such height, it must have felt glorious. Having endured over a century of mono-party system, I guess Liberians were ready to rewrite history. But they forgot an important point. That when the elite exclude, subjugate and oppress the marginalized they are only reaping perpetual injustice when the marginalized do manage to gain some control. The fact that the oppressed has never being given opportunity to learn, engage and interact with the learned, it is only natural that (mostly) they will continue to oppress. There are so many real-life examples that I can't even begin to enumerate. 

Notwithstanding, Doe's alleged 4th grade education, which further incapacitated his leadership ability, in my opinion, could still be credited as a somewhat "productive" leader. With help from his "partner in crime" he erected Ibrahim B. Banbagida Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Liberia; and the one and only Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Liberia. He also paved the long-time dusted/mudded road on Duport Road, Paynesville - the outskirt of Monrovia, where I grew up before the inception of the civil war in Liberia. Now, when you read about Doe, you will notice numerous poor governance attributes during his regime; some of which I accept. Irrespective, (BE FOREWARNED THIS VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC AND TRAUMATIZING) no leader or human being for that matter deserves to die this way. To add injury to insult, Prince Johnson - the Brigadier General who tortured and executed former president Doe is now an elected senior senator in current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's government.

I do have a lot of respect for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, despite his challenges and alleged history of human rights abuses against his own people. Why? One may ask. Primarily because he reignited Kwame Nkrumah's vision of establishing the United States of Africa. Call me pan-Africanist or Afro-centric but thanks the phenomenon called education where one can use his/her brain to separate media junk from objectivity. What I am talking about? You may have already guessed - how Western media always use propaganda to destroy Africa. But who's to blame? If you ask me, I will securely say, our oppressed leaders who end up being the oppressors. 

Regardless, Gaddafi was bold and brave especially when it came to challenging Western/America's dominance, power and control over resource poor countries. I am not a Libyan and I do not claim to have the slightest idea of what it meant to be a Libyan living in Libya during Gaddafi's regime. Albeit, from a very narrow point of view, it appears to me that, Libya was always far better economically than many other African/Arab countries. For my three something decades of existence, I have never seen Libyans forcibly displaced or seeking mass refugee asylum due to violence or conflict until the recent uprising. So, I imagined Gaddafi was a good leader to his people. Of course not, seeing the kind of  (BE FOREWARNED THIS VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC AND TRAUMATIZING) dehumanizing showcase of his death experience. Fully backed by NATO, Libyans once again proved to the world that Africans are "sub-humans"and unless the White NATO Neoliberalists are involved we (particularly the African Union) are incapable of using our brains. 

Maybe I'm the only outsider here, but how can it be so impossible to clearly see that only African leaders undergo heinous deaths that are such eyesores on the Internet? Mind you, George Bush, Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy and their cronies will almost never receive similar treatment? Where is the social justice and human rights we claim to aspire for in this our so-called civil society?

These two men have a some things in common even as relationships between Libya and Liberia waxed and waned:

1. The two countries are always mixed up - I'm almost always mistakenly referred to as a Libyan rather than a Liberian.

2. There were both African Presidents who came to power by military coup d'etat (even though Doe's was bloody and Gaddafi's was nots).

3. Despite Libya and Liberia dwindled friendship at the time, after Doe's visit to Tripoli in 1988, Liberia-US relationship soured. It during this period that Libya invested in Liberia including construction of the tallest building in Liberia - the Pan-African Plaza, which is not home to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

So! After all my rants, this is the essence of this piece - the positioning of women in the deaths of their statement. While on my usual research visit to Liberia, heard Gaddafi's death announced on the radio in a taxi. I screamed! And then took a moment to absorb the idea. And then I started tearing up. Before I left for Liberia, I read about how NATO strike killed his son and grandchildren. But actually, it wasn't until I returned to Canada in November 2011 that was able to see the actual video of his death.  For Samuel Doe, once I was able to access the Internet, I was also able to view his torture and death. But it has been so many years. As a born and bred Liberian, who survived the war, these are not images or footages you desire to pack your mind. They are dehumanizing, demeaning and traumatizing. Yet, I had always wondered what happened to Doe's wife (Nancy Doe) and his children, one of whom I share my first name with (Veronica Doe). 

What a pleasant surprise, as I stumbled upon a Grand Gedeh Association in the America's news to see Celue Doe (the late president's daughter) preaching peace. I was inspired! I was hopeful! And of course emotional.  For Gaddafi, I started off by searching for his wife and children. The only resourceful information I came across was the Gaddafi Family Tree on BBC. Well, it is not hard to notice the  over-representation of men. Then, I solemnly thought: I cannot imagine how it must feel to grow up with such an experience to the point of constant bombardment of your father's trauma, torture and death. For me, I don't have much to go on when it comes to father-daughter or husband-wife relationship as I have little or none of such experiences. I think the bottom line for me is being human and seeking for justice. Not just in the warriors' eyes of men but in the emotional strength of women and children.

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