PRESIDENT MUGABE OF ZIMBABWE

Looks like Zimbabwe's politics remains pretty much the same and for 40 years nothing seems to have changed under the sun. The Zimbabwians were led to independence in 1980 by Mugabe and they have been stack with him ever since. Looks like his declaration of president for life relative to other African heads of states is becoming  a reality for Zimbabwe. Bob Marley performed a special song he wrote entitled 'Zimbabwe' and in it he opened by saying "Every man has the right to decide his own destiny." The question we all ask after 40 years of Mugabe's rule and counting because after all he has won another term in which he will serve 5 years and the old man is already 89 years. The country was ushered into dictatorship and then into a sort of democracy and now it looks more like a monarchy sort of. We saw what happened in Congo with death the of Kabilah and in Togo with the death of Eyadema. Both late presidents i have mentioned for their respective countries were succeeded by their sons. Zimbabwe could end up becoming one of those countries where upon the death of Mugabe the successor could end up being his son. This realities should put into the right perspective the role of the previous leaders who led their countries to independence. The case of south Africa and the role of Mandela has shown that it really matters to set the right tone and national vision to prevent excesses like we have seen in some subsaharan African countries. After alot of trial and error some countries will be limping from one era to another with hopes of finding the right political solution in a world that's getting more complex and challenging.  Read original article at http://www.mail.com/news/world/2288114-zimbabwes-mugabe-89-sworn-5-years.html#.7518-stage-set3-5

GLOBAL POLITICS AND TODAY'S YOUTH

The youth is rarely engaged in issues of politics today and are mostly following sports and entertainment. So why are politicians not taking the youth vote seriously. Obama saw it as a gold mine and it helped him get elected into office twice. Does it mean the  youth vote will be taking seriously by other politicians, well we wait and see in the coming year or two. At least until now we know that no one has been able to reach  and organize the youth like Obama did for national elections. I am curious and waiting to see which candidate will emerge on both sides of the  political side to actually reach out to the youth and speak  to them about issues that affect their lives. Any party that does that now is most like solidifying their place for future elections kind of like what the democratic party did with the black vote. So far from what I have seen it looks like the democratic party is doing that and not really seeing much of an effort on the republican side. Even though I agree with the republicans on most issues I think they have taking the approach of a "strict dad" which means my way or the high road. People are much complex than that and the republican party has to do better. I thought Rick Santorum, Marco Rubio  or Paul Ryan could pull it off but it looks like they lack the realistic feel to speaking about todays issues. They sound like the kid who goes of the script written by his parents and not from real life experience which turns people off. Believe it or not the  American people are open minded and do not forget the country elected George Bush twice love him or hate him so serious politicians out there with real ideas to advance the nations course still have a chance!

OBAMA ENGAGING THE GLOBAL YOUTH

Barack Obama's appearance on the world political stage has been once a fascination for the youth disgusted by  ex-president George Bushes style of governance. Obama had qualities like being a college professor and having participated in student protests on campus. Not to mention he repaid his student loans not too long before he came to office. He was also the first to actually leverage technology in effectively winning an election  and actually driving the youth  to the polls. Some of these qualities makes him appealing to the youth interested in the dynamism of American politics and their future. But how well has the president kept his ratings among the youth, well i guess his ratings are much shallower now because of broken or unfulfilled promises. But is it  all Obama's fault for the lack of enthusiasm among the youth. The problem in some ways has to do with a lack of engagement of civil society to actually compel policy makers to formulate the right  policies. The youth can not be dormant and can not engage only on  occasions. The youth will have to be actively engaged at all times to actually fill in a space that has been left by  the older generation. The election of Obama and current political up risings around places like the middle east are clear signs that people prefer a civil society where all people participate in self governance!

THE BUZZ ABOUT AFRICA

Most people around  the world have a funny  view of the Dark Continent when you mention 'Africa'. All kinds of opinions and perceptions are formed with  varying degrees of truth to the stories. However what has to be considered is the fact that residents of the continent have faced their  fair share of real  challenges. These challenges continue to exist and real people keep working on improving conditions which is a good thing. People around the world must take into  consideration the people of Africa form a part of the global village with their unique cultures and value systems. The continent still offers opportunities  for explorers and pioneers to grow and develop! Read a remarkable article on an interesting development http://africagoodnews.com/content/transforming-ak47s-to-high-end-jewelry