Africa for Africans (i.e. Affirmative Slumming) vs. I want the Whites Back in Africa

THEN: The Colonial Pride of Africa: The Grande Hotel, Beira Mozambique: With its 350 rooms, luxurious suites, elegant decor, Olympic-size pool and sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, the hotel was to be a decadent escape for colonial Africa's elites NOW: Affirmative Slumming: Grande Hotel Slum: Mozambiquans launched a war for independence in 1964, with their own vision for their country: In ruins, no electricity or running water, inhabited by 3500 squatters. Some have been living at the Grande Hotel Slum for twenty years...... See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

Transcript of Immigration and Refugee Board: Mr. William Davis Ruling, in the Case of Brandon Carl Huntley, RPD File / No. dossier SPR: MA8-04910

[97] (a) Article 2009 – Time for the Truth (Exhibit C-3)

[98] This report indicates that the ANC policy of Affirmative Action has stripped the country of 75 % of its skilled population....

[99] (b) Race – Fuelled Myopia Driving Skills out of South Africa

[100] Reports emanating from the Institute for Race Relations (IRR) indicated that about a fifth of white South Africans had immigrated over the past 10 years with the main reasons given were crime and affirmative action, so said Democratic Alliance leader Tony Lean in Cape Town.

He accuses the ANC government of being indifferent to the lot of minorities, especially whites, and has expressed hostility to their interest.

I want Whites Back in Nigeria!

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

SIR:

On Thursday October 1, 2009, the National Chairman of our great party Chief Bisi Akande; the Lagos State Chairman of the Party in Lagos, Chief Dele Ajomale; his wife; the representative of the Governor and my humble self left for South Africa to inaugurate the chapter of our party. Business finished on Saturday October 2 and 3, 2009 in both Pretoria and Johannesburg. We had Sunday October 4 to look around. It was my first visit to South Africa and what I saw stunned me.

THEN: The Colonial Pride of Africa: The Grande Hotel, Beira Mozambique: 350 rooms, luxurious suites, Olympic-sized swimming pool…

Am I in Africa or Europe? Am I in America? Is this another Singapore? Could this be true? Where was Nigeria when South Africa was putting all these structures in place? If the white man did all these in South Africa why were the Nelson Mandelas of this world complaining? If South Africans got their independence on a platter of gold the way Nigeria got hers in 1960, would there have been all these structures I am seeing here today? Impossible! From what I saw on ground in South Africa, it looked as if all the companies and industries all over the world are physically present there. Ah! Nigeria has been left behind. South Africa is the potential and undisputable leader in Africa. Thanks to the white South Africans.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

I came to the unhappy conclusion that the mosquitoes that drove the whites away from Nigeria in 1960 did a colossal and unmitigated damage to Nigerians. I again asked myself these questions: How many black Africans did the whites kill before surrendering power to them? How many Nigerians have been killed by Nigerian leaders since they took over power from the whites in 1960? Let us compare the figures. I am sure the supreme prize South Africans paid to have the South Africa I see today will be so infinitesimal compared with what our leaders have killed to remain in power in Nigeria.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

What I am saying is that God should have allowed the whites to tarry for at least more 30 years in Nigeria and we would have been better for it. Mandela survived 27 years in prison because the whiteman was a better person. He could not have survived 10 years in prison in Nigeria.

My conclusion after seeing what I saw in South Africa is that the whites left Nigeria in a hurry, and that is why we are suffering today. Had the whites tarried in Nigeria, Nigeria would have been like South Africa today. I want the whites back in Nigeria!

Joe Igbokwe,
Lagos.

Source: The Guardian, Nigeria



Africa, Don't Blame the Whites

Mfonobong Nsehe | American Chronicle
August 25, 2008

THEN: The Colonial Pride of Africa: The Grande Hotel, Beira Mozambique: 350 rooms, luxurious suites, Olympic-sized swimming pool… Architect: Francisco de Castro

Recently, as part of an academic assignment at school, I was engaged in an intellectual debate with a few colleagues. We were seeking answers to the roots of Africa´s problems.

It was an interesting discussion for me. Shockingly, the majority of my colleagues subscribed to the idea that the major cause of Africa´s social-political and economic problems was the legacy left behind by the colonial masters. As far as they were concerned, the colonialists ruined Africa for good. For the records, they had some strong arguments to support their claims. I do not intend to go into that.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

Africa is known as the problem continent. And indeed, the problems are legion- Poverty, diseases, famine, poor leadership, religious conflicts, ethnic clashes and corruption are a few of them. With each passing day, the problems increase. For long, the economic and social underdevelopment of the African nation has been blamed on white colonialists who exploited the land and left Africa bare. Up till now, the blame game continues.

Africans are usually quick to blame most of its problems on the evils of colonialism. We sometimes blame the violence on the borders colonialists created that ignored ethnicity. Many African nations have been independent for four decades. If colonial borders were a major problem, how come they haven't changed them?

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

Colonialism cannot explain Third World poverty. Some of today's richest countries are former colonies, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Some of today's poorest countries were never colonies, such as Ethiopia, Liberia, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. The colonialism argument is simply a cover-up for African dictators and people.

For as long as African keep bickering about the past without focusing on the future, the African people will continue to suffer. Pointing fingers at the colonial masters won't change the fact that the majority of people in Africa are living and dying in horrible conditions. The Europeans colonized Africa about 400 years ago. Right now, Africans are in trouble because they cannot manage their own problems. Instead of brainstorming and finding solutions to its numerous social and economic problems, the people hold out a begging bowl to the west in one hand, while punishing the remaining white people in the land with the other. (Does Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe and the Zimbabweans come to mind?)

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

We are responsible for our problems, but we prefer to blame others than to take a good look in the mirror. Fine, the colonialists were a bunch of bunch of greedy no-gooders, but if truths must be told, the self-interest of early colonialists pales in comparison to the personal greed of African leaders today. Those who blame Africa's problems on colonialism must not forget that the experience was not unique to Africa. Generally, the Asian countries that also experienced colonialism are doing fairly well. So what has Africa, or to be more precise, its leaders, been doing for the past 40 years?

What Africa needs is a lot of self-criticism. The fact that Africa breeds and worships figures like Mugabe, because of their own anti-white racism is disheartening. It's incredible that any white sends aid to Africa when Africans are anti-white racists.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

You can't solve Africa's problems until the lies are all stripped away and you start comparing yourself to say Taiwan. Taiwan is not white, yet they have made amazing progress. They made this progress by managing their economy properly, and by working hard.

We need to strip away the black ideology that says that whites didn't do anything other than enslave blacks and are rich because of the exploitation of blacks. Taiwan didn't get rich because of that. So why do Africans think that that's how whites got rich?

And blacks enslaved blacks too; it's part of human history everywhere. So why isn't Africa rich due to the enslavement of themselves?

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

Were Africans better off under colonial administration than the despots who replaced them? Most African countries have had their independence for over three decades, yet, the report card our leaders have shown us are wars, famine and gross corruption. While it may be argued that Britain and other European countries did us more harm than good in colonizing us, it is high time we faced reality and realized that we are the architects of our own destiny. We need to choose what is good and bad, what future we want, and whether colonialism took us closer to what we want.

It's time we as Africans took responsibility for our troubles and stopped trying to guilt-trip the West into accepting responsibility for our problems. Since time immemorial, there have been empires- even African. These empires have always left great damage in their wake, but such damage is rectified through rebuilding and hard work, but not by laying blames and casting aspersions.

As long as we look back in history to blame our troubles on the colonial masters, Africa will continually be the backward continent the whole world believes we are. To turn around the fortunes of Africa, it will take work and vision. And so Africa, enough with the blame games. Let´s shut up, re-examine ourselves, go back to the drawing board, rectify our mistakes and move on with our lives.

Mfonobong Nsehe is the founder of Echo Africa- a start-up Think Tank which tackles African development issues. E-mail: mfon.nsehe@gmail.com

Source: Cape Rep. of Good Hope



Africa for Africans: Slum that used to be one of Africa's most opulent hotels

By Joshua Howat Berger
Published: 12:49PM BST 23 Oct 2009

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

The candidates' faces are plastered along the formerly impressive facade of the Grande Hotel, their smiles competing with a backdrop of graffiti, mould and peeling paint.

With its elegant decor, Olympic-size pool and sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique was once a decadent escape for colonial Africa's elite

At this towering Art Deco structure in Mozambique's second largest city, Beira, the political parties have covered the walls with campaign slogans of progress, prosperity and change.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

But the politicians' promises have not done much to improve life at the Grande Hotel, where 3,500 people live in destitute squalor in the shell of what was once one of Africa's most opulent hotels.

"This was very sophisticated," said Joao Goncalves, the building's ad hoc mayor, as he led a tour through the winding corridors of the hotel.

But now, he added, "it's practically a ruin."

As Goncalves walked through hallways overflowing with the signs of his community's misery - rotting trash filling the courtyards, a drunk man collapsed on the floor, a woman urinating off the balcony - he told the story of the building's transformation from luxury hotel to slum.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

It's a story that encapsulates the history of Mozambique itself.

The Grande Hotel was built in the 1950s, when the country was still a Portuguese colony.

With its elegant decor, Olympic-size pool and sweeping views of the Indian ocean, the hotel was to be a decadent escape for colonial Africa's elite.

But that dream crashed headlong into Mozambicans' own vision for their country, as the Left-leaning Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frelimo) began a war for independence in 1964.

As the winds of change began to stir, the Grande Hotel's owners abandoned the property. The Portuguese dictatorship fell in 1974, and Mozambique gained independence the following year.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

But by 1977 the country was again embroiled in violent conflict. Frelimo's Marxist government was drawn into a bloody civil war by the anti-Communist Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), a rebel movement sponsored by white-ruled Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and apartheid South Africa.

The war drove more than a million Mozambicans from their homes. Many sought refuge in Beira, where thousands took shelter in the abandoned hotel.

As the 16-year civil war sent Mozambique deeper into poverty, the hotel's new residents stripped it bare.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

The parquet floors, the chandeliers, the elevators, the decorations - all were torn out and sold, burned or otherwise put to use.

Today the hotel is a slum with no electricity or running water.

Rats feast on the garbage that overflows the building's cavities. Residents do their laundry in the fetid water that remains in the pool. Trees grow through the balconies, their roots stretching into the air below.

It's a dangerous place to raise a family.

"We have to be very careful," said Elisa Domingos, a resident and young mother.

"Up on the roof there's an open elevator shaft. When a child falls down it, they die."

Four people have fallen to their deaths in the last decade, said Goncalves.

Yet the demand for rooms in the hotel is high as ever, he added.

The four-storey hotel is packed with people. Besides the rooms and suites, families live in the corridors, the old cold rooms in the basement, and the mechanical room beneath the former pool bar, which today serves as a mosque.

Africa for Africans (Affirmative Slumming): Grande Hotel Slum, Beira, Mozambique: In ruins, no electricity or running water, 3500 squatters. See also: Death of Johannesburg :: Death of Durban

While Mozambique has grown rapidly since a 1992 peace accord - it experienced an average annual population growth of eight per cent over a decade - it remains one of the world's poorest countries.

The boom has done little to improve life at the bottom of the economy. For many the opportunity of free housing is too good to pass up, no matter the conditions.

"It's not that people want to live here. It's because they don't have money," said John Mulobuana, a resident at the hotel.

Conditions are unlikely to improve at the former hotel, with either renovating or razing the building prohibitively expensive options.

Licinio Azevedo, a filmmaker whose 2007 documentary Night Lodgers is set in the hotel, said evacuating the building is not realistic either.

"If you take those people out of there, put them somewhere in the neighborhood, other people are going to come and occupy it because the lack of housing here is very great," he said.

But Azevedo said he also sees hope in the hotel's story.

"I see beauty there from the human point of view," he said.

"Mozambicans are very resistant. They're an insistent, resistant people. So I think they're going to stay there until the end."

Source: The Telegraph



Grande Hotel: The Night Lodgers

Joao (June 25th, 2008 at 18:43)
This hotel went into decline in the mid 60’s and is now a monument to the malaise of failed socialism, corruption and urban decay.
It is beyond economic repair and it would be better if the local administration demolished the whole rotten edifice and consigned it to failed black african history.

aldo (April 16th, 2009 at 12:19)
Very very sad, I am a south african, and only hope to God that this is not the future of South Africa, because evedently, this is how most of the African Continent looks like. A good example is Zimbabwe. Hope a lesson will be learn oit of this mess.
aldo

Sources: Guten Tag Verlag; Grande Hotel Documentary: The Night Lodgers: Fipa :: MarFilmes