That is Sedition!... That is the Truth!

One of my favorite movies growing up was The Last of the Mohicans. If you are unfamiliar, it is based on the historical novel of the same name about the French and Indian War and the use of Native Americans by the French and British Armies.  If you are not up on your history, here’s the Cliff Notes: the French and the British fought each other from 1754 to 1763 for control of North America.  Since neither the French nor the British knew the continent all that well they used American Indians as informants in an effort to outmaneuver each another. Obviously the British won which is why we don’t speak French. Moving on…

As I was saying my favorite movie was The Last of the Mohicans.  My brother’s favorite movie is equally cerebral, thus proving we are related: Dumb and Dumber.  In The Last of the Mohicans there is a scene where one of the Native American informants is arguing with a British army officer.  The British officer didn’t like that the Mohican was questioning his judgment and shouted, “That is Sedition!”  The Mohican responded, “That is the Truth!”

Sedition is a word which is seldom, if ever heard in developed, western countries.  Sedition involves speaking out against a political ruler (or nation) and encouraging others to rebel as well.  In the U.S. we have freedom of speech (or freedom of expression), so we can voice our opinions regardless of whether they are in opposition to authority figures. We have freedom of assembly, so people can gather together and protest.  We have freedom of the press, so the media can report without fear of legal repercussions.  There are countless examples every day of acts which could be considered seditious, but in reality they aren’t.  That is the benefit of being American.

Botswana is different.  Botswana recently arrested a newspaper editor and charged him with sedition.  The paper ran a story stating that President Khama had been involved in a car accident and apparently compensated the other driver by giving him a new Jeep.  And what is seditious about this?  I don’t know either.  Here is the article if you would like to read it.  Seems pretty straightforward if you ask me.

I will say the one thing I found curious about the article is that, “…while someone is holding the office of president and during his tenure, no civil or criminal proceedings can be instituted against them.”  Hmmm… that is unsettling.  And it reminds me a lot of our evil dictator to the north, President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.  At 90, you would think Mugabe would have retired by now, particularly since he’s been at the helm 34 years.  Of course, that will never happen.  He must die in office.  If he retires he will either be tried by The Hague for human rights violations or his own people will kill him for all the suffering he’s put them through.

Back to Botswana, I have to say, I am disappointed.  Botswana has been the shining beacon of hope for Africa for decades.  It is the only consistently stable democracy which has never had any major problems, aside from HIV/AIDs and poverty, but then again, you can’t change the weather. Of course, there was that issue with the student elections which demonstrated the government is more corrupt than people give them credit for. I do hope this sedition situation is an outlier and not a sign that Botswana is moving the way of many of the other African countries (i.e. dictatorships).  This is yet one more thing that reminds me why I am proud to be an American.

When I Die…

There is a certain person I know who shall remain nameless who likes to use the phrase, “When I die….”  This is normally followed by some sort of guilt trip: “When I die, you will miss me.”  “When I die, who will do your laundry?”  “When I die, you will cry more than anyone else at my funeral.”  Well nameless person, I love you very much, but there is one thing I will NOT be doing when you die.

The press in Africa is very interesting.  There is lots of censorship because many newspapers are either state-run, or political leaders (as private, very rich citizens) hold a majority stake.  On your next visit to Washington, D.C. visit the Newseum.  On the second floor there is an exhibit which discusses freedom of the press in every country in the world.  Green countries have the most transparent media outlets, while red ones are highly controlled:

The challenge with the media in Africa is that despite government intervention they still need to make money.  This is done through advertisements.  The most prevalent revenue generating advertisement in many parts of Africa is… obituaries.  Obituary advertisements have become an art form here.  Back in the U.S. you call the newspaper to announce a loved-one’s death and write a brief (probably 100-200 words) summary listing surviving family members and funeral arrangements.  That is not what happens here.

Funerals in Africa are like weddings in India, they last for days and EVERYONE attends.  Preparations for funerals are extremely elaborate.  In the case of one friend, his aunt died in November, however she is not being buried until May.  Why?  Because the family wants to build a new house for all the anticipated guests that will visit and have special, matching outfits designed and made for the entire extended family to wear on the day of the funeral.

It is actually easier to obtain a loan to purchase an obituary advertisement and/or make funeral arrangements than it is to secure a loan to send your child to college!  And these ads are not cheap.  They often cost several thousand U.S. dollars.  But they are considered highly necessary to demonstrate social standing, legitimize political influence and exhibit continued strength of the family lineage.  The larger and more colorful an obituary ad is, the more important the person.  As you can see here, the full page spread for the man on the left means his family has more money, and thus, more societal influence, than the two women on the right who only have half page ads:

However, even after the funeral has passed that does not necessarily end the canonization of the deceased.  Here is an example of an annual remembrance of this man’s death.  In case you can’t read it, the ad mentions his family line by stating he left behind 4 wives, 46 children, 112 grandchildren, and 40 great-grandchildren:

When I die I do not expect a full page spread in the newspaper.  And as much as I love my family members, friends and others reading my blog out there, I’m sorry, but I will not be taking out a loan to purchase an obituary advertisement for you either.