Obama is heartbroken by Zimbabwe's decline
US president tells Africa to improve press freedom and clamp down on corruption
President Barack Obama hosts a town hall forum with young African leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, August 2010.
I do not see Mugabe serving his people well
US President Barack Obama has criticized Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe and asked Africa not to repeat the mistakes that betrayed the hopes of an "independence generation", which included his own father.
"I'll be honest with you. I am heartbroken when I see what has happened in Zimbabwe," he said at a White House event to discuss the continent's future.
Obama invited 115 young Africans, selected as the region's future leaders, to take part in a three-day forum marking the 50th anniversary of independence in many of their countries, while looking toward the next 50 years.
As America's first black president whose father was Kenyan, Obama's words carry special weight in Africa and he did not mince them. He urged greater press freedom, said corruption sapped support for foreign aid, and aimed harsh criticism at Zimbabwe's long-serving president.
"I think Mugabe is an example of a leader who came in as a liberation fighter and, I'm just going to be very blunt, I do not see him serving his people well," Obama told the meeting in response to a question about sanctions.
The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe nearly a decade ago and the restrictions still chafe, with Mugabe demanding that they be lifted.
Obama made plain conditions were still not ripe for this to happen.
"In order to do that we've got to see some signal it will not simply entrench the same past abuses, but will rather move us in a new direction that will help the people," he told the audience, many of whom were clad in traditional African garb.
Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing deal last year with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai that has stabilized the economy after a decade of decline. But his policies are still deterring foreign aid and investment, and Obama sounded skeptical that the power-sharing pact was yielding results.
"Tsvangirai has tried to work - despite the fact that he himself has been beaten, and imprisoned - he has now tried to work to see if there is a gradual transition that might take place. But so far the results have not been what we would have hoped," the U.S. president said.
NEXT GENERATION
Obama said he had deliberately reached beyond the current generation of African leaders to talk to young people who will shape the region's future and urged they understand corruption was the continent's enemy.
"If at a time of great constraint, we are coming up with aid, those aid dollars need to go to countries using them effectively," he said.
In a lighter moment, Obama recalled South Africa's successful staging of the soccer World Cup as a positive example of moving past white minority rule to democracy.
He spoke candidly of "huge opportunities" Africa had missed and urged the audience to get it right this time.
"When my father travelled to the United States and got his degree in the early Sixties, the GDP of Kenya was actually on par, maybe actually higher, than the GDP of South Korea ... Now it is not even close.
"That is fifty years that was lost in terms of opportunities," Obama said.
"So fifty years from now, when you look back, you want to make sure the continent hasn't missed those opportunities as well."
jjmtha
well said Mr. President, if all, including Zuma can say it the way you did, Mugabe can feel the preasure, now he is on the comfort zone, the sooner we take that away from him, the sooner he will die!Report Abuse
Khumalo
Thumbs up, we really need to get rid of this tyrant who has driven one of the most promising african country to grave destruction. He and his regime also needs to stand trial for all the evil they'v done to the people.Report Abuse
Julz
Well said - A strong country needs the backing of its people. And who has respect for tyrants or greddy corrupt crooksReport Abuse
JML4U
I am not entertained by any word from this Obama guy no matter how dark he is, his colore does not make anything to me and I am proudly African. This Obama seem ignorant of what is happening in Africa or Zimbabwe and seems so much pressured by those surround him and making him even forget the Palestinians and only embed with the racist and apartheid Jews.The problems in Zimbabwe is only that because Mugabe said the African land is for the Africans after the Europeans showed no any indication of readiness to even share the African land with the African people, after all soft attempts by Mugabe failed and he took the only last option to give the Africans the African land Europeans went together to close all doors for the Zimbabwean economy and brought the country into her knees. As proudly African Mugabe was and still right and Obama and his bosses are WRONG.
I think the lesson the west is teaching here is for South Africa and the ANC, the west want tell the ANC that if you try to get the African land we will do for you what we did to the Zimbabweans.
This Obama guy should have & respect press freedom. Don’t posters see the wikileakes saga? Why Obama don’t let journalist and human right workers to talk? Why don’t he let the world know what is going on in Afghanistan? Why Julian Assange have to live in hiding & scare for his life because Obama does not want this guy to tell the world what is going on? Since when President Obama qualified to lecture the world about press freedom? Mr President of America we are Africans and we can see that you have dark skin but sorry we don’t need your lectures on this subject, you are not for us but against us, you are a front man.
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Sporo
The unfortunate truth is, this American President is so far removed from the reality in Africa, and gets most of his 2nd hand information from highly opioninated diplomats and reporters who hate Mugabe just for the sake of hating Mugabe. They have no real facts on the ground, and will choose to ignore any positives. The hatred is the same as Bush had, at all costs, just to get rid of him. Now that people have time to sit and reflect, they discover that Bush (and Clinton) was/were more instrumental in pushing for African progress in all spheres. Obama and his deputy are just human, and are entitled to their opinions (& gaffes), however ill-informed. The only bitter pill to swallow is the "parotting" of the same noises by Africans who should know better.Report Abuse