December 2007

Your article on Ian Douglas Smith is a refreshing change from all the media distortions and lies about him. Keep up the good work.

South Africa

What I admired most about Ian Smith, is that he was the only African leader who was totally free of corruption. Smith’s government was not only honest by African standards, but by Western standards as well. It is very hard to find a leader in the West who was as ethical as Smith in his conduct in public office. The late President Lyndon Johnson of the USA, and former French President, Jacques Chirac, are two Western leaders who are known to have enriched themselves immensely from holding public office.

Another thing that impressed me about Smith, was his decision to stay in Zimbabwe and Africa, and work to make things better. This is in contrast to the thousands of educated black Africans who leave Africa every year, to take up citizenship in countries in Western Europe and North America. Those black Africans have given up on Africa. But Smith did not give up, and he remained hopeful that things would get better.

I lived in America for six years, and during my time there, I came to the conclusion that politicians and other elites in the West do not care about Africa. If Africa is ever to make progress, it will require all Africans… to unite and work together, to make our continent a better place. Africans of all races who have emigrated to the West should also be encouraged to return, and contribute to the development of the continent.

Kenya