By Abdou Pene          

As the African Union Heads of State and Authority meet in Kampala, the Ugandan capital to discuss the political and economic future of the continent, the agenda, like in most cases is being high jacked by the latest razing conflict in Somalia, where the Al Shabab is blowing the antics of war – a very bloody one for that matter. On July 11 when Africans had a good time marveling the artistic aspect of the World Cup extravaganza. Others were too busy with other issues, a bomb blast ripped off a crowd of football fans at an Ethiopian owned restaurant, killing at least sixty people according the international media.

As the African leaders meet, there are of course other issues at stake, what each and every leader is thinking as regard the best solution to the problems afflicting the continent, the ideas to resolve these burning social issues that have for far too long held Africa. There is no doubt the African leaders are coming from very different backgrounds, educational, or political orientation. Some are undoubtedly geniuses who have understood what the continent actuality need, what to do to achieve that and what is the way forward –clearly written and concise.

As the African leaders argue about what is good for the continent, our attention focuses on African leaders who are poets, yet very few people about it. Former President Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal is not the only known and best poet Africa ever had, while Senghor had it own time and generation, there are few things that have changed since then – the Africa of 1963 is not the same as the one we have where President Mugabe and President Jammeh and President Gaddafi can stand at the United Nations and tell the whole world about the injustices happening in the world, and why they are not stopped.

An Africa where former Namibian President Sam Nujoma had to tell former British Prime Minister Tony Blair that Britain is to blame for the current crisis taking place in Zimbabwe, the so-called land problem that exploded.  A continent that has been blessed with great and visionary leaders from Osageyfo Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Sekou Toure to Gaddafi, Mugabe, Goodluck Jonathan and Jammeh.  A good writer is sometimes not the one who writes and publishes books, sometimes the best writer hasn’t started yet, and we are stating it with emphasis that she or he is the book itself when no book is written.

Come with me as I take you on a whirlwind tour of the intellectual Presidents and the leaders whom we consider too good and intelligent, admired, reviled, and smack at if you meet them, just like the case of Soyinka versus Obama when the latter was visiting Africa, Soyinka insisted that he will throw a stone at Obama if he visit Nigeria. One can clearly understand Soyinka’s frustrations regarding events in Nigeria – a kind of political marriage that binds certain people or certain states to Aso Rock villa in Abuja, these among issues are part of the myriad of challenges eating into the very existence of Nigeria.  For the likes of Soyinka, it is time African resolved their problems and come together.

The impressive side of leadership on the continent is the political maneuverings, often seen as a feat albeit not always, some states are not like other states – when Mamadou Tanja of Niger exhausted all his tricks and dodgy development plans young soldiers booted him out on the 18^th February 2010.  Still rebellious and sturbborn, the former military ruler turned civilian president hasn’t given up on staging a political comeback, Tanja is yet to publish his memoire, and how he was able to muster courage after the national outcry when he insisted on seeking for another mandate will make interesting reading.

Even with his pressing official duties, former South African President Thabo Mbeki maintained a weekly column in one influential South African newspaper based in the country. Ugandan President Museveni also uses his pen to write for newspapers and magazines. It can also be said of President Wade of Senegal who is the real intellectual President; a professor emeritus who many believe is trying to intellectualize leadership in Senegal. Let look at few who haven’t written a single word for publication; we begin with Gaddafi who is been in power for nearly four decades, yet there are no signs that he will hand over power to anyone. Although it is widely believe that Seif Al Gaddafi is being groomed to take over from his daddy. Gaddafi is not writing, he’s a thinker, a visionary, who has managed to use his brain to rule by all means necessary, now Libyans are wondering what to do without him, call it: he has forced himself to rule, Libyans would have none of that. This Gaddafi is just hard working, and ambitious, a poet for a President whose speeches have been dissected, analyzed, lampooned and dismissed. Yet United States cannot have their leaders stay too long – 8 years maximum, once in your lifetime and nothing like a second coming, recycled leaders. Where is the wisdom in letting one President governing a country of millions of people rule forever? A political philosopher may ask. And will further to justify his point, a country like the United States will never a President rule throughout his or her lifetime, this is because things are not meant to be that way.  (To be continued: