I have some feelings that I would like to share with my Guinean brothers and sisters…

Here is a simple, yet powerful personal message: Clearly Guinea is in deep trouble at the moment (primarily between Malinké and Foula, but everyone else is involved as well).

Hate is what plagues us.

Hate is what is tearing us apart.

Hate is what is destroying us.

Hate is a disease.

Hate is like cancer: it must be completely eradicated, or it threatens to return and hurt even more, as it is currently doing with us. The question is, how do we cure ourselves from hatred? The answer is quite simple… through LOVE!

LOVE overpowers HATE. It really is that simple. No need for complicated theories or long explanations. Love is found in different forms all throughout human relationships, in families and in friendships. Clearly, I am encouraging everybody to build diverse friendships, but more importantly, I advise all Guineans to begin marrying outside of their tribe.

Families are the unit of society. The best way to build national unity is to build diverse families. Let us stop this close-minded business. Culture is not static, and in-breeding weakens the offspring. To avoid dying a slow, culturally stagnant and genetically defective death, let us foster national peace through love, literally. The middle ages are gone!!! The glorious empires of recorded history are never to return!!!

WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON UNITY.

The space-time continuum is four dimensional. Time is the measurement of the movement of an object in space. Everything is constantly moving forward. History is just that: history; the key word is STORY! There is never a singular version of a story. As long as they are told by the imperfect minds and tongues of human beings, facts will always have a degree of relativity, and stories will always come in different versions.

Emotions are powerful. Feelings define who we are, our character. If we continue to hate “the other” tribe, when we are no longer in contact with “the other” tribe, we will begin hating “our own people.” In allegiance to the need to hate, the mind will find a “valid excuse” for hating one group or another. Why? Because we will have fixed our nature on hate. We will have a natural pre-disposition to hatred… Vilifying people from another village, tribe, or region, will not solve those of our own. Each of us needs to take responsibility, as responsibility is a pre-requisite for independence, interdependence, and authority.

My fellow Guineans, I would like you to consider one small thought… as you entered this world, you were greeted with love by your mother. It is in fact love, in one form or another, that brings a man and a woman together to perform the most miraculous act of (pro)creation in the animal kingdom. Love is the mother of creativity, and creativity is the mother of all human genius. The comfort we enjoy, the technologies we have, the cultures we hold dear… are all the product of creativity, and the root of creativity is love. If you don’t believe me, observe people that are in deep love. They become forgiving, oblivious to the negative traits in the target of their love. People in love are creative, imaginative, open, quasi possessed. Love is who we are. In creating us, our Creator bestowed his love and mercy upon us. Literally, without love we are nothing. With hate (the opposite of love), we meet our doom and destruction.

Think for a minute… who wants a civil war, or the consequences of physical and cultural in-breeding? Which Guinean can guarantee that none of his/her family members will be affected if chaos breaks out in Guinea?

So, my dear Guinean brothers and sisters. I won’t lie to you all. Despite the many talents and potential of the Guinean people, many of us are still sick in the heart. Some of us have forward thinking views, but our families and friends are eager to infect you with hate. I did not have the opportunity to grow up in Guinea or to spend time around Guineans during my adolescence, but since I began meeting my people a few years ago, these have been my observations.

There always seems to be a “valid excuse” to nurse hatred. Elections, Nafissatou Diallo, rocket fire on President Alpha Condé’s house. Despite all logic, it always seems that you our public eventually forfeits reason to follow the doubtful philosophies of an uneducated uncle, or the manipulated emotions of the masses. EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS, OUR ANALYSIS IS ONE DIMENSIONAL: WHICH TRIBE DID IT????

All this is the result of hatred. A hatred that we have preached and practiced for decades. For this, there is only one cure, and our creator has equipped us with this cure deep inside us: LOVE. LOVE EACH OTHER. BUILD NEW FRIENDSHIPS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, MARRY DIVERSELY.

To those that are already married, help your sisters and brothers and aunts and uncles, and cousins and friends to find marriage and love outside of your villages, outisde of your tribes, outside of your regions. This solution will naturally correct all anger and hatred that we have built around ethnicity, political affiliation, etc. It will also teach us to love, and give us a predisposition to love all.

In the end, ask yourself: will love overpower hate, or will hate overpower love?

The choice is ours…

I would like to ask our leaders, both President Alpha Condé and Cellou Dalein Diallo to sit down together and talk, so that the citizens of Guinea will be inspired to follow their noble example and work for national reconciliation. I am also appealing to our elders, sages, and religious leaders to give the future precedence over the past, and the larger collectivity precedence over their small immediate circles.

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, May Allah bless us, may he clean our hearts and fill them with deep love for all.

If you want to discuss more about unity in Guinea, follow me on twitter @MohamedToure or e-mail me at mohamed@allianceguinea.org

Building National Unity in Guinea Through Love is a post from: Alliance Guinea

The announcement of the final election results and the calm that now reigns across Guinea are indeed reasons to celebrate. Nevertheless, the new Government of Guinea must now lead the long-overdue process of eliminating impunity and bringing justice to the country. In particular, those responsible for the gross human rights abuses and violence of the 28th of September 2009 must be prosecuted, and the post-electoral violence and abuses of security forces’ power, particularly ethnic-based violence, must also be fully investigated and perpetrators punished.

May this historic democratic transition to civilian rule be the dawn of a new era of peace and prosperity for the people of the Republic of Guinea.

Alliance Guinea
allianceguinea@gmail.com

Alliance Guinea Hails the Successful Conclusion of Guinea’s Elections, Calls for Long-term Commitment to both Democracy and Justice is a post from: Alliance Guinea

The objectives of this initiative are to:

1.Allow Guineans inside and outside of the country to participate in the political debates and discuss the future of the country with the candidates.

2.Allow Guineans of voting age to understand the agendas and policy platforms of the various candidates, and to distinguish between the candidates other based on their programs and accomplishments.

3.Provide a forum for candidates to explain their policies and projects and to debate them with their political opponents.

4.Reduce the tension and politically-based violence through informed dialogue.

5.Reduce the ethnic vote, and allow coalitions based on policies and governance philosophy to emerge and consolidate.

To design the questionnaire for candidates, we need your ideas on the most relevant questions to ask. What are your priority concerns and aspirations? What questions can we ask to solicit responses that are well thought-out that will allow us to distinguish between the candidates?

To join the coalition of Guineans who want to vote for a new Guinea, please fill out the form via the link below. Contribute to the political debate in Guinea in devising your questions to the candidates. The success of this initiative depends on you, because we rely on as much participation as possible to represent the interest of everyday Guinea in the political debate at this crucial moment in the history of Guinea. We are relying on everyone’s spirit of good citizenship to share this form with as many people as possible.

Your opinion counts – make yourself heard and we will ensure that your answers are compiled in order to inform the questionnaire that will soon be submitted to the candidates.Once the questionnaire itself is ready we will keep you informed about the next steps of having this serious debate on the future of Guinea. Speak up and we will make sure that you are heard.

Click here to complete the survey and make your contribution to the elections.

With thanks and solidarity,
The team of organizers

How to vote for a new Guinea? A call for your questions for the candidates is a post from: Alliance Guinea

It seems that the country has two distinct governments. However, the real executive power remains in the hands of Sekouba Konate and his cabinet members. The entire government is composed of members form all social and ethnic groups, but it is surprising and a tremendous disappointment to the cabinet appointments of hard core remnants of the CNDD – notably Commandant Claude Pivi and Lieutenant Colonel Thieboro Camara – widely thought to share responsibility with other junta leaders for the September 28 massacre and mass rapes.

In Dore’s government, one of the greatest disappointments is the Minister of Justice – which did not change from the previous CNDD military government. Colonel Siba Lohalamou, a close ally of Dadis, keeps his seat and in doing so squelches all hope for any serious action now against the perpetrators of the 9/28 crimes against humanity through the Guinean judicial system. Finally, the presence of General Toto Camara as Security and “Civil Protection” Minister also raises serious doubts about just how well civilians – and their rights – will be protected during the transition.

Until free democratic elections are organized and a President issued from popular votes is put into office, democracy will remain just a dream for Guineans all over the world. Apparently, justice and will have to wait until then as well. This transitional government is formed only to please everyone regardless of the qualifications and backgrounds of its members – and, probably, to try to keep some of the worst elements in check. The real test will be if they can do what it takes to organize the elections and set the stage for democratic change and the end of impunity in the long term.

Sekou Konde for Alliance Guinea

Parallel governments in Guinea: Will this lead to real change? is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Dadis, December 2008 (from africa-terror.blogspot.com)

Moussa Dadis Camara declared on Sunday January 17, 2010 in Burkina Faso that he accepted to sign the declaration made on January 15, 2010 without any outside influences. He exhorted supporters to regain their houses calmly and bring the support necessary in a peaceful transition in Guinea under the auspice of Sekouba Konate.

This represents a major breakthrough in the crisis that continues to plague the innocent population of Guinea. The leader of the CNDD has finally faced the fact that only truth prevails and falsehood shines momentary before its doom. Dadis demeanor and speech sharply show that he can no longer lead and only time can tell if he will fully recover from his injuries.

Hopefully, those who are still reluctant to face this reality must know that the whole CNDD saga was just another tragic event with consequences of staggering proportion. Those who are responsible for the September 28th massacre shall account for their acts. It’s only the beginning of end for them.

Sekou Konde for Alliance Guinea

Falsehood has perished and Truth has triumphed is a post from: Alliance Guinea

Today around 5:30pm a delegation led by General Konaté, Colonel Korka and the minister of foreign affairs Alexandre Cécé Loua went to Ouagadougou to meet Captain Dadis. This meeting will undoubtedly set once again Guinea’s fate.

On the other side the Forces Vives met at the house of Jean Marie Doré – for whom the post of Prime Minister is very likely – and decided to work quicker to take the hand extended by General Sékouba Konaté. This hand risks interception by Captain Dadis Camara, which will return Guinea to its original cage, which would be truly a shame. In any case we will see more clearly whether Captain Camara or General Konaté actually leads Guinea.

Regardless, Dadis’ approach is not fortuitous for the same reasons as the hand held out by Sékouba Konaté. Undoubtedly the two men are good friends but don’t share the same vision and maybe no longer even fight for the same cause. Dadis’ short absence illustrated this difference in all its glory. The differences between the two men are enormous, even if in Guinea diverse groups are brought together by demagoguery and bad luck. The Guinean people hope that the good faith of the General, if it actually is good, will dominate over the unspoken intentions of Captain Dadis, who became drunk on power. Life is full of choices, thus Konaté must justify his choice and above all to meet it, and the Forces Vives must continue to apply pressure.

Nasser Diallo

Between Dadis and Konate, who will be in charge now? is a post from: Alliance Guinea

The story always repeats itself twice.

The first time as tragedy, and the second as comedy.

The country of prime ministers continues to be faithful to its values and the population and the opposition learn no lessons. Each time pressure rises in Guinea we switch the Prime Minister to calm spirits and move forward. After the “Consensus” Prime Minister and the “Opening” Prime Minister there was the Junta Prime Minister Kabinet Komara. All raised hopes but what did they really do for Guinea? What marks did they leave for their people?

Today, we speak to you of a Prime Minister from the opposition and everywhere people are dancing and singing in Conakry. Open your eyes, the junta is not stupid—it is a creative way to give the position to the Guinean opposition, which will show that their unity is motivated by gaining power rather than freedom for their people. Without a doubt, each one, to the detriment of the greater interest of the nation will want to place themselves for one party, or place their guy for the other.

We all know from history there is no position in Guinea more unstable and fictionally based than that of the Prime Minister – the “First Minister,” because, for the junta, this position has one simple meaning, the first of all ministers. And this is no secret to the opposition since several of them are well acquainted with the privileges that come with the PM position. The most recent example is the remarkable anger displayed by Dadis Camara against Kabinet Komara for receiving a delegation for the mines without his permission. This is how far the power of a prime minister in Guinea stretches.

The administration is subject to speculations in Guinea and the Guinean peoples’ problem is too delicate for any prime minister as long as the self-proclaimed junta is in power. There are many high stakes facing the success of the transition in Guinea now, and with the approaching nomination of a prime minister from the opposition, we will know how urgent this was among the priorities.

Nasser Diallo

Yet another prime minister – who will replace Kabinet Komara? is a post from: Alliance Guinea