I am one man in Africa who stands alone on ideas that I win in later stages. I have no regrets for standing for the truth. The win of Morocco over Spain shouldn’t give Africans something of a thrill or pride.
Morocco does not consider itself as African but Arab’s North powerhouse. That’s the reality. Lest we forget, these are the same people who will vehemently froth their mouths abroad whilst trying to prove to the world that they are not Africans but Arabs.
It’s true, the geographic wonder of the universe and Earth’s tectonic forces made us neighbours, we had no choice, but that’s where the story ends. There’s nothing else African in Morocco’s bloodstream, both the country and its people. They kill and destroy Sahrawi.
Those who haven’t traveled to Rabat or Casablanca might dispute these facts, but that’s the truth. In fact, the reality hits you as soon as you land on their soil. The raw racism and contempt will make you doubt if you’re still in Africa.
In 1987, Morocco even applied to join European Union but as fate would have it, the application was rejected.
However, in 1996, the EU and Morocco established a Free Trade Area/Collaboration as part of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, which entered into force on 1 March 2000 and that’s the reason they don’t actively participate in most African missions.
Other than that, Morocco has been the darling of the Arab League more than any other African conglomerate.
Ideologically, I believe that Africa begins in the Sub-Saharan region, the Africanism of the Maghreb region has most often been a grey area depending on the kind of conversation. Anyway, as a Pan-African, I fancy not to dwell on the trivialities of it, but let’s drift back to the conversation of the moment.
In fact, to me, Morocco’s victory against Spain only reverberated the grisly and horrendous memories of The Polisario Front, Morocco, and the Western Sahara Conflict. Both Morocco and Spain are colonizers in the pages of African history, Morocco is in fact an active colonizer.
Sahrawi, a Spanish colony, the territory was invaded and occupied by Moroccan and Mauritanian troops in 1975 following what has come to be known as the Madrid Accords when Spain unilaterally withdrew from its colony is the taint on the Moroccan outfit.
Through this thuggery, both countries violated the 1975 International Court of Justice (ICJ) declaration that neither Morocco nor Mauritania has territorial sovereignty over Sahrawi.
The United Nations did not recognize the Madrid Accords, and a 2002 opinion of the UN Office of Legal Affairs made clear that colonizing powers cannot simply hand over the keys of one country to another.
Unfortunate however is Morocco’s defiance and belligerence towards granting Sahrawi its independence, since the declaration of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as an independent state, the witch-hunt by Morocco has turned the people of Sahrawi the wretched of the earth.
In 1979, Mauritania signed a peace treaty with the Polisario Front, withdrew from occupied Western Sahara, and recognized the SADR. Morocco then annexed the Mauritanian portion of the territory that had been ceded by Spain and has defiantly and illegally held onto it to date.
It was ironic that some Africans gathered the audacity to shout “Colonizers have fallen” when Morocco thrashed Spain in penalties during yesterday’s match.
If Spain was a brutish colonizer, then by far Morocco is a vicious, unrepentant modern colonizer. In the words of the Jamaican Reggae band ‘The Morgan Heritage’, I would like to ask Africans, “Looking at Morocco, do you see anything to smile about?”
At least NOT ME in Africa as an African and Pan African
God bless Africa
The author is the Chairman/Founder of Pan African Forum (UK) Ltd.