Cecil’s Death: Lessons for Africa

TWS|| Nicholas Waigwa

Africa must draw lessons from Cecil’s murder as I have drawn super lessons from his holiness Pope Francis’ campaign against what he has called ‘ideological colonization.’ It is time we opened our eyes to the realities of ideological colonization if what President Obama sees as a continent ‘on the move’ is to move to the right direction or destruction.

Photo: Nicholas Waigwa

Cecil died because we (in Africa) have accepted to adore money at the expense of our heritage. Cecil’s death is an outcome of our assumed unquenchable thirst for bloody corruption money. We have issued licenses to kill self and our heritage in the name of chasing the foreign currency and investment.

We have created loopholes for people like Walter Palmer to travel all the way from America to Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa, to cold bloodedly kill the African heritage in the name of ‘legal’ trophy hunting.

Legalizing hunting has opened room for apologies such as the one coming from Palmer.  A statement linked to the suspect in the murder of Cecil explores the likely possibility of innocence based on an understanding that the killing of the lion might have happened within a legalized context. After all there is a legal way to taking away the life of an innocent wild animal.

Pic:OnlineSources

It would be naïve for any knowledgeable person of integrity to believe that the suspect in the murder of Cecil did not know the value of the lion and the attention it drew from far and wide. His motive must have been clear and with the murder of Cecil, the speed of the ‘Africa on the move’ to prosperity is on trial. A tourism sector in Zimbabwe is already in tears, thanks to an alleged $50000, which exchanged hands before Cecil’s painful dispatch to the world beyond.

As the story goes Cecil the lion was lured into the lifeless state. His monarch, which has little ones is now kingless, very vulnerable and exposed to uncertainty thanks to the destructive culture of placing money before reason and acceptance of the ‘ideological colonization’ script.

       

It is interesting how those tasked with protecting wildlife in Africa deal ruthlessly with local hunters found with a piece of game meat. We must be seen to treat criminals with equal measure in our global quest to deliver justice for the helpless wildlife entrusted to us by God.

Photo:Nicholas Waigwa

The lion breathed his last in unclear circumstances within which an American national with help from some locals were allegedly involved. Time to heed the recent “enough is enough” call by Mr. Obama on trends that undermine people’s prosperity and freedoms has come.

It goes without saying that President Obama is a strong force in the fight against that which undermines people’s prosperity including corruption. It is time he acted or triggered visible action to have Palmer punished if found guilty of having killed Cecil the LION illegally.

As Zimbabwe takes legal action against the locals linked to the killing of Cecil America should take the lead on the other hand to ensure that Dr. Palmer is held to account for allegedly using a bribe to secure access to the hunting activity that rendered Cecil lifeless.Cecil’s Death: Time to end the false ‘legal trophy hunting’ narrative

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