I am glad to know that I am not the only one that felt a little uneasy with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's initiative to grant an annual prize worth more than $5 million to an African head of state who was freely elected, turned over power to a freely elected successor and governed well while in office.

Check out this New York Times Opinion Piece.

What I would like to know is how this is going to be judged? How does one conclude if a head of state has "governed well" in his time? The good governance agenda is so misused, that I fear it has become a myth.

I especially liked the last point made in the article:
What counts is how the system is structured. To change that, Africa, like elsewhere, needs more than an Ibrahim prize. It needs a permanent source of political pressure from citizens and business groups — not just general disgust, but advocacy for specific reforms. Corruption always carries its own powerful lobby. Honest government needs one as well.

When I decided to go to Cape Town, I didnt know what to expect. I had heard both great and not-so-great things about the city - stories on violence and crime, as well as ones around a high rate of HIV/AIDS, but also stories of safaris, beaches, song and dance. A week later and I can enthusiastically say that Cape Town was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to - and not to brag, but I have travelled quite a bit!

Highlights:
- Green Point Market Square was bustling with sellers of all sorts of wooden, copper, and string crafts.
- The views from Table Mountain of all of the city, as this blog picture. Beach Road also had some stunning views of the beach, from its many cafes and restaurants on building balconies.
- The Waterfront, which actually looked like something that came out of Baltimore!
- Long Street, which also reminded me of another US city -> New Orleans! The bars had such a good vibe, with many South African hip hop bands.
- The zebras in the park that was next to the main highway, towards downtown.
- The turtles in our hotel's garden.

Having said all this, there is one thing that I couldn't escape: "Economic Apartheid". While apartheid ended over a decade ago, there are still millons (estimate is at 2 million) of Black South Africans living in townships and earning minimum wage, at the very best. Townships, in my opinion, look worse than refugee camps, at least the ones I have seen in the Middle East. They seem like they are about to collapse any minute. The irony of it is that there are some that don't mind so much where they live, as it provides them with a sense of security and community. The government has responded by beginning to replace townships with building developments, that still allow for neighbours to be neighbours. Why now? Well, the World Cup will be held in Cape Town in 2010. The question that needs to be asked, as one NGO activist told me, what next? While 2010 is providing South Africans with a goal for their works, it is high time that we start thinking of how the next generation of black South Africans will feel a sense of community in Cape Town, as a whole, not just amongst their neighbours.

I have finally begun to blog and I am very excited! I have wanted to do this for so long, and I have always been so caught up with other things. What I am quickly realising is that one has so much to say when they get the chance to write down their thoughts.

For this entry, I want to refer to my participation at the OxHA 2006 Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. A new initiative was launched - www.3four50.com. So, check out my blogs (including vblogs!) at 3FOUR50.

About 3FOUR50 - Oxford Health Alliance Initiative:
The name represents the 3 main risk factors (poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking) that cause four chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, some cancers, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes), which in turn is estimated to be responsible for 50% of the world's deaths over the next two decades.