Is Samba-Panza Queen or President?
Reading: “Can Catherine Samba-Panza save the Central African Republic?” by David Smith, The Guardian; “Security dilemma in Central African Republic” by Tania Page
Firstly, I do have to say that calling what’s going on in Centrafrique a “security dilemma” is rather glib, especially for someone who’s supposed to be in the country. Putting that aside, I’d like to focus more on the newly elected president, Catherine Samba-Panza. She is coming into an office that has been tainted by her past few predecessors. She is inheriting a problem that is gigantic. And if the reports of how she’s acted since coming into power is true, she will ultimately be a French puppet or a failure. By appearing in resplendent robes, being filmed from a majestic office, the image she portrays is one of decadence and splendor, the sort that typically characterizes African dictators. She reportedly chastised a French TV crew for not covering her more prominently. She puts undue emphasis on the uniqueness of her gender, which while important, ought to be something for historians and commentators to decide, not for her to proclaim. I may be stepping out of line with this comment but I believe we all respect people more when they show humility about adverse circumstances, not when they glorify them.
This may all be political spin, it is true. The office is probably a relic of older administrations. I find it difficult to imagine who would really want to spin her, though. If France hopes that they can keep Samba-Panza unpopular enough that she’ll have to rely on them indefinitely — and the force Ban Ki-Moon has proposed, as well as France’s own assurance, is significant — then perhaps. To me, however, the idea of using media slander to discredit Samba-Panza is a fantasy.
I bring it up only to say that even if this is the case, it is up to her to manage her image. That is the most important thing she can do now. She needs to present herself as a uniter of Centrafrique, someone who is interested in peace above everything else, and is willing to go to any lengths to achieve that. She needs to show that she wants to fight hard to resolve this bloodshed. I have no problem with Samba-Panza wearing lavish clothing but this is not the time. This is the time for the dark business suit. This is the time for the spartan office. These are not empty political gestures. From the president of the country, they represent what the president feels the character of that country should be. Samba-Panza’s flaunting of wealth is not within the reach of the vast majority of that country. If that’s what she thinks the character should be, clearly it is one that means a few will enjoy her example while the rest will be made to suffer for it.
