US sanctions, travels bans, a badge of honor or devil’s mark? The case of Mandela, Cuba and Russia

South Africa’s liberation hero, Nelson Mandela became the face of opposition to the evil apartheid policy in his country. As a result, he was blacklisted by the regime then and incarcerated.

It did not stop with imprisonment, the backers of that apartheid regime including the United States aka Uncle Sam, went ahead to place him on the infamous list of the world’s most wanted terrorists. Madiba was on this list up until 2008! Mandela was released from prison in 1990, became president of South Africa in 1994, and left power. All this while, he was a wanted terrorist in the United States. 

He wore it with valor knowing that it was the price one had to pay for freedom. In his death, the world converged on South Africa to honor a man they once branded a terrorist. Vindication!

Enter Cuba. In 1962, Uncle Sam slapped an economic embargo on Cuba in what is now termed a blockade on the island nation. Cuba’s so called crime then, was her friendship with the Soviet Union which the US felt posed a threat. Cuba is 90 miles from the US mainland. However, that was not the only reason. Animosity towards Cuba had begun just a few years ago, in 1959 when the famous revolution led by El Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, overthrew the US backed regime of Fulgensio Batista.

To date, the US still maintains the unjust blockade on Havana that has affected the lives of Cubans. However, the Cubans have somehow learnt to live within their means, building capacity in the fields of medicine and education, wearing the sanctions with pride and not willing to trade their hard fought independence with imperialism. Cubans also carry the hope that the world stands in solidarity with them. The recent UN vote against the blockade was overwhelmingly supported by member countries excluding the US and Israel. Like Fidel said in 1953, history has absolved him!

The west led by the US has also imposed a round of sanctions on Russia for its military operation in Ukraine. Just like the US felt uneasy with the Soviet Union allegedly getting close to Cuba, Russian minders feel justified by the Ukraine operation arguing that a NATO at their doorstep poses a serious threat. Many months into the war, the writing’s on the wall that Russian President Vladimir Putin is vindicated.

From the above examples, it is clear that if a country has their act together, history will always absolve them irrespective of who is sanctioning them. The punitive measures by Uncle Sam are not the yardstick of a country’s measure of right or wrong. However, the question is are leaders able to rally their citizens to withstand these actions like in the case of Mandela, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Iran, to mention a few? US sanctions provide countries with the opportunity to examine their priorities and put in place self-sustaining ventures and policies if they are absent.

In the recent years, Uganda’s relations with Uncle Sam have taken the direction of sanctions and travel restrictions with the latest coming after the country passed the popular Anti-Homosexuality law (popular in Uganda). Uganda’s exclusion from the Africa Growth Opportunistic Act (AGOA) came on the heels of other actions from the US and World Bank where it has much influence.

In the ethos of Uncle Sam’s gospel on democracy, the respect on one’s choices takes precedent the next being numbers. However, it appears that Ugandans’ choices on the act of homosexuality are something the US and the west are not willing to allow. This contradiction is what has led many countries especially in Africa to ally with alternative global powers like China and Russia, and until Washington rethinks its “mutual relations” with the continent, this trend will only be consolidated. If Uganda builds her capacity and is on the right side of history, sanctions will be medals.

Alex Masereka Joel is a Pan Africanist, Member Uganda – Cuba Solidarity Movement and Media Officer, ONC 

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