Dear President
In the magical kingdom of the universe, tapestry of the most beautiful creation of God, mankind – the crown jewel of his creation – distinguished from the rest of his glorious vessels, divine journey of making the world a peaceful place for all. Posterity bestowed unto humanity, creation of his image, our mother nature, most beautiful garden of peace and prosperity.
I take the rare opportunity of my open letter to you, pose a fundamental question, whether in the present age of human civilisation, appreciating the complexities of our habitat, the universe, whether the generation of human society, represents modernity or barbarism. Whether as caretakers of his splendour creation, we believe in heavens declaring his glory and skies the work of hands.
Being the President of the most powerful empire of the present civilisation, I pose the question to you, cognisance of the immense leadership responsibility, bequeathed upon your shoulders, desire of humanity, to make the universe, a commonplace for peace amongst nation states. The most challenging task before us, struggles for self discovery, being the image of His creation, our relationship to the complex phenomenon of life.
I refer your Excellency, words of wisdom, of the first woman astronaut to have travelled around the Moon, Christinah Koch, reflecting on the recent Artemis II mission, defining our mother earth, as a “‘lifeboat’ hanging undisturbingly in the universe, all of humanity on the planet earth as one crew, dependent on the same vessel, working together to ensure its survival”. Viewing the vulnerable position of planet earth, inspired her historic call to all of humanity, understand that the geopolitical, economic and social conflicts raving the world, seem trivial and wasteful, compared to the vastness of the universe.
Her colleague, Victor Jerome Glover, the first black American to fly beyond low Earth orbit, reflecting on the historic Artemis II mission, says “the mission has shown us what we can do when we, not just put our differences aside, but when we bring our differences together, to accomplish something great. Humanity is on a spaceship called Earth, that was created to give us a space to live in the universe, in the cosmos”.
With all humility, on behalf of the millions of the people of the world, I am making a call to you our Excellency, to take to its pedestal, unprecedented wisdom of the words of the heroes and heroines, of Artemis II mission to the Moon, profundity of its historical significance, shaking the groundbreaking milestones of our times, turning point of our shared humanity. This is a call future generations will make of us, reverberating into the unending horizons of our universe, birthplace of all mankind.
Your Excellency, you have recently erected in the gardens of the world-revered White House, the statue of Christopher Columbus, acclaiming him accolades of being the original American hero, and one of the most gallant visionary man to have ever walked the face of the earth. That his voyage of discovery in 1492, carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas.
Writing in his manuscript, elucidating his first experiences with the indigenous people of our America, Christopher Columbus, says the following to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1493: “As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force, in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts.
“They ought to make good slaves for they are of quick intelligence, since I notice that they are quick to repeat what is said to them, and I believe that they could very easily become Christians, for it seems to me that they had no religion of their own. God willing, when I come to leave, I will bring six of them to your Highness, so that they could learn Spanish.”
Scholars and esteemed institutions across the world, have over the past centuries, wrote extensively, giving account of the horrific acts of genocide, committed by Christopher Columbus and his crew, against peaceful indigenous people of our America, forcing them into slavery to extract gold, silver, in the sugar, coffee, rice and tobacco plantations, to supply European markets. The untold brutal crimes, led to the extermination of millions of the peace-loving people, of the beautiful peninsula of our mother continent.
In his book, “A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies”, published in 1561, the Spanish author, Bartolomme De Las Casas, wrote that as early as 1552, more than 12 million men, women and children were killed in the Americas. He says:
“My eyes have seen these acts so foreign to human nature, that now I tremble as I write. As for the vast mainland of Mexico, we can estimate so surely and truthfully, that in the forty years that have passed, with the infernal actions of Christians, they have unjustly slanged over 12 million men, women and children of the indigenous population of our America.”
The first hero of Latin American war of independence, chief Hatuey, descendant of the Taino tribe from Haiti, becoming witness to Spanish brutality against the indigenous populations, led a contingent of warriors of men and women into the Island of Cuba, warning his fellow countrymen, about the impending invasion by Spanish colonial forces, he shown them a basket of gold and jewels, saying: “Here is the God of Spanish worship, for these, they fight and kill, for these, they persecute, that is why we have to throw them into the sea.”
He was later captured by Spanish colonial troops, after fierce battles in the ‘mountains of the revolution’, Sierra Maestra Mountains, in the eastern part of the Island of Cuba, he was told of what he could do, in the brief moment of time remaining for him, he was offered to convert into Christianity, submit to Spanish rule or to be executed. Before he was burned at stake, he asked if the Spanish people go to heaven when they die, when they said ‘Yes’, he said “I rather go to hell than to go to heaven with such cruel and unjust people.”
Your Excellency, I am narrating these episodes of great historic significance, to impress upon you, the need for our peaceful solutions to the challenges facing humanity, not to turn our universe, into bloodbath of barbarism. It is time for our generation of man, to emphasise for peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and unity amongst all the people of the world.
I know that so many of the leaders of the world are afraid of you, they are afraid of the most brutal world policeman, and are afraid to tell you the honest truth, that the gruesome mass murder of school children and teachers at the start of the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran, was the most heartless crime against humanity, it is an atrocity no preceding generation of human civilisation should allow. It is upon our generation, declare ourselves Ambassadors of peace, in the image of his creation, the universe, the most beautiful garden of human tranquility.
I call upon you, to stop sponsoring bloodbath in Palestine, Iran and Lebanon, I call upon you to stop the genocide against the heroic people of Cuba, history will come to prove you wrong, that ideas are more powerful than weapons. It is enough, we can no more turn the world into an ocean of human blood, we have lost so many millions of helpless souls, we have lost millions of innocent men, women and children, we are a generation of modern civilisation, true guardians of the mother universe, a generation of modernity not barbarism.
I invite you, into the beautiful harmonious words of your fellow country patriot, the renowned American scholar and writer, Angie Weiland Crosby, when she says: “Clouds are like people, not only do they come and go in our lives, but each may be formed differently, as we all are. The skyline is that beautiful breathing place of shelter for clouds to be who they are, unique in shape and purpose.
“My greatest wish for us is to be like the clouds. Move forward with intend on this earth, believing in one another. I hope one day, we live this horizon of unity.”
You will agree with me, that history of the world is a biography of great men and women, that monuments of great men and women are not of gold and silver, but those whose hearts are at the right place, those who are the greatest frontiers of peace and prosperity. History is a testament that without humility, there can be no humanity.
We continue to be fascinated and inspired by the wonders of the universe, we are its humanity, its eyes and ears, part of its wider imaginations, for we are embraced by its fulfilment, its journey to discover who we are, true caretakers of its horizons, humanity the universe. Even if we do not walk the path, of the sacred world to come, we are the foundations of its beginning, we bequeath the task to posterity, to the world to come, our universe, theatre of life, bowl of humanity.
Thank you
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Ambassador Phatse Justice Piitso is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) writing this article in his personal capacity.