When America and European countries do business with each other, it is called: BUSINESS. And when America and European countries do business with Africa it is called CHARITY/AID or HELP. No wonder Africa is poor! No continent in the world is willing to do business with Africa. Does Africa stand alone in its struggle for economic liberation? and if it does, may I ask why? Didn’t the first Europeans that came to Africa find the Africans doing business with each other? They found a generation consisting of huge states, well organized to the smallest detail, with mighty regents, wealthy trade people, dressed in silk and velvet and civilized into the marrow.
There have been books written and destroyed about Africa so that modern man may not grasp the truth about Africa. We will never know the truth, will we? While Bush and Blair’s plan concerning debt cancellation is going according to the NGOs and charity/aid organizations, the Africans and other countries hit by debt, aid/charity and help solutions that have exacerbated poverty problems in Africa’s societies, have had very little to say. When told about the Washington and Europe’s plans about Africa, the Africans get very upset. We have always taken care of ourselves none of those rich nations have done anything for us, why should they continue saying they are helping us, what kind of insults are these? This is rough alright. Rough and unpleasant. So why do Western and European countries strive so much to help a continent that has been plundered, abused, wrecked, humiliated, lied to, and oppressed beyond control? Why all this help? What does it mean? To those that have eyes to see and are able to read the fine print, it simply means CONTROL. Slavery ended, and it was replaced by colonialism. Colonialism ended and it was replaced by Charity/Aid and Help organizations. When things are turning around and when help organizations should be ending their manipulative strategies/stratagems against Africa, a deeper cry is made to all four corners of the world (except for Africa) to erase the debt.The big question that should be asked is why has London and Washington turned to forgiving the debt in a time when industrialized nation’s economists are on their knees looking for a solution to end their financial crisis. In 2005, I witnessed the closure of Rover MG, a car manufacturing company based in the West Midlands (Birmingham where I live),because the British economy under Tony Blair could not sustain it. A due diligence report saved a Chinese company Shanghai from buying this loss making company at the eleventh minute as the deal was just about to be concluded. As I write, most of UK manufacturing companies are operating off-shore with view to cutting operating costs with China being viewed as a safe haven for Cheap labour. Most of the UK call centres operate in Mumbai India for the same reason as above, a move which has opened a barrage of criticism from clients of major UK banks as language problem is resulting into poor service.Isnt that exploitation?
Madonna,U2’s Bono ,Sir Bob Geldof and some pop stars, and other bad boys in Hollywood have again turned to Africa as their solution to solve the industrialized financial crises. Knowing African countries have been the main donors and the sustainers of the world economies and have enriched the industrialized nations, everyone else thinks it is time to use Africa again. The lenders are starting afresh. How do we know this? On June 09th 2005, the New York Times reporters Elizabeth Becker and Richard W. Stevenson wrote in an article titled: “U.S. and Britain Agree on Relief for Poor Nations. The article read, “The debts will be written off by the lenders in an effort to allow the debtor countries to start afresh, get their books in order and eventually be able to borrow again for economic development, health, education and social programs, rather than simply to repay existing loans.” We all know that these economic development, health, education and social programs are the famous MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS FORCED UPON AFRICA. These goals have nothing to do with Africa’s development neither are they in best interest of the African people. The African governments will be forced to have the debt erased and forced to take new loans on conditions that they follow the MDGs, which are cosmetic solutions to deepen Africa’s problems. Unlike China, it seems there are no other ways of how to run business. To the industrialized nations, there is only one solution. Just as Africa bailed the poor rich countries out of financial crisis in the 70s Africa is about to be used again, through debt cancellation this time. The NGOS and all other help and charity organizations including the Oxfam are overjoyed by this move, and say it comes at the right time. Right time? When the western economy is very bad? Trade balances won’t balance. European countries are falling away from each other, western and European firms are moving to China, worsening local businesses. So who is going to fix the trade balances and how? Looking up to China and trying to force the Chinese to strengthen their currency won’t help. The lesson to learn from China is that the Chinese accumulate very cheap resources from Africa and other countries around the world, why should they sell their products expensively? It is with this thought in mind that the western world is trying to compete with the Chinese at acquiring the resources much needed in their industries in order to cut on Chinese dependence. This act alone is theft. Africa still remains to be the world’s largest producer of the most important and needed resources. Gold, silver, diamonds, precious minerals that are used in the production of mobile phones and musical instruments, copper, livestock, herbs, plants, cotton, tobacco, tea, cocoa, sugar, fruits, vegetables, grains, name it. This includes Africa’s human resources. All these are exported in the name of debt and charity/aid. Thus the world citizens cannot do without Africa’s resources. In the recent past we have seen some European countries growing sugar and tobacco but their production capacity cannot meet the demands of their countries. The European countries have put up stringent measures in the agriculture and economic sectors so that Africans can produce their own goods for local consumption and they continue to claim that African agricultural goods do not meet export quality. The Malawian Tobacco industry is facing this problem where buyers dictate tobacco prices claiming that the quality of tobacco leaves does not meet the expected standards. So in the hope to save both American and the European economies, a battle for debt cancellation has been taken seriously. It is not time to concentrate on preaching about debt cancellation, it is time to concentrate on saving the industrialized nations’ economies that are in total disarray. Thus instead of the rich countries saying they are saving their own economies, they turn around and say they are saving Africa’s economies. How are they going to do this when they have worsened Africa’s economies? Africa debt cancellation will lead to the clean lawful silent apartheid systems of the 40s and 50s. During this period, Africans were treated like animals, while foreigners lived like kings and queens. Instead of writing with pencils and pens, pupils and students will return to writing on the sand with their fingers, deaths will triple. True debt cancellation would be seen in reality. So debt cancellation will leave Africa in deeper problems, while it will sustain the creators and controllers who have a greater need to control others through help organizations. And how can this debt cancellation uphold free trade in Africa. Isn’t China practicing free trade, but how come the US and the Europeans are against China’s free trade, yet they want Africa to practice free trade? Where is debt cancellation in all this? Debt cancellation would be plausible if Western countries gave the African countries all/most of their assets back, these include Forestry, Water, Agriculture, Local industries Education, Health, Fishing industries, Communication, Stop free trade businesses, high tariffs, give the local people access to job creation etc.Debt cancellation should mean job creation. Debt cancellation should mean doing away with charity organizations, and letting the Africans take care of themselves as they always have. Africa is going to bail the poorest wealthiest nations out of their economic crises again. The IMF and the World Bank are aware that many nations and western business houses don’t trust them, and many have boycotted their bonds, so why would any sensible person buy their gold today? One interesting question that any scholar would want to ask is, why are all charity organizations happy about this move? Charity organizations are happy because they put their money where their mouths are. Mind you while the whole world including bad boys like Bono ,Bob Geldof etc, have been advertising in the kitchen on how to help Africa, the Africans don’t know much about this. This very message has been kept away from the Africans. Knowing that the Africans as the world’s richest donor that sustains world poor powerful nations who want to control Africa’s natural and human resources would laugh at them asking what are you helping? The sad reality however, is that African leaders are too kin to accept this charity because they are the main beneficiaries as opposed to the people they serve. Charity is viewed as a morning star, anouncing their time for wealth accumulation and not wealth creation for the benefit of their people.
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