-Caveat Lector- > US Secretary of State Colin Powell's Africa tour: A picture of > arrogance > > and hypocrisy > > > by Ann Talbot > > 11 June 2001 > > > The tour of four African countries by Secretary of State Colin Powell > > took > > on the character of a colonial governor general's progress, as he > went > > from > > country to country issuing orders and dispensing praise to those > local > > rulers who had pleased their masters. All that was missing to > complete > > the > > picture was a white pith helmet and an ostrich feather. > > > Each of Powell's speeches during his May tour stressed the same > issues: > > democracy, accountability and transparency. These words have become a > > mantra > > for the international financial institutions, Western governments and > > aid > > agencies. For Powell to try and lecture on democracy is the height of > > hypocrisy. He represents a government that came to power by stealing > an > > election, winning 600,000 fewer popular votes than its main rival. > > Thousands > > of black Americans were debarred from voting in the recent > presidential > > poll. Gangs of Republican political thugs physically prevented > officials > > > from carrying out manual recounts in Florida. > > > To these undemocratic procedure was added a network of family > corruption > > and > > patronage of the type that Western governments have criticised in > > African > > regimes. Powell nonetheless felt able to tell Presidents Moi of Kenya > > and > > Mugabe of Zimbabwe that they should retire from office, and to > instruct > > President Museveni of Uganda to introduce a more democratic > > constitution. > > > Powell's air of moral authority is a fraud. His real position in > Africa > > was > > that of the victorious imperial general, whose main claim to fame is > > bombing > > Iraqi cities and strafing retreating soldiers in what returning US > > pilots > > referred to as a "turkey shoot". Still very much the soldier, Powell > > kept > > calling the aides who accompanied him on his African tour his > "troops". > > > None of this would have been evident from the response of the African > > leaders who met him. All were uniformly obsequious. Press reports > > described > > his effect on them as "magnetic". Asked about the response of African > > heads > > of state to him, Powell replied, "there's a bit of pride that I'm an > > African-American. I'm pleased there is that subtext." > > > Powell is the first black US Secretary of State to be appointed, and > he > > exploited this fact for all it was worth during his trip. He > confessed > > to > > reporters that he felt "an emotional twinge" at visiting Africa, > > reminding > > them that his parents were Jamaican immigrants and that his ancestors > > were > > slaves from West Africa. > > > The African press reported conversations in which ordinary Africans > > expressed their belief that "brother" Powell would take a special > > interest > > in Africa, sympathising with the poor and dispossessed. > > > Eager to further this image, Powell linked hands with young Aids > > sufferers > > in Soweto to sing "Lean on Me." He visited the sprawling slum of > Kibera > > in > > Nairobi, where thousands of workers live in corrugated iron and mud > > shacks, > > without even the most basic sanitation or power. The Aids projects of > > Kibera > > are a regular stop on the itinerary of visiting dignitaries; only > last > > year > > Madeleine Allbright made exactly the same trip. The purpose of the > visit > > in > > each case is the same. It is intended to demonstrate the supposed > > concern of > > Western governments for Aids victims, while they continue to insist > that > > > Africans can combat this deadly disease through "self-help" and only > the > > > most minimal contributions from the West. > > > Powell's trip was true to type. The Bush administration has > contributed > > just > > $200 million to the new UN Aids fund. This is despite the fact that > even > > > Kofi Annan sets the figure needed at an annual $10 billion. Powell > > described > > the paltry sum, as "a significant amount of money", telling > reporters, > > "It's > > $200 million more than there was the day before." > > > Not only has the Bush administration given a derisory amount to > Africa > > in > > Aids relief, it is threatening to undermine Aids prevention > programmes > > by > > its appointment of a leading Vatican advisor John M. Klink to head > the > > State > > Department bureau that deals with population and refugee issues. > Klink > > opposes the use of condoms, which until now have been recommended to > > prevent > > the spread of the HIV virus. Klink and Andrew Natsios, the new head > of > > the > > US Agency for International Development, will call on Christian and > > Muslim > > clerics to lead a campaign for sexual abstinence. > > > As Powell toured the Aids projects, he heard the accounts of Aids > > victims > > and their relatives. Patricia Asero's story was only one of many. She > > told > > Powell how her husband and her son had died of Aids. Recognising that > > she > > too would die of the same disease soon, the grief stricken woman > pleaded > > > with Powell to help make drugs available to Africans "Part of my > family > > could have been saved," she said, "if we had these cheaper > retrovirals." > > > Powell's response to this and other similar appeals was to defend the > > drug > > companies' right to make profits. "One has to remember that an > > investment is > > made to produce these drugs, to do the research. And if you don't > have > > some > > return on that investment pharmaceutical companies won't do it," he > > explained to reporters. > > > Powell began his trip in Mali, which is now praised as a prime > example > > of > > democracy in Africa. What Powell and the Bush administration mean by > > democracy becomes apparent in this, one of the poorest countries in > the > > world. > > > Malian President Alpha Oumar Konaré was elected in 1997 with what > Africa > > > Confidential magazine call a "North Korean" majority of 98 percent. > > Political power lies in the hands of a few elite families. The same > > people > > have benefited from the government's privatisation programme. Leading > > families have made a killing out of the creation of a Malian cell > phone > > network and are now positioning themselves to do the same out of the > > African > > Nations Cup, the continent-wide football tournament that Mali is due > to > > host. > > > While the rich are building grand new villas along the river Niger, > the > > three million people who depend on cotton growing face a bleak > future. > > The > > Compagnie Malian pour Développement Textile, the state-owned cotton > > company, > > is virtually bankrupt. Its debts to foreign banks stand at $42 > million > > and a > > further $74m are "unaccounted for". > > > Zambia was not on Powell's itinerary, but he praised the country's > > President > > Frederick Chiluba for agreeing to resign his post at the end of his > > term. > > Closer examination reveals the picture of Zambia as a thriving > democracy > > is > > as false as that of Mali. In March, Chiluba purged his critics from > the > > National Executive of the ruling party, the Movement for Multi-party > > Democracy, and has since used the security forces to intimidate and > > suppress > > them. > > > Former Labour Minister Edith Nawakwi was arrested, after she after > > opposed > > Chiluba's bid to amend the constitution to allow him to stand for > > another > > five-year term in office. She alleged that government thugs > threatened > > to > > rape her if she persisted in criticising Chiluba. Amos Malupenga, > news > > editor of the Post, which reported Nawakwi's allegations, was also > > arrested. > > Other opponents claim that they have been become victims of traffic > > accidents and that their offices have been flooded with gas. > > > Chiluba only agreed to stand down at the end of his term when a third > of > > > Zambian parliamentary deputies backed a motion to impeach him for his > > strong-arm tactics and as the country was swept by riots and strikes. > > Popular opposition has grown as a result of the privatisation of > > Zambia's > > copper mines, which has cost thousands of jobs. Poverty has deepened > > while > > the political elite, including those who now present themselves as > > Chiluba's > > opponents, have siphoned off money and property for their own > benefit. > > > Genuine democracy is impossible when the gulf between rich and poor > is > > as > > wide as it is in Africa. When wealth is accumulated in the hands of a > > few, > > mere access to a ballot box does not ensure democracy, and even that > > right > > becomes precarious. Real democracy demands social equality rather > than > > merely the right to vote. > > > Powell claims that if the African countries would only get their > > political > > systems in order, trade and investment would follow. He stressed the > > advantages that would flow to Africa following the passage of the new > > African Growth and Opportunity Act, which was carried in the US > > legislature > > last year with backing from Democrats and Republicans. As a result of > > this > > measure, exports from beneficiary countries have increased by 24 > percent > > in > > the first quarter of this year. Exports from Madagascar to the USA > have > > increased by 138 percent and from Senegal by 544 percent. > > > These seemingly dramatic increases represent only a small amount of > > trade. > > The real purpose of the act is not to open up the American economy to > > African imports but to force Africa to accept exports from the US. > > Countries > > can only qualify under the act if they agree to import US > manufactured > > goods. The act is effectively creating a captive market for American > > industry. A recent report from the charity Oxfam said, "Unveiled as a > > radical move to grant completely unrestricted access to US markets > for > > all > > sub-Saharan African exports, it [African Growth and Opportunity Act] > > offers > > almost nothing, since the US market is already quite open. The areas > in > > which it is not open, such as textiles, are of limited interest to > > Africa > > because the region is not competitive. Just to ensure that the > textile > > sector was protected, the recent US-Africa-Caribbean trade bill > > stipulates > > that exporters of apparel from Africa are required to use yarn and > > fabrics > > imported from the US to benefit from duty-free access." > > > To the extent that manufacturers invest in Africa they will create > low > > wage > > jobs, particularly in the textile industry. It is an attempt to > maintain > > the > > profitability of US companies that find they cannot compete on the > world > > > market even when paying minimum wages in the USA. They hope to find > an > > even > > cheaper workforce in Africa, one that is forced into compliance by > > political > > repression. > > > While this aspect of the legislation is important to the Bush > > administration, even more central to US interests are Africa's > immense > > mineral reserves. Not only does Africa possess vast oil and gas > deposits > > but > > the continent also has a wide range of minerals, including uranium > and > > many > > rare minerals that are vital to the production of the specialised > alloys > > > used in aircraft manufacture. > > > Powell is continuing the effort off the previous administration to > > increase > > the US hold over Africa at the expense of the former main colonial > > powers, > > Britain and France. He was forced to correct the gaffe that Bush made > > during > > his election campaign, when he said that Africa was not important to > the > > US. > > Powell repeatedly assured his hosts that Africa is important to him > and > > to > > Bush. > > > Even with the ending of the Cold War, Africa remains significant > because > > of > > its mineral wealth and its strategic relationship to the Middle East, > > and > > due to the number of sea routes that pass its shores. Now that US > policy > > in > > Africa is no longer dominated by its rivalry with the Soviet Union, > > competition between the imperialist powers has come to the fore. > > Powell's > > visit, one of his first overseas trips, was staking the new > > administration's > > claim to the continent. > > > The four countries that Powell visited were all, in one way or > another, > > important to US strategic interests. Mali is now a member of the UN > > Security > > Council and is part of ECOWAS, the West African regional grouping > that > > the > > US hopes to use to bring the civil wars in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra > > Leone > > under control. South Africa is vital to US interests in southern and > > central > > Africa as a whole and for its position on the Cape shipping routes. > The > > ANC > > has played a crucial role in negotiating peace accords in Congo and > the > > Great Lakes area. Uganda and Kenya have long played an important part > in > > US > > policy in the Horn of Africa. Uganda's support was essential in > bringing > > > down Mobutu, the Congolese dictator, when the US decided it no longer > > had > > any use for one of its main Cold War African allies. > > > Powell's rhetoric was strikingly similar to that of the nineteenth > > century > > colonialists, who justified their conquests in terms of free trade > and > > the > > West's "civilising mission". Not everyone was taken in by his > hypocrisy. > > > Riot police had to be called to Witwatersrand University in South > > Africa, > > where protesting students sat down in front of Powell's motorcade as > he > > attempted to leave the campus. He had previously addressed staff and > > students at the university. Even in the controlled atmosphere of this > > meeting Powell met with opposition. One student asked why America was > > continuing to bomb Iraq, saying, "I don't know what we should call > you, > > either a revolutionary, a reformer, or a modern Uncle Tom, as in a > sell > > out." > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Spot the hottest trends in music, movies, and more. http://buzz.yahoo.com/ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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