Xenophobia is a crime
(From: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2008/at20.htm#preslet)
by Gwede Mantashe, ANC Secretary General, ANC Today, Volume 8, No. 20, 23-29 May 2008
May 25th is Africa Day. This marks the day that we, as Africans celebrate the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, the predecessor of the African Union. Today the African Union is an instrument to unite all the people of Africa both politically and economically.
On Sunday we will wake up in this country and celebrate the victories our forebears have had over colonialism and Apartheid.
Many of us, including myself, will think of the kindness we received in the poorest communities of Angola , Mozambique , Zimbabwe , Zambia , Tanzania , Nigeria and many other African States . We will recall that our neighbours were collectively punished by the Apartheid regime for harbouring the cadres of the ANC. We will remember that our children were given spaces in overcrowded schools in remote rural villages, and when we were injured and ill, the hospitals of many African countries nursed us back to health.
Above all, when we wake up on Sunday morning we will remember that we are Africans. We will celebrate the fact that the African continent entrusted its Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, to South Africa , which is located in Midrand, not far from one of the scenes of the horrendous attacks on South Africans and Foreign Nationals, which are our brothers and sisters from this continent.
It is on Sunday that we will go to church and bow our heads in prayer and many of us will pray for those who have been murdered, raped, injured, possessions looted, homes destroyed and displaced. Many of us will have taken from our own meagre resources to assist the people who fled to police stations for safety. We cannot but conclude that an injustice and crimes of a serious nature have been committed against fellow Africans, here in South Africa . To date 42 souls have been lost. Somewhere out there, somebody's mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, son or daughter will no longer come out to greet them.
In Alexandra, Tembisa, Thokoza, Reiger Park , along Jules Street in Johannesburg and in the city itself, homes and businesses have been looted and burnt. A shameful pogrom, ill informed and angry with people whom they perceive to be robbing them of their right to services. Is this the truth? The same mob that accused people of being criminals acted in the most obscene of criminal ways.
There is no room for this behaviour in our country ever; there is no reason that compels us to behave in this atrocious manner. For this reason we support the deployment of the SANDF to the effected areas, to do no more than support the police in rooting out the criminals who inspired these acts of barbarism.
We call on all ANC members to:
· Spring into organised action
· Give support to the police
· Form the street committees and take the streets back from criminals
· Give comfort and support to all who have been displaced and lost all their worldly goods
There is no doubt that overcrowding and poverty has a hand to play in how people will react when they feel hard done by.
We have work to do comrades and friends.
We have to work hard to ensure that we root out corruption of the nature that robs us of our humanity. Many people have taken occupation of more than one RDP house and sell their houses instead of living in them. We must put a stop to this practice and expose all who are corrupt.
Our policies are not at fault, the policies of the ANC seek to fight poverty and to provide services to the people. We have to ensure that we do the job that needs to be done to make delivery efficient and effective.
We call on all public representatives and civil servants, to make our country work for all who live in it.
Let us fight crime and corruption and work together to build this unique nation.
On Sunday 25 May, let us take the lead wherever we are to ensure that we celebrate africa day as fellow Africans and condemn xenophobia for the heinous crime that it is.
Let us support the police in their work they must do to rid our streets, hostels and informal settlements of criminals.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Arrêtez cette violence absurde : Quelques questions autour de la chasse aux étrangers en Afrique du Sud.
Je voudrais ici partager un certain nombre des questions qui me passent à l’esprit au vu du spectacle que nous présentent nos frères Noirs sud africains depuis quelques jours.
Tout d’abord, le rappel des faits. Je ne vais pas remonter à la situation d’il y a dix ans, lorsque deux étrangers ont été attaqués et tués dans un train par des Noirs sud africains sur l’axe Pretoria-Johannesburg. Je vais également faire l’économie des faits très récents des Townships de Mamelodi et Soshanguve, près de Pretoria, pour m’arrêter aux événements d’Alexandra, un Township du Nord de Johannesburg. Nous sommes le 11 mai 2008. A l’origine, des groupes des résidants de ce Township, sortis nuitamment d’une réunion, ont commencé subitement à s’attaquer aux étrangers (principalement des Zimbabwéens) qui avaient intégré cette communauté. Les medias ont tout de suite dénoncé des pillages des biens, des viols et la mort de deux personnes, dont un Sud africain. Les raisons derrière ces attaques, c’est la compétition pour des ressources limitées : emplois et habitats. Les étrangers étaient accusés de prendre tous les jobs des Sud africains et bénéficier des logements (de la part du gouvernement sud africain) au détriment des nationaux. Par conséquent, seul leur départ immédiat pouvait constituer une solution au problème de taux élevé de chômage dans le pays, soit 40 %. Certains habitants de ce Township n’ont pas hésité à affirmer qu’ils allaient « nettoyer le pays » (d’après une expression utilisée par le quotidien sud africain, The Citizen, de Mardi 13 mai 2008) parce que le gouvernement a trop trainé à résoudre la question du flux d’immigrants étrangers.
Ce qui a initialement commencé comme des attaques xénophobiques le 11 mai à Alexandra a curieusement dégénéré en véritable déchaînement des violences contre les étrangers à travers tout Johannesburg et ses périphéries, allant des pillages, d’enlèvements, aux tueries.
Malheureusement, face à ce déchaînement de violence la réaction des institutions en place a été, à mon sens, timide et inefficace. Si le Président Mbeki ainsi que Jacob Zuma, Président de l’ANC, ont condamné les violences en appelant leurs populations au calme et en instituant une Commission d’enquête pour connaître « ce qui ou celui qui serait derrière cette barbarie », il m’a semble qu’il y a eu très peu des moyens mis en place pour dissuader les assaillants.
Lorque je compare, par exemple, les déploiements des éléments de la Police dans ces violences à ceux qu’on a vu lors des protestations organisées par COSATU (le principal syndicat du pays) ou d’autres syndicats, il n’y a aucun doute que très peu de moyens ont été déployés pour arrêter cette spirale de violence qui vient de faire déjà plus de 30 morts. Plutôt que d’engager des actions musclées en aval pour sauver des vies humaines, le Président Mbeki a préféré agir en amont en constituant sa Commission d’enquête comme s’il fallait aller chercher la « cause » loin de son cabinet ou de sa politique gouvernementale. Et lorsque l’opposition, le DA (Democratic Alliance), a lance l’idée de déployer l’armée (la SANDF) pour appuyer la Police, Mbeki a reconnu que la Police pouvait contenir la situation. Mais pourquoi ne l’a-t-elle pas fait à temps ? Pourquoi ne pouvait-on pas éviter cette criminalité, en laissant des pauvres innocents être brulés vifs ? Y aurait-il une quelconque complicité du gouvernement dans cette affaire ?
Je ne voudrais nullement me constituer en juge tant la question est complexe ; mais je ne peux comprendre la timidité et la lenteur avec laquelle le gouvernement Mbeki est intervenu. Notez que c’est après quatre jours depuis les événements d’Alexandra que Mbeki est apparu à la télé pour réagir à la situation. Heureusement, dans un Communiqué publié ce lundi 19 mai 2008, Monsieur Mbeki a compris qu’il était temps de parler en termes clairs: « Les citoyens d'autres pays d'Afrique et au-delà sont des humains comme nous et méritent d'être traités avec respect et dignité ».
Respect de la dignité humaine, voila ce que nous exigeons de nos frères Sud africains. Si leurs jobs, leurs logements, leurs femmes sont importants, la vie de n’importe quel individu (fut-il immigrant illégal) ne peut être négociée. Si l’Afrique du Sud veut nettoyer son territoire, qu’elle le fasse dans le droit et le respect de la dignité humaine. Seulement, quand l’étranger qui aura servi de bouc-émissaire sera parti, vers qui va-t-on se tourner ? Ce sera probablement le tour de l’ANC ou alors le moment sera venu de poser les vraies questions pour des solutions appropriées aux problèmes du pays.
Il est donc temps de poser les vraies questions.
N’est-il pas trop simpliste de décrire le problème de chômage dans le pays en pointant du doigt les étrangers ? Pourquoi ne pas aborder la question dans une perspective plus globale de manière à ouvrir à des alternatives plus efficaces et durables ? Pourquoi les Sud Africains ne veulent pas interroger leur gouvernement, interroger ses politiques ? Pourquoi ne veulent-ils pas interroger l’ANC et lui demander de leur rendre compte de ses promesses électorales ? Pourquoi les étrangers seraient-ils plus responsables que le gouvernement ?
Quelle image au reste du monde ?
Dans deux ans, l’Afrique du Sud va accueillir le reste du monde. Quelle image ces violences transmettent au reste du monde ? Il y a une semaine, le PDG de l’Agence sud africaine de Tourisme prétendait que l’Afrique du Sud sera présentée au monde comme la « Terre d' Ubuntu » (humanité). On se demande si les violences auxquelles nous assistons aujourd’hui traduisent encore cet « ubuntu ».
(In the wake of the ongoing violence and xenophobia in and around Gauteng, South Africa, I have been wondering : « Is it not too simplistic to describe, for instance, the issue of unemployment by pointing the finger at foreign nationals ? is it not that the issue requires a braod perspective that can then create a platform for sustainable alternatives ? Why should foreign nationals be more accountable than the citizens, the South African government, or the ruling party, the ANC ? And when one looks at the nature of the violence itself, what image is South Africa conveying to the rest of the world two years before the Soccer World Cup ? Where is the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’, which is going to be the motto of the country to the rest of the World, according to the CEO of TourismSA?)
Je voudrais ici partager un certain nombre des questions qui me passent à l’esprit au vu du spectacle que nous présentent nos frères Noirs sud africains depuis quelques jours.
Tout d’abord, le rappel des faits. Je ne vais pas remonter à la situation d’il y a dix ans, lorsque deux étrangers ont été attaqués et tués dans un train par des Noirs sud africains sur l’axe Pretoria-Johannesburg. Je vais également faire l’économie des faits très récents des Townships de Mamelodi et Soshanguve, près de Pretoria, pour m’arrêter aux événements d’Alexandra, un Township du Nord de Johannesburg. Nous sommes le 11 mai 2008. A l’origine, des groupes des résidants de ce Township, sortis nuitamment d’une réunion, ont commencé subitement à s’attaquer aux étrangers (principalement des Zimbabwéens) qui avaient intégré cette communauté. Les medias ont tout de suite dénoncé des pillages des biens, des viols et la mort de deux personnes, dont un Sud africain. Les raisons derrière ces attaques, c’est la compétition pour des ressources limitées : emplois et habitats. Les étrangers étaient accusés de prendre tous les jobs des Sud africains et bénéficier des logements (de la part du gouvernement sud africain) au détriment des nationaux. Par conséquent, seul leur départ immédiat pouvait constituer une solution au problème de taux élevé de chômage dans le pays, soit 40 %. Certains habitants de ce Township n’ont pas hésité à affirmer qu’ils allaient « nettoyer le pays » (d’après une expression utilisée par le quotidien sud africain, The Citizen, de Mardi 13 mai 2008) parce que le gouvernement a trop trainé à résoudre la question du flux d’immigrants étrangers.
Ce qui a initialement commencé comme des attaques xénophobiques le 11 mai à Alexandra a curieusement dégénéré en véritable déchaînement des violences contre les étrangers à travers tout Johannesburg et ses périphéries, allant des pillages, d’enlèvements, aux tueries.
Malheureusement, face à ce déchaînement de violence la réaction des institutions en place a été, à mon sens, timide et inefficace. Si le Président Mbeki ainsi que Jacob Zuma, Président de l’ANC, ont condamné les violences en appelant leurs populations au calme et en instituant une Commission d’enquête pour connaître « ce qui ou celui qui serait derrière cette barbarie », il m’a semble qu’il y a eu très peu des moyens mis en place pour dissuader les assaillants.
Lorque je compare, par exemple, les déploiements des éléments de la Police dans ces violences à ceux qu’on a vu lors des protestations organisées par COSATU (le principal syndicat du pays) ou d’autres syndicats, il n’y a aucun doute que très peu de moyens ont été déployés pour arrêter cette spirale de violence qui vient de faire déjà plus de 30 morts. Plutôt que d’engager des actions musclées en aval pour sauver des vies humaines, le Président Mbeki a préféré agir en amont en constituant sa Commission d’enquête comme s’il fallait aller chercher la « cause » loin de son cabinet ou de sa politique gouvernementale. Et lorsque l’opposition, le DA (Democratic Alliance), a lance l’idée de déployer l’armée (la SANDF) pour appuyer la Police, Mbeki a reconnu que la Police pouvait contenir la situation. Mais pourquoi ne l’a-t-elle pas fait à temps ? Pourquoi ne pouvait-on pas éviter cette criminalité, en laissant des pauvres innocents être brulés vifs ? Y aurait-il une quelconque complicité du gouvernement dans cette affaire ?
Je ne voudrais nullement me constituer en juge tant la question est complexe ; mais je ne peux comprendre la timidité et la lenteur avec laquelle le gouvernement Mbeki est intervenu. Notez que c’est après quatre jours depuis les événements d’Alexandra que Mbeki est apparu à la télé pour réagir à la situation. Heureusement, dans un Communiqué publié ce lundi 19 mai 2008, Monsieur Mbeki a compris qu’il était temps de parler en termes clairs: « Les citoyens d'autres pays d'Afrique et au-delà sont des humains comme nous et méritent d'être traités avec respect et dignité ».
Respect de la dignité humaine, voila ce que nous exigeons de nos frères Sud africains. Si leurs jobs, leurs logements, leurs femmes sont importants, la vie de n’importe quel individu (fut-il immigrant illégal) ne peut être négociée. Si l’Afrique du Sud veut nettoyer son territoire, qu’elle le fasse dans le droit et le respect de la dignité humaine. Seulement, quand l’étranger qui aura servi de bouc-émissaire sera parti, vers qui va-t-on se tourner ? Ce sera probablement le tour de l’ANC ou alors le moment sera venu de poser les vraies questions pour des solutions appropriées aux problèmes du pays.
Il est donc temps de poser les vraies questions.
N’est-il pas trop simpliste de décrire le problème de chômage dans le pays en pointant du doigt les étrangers ? Pourquoi ne pas aborder la question dans une perspective plus globale de manière à ouvrir à des alternatives plus efficaces et durables ? Pourquoi les Sud Africains ne veulent pas interroger leur gouvernement, interroger ses politiques ? Pourquoi ne veulent-ils pas interroger l’ANC et lui demander de leur rendre compte de ses promesses électorales ? Pourquoi les étrangers seraient-ils plus responsables que le gouvernement ?
Quelle image au reste du monde ?
Dans deux ans, l’Afrique du Sud va accueillir le reste du monde. Quelle image ces violences transmettent au reste du monde ? Il y a une semaine, le PDG de l’Agence sud africaine de Tourisme prétendait que l’Afrique du Sud sera présentée au monde comme la « Terre d' Ubuntu » (humanité). On se demande si les violences auxquelles nous assistons aujourd’hui traduisent encore cet « ubuntu ».
(In the wake of the ongoing violence and xenophobia in and around Gauteng, South Africa, I have been wondering : « Is it not too simplistic to describe, for instance, the issue of unemployment by pointing the finger at foreign nationals ? is it not that the issue requires a braod perspective that can then create a platform for sustainable alternatives ? Why should foreign nationals be more accountable than the citizens, the South African government, or the ruling party, the ANC ? And when one looks at the nature of the violence itself, what image is South Africa conveying to the rest of the world two years before the Soccer World Cup ? Where is the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’, which is going to be the motto of the country to the rest of the World, according to the CEO of TourismSA?)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Government Accountability in Africa: “power must control power”
Democracy in Africa still has a long way to go because it is undermined by a widespread culture of corruption. Most African regimes fail to ensure oversight system within the government or thanks to a strong civil society. In a recent report, Gary Hawes argues that, “effective and democratic government is impossible without transparency and accountability; without transparency, citizen participation is inherently less well informed and less effective. Without accountability, those in position of power can safely ignore the will of the people” (Gary Hawes, Making Governments More Accountable: The Impact of Civil Society Budget Analysis and Monitoring, The International Budget Project, BriefsYear 01•Number 02•2008).
In the context of most African governments, these challenges need to be taken up by new forms of oversight of governments’ actions that should be developed by both civil society and government agencies. The principle remaining, “power must limit and control power”. Where leaders are left alone without any mechanism of oversight, abuses and corruption become the rule.
What can be accomplished when civil society and government agencies, such as “The Scorpions” in South Africa, take up the fight to make governments more accountable? The struggle against corruption and its contribution to government accountability can become more effective. Through citizen education and engagement, governments’ budgets can become more transparent, i.e., more accessible to the public and better understood by the average citizen. Acting in such way contributes to the capacity of voters to hold their leaders accountable.
It is ridiculous to see very rich African countries, such as the DRC, with a very poor population while its leaders are millionaires. Ironically, none of those leaders think that we can improve life standards for every Congolese if there is more transparency and more accountability in the management of the country’s natural resources. Rather, they are all obsessed by foreign aid and assistance, which again only benefit – unfortunately – to themselves (cf. Review of the Department of Institutional Integrity at the World Bank, published by Beatrice Edwards & Truman Morrison of the Government Accountability Project - GAP in Washington D.C. on the 5 September, 2007). How long this will still last?
Democracy in Africa still has a long way to go because it is undermined by a widespread culture of corruption. Most African regimes fail to ensure oversight system within the government or thanks to a strong civil society. In a recent report, Gary Hawes argues that, “effective and democratic government is impossible without transparency and accountability; without transparency, citizen participation is inherently less well informed and less effective. Without accountability, those in position of power can safely ignore the will of the people” (Gary Hawes, Making Governments More Accountable: The Impact of Civil Society Budget Analysis and Monitoring, The International Budget Project, BriefsYear 01•Number 02•2008).
In the context of most African governments, these challenges need to be taken up by new forms of oversight of governments’ actions that should be developed by both civil society and government agencies. The principle remaining, “power must limit and control power”. Where leaders are left alone without any mechanism of oversight, abuses and corruption become the rule.
What can be accomplished when civil society and government agencies, such as “The Scorpions” in South Africa, take up the fight to make governments more accountable? The struggle against corruption and its contribution to government accountability can become more effective. Through citizen education and engagement, governments’ budgets can become more transparent, i.e., more accessible to the public and better understood by the average citizen. Acting in such way contributes to the capacity of voters to hold their leaders accountable.
It is ridiculous to see very rich African countries, such as the DRC, with a very poor population while its leaders are millionaires. Ironically, none of those leaders think that we can improve life standards for every Congolese if there is more transparency and more accountability in the management of the country’s natural resources. Rather, they are all obsessed by foreign aid and assistance, which again only benefit – unfortunately – to themselves (cf. Review of the Department of Institutional Integrity at the World Bank, published by Beatrice Edwards & Truman Morrison of the Government Accountability Project - GAP in Washington D.C. on the 5 September, 2007). How long this will still last?
The challenge of world competitiveness: Western versus Afrocentric perspective
I have been challenged by some issues that were raised by Mr. Kuseni Dlamini (CEO of Richards Bay Coal Terminals, and upcoming CEO of Anglo-American from July 2008) during his presentation on “Lessons for Emerging Leaders in a Rapidly Changing Environment”, on the 14 of April, at “World of Work Training and Internship Programme” held at Wits University. During the ‘questions-answers’ session, Dlamini asked the audience: “What the world would lose if Africa disappeared?” Put in other words, the question asked “what Africa has brought to the World?” Dlamini was very specific and realistic: “Africa is the only continent in the World which did not yet design a car, while Africans are proud of driving in big cars, such as BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, etc. as it were Brazil, India, and Malaysia can compete globally in the automobile industry because they have designed their own brands”. Dlamini concluded his presentation by inviting us as future African elite and leaders to invest in knowledge and to be competitive like our colleagues of the US or UK by getting two or three PHDs and by publishing books and articles because this is the challenge of the world competitiveness.
Even if this is an irrefutable fact, I felt that the way Dlamini translated his views was somewhat Western-oriented by emphasising on the negatives of Africa. I tried to find out if beyond this reality there is any fallacy or any racial ideology at work. Three articles have inspired me to adjust Dlamini’s points. All come from a black American scholar, Dr. Molefi Kete Asante of Temple University (Pennsylvania), one of the pioneers of Afrocentricity (www.asante.net)
From a Europecentric point of view, Huntington claimed (p. 81, quoted by Molefi Asante in “Afrocentricity…”) that the West
• Owned the international banking system
• Controlled all hard currencies
• Provided the majority of the world’s finished products
• Exerted moral authority over other leaders
• Was capable of massive military intervention
• Controlled the sea lanes
• Conducted most advanced technical research
• Dominated access to space
• Dominated aerospace
• Dominated international communications
It appears that Africa is totally absent from the history of Humanity (Hegel). Why? Are there any contributions from Africa in the history of the World? The question does not exist in the western discourse; yet, Africa has played a central role in Science, Art, Religion, and Politics in the History of Humanity. How many Africans are aware that Imhotep, the father of architecture, was an African? He built the first masonry structure in history (Asante). Hatshepsut was the first queen to rule in her own right with authority in the world. (Asante). Unfortunately, “Africa has been betrayed by education, the Academy, and the structure of knowledge imposed by the Western world; Africa has often been betrayed by its own leaders who have shown a talent for imitating the worst habits and behaviors of Europe; Africa has often been betrayed by the ignorance of its own people of its past” (Asante, in “Afrocentricity…”).
During the past centuries, the western world has constructed a system of knowledge’s ownership and control. Fences have been created to keep others away from knowledge, property reserved for a few. “But this reservation of knowledge is motivated by the quest for domination” (Asante). Actually, “we are tied to a system of injustice that makes it possible for rich nations to make knowledge or the access to knowledge difficult for poorer nations” (Asante). “Those who own knowledge do so not because they are smarter or more ambitious, but because they are more aggressive and capable of employing more force. Much of the knowledge is not their own knowledge, it is borrowed, rented, stolen, but they have created the mechanisms of access. Thus, you must find the ways to access it for your own use if you are in the game; otherwise you remain outside of the arena of knowledge that affects the world. Right now, African nations and African peoples are on the verge of being shut off from the storehouses of knowledge. This will happen more and more with the development of more computer technology. We will be able to see the Internet, superhighway, but we will not be able to ride it” (Asante).
The European Union has set up its vision for the next 20 years as follow: “to be knowledge centre of the world in the next 10-20 years”.
Again, the system is far from being stopped. As intellectual Africans, future elite and leaders of the continent, our task is to struggle for a democratization and decentralization process of knowledge so that no human being can be denied access to information; no matter his/her social background. We need to develop a culture of intellectual activism for that objective.
I have been challenged by some issues that were raised by Mr. Kuseni Dlamini (CEO of Richards Bay Coal Terminals, and upcoming CEO of Anglo-American from July 2008) during his presentation on “Lessons for Emerging Leaders in a Rapidly Changing Environment”, on the 14 of April, at “World of Work Training and Internship Programme” held at Wits University. During the ‘questions-answers’ session, Dlamini asked the audience: “What the world would lose if Africa disappeared?” Put in other words, the question asked “what Africa has brought to the World?” Dlamini was very specific and realistic: “Africa is the only continent in the World which did not yet design a car, while Africans are proud of driving in big cars, such as BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, etc. as it were Brazil, India, and Malaysia can compete globally in the automobile industry because they have designed their own brands”. Dlamini concluded his presentation by inviting us as future African elite and leaders to invest in knowledge and to be competitive like our colleagues of the US or UK by getting two or three PHDs and by publishing books and articles because this is the challenge of the world competitiveness.
Even if this is an irrefutable fact, I felt that the way Dlamini translated his views was somewhat Western-oriented by emphasising on the negatives of Africa. I tried to find out if beyond this reality there is any fallacy or any racial ideology at work. Three articles have inspired me to adjust Dlamini’s points. All come from a black American scholar, Dr. Molefi Kete Asante of Temple University (Pennsylvania), one of the pioneers of Afrocentricity (www.asante.net)
From a Europecentric point of view, Huntington claimed (p. 81, quoted by Molefi Asante in “Afrocentricity…”) that the West
• Owned the international banking system
• Controlled all hard currencies
• Provided the majority of the world’s finished products
• Exerted moral authority over other leaders
• Was capable of massive military intervention
• Controlled the sea lanes
• Conducted most advanced technical research
• Dominated access to space
• Dominated aerospace
• Dominated international communications
It appears that Africa is totally absent from the history of Humanity (Hegel). Why? Are there any contributions from Africa in the history of the World? The question does not exist in the western discourse; yet, Africa has played a central role in Science, Art, Religion, and Politics in the History of Humanity. How many Africans are aware that Imhotep, the father of architecture, was an African? He built the first masonry structure in history (Asante). Hatshepsut was the first queen to rule in her own right with authority in the world. (Asante). Unfortunately, “Africa has been betrayed by education, the Academy, and the structure of knowledge imposed by the Western world; Africa has often been betrayed by its own leaders who have shown a talent for imitating the worst habits and behaviors of Europe; Africa has often been betrayed by the ignorance of its own people of its past” (Asante, in “Afrocentricity…”).
During the past centuries, the western world has constructed a system of knowledge’s ownership and control. Fences have been created to keep others away from knowledge, property reserved for a few. “But this reservation of knowledge is motivated by the quest for domination” (Asante). Actually, “we are tied to a system of injustice that makes it possible for rich nations to make knowledge or the access to knowledge difficult for poorer nations” (Asante). “Those who own knowledge do so not because they are smarter or more ambitious, but because they are more aggressive and capable of employing more force. Much of the knowledge is not their own knowledge, it is borrowed, rented, stolen, but they have created the mechanisms of access. Thus, you must find the ways to access it for your own use if you are in the game; otherwise you remain outside of the arena of knowledge that affects the world. Right now, African nations and African peoples are on the verge of being shut off from the storehouses of knowledge. This will happen more and more with the development of more computer technology. We will be able to see the Internet, superhighway, but we will not be able to ride it” (Asante).
The European Union has set up its vision for the next 20 years as follow: “to be knowledge centre of the world in the next 10-20 years”.
Again, the system is far from being stopped. As intellectual Africans, future elite and leaders of the continent, our task is to struggle for a democratization and decentralization process of knowledge so that no human being can be denied access to information; no matter his/her social background. We need to develop a culture of intellectual activism for that objective.
Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Policy: Is it working?
An article published by RFA (Radio Free Asia) website in February 2006 tries to assess so far the implementation of the Bhutan’s GNH (Gross National Happiness).
The concept was launched in 1972 by the King of the tiny Himalayan country. The King of Bhutan declared that progress in his country would be gauged in terms of GNH rather than in terms of GNP or GDP – Gross National or Domestic Product, the traditional economic indicators of a country’s development. Beyond the King’s decision was the idea that ‘contentment’, not capital, should become Bhutan’s official priority. The GNH lies on 4 pillars:
• socioeconomic development
• environmental preservation
• cultural promotion
• good governance
By emphasizing on these four pillars, officials of Bhutan are now committed to promote an ‘economics as if people mattered” (E.F. Schumacher, Small is beautiful, 1973). Researchers see the philosophy of the GNH as not so much antidevelopment, or even anti-globalisation, as it is pro-balance. But how this is working effectively for the benefit or the happiness of people of Bhutan?
79% of Bhutanese are still farmers. Each of them has a roof over their head and a piece of land. Other national income is generated by supplying hydroelectric power to India and by tourism.
T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for the Washington Office of human rights group Amnesty International, said that some 100, 000 Bhutanese of Nepalese origin fled Bhutan about 10 years ago because of abuses there. They now live in refugee camps in the eastern part of Nepal (RFA, 2006). “Children in Southern Bhutan continue to face discrimination in access to education because they belong to Nepali-speaking community”, said Kumar.
The introduction of satellite television into Bhutan in 1999 has been linked by the British newspaper, The Guardian, to a rise in drug use, crime, and other antisocial behaviour. Encouraged to wear Bhutanese national dress in public, Bhutanese youth increasingly wear Western-style clothing at home.
In fact, GNH seems a work in progress rather than a reality. Dr. Trudy Sable, director of the Office of Aboriginal and Northern Research at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had these words: “GNH is not like it’s done. It’s more like accept that they want to live by; but [officials] have to figure out how to do it”.
However, I think that the Bhutanese experience should inspire the rest of the world, especially Africa. African leaders should start empowering their people by making them at the heart of the continent development. There is no sustainable development without without human resources.
For more information on the topic, read: Karma Ura & Karma Galay (eds.), Gross National Happiness and Development, The Centre for Bhutan Studies, 2004.
An article published by RFA (Radio Free Asia) website in February 2006 tries to assess so far the implementation of the Bhutan’s GNH (Gross National Happiness).
The concept was launched in 1972 by the King of the tiny Himalayan country. The King of Bhutan declared that progress in his country would be gauged in terms of GNH rather than in terms of GNP or GDP – Gross National or Domestic Product, the traditional economic indicators of a country’s development. Beyond the King’s decision was the idea that ‘contentment’, not capital, should become Bhutan’s official priority. The GNH lies on 4 pillars:
• socioeconomic development
• environmental preservation
• cultural promotion
• good governance
By emphasizing on these four pillars, officials of Bhutan are now committed to promote an ‘economics as if people mattered” (E.F. Schumacher, Small is beautiful, 1973). Researchers see the philosophy of the GNH as not so much antidevelopment, or even anti-globalisation, as it is pro-balance. But how this is working effectively for the benefit or the happiness of people of Bhutan?
79% of Bhutanese are still farmers. Each of them has a roof over their head and a piece of land. Other national income is generated by supplying hydroelectric power to India and by tourism.
T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for the Washington Office of human rights group Amnesty International, said that some 100, 000 Bhutanese of Nepalese origin fled Bhutan about 10 years ago because of abuses there. They now live in refugee camps in the eastern part of Nepal (RFA, 2006). “Children in Southern Bhutan continue to face discrimination in access to education because they belong to Nepali-speaking community”, said Kumar.
The introduction of satellite television into Bhutan in 1999 has been linked by the British newspaper, The Guardian, to a rise in drug use, crime, and other antisocial behaviour. Encouraged to wear Bhutanese national dress in public, Bhutanese youth increasingly wear Western-style clothing at home.
In fact, GNH seems a work in progress rather than a reality. Dr. Trudy Sable, director of the Office of Aboriginal and Northern Research at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had these words: “GNH is not like it’s done. It’s more like accept that they want to live by; but [officials] have to figure out how to do it”.
However, I think that the Bhutanese experience should inspire the rest of the world, especially Africa. African leaders should start empowering their people by making them at the heart of the continent development. There is no sustainable development without without human resources.
For more information on the topic, read: Karma Ura & Karma Galay (eds.), Gross National Happiness and Development, The Centre for Bhutan Studies, 2004.
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