I’ll admit that I don’t know very much about Africa. I learn more and more about it every day, but regardless, I’m not very qualified to issue any educated all-encompassing opinions. But I did want to pass on an intriguing conversation I was privy to…
I went to a presentation by a friend of mine who is from Sudan and doing a PhD here at JNU. He led a diplomatic and informed discussion about the issues that face Sudan, the history behind them, and where the Sudanese must go in the future. A question was raised by one of my friends from Nigeria, who is always skeptical of the West, and particularly the US’s motives in Africa. And with a lot of emotion, frustration, and a hint of anger he said, “Don’t you think the United States and these other big countries are just coming into Sudan, not because they care about the country, but because they’re trying to make money and profit? Do you really think they help make things better, or are they really just making things worse?” And the Sudanese man, remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he replied, “But really, your question is irrelevant. We should be one African country, united in our politics and goals and opinions. It is because we have failed that we’ve had to turn to the great powers to start with. And where are we to go? If we go to the African Union, the Arab Sudanese will not accept any sort of ruling and will continue to repress the people with arms. If we go to the Arab League, the African Sudanese will not accept it either and will continue the armed struggle. Therefore, since we’re clearly not solving the problems ourselves, where else can we possibly turn to?”
Now, this is a very complicated situation, with no simple solution. The US is reluctant to truly get involved due to its other engagements and probably memories of other African missions. China has never had a problem with any of this as they hold a lot of valuable oil contracts. Thus, the UN has stalled as long as possible to make this an issue before finally arranging for the largest peacekeeping force in the history of the world (25,000 troops). However, it is still trying to respect the alleged “sovereignty” of the “Sudanese” government (which took over the country by force in the 80s) by not deploying the necessary helicopters and vehicles that would enable the troops to effectively patrol the area. So, even with an international solution, implementation remains a problem. This certainly helps explain why the problem has persisted, but not exactly why these sort of things have started.
So back to my focus – is it indeed, Sudan’s fault? How applicable is this to the rest of the African continent? Should we be surprised at the differing emotions of a Nigerian and Sudanese given their country’s histories? Might current national problems in Africa be the direct result of the West, and to what extent should the West take responsibility for the past? How can they do that without appearing to favor their own special interests and profit motives? Is that even possible (for us) or desirable (for them)?
I know it would be ignorant and arrogant for me to accept the above conversation as an encompassing model. It’s easy to blame everything on Africa from a present-day perspective with tribal warfare, infighting over power and resources, corruption, etc. However, who drew the territorial lines, who has exploited the continent for hundreds of years, and who is doing its best to persuade and corrupt politicians to allow us our own access to power and resources? I fear we lack the moral authority for real change, and the more I travel, I realize that real change must come from within – both within the US and within individual affected countries. But is it possible for us to change, and given the past wounds of indignity, is it desirable for Africa to accept and trust it?
Jam2000000amSun, 10 Feb 2008 03:51:51 +000008 20, 2008 at 3:51 am
What a fascinating discussion! I marvel at the comment that Africa should be one country–no other continent has come close to that with the exception of Australia-could centuries of tribal conflicts, Western exploitation, and resource differences ever really result in such a political arrangement? Perhaps the EU will turn out to be a model for that–but even they continue to grapple with unity issues in the current Lisbon treaty.
The conflict between the African Union and the Arab League is troubling—it speaks to divisive religious cleavages that may be insurmountable–unless a different unifying factor can be found. Typically, economic and educational opportunities could be used. The challenge is to control the exploitive actions of firms and countries. That is where moral authority comes in—the United States and other developed countries need to restrict unscrupulous activities by its firms—paying bribes to operate in Nigeria for example. Public pressure/buycott/boycott actions by individuals and interest groups can also have impact. More social intervention by NGO’s –like the Gates foundation/Invisible Children/Heifer can make a difference. Outside pressure helped South Africa break from apartheid–hopefully it will restore control in Kenya–but there will be no one universal answer—each country will have to find its own way–but the rest of the world can help with aid, technology, opportunities–and the political will to control the exploiters from the outside.