Amayel’s Notes

Alors ci dessous, une suite de video presentation sur les relations entre la France, l’Afrique et Nicolas Sarkozy. Sorry for those of you who will not get since its in french. Its kinda hard to find good material on France-Africa relations in english.

Sarkozy has been, for the most part, during his candidacy and since winning office, a bit contreversial. He came to power with an agenda based on change for today’s France (good luck with that!) to regain its once almighty ranks on the international arena . Funny that, that place they got was gained through the exploitation (as a matter of fact it still is) of Africa and its people (who are now being pushed back from the canaries Island everyday when they do not persih in high seas pushed overboard or dying from the trip’s tough conditions ). Eventhough some of his ideas are worth looking at and acknowledged as valid (not giving aid to african dictators, changing France and Africa’s relations), he has built his strengths during the campaign on ideology that could run him to the ground during his presidency. He, unlike Chirac is not so much interested in  presenting France as a counter balance to America (foreign policy wise) but rather, take some of the” American dream” sucess stories from the United States as an example of “hard -work- pays” to the french society who is in much need of reforms when it comes to socio economic policies.

3eme Partie (les 2 premieres parties traitent de la francafrique et le parcours de Chirac):

http://www.dailymotion.com/sur_vivant/video/x1toy2_de-chirac-a-sarkozy-3/1

4eme Partie

http://www.dailymotion.com/sur_vivant/video/x1tpee_de-chirac-a-sarkozy-4/1

I rarely, during school semester have the opportunity to read anything other than conflict resolution and Intl peace material, but I did find time to read this book, my mom brought me from home. And so should you… (see below)

Il serait passionant de lire Afrique, Pillage a huit clos de Xavier Harel, journaliste et specialiste de l’Afrique et les questions petrolieres. J’ai literalement lu le livre en 2 jours. Cest une description ecoeurante des relations entre la France et l’Afrique sur le pan petrolier. Le livre nous fait percevoir l’enormite de ce qui nous attend en tant qu’africain engage. Encore une fois, le livre presente l’Afrique comme la vache a lait de l’Europe, et plus recemment l’Amerique qui s’est aussi mise dans la course au petrole. Avec la crise qu’a declenche les evenements du 11 Septembre, force est-il de constater  l’instabilite de l’Arabie comme un facteur nuisif a l’approvisionnement en petrole, indispensable au bon fonctionement des economies des pays de l’Ouest. Le monde s’est donc retourne vers nous, l’Afrique. Ma question est la suivante.

Africa being a new player in the oil industry, shouldn’t we have treated that as a strength. Really, wouldn’t someone a bit smart see this as an opportunity for Africa to grab this as a chance to finally have a say in World economy, hence world politics. But noooooooo, our leaders decided for us (under our watch) that it was better instead to let companies like Elf, Total, Exxon, to name a few, have their way in our countries so long as they provided the clientelist governments they run a cut of the deals. Here is where Harel’s book becomes more than just a press review but rather an in depth analysis of the whos, the whens, the hows and the whys of the oil industry’s disaster in Africa. Countries like Gabon, Nigeria, both Congos, Equatorial Guinea are being governed by the most corrupt few the earth has ever seen. And all of that, taught and orchestrated directly by western powers who would much rather protect their interests, than worry about a couple hundred million people. The so called black curse, the idea that oil, or any other natural resource for that matter, is more of a curse than a blessing especially in Africa (look at Ivory Coast crisis), I would rather rename greed, human greed. It is not a curse in itself to find oil. It becomes a curse when a bunch of low life, ex sergeants, non educated, self centered thieves decide that those blessings should only reward them and their entourage and screw the masses.

“La Tragedie de l’Afrique, c’est la trahison de l’elite.” Aimee Cesaire.

I’m not sure when exactly and how long it will take africans to realize that the struggle and the aid has to come from within. Tired of the so called oppostion leaders (granted some of them do what they must under the circumstances), of the so called political elite, of the intellectuals of our continent. You might say it is easy for me to talk from behind my computer in  DC, riding on the wave of western development. Maybe… Maybe, because I do not have to worry about the daily grind africans go through. It is true that poverty and hunger will keep you from thinking about resisting authority, about fighting for your rights (to paaaartay…just kidding). I do not dispute that. I do not look accusingly at the masses. I look at our elites, so easily bought, so easily shut down. What we need to realize is that it is going to take a generation, maybe 2, or 3 to struggle, and grind and go through the worst before we can ever come out victorious.

“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle! Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
–Frederick Douglass, August 4, 1857

THE WAY I WOULD DO IT…

I have often argued that what we need (in Senegal that is, I guess we would have to take this case by case) is a dictatorship. That indeed comes with its downfalls. I am not talking about a repressive-shall kill my opponents distatorship-. I am talking about the kind that would allow for political participation and dialogue. An authoritative regime might be a more appropriate name. One where, no straying is allowed so as to radically change passivist mentalities. Hard work, education, training to reverse the kind of infuriating- backward thinking I sometimes experience when I go back home. Do not get me wrong, we do have our strenghts, even though a lot of them were denied during 400 years of slavery and colonization. A lot of people explain Africa’s demise by the fact that 500 years of oppression were designed to have that effect on us: keep us from thinking collectively, divide us to better rule us. To that, I reply yes, I understand, that’s an explanation (part of an explanation)… I see how 500 years can change mentalities and ways of thinking. We had our rebellion and our awakening 40 years ago with the struggle for independence from colonization. Our heroes, the Mandelas, the Bikos, the Cabrals, the Sankaras, the Lumumbas, to name a few, were our political heroes. They all ended up assassinated(except for Mandela). Assassinnated with the complicity of their own people. Instead, 40 years of complacency have brought us down further into the hole. Sadly, but surely, our decline has been the only thing constant about us. 

Présentation de l’éditeur
Au Congo, au Gabon, au Nigeria, en Angola ou en Guinée équatoriale, on peine à découvrir à quoi a servi la manne pétrolière. Pauvreté, guerres civiles, maintien au pouvoir de régimes dictatoriaux, tel est le bilan peu glorieux de l’exploitation pétrolière en Afrique. La précieuse huile nourrit surtout une corruption débridée. Au Congo-Brazzaville, le président Denis Sassou Nguesso a mis en place une kyrielle de sociétés écrans qui lui ont permis de détourner des centaines de millions de dollars. Mais il bénéficie pour cela de l’” expertise ” occidentale. Certaines entreprises françaises, et non des moindres, ainsi que de prestigieux cabinets d’avocats, ont mis leur savoir-faire au service de ce pillage à huis clos. Ne nous y trompons pas. La mobilisation des pays riches (G en faveur de l’Afrique ressemble surtout à une opération de communication. Le locataire de l’Elysée amuse la galerie avec sa taxe sur les billets d’avion mais il couve affectueusement une poignée de régimes kleptocrates. George W. Bush prétend s’attaquer aux “postes avancés de la tyrannie” mais il reçoit à la Maison-Blanche les pires dictateurs pourvu qu’ils aient quelques barils à offrir. Tony Blair bataille pour passer la dette du continent à l’ardoise magique mais il ferme les yeux sur le rôle des banques britanniques dans le recyclage de l’argent de la corruption. Il est temps de mettre fin au bal des hypocrites. Si Jacques, George et Tony se soucient réellement du continent, qu’ils contraignent leurs compagnies pétrolières à faire la lumière sur ce qu’elles versent aux Etats africains. La transparence reste le meilleur antidote contre la corruption.

See below link to Sarkozy’s very controversial speech he gave at The University of Cheikh Anta Diop in dakar in July 07. Lots of senegalese and african intellectuals raised eyebrows after his speech denouncing racism and a blattant contempt for Africans and Africa’s history and destiny. The speech was given at a University, surrounded by the Senegalese government and intellectualss who not only clapped at the end of his speech, but Mr Wade (I will not call that a Pdt), even endorsed Sarkozy’s speech. Only a few days later did “so called” intellectuals rise up to denounce the racist tone of the speech. To which I just reply, How about rising up when you are being taken advantage of and ridiculed everyday by a non existant, so called 30 ministers government comprised of nothing but the dumbest, the lowest, bottom feeder thieves one cenile could have ever rounded up. How about being outraged by the fact that the most basic commodities have doubled (sometimes tripled) in 7 years, that some parts of Senegal are hit by cholera and Polio (Polio… when is the last time you have heard about this disease… they found the vaccine before my mother was born!!!), that there was a famine a couple of years ago, that freedom of press is being violated everyday, that grown ass man wake up in the morning not sure how to feed their families. Noooo…apparently, thats no reason to cry foul. I do agree that his speech, knowing the guy’s character did have racist undertones. So what?? What are you going to do about it? Who has done what, other than write articles in the newspapers to complain? How did you think he felt comfortable enough to come in and tell us these kinds of things. Well, that’s only because we allowed him to, we allow all of them to. By our actions, our words, our thoughts, (or lack thereof) day after day, we just allow them to talk to us in that condescending way. We don’t help ourselves, our representatives (thieves, liars, criminals, rapists…) sure do not either. Why would he talk to us any other way? So he can’t because he’s french, therefore doesnt have the right? I dont care what he said in his speech, Im not focusing on Sarkozy, people still clapped at the end of it. Focusing on collateral, peripheral issues doesn’t and will never solve anything. Wanna get mad? Get mad at your own leaders who are treating you like dirt every single day. That’s how we’ll just shut everyone up… But for now, just Shut the f*** up, and take it like you always have.

http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/francais/interventions/2007/juillet/allocution_a_l_universite_de_dakar.79184.html

Remember: Actions speak louder than words.

‘Till later, enjoy when you can, Endure when you must,

Tchuss,

M.