It has anorexia mugabe;
Many African nations have grown increasingly frustrated by the development policies of Western donors that they see as intrusive and harsh. When Australia cancels a cricket tour to Zimbabwe, as it did this week, or when the European Union refuses to hold an EU-Africa summit, as it has for the past six years, because of Mr. Mugabe, many Africans see the pressure as neocolonial habits that must be broken. For many across the continent, Mugabe's muscular land confiscation from white farmers and talk of social justice still have appeal."This is African brinkmanship with the West," says Peter Kagwanja, a senior researcher for the Human Sciences Research Council in Tshwane (formerly Pretoria). "Many African nations are still struggling to get over the economic and political legacy of past colonial and racist regimes, and so they are more or less sympathetic with the bold moves taken by Zimbabwe," moves that "they are not capable of doing themselves."
While most African leaders recognize that following Zimbabwe's anti-Western stance would be an act of economic suicide, Mr. Kagwanja says that Africa is throwing its support behind Zimbabwe to show its disinclination to be pushed around by the powerful West. In practice, this means that the nomination of Zimbabwe for the UN agency this year is just the beginning. "All these things that come up, Zimbabwe will be promoted as Africa's choice," he says.
Cool. Now we can stop sending them our money.
well, good for Africa.....I agree that maybe it is time we turned off the aid spigot(I once saw sacks of flour, donated by misguided Canadians, being sold in a black market in Damascus)as most of it wound up purchasing weapons and ammo anyway....instead, let's target the aid directly to those who need it, and not hand it over to tin-pot dictators(like the librano/moonbat/dippers love to do)
"Now we can stop sending them our money."
Hear here. But who really believes governments will stop pouring money into nations that want to model Zimbabwe? African nations love the sweet milk the flows from the Western teat, but they love to spit it in our eyes too.
If you're looking for a justification for your feelings about black people Mugabe is your man.
No more racist, exploitive western money goes to Africa I guess...that's easy enough to arrange...after all, they're in "post colonial brinksmanship" and are safe in the bosom of the "post colonial" African intelligentsia and intellectual trusts.
I think I heard this "African autonomist" argument once before when the kids reached their rebellious stage and at age 12 were saying; "I don't need you, I can live on my own if I want" whenever they were on the losing end of an economic argument with their Mom or me.
geez...do u moonbats always have to bring up race....it comes down to how the money is spent, vis-a-vis the amount of atrocities committed by said tin-pot dictator....try to keep the debate civil moonbat
When there is no logical argument - cry Racism. This is truly progressive Jose!
I will add one more thing....until the end of the cold war(which I fought in), we in the west were just as bad as uncle ivan was as far as propping up tin-pots was concerned....guilty as charged....but that is history...let's learn from it, and target aid directly to the people who are suffering, as my daughter-in-law did in Ethiopia
Don't be stupid, jose. Are you seriously suggesting that the only thing to notice about Mugabe is the colour of his skin? Who cares?
How about his complete destruction of democracy, human rights - oh, and the economy - of Zimbabwe?
That, Jose, doesn't seem to concern you at all. Why not?
As for the post, it's nonsense to speak of Africa supporting Mugabe because of their 'past emotional trauma from colonialism' etc. What people don't know, is that the tribes of Africa can be every bit as racist as they claim Europeans are.
The pastoral nomadics (Nilotics such as Masai, Nuer, Dinka, etc) are contemptuous of the settled horticulturalists (such as Bantu). And the Bantu worked with the Arab slave traders (Oh, Arabs were slave traders??). Some tribes 'enslave' other tribes, who are deemed inferior and must work in special tasks, must pay tribute, etc (Mursi and Kwegu).
So- this suggestion by the Africans that they themselves never, ever, not even in whispers, evaluated their fellow brethren and assigned them a spot on a hierarchical level of authority...heh. Of course they did.
Charity rarely works - investment usually does. Charity makes the giver feel good but it enslaves the reciever. When the African countries create the conditions for positive business growth money will flow in from all over the world as it has in SE Asia.
exactly fritz....target it locally,,,for example, my wife and I(she a nurse, me utilities type) are heading to central America(in a few years)to work directly with a small village....her providing medical care and training, me building basic infrastructure(well, power etc).....I would not give one cent to any of these NGO's(been there, my wife was large in one of them, she is a bit of a bleeding heart tree-hugger)
Hey Jose - if being called "racist" is what I get for suggesting we stop throwing our hard earned money into that black hole of genocide and corruption known as Africa, then it's it's not too high a price to pay.
After a while, you realize that suffering politicaly motivated insults from the likes of you doesn't stop the sun from coming up in the morning.
Now, if only our politicians could figure that out and get to work correcting past public policy mistakes instead of constantly looking over their shoulder worrying about accusations from the unprincipled left and their trained parrots in media.
Just one more very good argument for removing ourselves from the UN!
Definition of a "racist"; someone winning an argument with a liberal.
Definitions puleeeze:
Racist = anyone winning an argument with a leftbot fanatic.
Give it up, Jose, labeling someone a racist to halt discussion is so transparent. It's been the divisive ploy of lefties for too long. Your innane oneliners get tiring.
Africa is a sewer of its own making. For the decades of aid thrown down that rat hole there is nothing to show for it except the fat Swiss bank acccounts of African thugs. Whites didn't murder a million fellow countrymen in Ruwanda nor put Idi Amin in power. Support for Mugabe, mindless and stupid, is the attitude that keeps Africa mired in squalor.
China is rapidly crawling out of poverty. It hasn't been aid that made that happen. A civil society is evolving there. Eastern Europe after 70 years of oppression made the transisition. Both areas invested in infrastructure and free markets. The bottomline is that they've taken responsibility for their fate. Africa won't.
I am not the least bit "racist", but am sick and tired of seeing the West urinate away our precious tax dollars to prop up various dictatorships,on any continent.
Helping others is a Christian concept, "you are your brother's keeper", and as we have turned away from that "uncool" religion, and become a secular paradise, I see no need to continue aiding anyone who doesn't live on my block.
Disband the UN, and let nature take its course on other continents. Whites are evil, and will screw up whatever they try to do for Africa, anyway, so why bother.
I've been propagandized for more than fifty years about how evil were the Christian concepts we were taught as kids, and it has worked. I no longer care about the plight of the less fortunate outside my own country. Call me selfish, but I believe I'm just being a good student of the secular left.
It's all about the "self", and "self-ishness"is the most important thing now. So I shall be.
http://www.artumas.com/html/index.php
This is a corporation created and managed by Albertans, financed by investors through the Oslo stock exchange, doing great things in Tanzania and Mozambique. As well as drilling for natural gas and oil, they have built power generation facilities and power distribution infrastructure. Many local villages are being electrified, which will reduce deforestation and reduce energy costs for the villagers. The creation of a reliable power supply will attract a wide variety of industry, creating jobs and improving the economy and standard of living for millions of Africans. Locally, they are finding and employing an excellent talent pool of well-educated and hard working Africans who are a wonderful resource.
It's a great story and it's all entrepreneurial, being done for profit, financed by investors. They're having more positive effect on African lives than all the pop culture celebrities combined.
...on the one side, I'm happy Africa is standing up for itself.
On the other, welcome back to the 12th century.
Kate- "Hey Jose - if being called "racist" is what I get for suggesting we stop..."
I've read your writing for over a year now. Your opinion of black people isn't a mystery. My comment had nothing to do with your feelings about Mugabe and I suspect that at some level you realize that.
Penny-
"China is rapidly crawling out of poverty. It hasn't been aid that made that happen. A civil society is evolving there."
China "evolved" into a civil society over two thousand years ago.
The advantage that China has over Africa has been the terms under which it's been able to trade with the rest of the world. The Chinese are able to export their goods in a way that African's can't. African farmers get screwed over by foriegn agribusiness (the real beneficiaries of Mugabe's land reforms) and western farm lobbies.
All that Africa really needs is free trade for its agricultural exports. And if the rest of the world could stop screwing them over via regimes like Mugabe's and the current one in Sudan I'm sure that wouldn't hurt.
dmorris- "I am not the least bit "racist", but am sick and tired of seeing the West urinate away our precious tax dollars to prop up various dictatorships,on any continent."
Installing and supporting a dictator in a foriegn country so you can better exploit it isn't a "lefty" act.
"I no longer care about the plight of the less fortunate outside my own country"
So you vehemently disagree with the left but you ascribe defects in your character to their taint on your thinking? The force has power over weak minds I suppose.
Jose, your bleeding heart is getting on my shoes. Please push off.
Jose,
Your juvenile knee-jerk accusations of racism are so old and so common that they're losing their power to crush debate.
You'll have to come up with a new way to oppress free speech because the "your racist!" slur is now seen as an hysterical attempt by a leftard with no logical point to make to eliminate dissent from the Orwellian Newspeak that is the politically correct left. Since you leftards have been devoid of any intelligent arguments for so long, you've over-used the Racism card to the point that we've all been desensitized from it.
In other words, we've heard your crap so long we don't care any more what you say or what you think.
If opposing the left's agenda is the definition of racism, sign me up. In the mean time, I'd suggest learning some logical debating skills. Once you do, educate the rest of your useful idiots.
Jose and her ilk are working within a closed model, where whites are always the oppressors and "people of colour" are always the oppressed.
Her "explanation" is pedantic and emotional - it's OK for Mugabe to be a flaming racist because he's black, a victim, so it's understandable for him to hate his oppressor.
I suspect a similar rationalization is taking place with Jose. I doubt she would accept the premise that a white male could be a victim of sexism. Well, it happens.
If you doubt this, see who gets hired in administrative jobs in the government, in universities. I know first hand - I have impeccable credentials in the all areas of logistical and administrative support.
I have applied for jobs where I had covered off ALL the requirements, including unique and personal qualifications highly valued, according to job posts. The result, not even a phone call - nothing.
So, Jose spare me the racism crap argument. I am a victim of discrimination, many times over, unable to secure employment,in my field, with years of experience and great performance - because I AM A WHITE MALE (yes they can tell from my name). One in particular is applying for a deparment with ALL FEMALES.
Sorry, OT a bit; I guess I had to vent. I do plan to approach Human Rights Council though. Maybe I can convince them that white males can be victimized by women.
I know, LOL. At least I can make people feel uncomfortable, where a snippy post on a website isn't good enough.
Shamrock "Her "explanation" is pedantic and emotional - it's OK for Mugabe to be a flaming racist because he's black, a victim, so it's understandable for him to hate his oppressor."
You're taking Mugabe's own propaganda at face value. He isn't rebelling against "foreigners" he is in fact in their pocket.
Jose:
The advantage that China has over Africa has been the terms under which it's been able to trade with the rest of the world. The Chinese are able to export their goods in a way that African's can't. African farmers get screwed over by foriegn agribusiness (the real beneficiaries of Mugabe's land reforms) and western farm lobbies.
Those terms being is that China decided to start making stuff at prices the rest of the world finds agreeable.
Now why were they able to do that in such a short time? Perhaps it's because their tradition of "civil society" is, to use your estimate which I think is bit light, 2000 years old. That they don't take looting the country as the highest virtue of governance. That they have the administrative competence to understand and implement what industrialization would require.
Compare: the real beneficiaries of Mugabe's land reforms are his cronies. He hasn't the slightest understanding that rule is for anything else.
Jose, I and others are referring to your comments, not Mugabe's. We all know he is a lunatic.
BTW: "You're taking Mugabe's own propaganda at face value. He isn't rebelling against "foreigners" he is in fact in their pocket."
???? Please elaborate, I'm missing your point here.
Duncan "Those terms being is that China decided to start making stuff at prices the rest of the world finds agreeable."
African farmers produce their goods at a lower cost than western ones.
How about if Jose just names the names.
Oh, and China has stagnated as a feudal system for most of their 2000 years, then, the Communists oppressed the country for 60. Famine was so pronounced in China that "have you eaten today?" was a common greeting.
Besides comic books is there any other historic reading material you would like to share with us, Jose?
"I've read your writing for over a year now. Your opinion of black people isn't a mystery."
Really? Provide your sources.
"African farmers produce their goods at a lower cost than the western ones."
Jose, that has to be one of the most stupid of the many stupid comments that you have made here.
One of the biggest obstacles in every GATT negotiation has been the need of third world countries to protect their primative farm economies from a deluge of cheap products from mechanized western farming.
Your own red buddies have been making an uproar over the effect of cheap U.S. corn on Mexican agriculture. That will soon be turned around thanks to the bio-fuel scam (no more "cheap" corn) but, with un-competitive Mexican agriculture already in ruins, recovery will take one hell of a long time.
BTW, there was a time when Zimbabwe produced food at competitive prices. That's when it was modern and mechanized - before Mugabe et. al. divided the big farms into uneconomic peasant plots for political supporters who had no interest in hoe and machette farming.
Jose:
I'll agree, assuming that food is being produced, something that is signally not happening in Zimbabwe now as it has in the past.
I'll grant the point - Africa is the go to continent for cheap labour. It's part of the Chinese advantage, although wages are rising there now. If that's the whole story, where's the takeoff?
Consider the task of growing and then moving a truckload of grain from Saskatchewan to Vancouver.
Everything that goes into that works well enough here in Canada that we take it for granted to the point of being invisible.
I could make a very partial list of all the thousands of things, both physical and institutional that make it possible, but I'll leave it to your imagination to make a list of your own, from the ready availability of machine parts to the honesty of port facilities.
It doesn't happen by magic.
jose - define your terms. China did not 'evolve' (?) into a 'civil' (civic?) society 2,000 years ago. It is only now becoming a civic society, with 'civic' understood as a citizen who is economically and politically empowered to enable/enact governmental decisions. Explain.
Rubbish - African's don't get 'screwed over' by foreign agribusiness any more than the world gets 'screwed over' by corrupt Chinese business practices. Africans, by the way, are quite capable of corruption.
No, free trade isn't the answer to Africa's problems. Please provide evidence. Don't you think that Africa requires democracy, that it requires an end to corruption, that it requires the dev't of an empowered middle class? All it requires, according to you, is free trade? But, what if the trade goods produced are produced out of slave labour, out of child labour; what if the workers are paid almost nothing - none of that matters to you?
Are you serious? You support Mugabe and his actions? Why?
I asked you a question - why you aren't concerned about Mugabe's rejection of democracy, human rights, and his violence. Why haven't you answered?
You support the genocide in the Sudan? ??? I won't even ask why. Your support is pathological.
You state that 'African farmers produce their goods at lower cost than western ones'. So? Are you saying that the West is refusing to purchase the goods because of..because of..because why?
Are the low costs due to the fact that the workers are exploited? Or?
I fully agree with Warwick's comments on you. You provide no evidence, no facts; all you do is spout unsubstantiated illogical opinions. That's not an argument.
I suggest a compromise. Let's send Africa Bono's money instead.
That sounds like a petition!
In the article, Peter Kagwanja says, "This is African brinkmanship with the West". To the degree that he is correct, I think that this is an at least tactical and possibly strategic error by Africa.
My three cents worth ...
Africa cannot participate in global trade because they have no infrastructure to bring their goods to the world market.
They are somewhat in the same bind as the Muslim world is in. They have allowed tribalism and never-ending violence to be their way of life.
The only thing that sets the Muslim world apart from the African world is the oil revenue from the West and they are using that money not to build a civil society, but to buy other people technology and guns in order to destroy civil society.
Africans cannot stop killing or fornicating long enough to develop anything that can lift them out of their toilet. They will remain in poverty and disease because that is what they and their despotic leaders choose.
They are not evolving into a modern way of life. They are most exploited now by the Muslims who are taking over that continent in the north.
In the South Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) was once the bread basket of Southern Africa, then the Negroes led by brutal buffoons like Mugabe took over down there and now they are all starving. What does that tell you? This isn't about racism it is about primitivism.
Africa is a social and economic vortex. I don't see how it can be saved. Perhaps it doesn't really need to be. There is a big world happening without their participation. They may simply have to be left as a prehistoric region of the planet. A no-go zone except for altruistic egoists like Bono.
I have no doubt his high profile efforts to extort largess from the West has sold many more recordings than his limited talent would have allowed for. A rock star is not a truly important calling in the big picture. He often refers to himself as a rock star. What an ego that man has.
This world is screwed up and people like Jose and the lock-step leftist fools are the screw drivers.
Once African nations have been independent for a couple of hundred years they will be models of success - like Haiti.
ET "You support the genocide in the Sudan? ???"
I can't tell if this assertion of yours is some kind of childish debating tactic or outright stupidity on your part.
Yanni "Africa is a social and economic vortex. I don't see how it can be saved. Perhaps it doesn't really need to be."
Don't bother pretending to be concerned about the "Negroes" Yanni. You don't fool anyone and it just comes off as pathetic.
Yanni "Africa is a social and economic vortex. I don't see how it can be saved. Perhaps it doesn't really need to be."
Don't bother pretending to be concerned about the "Negroes" Yanni. It's unconvincing and pathetic.
Jose,
You probably think that the Word 'Negroes' is a politically incorrect term. Here is a news flash. They are Negroes, we are Caucasians and there are Orientals on the planet as well. The near East or the Indian sub continent are largely brown people but are considered Caucasians.
Perhaps you would prefer the terms Whites, Blacks, Yellows and Browns? Oh yes and let's not forget the Reds ... Those would be the North American Indians.
What are your current terms for the members of the great mosaic these days? I am so confused with the hijacking of our language by the Left that I am inclined to just call everyone 'Dudes and chicks' followed by the ID of whatever part of the planet their race originated.. That outta be okay ... pretty generic would you say.
Anyway, the point is ... I am not concerned about the Negroes. They can be concerned about themselves and I can be concerned about the welfare of the West which is under attack by just about everyone in the world including you .. you silly twit. There is no race on the planet that is more endangered right now than White people.
FYI I happen to fall into the 'Brown' category. I have been called many names in my life and I am not scarred by it. I just consider the individual source then move on.
You are the pathetic one.
"Yanni "Africa is a social and economic vortex. I don't see how it can be saved. Perhaps it doesn't really need to be."
Don't bother pretending to be concerned about the "Negroes" Yanni. It's unconvincing and pathetic.
Posted by: Jose at May 18, 2007 11:04 PM "
See Jose? That is the problem. Yanni recognizes Africa for what it is. A hellhole of tribalism and tinpot dictators. I suspect he was using Negro just to be politically correct for you. They are hatred-fuelled,non-feeling thugs of the first degree. Slavery started out in Africa,used BY blacks against blacks. I do NOT feel sorry for the negros.Let them die in the hellhole they have created. This is just what happens in nature when leftards like you give people a handout instead of a handup.And what gubbermint position do you hold,Jose??
Most activists support the good work of Robert Mugabe. His vision for Zimbabwe is coming true both in Africa, and here, in Toronto.
Robert Mugabe is a nice guy. I think of him when I step over sloshing puddles of pee on the TTC. When I see the a subway car empty after some gangbangers get on (smoking, rapping, and embracing diversity) I think about agriculture in Zimbabwe. When I walk into a government office, and I am waiting, waiting, waiting, and I look around at the rainbow of diversity workers who are talking, gossiping, visiting, rapping, eating, and just looking out the window, I hope that this little slice of Socialist Multi-Cultural perfection comes to visit the authors of Socialist Multi-Cultural perfection. You asked for it ... here it comes.