African Unity
Africa never fails to demonstrate time and again how troubled a continent it is. Justifying the by-now low expectations of the world community that African states will ever become fully self-reliant, responsibly governing, human-rights-observing, forward-looking communities. They are bloated with self-serving bureaucracies that espouse a mealy-mouthed equality, while holding out their sweaty palms to be greased by ever-greater hand-outs from international humanitarian sources.
Their populations have become heavily reliant on the ongoing goodwill and guilt of foreign countries outside their continent to provide fundamental essentials like health care, adequate food, educational opportunities, and small loans for individual start-up businesses to aid families to cope with the cost of life. Intra-country warfare, and civil wars pop up with regularity as tribal and clan conflicts erupt with bitterness and ferocity.
When drought situations occur, exacerbated by civil wars, creating populations fleeing violence and hunger it is the international community and humanitarian NGOs that fund a life-line for the refugees. Somehow, the African Union cannot seem to take its obligation to itself quite seriously enough.
African values have echoed too long to the primitive imperatives of taking care of No.1 above all; they balk at the prospect of being their brother's keeper.
Faced with the presence among them of a tyrant intent on enriching himself and his cronies at the expense of the livelihoods and health of millions of his people, through policies that ruined the country's agriculture and economy, they shuffle their collective feet, and do nothing. For no one wishes to invite a spotlight of enquiry to focus on their own pathetic activities.
The United Nations World Food Programme issues a dramatic warning of mass malnutrition, starvation and death in the Horn of Africa, pleading for funds from the international community. And that community responds, at the governmental level and at the private charitable level. The African Union calls a summit finally to raise funds to tackle the famine in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Of the African leadership of the African Union's 54 members, a mere four heads of state show up to the summit: Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea. Those whose countries are facing starvation turn up to the conference, all other African leaders are too busy elsewhere. "Just 21 countries made pledges out of 54 and, of the $46-million, $20-million came from three states - Algeria, Angola, and Egypt."
Nigeria and South Africa, the two wealthiest nations on the continent pledged $2-million and $20-million respectively. An 11-year-old boy from Accra, Ghana, on his own raised $4,000 on donations from friends, family and sponsors, his contribution larger than that of Lesotho's at $2,500. The former president of Ghana, current AU representative for Somalia had "expected better" of the African Union response.
Meanwhile, the U.S. pledged $574,987,214, the U.K. $187,997,248, Japan $95,786,480, Australia $82,219,415, Canada $80,307,245, China $68,734,845, Sweden $58,744,337, Saudi Arabia $50,744,137, Germany $42,825,234, France $40,530,428.
As opposed to the 54 countries of the African Union's grand total of $46,000,000.
But there is no shame, because Africa is entitled to the world's guilt and charity.
Their populations have become heavily reliant on the ongoing goodwill and guilt of foreign countries outside their continent to provide fundamental essentials like health care, adequate food, educational opportunities, and small loans for individual start-up businesses to aid families to cope with the cost of life. Intra-country warfare, and civil wars pop up with regularity as tribal and clan conflicts erupt with bitterness and ferocity.
When drought situations occur, exacerbated by civil wars, creating populations fleeing violence and hunger it is the international community and humanitarian NGOs that fund a life-line for the refugees. Somehow, the African Union cannot seem to take its obligation to itself quite seriously enough.
African values have echoed too long to the primitive imperatives of taking care of No.1 above all; they balk at the prospect of being their brother's keeper.
Faced with the presence among them of a tyrant intent on enriching himself and his cronies at the expense of the livelihoods and health of millions of his people, through policies that ruined the country's agriculture and economy, they shuffle their collective feet, and do nothing. For no one wishes to invite a spotlight of enquiry to focus on their own pathetic activities.
The United Nations World Food Programme issues a dramatic warning of mass malnutrition, starvation and death in the Horn of Africa, pleading for funds from the international community. And that community responds, at the governmental level and at the private charitable level. The African Union calls a summit finally to raise funds to tackle the famine in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Of the African leadership of the African Union's 54 members, a mere four heads of state show up to the summit: Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea. Those whose countries are facing starvation turn up to the conference, all other African leaders are too busy elsewhere. "Just 21 countries made pledges out of 54 and, of the $46-million, $20-million came from three states - Algeria, Angola, and Egypt."
Nigeria and South Africa, the two wealthiest nations on the continent pledged $2-million and $20-million respectively. An 11-year-old boy from Accra, Ghana, on his own raised $4,000 on donations from friends, family and sponsors, his contribution larger than that of Lesotho's at $2,500. The former president of Ghana, current AU representative for Somalia had "expected better" of the African Union response.
Meanwhile, the U.S. pledged $574,987,214, the U.K. $187,997,248, Japan $95,786,480, Australia $82,219,415, Canada $80,307,245, China $68,734,845, Sweden $58,744,337, Saudi Arabia $50,744,137, Germany $42,825,234, France $40,530,428.
As opposed to the 54 countries of the African Union's grand total of $46,000,000.
But there is no shame, because Africa is entitled to the world's guilt and charity.
Labels: Africa, Conflict, Culture, Human Relations, Human Rights, Politics of Convenience
posted by Pieface | 7:54 PM
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