Omar,
Faulting our misery on the failure of political independence indirectly
questions the values of sovereignty.
What we instead have to look at is the complex of internal political
failures and their attendant distorted economic consequences and how these
are further impacted by brutally exploitative western economic policies, in
the case of West Africa. But the plight of our brothers in these deadly
waters is simply a heavily dramatic case of a global phenomenon: Chinese and
Vietnamese workers and peasants smuggled aboard ships bound for the U.S
pacific coast; central Americans forcing the border into the U.S. from
Mexico; former east Europeans (especially Poles) flooding the U.K labour
market (many now turning up as beggars on the streets of London); hundreds
of thousands of Phillipinos and other south Asians doing the menial and
skilled jobs in the Gulf States, and so on...
That it mostly is young west Africans we see now is largely an accident of
geography. Just a month ago a boat filled with some 200 Pakistanis left
Dakar for the Canary Islands. Now and again loads of Eritreans and other
North Africans are also forcibly disembarked on these Spanish islands or in
Malta.
Here is a West African case in point:
Italy, like all EU countries, heavily subsidise agricultural production of
its farmers. So they are able to sell paste tomato relatively cheaply to
retailers in Ghanain towns. Ghanain tomato farmers are unable to sell their
products in the same market since they cannot compete with the lower prices
of imported italian tomatoes.
Young Ghanains then migrate to the urban areas in search of work since
farming no longer remains a vaible souce of income. Unemployment in the
cities grow exponentially and many youing men therefore, risk their lives on
open fishing boats leaving the Gambia and Senegalese coasts for the nearest
European ports, again in search of work.
To help their farmers, many African governments protest by trying to raise
tariffs on imported agricultural goods (such as cheap, tatseless, frozen
chicken all over Gambia and Senegal). But then the Europeans threaten that
they will cut funds and aid they provide as subsidies to national budgets.
So no schools and clinics will be built and teachers' salaries may be unpaid
for months.
(A senior Ghanain representative illustrated this graphic arm-twisting by
the EU last year at the global forum at Davos).
This, plus the corruption and stupid economic policies of African
governments are what lie at the roots of the lamentations of "sunugaal".
cheers,
modou s sidibeh
Subject: SV: "SunuGaal"/ Behind this trade there are Europeans involved
and well paid.
Sidibeh/Oko/Bailo,
I hope the SOPI Coalition is listening. The song is pregnant with meaning
giving a vivid picture of the harsh realities not only in Senegal but in
many African countries. We don`t have to look far away to see that. The
level of deprivation is alarming and having to take such a risk on those
rickety fishing boats on such a perilous route shows how desperate the bulk
of the people are.
Bailo pointed out the valid point of the failure of political independence
and it makes me wonder whether this mass exodus of African migrants is not a
form of reverse colonisation; the coloniser being colonised by its former
subjects. Is it a case of the chicken coming home to roost? And the
situation is made worsening with the level of organised crime as Oku cited.
Happy weekend.
regards,
Omar
> From: oko drammeh [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 2006-10-06 14:32:06 CEST
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: "SunuGaal"/ Behind this trade there are Europeans involved
and well paid.
>
> This is prophecy/ not an overstatement.
>
> If you need what Africa has,
> and you can't do without it
> and don't want to pay for it.
>
> You will create problems for thoes people only to make them weak and
maintaining them in the clutches and machenary of exploitation and inhuman
treatment.
>
> It seems like Africans are still under the conspiration theory of the
CURSE OF HAM (decendants of black race) by his father prophet Noah in the
Abrahamic religions.
>
> RELIGION RULE THE WORLD
> That Denial of peace and prospertity to the Black Africans and the
punishment sent to them said by most religions is an order of god. This has
cause poverty, wars, deaths and an unsettled Africa. This is the root of all
our problems. It is holy.
>
> Be wise Africa,
> you are the richest continent
> but yet with the poorest people.
>
> You have been duped !
>
> Oko
>
>
> bailo jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Omar,
>
> Thanks for sharing this moving clip of a song that is spot on for the
reasons of the desperate quest of young able bodied Africans to reach the
shores of the promised land. As reflected by the song, it is primarily
because political independence from the yoke of colonialism have thus so far
failed to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of Africans. In other terms, we,
Africans have been failed by our political class, i.e both those in civvies
and uniforms. They seem to only take care of themselves.
>
> Very sad indeed!
>
> Bailo
>
> bailo jallow wrote:
> Testing, testing, just testing.
>
> Bailo
>
> OMAR DRAMMEH wrote:
> Fols,
>
> Thought this might be of interest. It portrays the plight of the African
migrant including Gambians in their journey to the "Promise Land".
>
>
> http://www.studiosankara.com/sunugaal.html
>
> Regards,
> Omar
>
>
>
>
>
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