What annoys me about this article is the
blatant hypocrisy and distortion of truths - the style in which it was written hasn't much going for it either - starting off with this fight for his life.. pshaw.. if the locals wanted to kill him he'd be dead. That's simple truth. Oh the drama - the fear - makes one read the rest in that state.
Regardless, I see this article as nothing but another piece in the war against China. The West losing economic power means losing it's vicious hold on Africa. This article has nothing to do with the plight of the African.
He writes:
"These poor, hopeless, angry people exist by grubbing for scraps of cobalt and copper ore in the filth and dust of abandoned copper mines in Congo, sinking perilous 80ft shafts by hand, washing their finds in cholera-infected streams full of human filth, then pushing enormous two-hundredweight loads uphill on ancient bicycles to the nearby town of Likasi where middlemen buy them to sell on, mainly to Chinese businessmen hungry for these vital metals.
To see them, as they plod miserably past, is to be reminded of pictures of unemployed miners in Thirties Britain, stumbling home in the drizzle with sacks of coal scraps gleaned from spoil heaps."
But... these people have been doing these things for decades - the main difference is the race of the overseer. The
pure audacity this writer has to compare the tragic state of the locals to the white coalminers in Britain during the 30's is..
near blasphemous. For the last 100+ years these people have been doing this for the white man, and yet like a spoiled child the white man cries
"FOUL".
Why address it now? Certainly not for the benefit of the African labourer - but perhaps only to instill this warped sense of righteousness against the Chinese and their tentacles which are now reaching into what was previously the white man's playground.
The author made sure to include images of primitive 'natives', corrupt police, evil-sinister bosses.. oh the horror of the Chinese slave master!!
The only close enough truth in this article is when the author stated "It is crude rapacity, but to Africans and many of their leaders it is better than the alternative, which is slow starvation." riiight. starvation by the stranglehold of the West.
One should view Africa's relationship to the West as
Master and Slave. The West 'assists' Africa with strict terms and conditions in almost all areas.. politically, economically, socially.. The West/IMF enforces policies that cripple Africa's ability to grow independently and also ensure the West is able to continuously exploit business at ground levels. The West has supported civils wars on all sides of the fence to ensure they retain power - check out the Congo, Angola, Mozambique. ALL USA played out wars with the sole purpose of protecting 'their' economic interests. Never has the empowerment or improvement of African societies been a blip on their radar. Just one small example: Malawi, famine struck - Malawi defied the World Banks restrictions on fertilizer - and now provide food for themselves and their neighbours.
Article Here
Peter's article has
nothing to do with the plight of the African. It's motive was far more sinister - to make you believe that China is evil, and again to reinforce the idea that Africans are half witted corrupt people who need the slave master they know (the West)
China is in Africa for business. They are buying/trading goods without preconditions. They are totalitarian. They do not preach democracy nor demand political/economic favours in return for their investments. Example: China is buying 38000 tonnes of cocoa in Ghana and in exchange China is building them a $600m megawatt power station. Back in the colonial days - the West would support building up the infrastructure as long as it benefited them "yes - I'll build a freeway as long as it goes to my house, my boat, my area" whereas the Chinese are building up the infrastructure where the African leaders want them to be. This isn't Master and Slave. This is business. The Chinese don't want to live in Africa - they want it's goods - long term. Which means building business and political relationships on fair grounds.
Of course the West is crying
"No fair! the Chinese don't care about democracy! they don't care about the African well-being!" well.. who does?
Proof is in it's past and very current history - the West sure don't!
Once again - when people read this article I'll bet many thought of those poor Africans and their new slave master. They sood tohouldn't. Black people in the diaspora, of all people, should be looking at the developments as a positive sign of the times.