We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, April 18, 2011

Ivory Coast: Gbabgo, White imperialism and Afrikan Liberation

Click here to access article by Dr. Kwame Osei from Modern Ghana.

During the past few weeks as Western media reports came in about the civil strife in the Ivory Coast, I became very suspicious of the coverage. Supposedly, the strife was because the incumbent President would not step down after losing a recent election. No mention was made about US Senators visiting the country and finding voting irregularities. The next thing I learned was that French jets were attacking government installations in the Ivory Coast. 

Although I know nothing about this author, his portrayal of the recent events in the Ivory Coast makes so much sense to me. It is a classic example of neo-colonialism which is rarely reported in Western media. 
Therefore once they had put their signature to it [independence from France] the newly “independent” Francophone states in Afrika were forever enslaved to French economic interests.

These interests meant that French companies operating in Francophone states had free access to these markets, had easy access to government contracts and perhaps more shrewdly these French companies did not pay any taxation to the respective francophone states and repatriated their vast earnings back to Paris.
Then, there is the recent election in Nigeria which has resulted in violent protests. With all the oil drilling operations of Western corporations in Nigeria, I strongly suspect that this may be another case of Western governments secret meddling in their affairs. The WikiLeaks on Nigeria a few months ago revealed widespread government corruption and the involvement of Western corporations. I wonder if, and when, we will find out about their involvement in election rigging, if ever.