Why IS Africa so poor?
By nuffsed
@nuffsed (1271)
April 12, 2007 11:39am CST
Because the World Bank has no concience and is blatantly and ruthlessly exploiting the uneducated and naeve Congolese Chieftains.
Europeans have traditionally been seen as merciless exploiters of Africa for over two hundred years. Today, when even schoolchildren know that tropical jungle trees are extremely valuable and irreplaceable, the situation is as bad as ever.
So what do you say to The World Bank executives who condone and encourage the sort of deals that are happening, where tribal chiefs are promised, and not always given, as little as £55 in one case, or even "gifts" of provisions and three timber school houses whose total cost would be no more than £10,000. For this princely sum, one chief was happy to agree to the exploitation of thousands of hectares of his tribes forest for the next twenty five years!!!!.
The scale of this theft, becomes apparent when you consider that one tree may well be worth in Europe £4000.
Take a few minutes to read the disgusting facts.
Remember these jungles are the lungs of the planet!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2054098,00.html
1 person likes this
3 responses
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
30 May 07
I've often wondered the same thing because the resources there are so plentiful but so abused. I honestly think most of it is the government and the underhanded officials that run it. If the government would have used their educated minds to help educate those around them I think they could have utilized their assets in the country so well and perhaps even become a very rich country. Unfortunately they've raped their own land and still have nothing to show for it for their average citizen. The fat pigs of government reap the benefits, take the bribes and ignore the wrong doings as long as they get their palms greased. It's sad indeed.
1 person likes this
@nuffsed (1271)
•
6 Jun 07
We have to hang on to the hope that The World Social Forum will grow and spread as it is doing and will make the WTO and World Bank irelevant to the indigenous peoples of these yet to develop nations. Thousands of organisations are gathering steam around the world. We must all look for ways to help if we can.
Blessed Be my lovely :)
@babykay (2131)
• Ireland
20 Apr 07
So very sad. And in another 10 years when a new mini-war has started in DRC with one group of militia backed by one company and the other group backed by goodness knows who, we will all be wringing our hands and saying "so very sad". Africans need to get educated to stop being exploited in this and other manners, it should be a priority but part of the problem seems to be that educated Africans tend to live outside of Africa a lot of the time, those that are left are often the most ignorant and greedy.
What is truly terrible about this is that it is not just the poor people who depend on the forests for subsistence but as you say, these are the lungs of the planet. The greedy companies don't seem to care that they are killing our planet and hence their own home...have they by any chance discovered technology that enables them to live on a different planet? I don't think so. I despair of humankind, I really do.
1 person likes this
@nuffsed (1271)
•
20 Apr 07
"The greedy companies don't seem to care that they are killing our planet and hence their own home...have they by any chance discovered technology that enables them to live on a different planet? I don't think so. I despair of humankind, I really do."
Well said "baby", That's a positive!
There's so much of this nonsense going on that the humanitarians should be out on the streets protesting!!! Will we sleepwalk into oblivion?
@lot2nabila (198)
• Gabon
12 Apr 07
I agree with you. The ancient European (and the current as well for that matters) are always try to trick the natives to get the most recovery. That's why the Africans need to educate themselves so they can't be tricked by outsiders. I've been living in Africa for 2 years now, I think the problem also lays on the laziness of some African people. I sometimes having difficulties in working with some of them, not all though.
A few days ago I saw a documentary movies by a guy who involved in the making of the movie "Blood Diamond", I think his name is Sorius Soumura or something like that... It's amazing to see how difficult it is and how low they got paid for a precious stone that can worth hundreds, thousands, even millions in civilised world... Apparently the richness of Africa is felt like a curse instead of a blessing... Poor Africa..:-(
@nuffsed (1271)
•
12 Apr 07
Thanks for that... I am so incensed about this story. Such exploitation should like slavery be consigned to history. Instead The World Bank makes a mockery of the work of Bob Geldoff and Bono at the G8 summit. This is a crime against humanity, no less!! Fair trade can see these people fight Aids, debt, poverty and a host of diseases. It is beyond reason, to rip out the irreplaceable forest hardwoods for no local advantage or progress. In this day and age, under the monitoring of The World Bank this is criminal in the extreme.
It makes a total mockery of all our efforts to save the planet.
