2007-03-24
What About Freedom In Africa?
Western lefties used to loudly -- and correctly -- unite around bringing "freedom" to South Africa. Apparently, non-freedom only qualifies for opposition if it involves white-on-black oppression. All other forms of oppression seem tolerated, or even cheered, by western lefties. See: Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iran.
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The West has a tendency - left and right - to ignore human rights abuses when business and/or political interests make it expedient.
For instance, Paul Hue often decries what he sees as the tyranny of countries like Cuba, Zimbabwe, Iran, and Venezuela, but ignores human rights violations and oppression in his own beloved US or in nations that are allied with the US like Pakistan or China.
Paul and I argued about Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe to the point where we weren't speaking when white farmers were being forcibly removed from their farms. I agree with the land reform program in principle and have no problem with the farmers expulsion, and Paul did.
Now, however, Mugabe has become a vicious tyrant and the Western propaganda that was used to make him look horrible a few years ago is now looking to be more like the truth. His tactics are inexcusable.
I don't deny that human rights have been violated in Cuba, but they pale in comparison to abuses in US prisons or to US actions in Guantanamo Bay or even US sponsored terrorism in Cuba and around the world.
The government of Iran is very unpopular with Iranians, but a US invasion or targeted air strikes would be a HUGE mistake. The Iranian people are very pro-Western. Unfortunately Western sabre-rattling is making Ahmadinijad more powerful.
Freedom in Africa will be more plausible when African nations embrace traditional African principles and combine them with modern technology. I think Africans should reject Western style capitalism and socialism and move toward an African communal/social democratic model where it takes a village to raise a child and everyone in the village is accountable to everyone else. The same should apply in modern metropolises like Lagos, Johannesburg and Mogadishu.
Africans also suffer from having too many cleptocratic Western sponsored military leaders who rob their people. These are the modern equivalent of the African kings and chiefs who sold their own people into slavery.
Many African countries are moving in a positive direction (South Africa is one) but the pace is very slow. Too slow.
As a Pan-Africanist, I believe that Africans in the diaspora need to do more to help Africans on the continent and in other parts of the world. I speak for myself when I say that we don't do enough to help our brethren over there.
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