July 01, 2010
I don’t know who you are supporting for the World Cup but I have picked Brazil although Joel Villafana and some of the Wakka Wakka boys on Channel 6 are rooting for Argentina. When Trinidad and Tobago participated in the last World Cup my second pick was Brazil. Now that we are not there I have no qualms about supporting the samba magicians. As I marvel at the grandeur of the game and its international reach, I also rejoice at the marvelous job South Africans are doing to pull off this world event.
But do you remember the naysayers who said South Africa could not do it; that it could not finish infrastructural development on time to host this event; could not refurbish its airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban; build new stadiums in Cape Town, Soweto, Nelspruit and Rustenberg; add commuter rail links, build enough hotels and widen the highways to accommodate the people they were expecting for the games.
This was a monumental task for South Africa. It is estimated that it spent US $40 billion (about six times our annual budget) on infrastructure for stadium enhancement and transportation improvement. A Deloitte report entitled “2010 FIFA World Cup: A Turning Point for South Africa” acknowledged that “a strong technological and economic base put it [South Africa] on a par with the well developed nations of the world.” South Africa, a Deloitte spokesman said, “has already realized many of the benefits hoped for by any national host of a major international sporting event.”
South Africa is one of the most important economies in Africa and the games are likely to improve that position considerable. Prior to the games Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in South Africa outpaced the performance in any other African economy. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) World Investment Report of 2008 indicated that close to $9 billion dollars had been invested in South African in 2008 as compared with $5.7 billion during 2007. So that South Africa was on an economic take off before the World Cup began.
However, what seems to be lost on most of us is that Africa has been on the upswing economically for the last few years. Direct foreign investment in Africa rose from $9 billion in 2000 to $62 billion in 2008. From 2000 to 2008 Africa’s economies grew twice as fast as they did in the 1980s and the 1990s and as The New York Times reported “African was one of only two regions–Asia was the other–where the collective economy rose through global recession in 2009 by 1.4 percent.”
Reports in the Economist are equally as favorable. In its “The World In” five African countries were among the top ten fastest growing economies in 2009 and four were expected to do so in 2010. The report noted that “what is striking initially is that three of the five have begun to exploit their energy producing resources, Angola and Congo gaining high rates due to oil product expansion, whilst Malawi is producing uranium. Madagascar and Mozambique are driven by raw materials in nickel and steel respectively. Angola has fallen from the peak experienced in 2006 where they had just under 20% growth.” So that although they started from a small base their progress has been remarkable.
While our eyes have been turned away Africa has been doing some good things. Over the last ten years Africa’s growth rate has averaged around 6 per cent a year; the European Union has been around 3%, Asia without Japan at about 5% and South America 3%. The Economist Economy Watch has placed four African countries (Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Angola and Liberia) among the 12 fastest growing economies in 2010. With figures like these, 2010–2020 could very well be an African decade.
The New York Times has begun to hail the progress in Africa. On June 23, 2010 it noted that a new McKinsey and Company Report “paints a much more optimistic portrait of a continent with growing national economies and an expanding consumer class that offers foreign investors the highest rates of return in the developing world.” Arend van Wamelen, an author of the report noted: “The growth we’ve have seen in Africa recently is much more widespread than is generally recognized. There are a lot of underlying good things going on in the economies.”
Unctad’s recent “Economic Development in Africa Report 2010” has made it clear that the new South–South co–operation in terms of the rapidly developing trade, investment and financial relationships with large emerging economies, including China, have begun to make a difference with Africa. Where prior too, Africa had depended almost exclusively on assistance from the Organization for Economic Co–operation Development (OECD) who channeled their aid into the social sectors, the new Southern partners are more concerned with getting involved in the physical infrastructure and making technology transfers. World Bank figures indicate that in 2006 sub–Saharan Africa received more finance for infrastructural development from non–OECD economies ($8bn) than they did from its traditional donors (5bn).
As we watch our soccer for the next two weeks and listen to the vuvezelas let us understand that Africa has come of age. South Africa is now a member of the G20 and the OCED in recognition of its importance as an emergent market and a leader. It has shown the world it could manage the soft aspects of world power such as managing crime (there was no more crime in South African than there was in Germany four years ago) and keep crowds under control.
There is also a down side. Although its expenditures on the World Cup open up greater capacities forty billion dollars is a lot of money by any standard. Investments in stadiums are known to have limited long–term development benefits. However, South Africa can take heart from the fact that it completed the first section of Gautrin, the first high–speed rail line in Africa. According to Professor James Steward of Penn State University, when it is completed it will “significantly enhance the attractiveness of the industrial corridor between Johannesburg and Pretoria to potential foreign investors.”
South African has done us proud. As we enjoy the games we should be cognizant of the rapid strides that are taking place on the continent today.
The only continent in the world that you can get more return on your investment than Asia is Africa. South Africa gets all of the glory, but Zimbabwe should have gotten the support. They were bold enough to right wrongs of history.
What was Mugabe’s reward for righting the wrongs of history? But beyond that, how long did he wait for England and the so-called 1st world to make good on their promise to compensate the European settlers for stolen African property?
If I came into your house and took advantage of everything in the house including you, what would be your reward when you were finally able to remove me from your premises?
Europe would be up in arms if a group of people moved in and dominated. They fought a series of wars over it. Do you remember the Crusades?
South Africa was rewarded with the World Cup because they didn’t do what Mugabe did. However, Africans in South Africa are still far behind their non African country men.
Africa is not the “New World” and therefore, I see now reason to co-exist with the intruders on the intruders’ terms.
The people of the third world will always be treated as such until they grow a backbone, unite and fight against the sort of domination that always leaves them holding the short end of the stick.
How in the world can anyone think what Mugabe did was not just?
We see eye to eye except for one thing 3rd world/class people never stopped fighting. Ever heard of the Black Wall Street, Greenwood, Tulsa Oklahoma, or Rosewood, Florida? The numerous conflicts on the continent of Africa share a cause, T’n’T’s 1970 Black Power expression, same cause, Ghandi, MLK, Malcolm, Palestine same cause, Arundhati Roy in Gujarat, same cause.
“The battle…has to begin here. In America. The only institution more powerful than the U.S. government is American civil society. The rest of us are subjects of slave nations. We are by no means powerless, but you have the power of proximity. You have access to the Imperial Palace and the Emperor’s chambers. Empire’s conquests are being carried out in your name.” Arundhati Roy
Revisit the Lancaster House Agreement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_reform_in_Zimbabwe
“The three-month long conference almost failed to reach an accord due to disagreements on land reform. Mugabe was pressured to sign and land was the key stumbling block. Both the British and American governments offered to buy land from willing white settlers who could not accept reconciliation (the “Willing buyer, Willing seller” principle) and a fund was established, to operate from 1980 to 1990.”
Mugabe should have known that “White Man”, the Biblical Snake-Man, always “speak with forked tongue.”
Very laudable Doc,but we need to put things in perspective. The majority of African people , on the continent have not benefited in any form , or fashion from this groundswell. We should always pay attention as to who the real beneficiaries of Global South,and in particular African exploitation ,are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8
Firstly ,there are still extremely dangerous exploit oriented economic power brokers within the various states , whose allegiance are with their foreign benefactors, and like elements within our own country , would do whatever it takes to appease them, at the expense of the wider ,’historical sacrificial lamb members’ of our population.’
Secondly , Africa in most part remains burdened by some of the most despicable political leaders known to mankind . They need to be rooted out , and replace hopefully , by a more caring group.
The book ‘The modern African state: quest for transformation,’ by Godfrey Mwakikagile, encapsulate the problem quite well, that can no longer be sugar coated. It is time for their ‘New World Order,’and no football , or industrial successes can keep that ‘humpty dumpty’ from continuing it’s journey of spiraling out of control ,into despair , and down the social, and political abyss.
Let’s agree on one thing if we can. “No security= no development!” While we are at it ,perhaps a reminder for the rest of the globe, that African failures , translate to an over burdened,subpar world, as we all remain are all part of a global village.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1063198/PETER-HITCHENS-How-China-created-new-slave-empire-Africa.html
As for us here at home, we know that one ‘foreign obsessed’ political troop has departed ,as manifested by El Supremo Manning losses in the last election, the question is , were they replaced, in the House of Rep by another with a similarly skewed mindset?
We are prompted to therefore ask ,“Is it change or just exchange?” Oh sorry Doc, the World Cup, yes? My money too is on the Samba Boys with the African blood ,and drums, but won’t sleep on dem Argentinians/ Italians , neo Natzi by products, led by the “hands of God, and the feet of Maradona.”
Only a slave mentality can produce the reason that something is better than nothing and that a people should be content with survival rather than prosperity.
The Europeans laid the foundation for others to “legally” continue the plight of broken people in a ravaged land. Business is neither human nor human. When governments are controlled by business, it’s not the fault of the business, but rather the fault of the people who failed to regulate and control the business.
When the people wake up and realize that this is not what they want, then they will change. When the pain of remaining the same outweighs the fear and consequence of change will we se change in Africa.
Right now, they still are not fed up with the abuse. My only question is when will such strong people with a high tolerance for abuse say no to corrupt leaders that only want the crumbs of Europe and Asia for the souls of their own people?
If this is Africa’s century, why does Dr. Cudjoe begin by saying “I rooting for Brazil” after that brilliant display of soccer footmanship by the young Ghanains? I am rooting for Ghana. I am rooting for West Africa, I am rooting for Africa.We have to support our own. When I ook at a team, I count heads, how many of my people are on there, is the critical factor. Ghana’s team is all my people.
As I write Ghana is nowhere to be found. My team Germany will win this tornament. “Ghana’s team is all my people”. -Linda. Linda are you related to the Ghanaians? Or are you a member of black caucus also. As for South Africa it could not be where it is today without Gandhi’s influence. Dr. Cudjoe failed to mention Gandhi in his assessment of South Africa. He also failed to mention that over 1 million Indians live in Durban South Africa(highest diaspora of Indians outside India), that India has one of the longest and strongest relationship with South Africa. That it was Gandhi who first started the Transvaal Soccer Team the first non-white soccer team on the continent. He also failed to mention the influence of Gandhi on Nelson Mandela in combatting arphatheid. But this is classic Cudjoe style not mentioning anyone outside the tribe as though it is total black African dream. However, I am with him in saying “Africa time is now”. I also pay tribute to Jack Warner whose sway at FIFA made it possible for South Africa to rise….
That’s going to be quite a challenge, because just about every team has African players.
Talk about the blood that shows in hair and skin, and the people who IDENTIFY with the continent. AT time of writing, Ghana lost on penalty shots to Uruguay, but Ghana and Brazil are not the same team. There were African originated people on the French team in 2006, BUT THEY DID NOT LOOK LIKE OUR SOCA WARRIORS. So, stop dissembling.How do you know an African when you meet him or her> Here it is again: they say I am African, I am Ghanaian, I am of the Kwi people(i=one distinct language group) a Nigerian would say” I am African, I am Nigerian, I am Yoruba” this is how my nephew defines himself.
Yes I am, the curl of my hair says so. The shape of my cheekbones say so.The colour of my skin says so. When I meet Ghanains here in the west, they salute me as a sister, an elder. I met a young man at a nearby university, a prince of the Akan people, who, on meeting me for the very first time, lifted my hand to his forehead in an ancient tribute to an elder of his people. Further, in my father’s family history, the story of the Golden Stool of the Ashanti people is one handed down that I dismissed as a fairy story until about 1998,when the stool re-appeared for the first time in one hundred years. I turned to the east and told my father, now with the ancestors, that I was sorry I did not believe him.
Not EVERY African in the west had their history, memories and traditions beaten out of them. We who know are proud for so. Our blood may be diluted by Taino, English, Indian and Chinese blood,by the rapes perpetuated on our captured mothers, but we stand, proudly AFrican, loving learning, and trying to work with all people for the good of all.
Hope you go this!
I will not denigrate Ghandi-ji,in his spiritual incarnation as leader of India’s poor, but he was not fighting for South Africa, he was an indignant lawyer who thought his law degree from an English university entitled him to ride in the white section of the train. They threw his black arse off! Then he discovered that he could make common cause with Africans suffering the same oppression. Had he been allowed to stay on that train, the partners Ghandi, Ghandi and Ghandi might have been the most prosperous group in South Africa exploiting both sides. Being thrown on his bum taught him some sense. Read the history man.
They threw his black arse off! Then he discovered that he could make common cause with Africans suffering the same oppression. –Linda. I did not know Ghandi was black…hmmm
Black is not a nationality. I have said that before.It is a derogatory designation used by the pink people, Europeans, to taint with the symbols of night- evil, darkness etc all people not of European ancestry.(Christ is the light, terefore non-Christians are evil) Ghandi’s skin was darker than mine. Any non-white blood makes you black. My son, you sound young. Educate yourself to the fact that wherever Africans are discriminated against by Europeans, Indians from Asia are also.Both on the basis of skin colour. Some Indians try to insinuate themselves with Europeans by pointing out that they are Aryan people also, but the racism goes on. Read the history of the Brits in India. Its ugly. Apparently the black arse comment was actually made. I took it from a film.
Incidentally, your comment about Indians in South Africa reminded me that many African leaders of states that won their freedom early on, Ghana was the first, in 1958,followed by Nigeria, Jamaica then Trinidadnd Tobago, then other African and Caribbean countries, felt that the problem with Aparthied was the Indians who tried to play on both sides. Certainly Independence did not come to South Africa until 1994, thirty-six years after Ghana.So, did the Indians help or hinder?
The late VC Bird of Antigua , thought theywere a hindrance. He is on record as saying he did not want the Indians getting a foothold in his country”They had already ruined Trinidad” I heard him say this on Antigua Radio in 1988. He made all the Indian doctors working there on contract, go on vacation to another island, and from there re-apply for permission to continue working in Antigua.Check the files. This is a FACT. One of my friends, a doctor held the posessions of an Indian doctor who was his friend, and who rented office space from him The CAribbean Conference of Churches and other international organizations in Antigua protested what seemed like vicious action, but Byrd knew of the Counter-delegation of Indians from Trinidad, who had gone to Lancaster House to argue AGAINST Independence for Trinidad and Tobago. He was a tough old bird, that Byrd.Again,part of the historical record.
“Incidentally, your comment about Indians in South Africa reminded me that many African leaders of states that won their freedom early on, Ghana was the first, in 1958,followed by Nigeria, Jamaica then Trinidadnd Tobago, then other African and Caribbean countries, felt that the problem with Aparthied was the Indians who tried to play on both sides. Certainly Independence did not come to South Africa until 1994, thirty-six years after Ghana.So, did the Indians help or hinder?
—Linda.
Linda it does not take much to get you on your tribal rant. It is amazing the kind of garbage people like you spew out. Without Ghandi there would not be the liberation of Africa from British rule. Remember after India gain independence under the stewardship of Ghandi then British colonialism began it’s pathway to a natural end. Without Ghandi black Americans would still be third class citizens in the United States. Linda, I have to assume that you are a poor student of history, picking and choosing, ranting and raving without making much logical sense. Girl, yuh like to misbehave eh… Please continue to entertain us. As I said I like my hate right there in front of me.
Mahatma Gandhi did not fought for the liberation of South Africa. He fought for the rights of Indians not to have to use those passes. In many ways it seem that he found it insulting that Indians had to be treated under the same conditions as blacks. Today many Indians in South Africa are still of this disposition, especially on the Cape where racial prejudice by Indians against indigenous South Africans parallels what the natives experienced under apartheid.
Mahatma Gandhi played no role in the liberation of South Africa. In addition, for you to find it offensive for Trinidadians of African descent to support the Nation from which many of their ancestors were dragged, when an abundance of Indians in T&T support Indian Cricket teams against the West Indies, is an indication of the triumphalistc hubris you racist bastards labor under. We should not be either civil or tolerant of this kind of ignorant and backward prejudice. It is assinine, and indicative of a mindset not far removed from what ruled in 14th century India.
Thank you Ruel for kicking his rear end for me. At 70 I cannot aim for a narrow butt as well as younger men, but I do not my history and I dare anyone to find facts to contradict what I say. I can take deadly aim at a narrow mind.So, when you hear them yell race, know that I have backed them into a corner. It is part of my pride in me, that the things I say can be checked, but don’t expect me to give you sources.I did and lived my own reaearch.
Linda:
Ruel was not refering to my blog. So again you need to think carefully before your post these nonsensical ideas. The computer is a wonderful communication tool, however, any fool can say anything even an old fool. Anyone can research anything and draw conculsions that suit their own internal malady. Let us move above such maladies and explore ideas that are not solely base on hair and skin. After all Ghandi and MLK buried those ideas a long, long time ago….
In the logic I learned in thinking class, I say something, the respondent thinks(or flies into a rage) and then says something else, then I respond, and he/she responds. Third parties may get into it also on either side. SO MR.KHEM, I have re-read the entire thing. Ruel was referring to your comments. You may be a little weak minded if you did not see it. As for me, there is a law on the books of the Industrial Courts of TnT that bears my name. The company was playing the fool, I sued.I won, and helped create a law in Trinidad and Tobago that benefits all managers in companies, except the CEO and the GM’s. Some fool eh? What have you contributed on par with this? I have found in my considerable work experience that those who resort to offensive name calling are the ones with weak arguments, who try to annoy the commenter with off-side remarks.
Linda:
I sense a bit of intellectual pride here. Sure you were able to put one law on the books, but Linda the greatest laws that governs this universe cannot be found in the pages of some law book. The greatest law must be written in the human heart and it is the law of love. As Saint Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, “without love I am nothing”. That law must be acted out each day in the treatment of our fellow human beings, regardless of skin color or hair. All I am saying is that MLK and Ghandi understood that, the real question is do you understand that law, because I sense a lot of unnecessary pride and self in your writings. Please choose the pathway of love in you writings and desist from that tribal pride..
I claim the tribal pride of all humans.We came, all of us, from Africa. DNA has proved it beyond a doubt, so as a waman, with African, English and Taino roots, from a country where women are still mainly judged by the spread of their legs, and the type of callalloo, sada roti or dhalpurrie they can produce, and not the calibre of their intellect, I claim that pride for them. You could spend weeks reading all of my published writings, and without exception, I have stood on the side of women’s full participation in ALL of the Human experience.I am beginning to understand though, a statement made to me by a guy in P.O.S in 1984: You are a beautiful smart woman, but I’d never introduce you to my wife. You’re dangerous.” Now, he had had a couple of drinks, but I swear he was serious.
Now,let me leave this forum and find someone else to annoy. Bye.
Africa is our mother land, no question about that, I long for the plains of the Saragetti, the great majesty of Kilimanjaro, the beauty of the Zambesi….But here is where my heart is right in sweet T&T. My ancestors moved from the Meditteranean to India and since that time the longing has not parted, but I am realist and so I cannot deprive myself of the present to dream of the past. Milton’s Paradise Lost takes us all back to Eden. I am currently looking at a large painting of the Kilimanjaro as I write… Yes it’s snow capped peak leading down to a quaint river, with a hut on it’s bank. A truly great African paradise.. This paradise was lost when your ancestors was stolen and taken on this cruel journey to another land. But the truth be told Africa was never really lost by it’s departed sons, for if you take a map of Africa and one of South and North America and you remove the water, there it is one land married in perfect harmony.
“DNA has proved it beyond a doubt,” I can’t believe I missed this statement. DNA has also proven that Asians and Europeans are both descended from Neanderthals and as far as I know the Neanderthal was NEVER AN AFRICAN.
http://scienceblogs.com/observations/2010/05/anceint_sex_scandals_did_we_ge.php
Viva Espana y muchas gracias!
It would have been the greatest travesty and an insult to Africans everywhere to have the Boers prevail at the 1st World Cup, staged in South Africa. Thanks also for revealing to the world the true nature of the thugs. My congratulations to Cassilas for stopping Robben, how ironic that would have been for Nelson Mandela to witness after his decades of imprisonment on Robben Island. It seem the ancestors were with us, all praise and thanks to them.
Of the choice of colonial Masters in the Caribbean- the Spaniards and the Dutch, I found myself rooting for the Dutch. Those who migrated and practiced aparthied may have the same names, but are not the same people. The dregs left, and landed in South Africa, I think.Just as Australia may have had problems with not white people for a long time, because it was settled by onvicts- the dregs. they have now improved. Modern Holland takes in immigrants from former Dutch colonies, Java, Batavia, St.Maarten, Aruba, Surinam, and treats them like people. If you looked at the teams you would have seen that. My friend, Dr. Rhoda Reddock, now at UWI Sta. was educated in Holland on scholarship. Now, how many scholarships hs Spain provided to people of its former colonies? They are still struggling with who speaks Castillian Spanish as against others. They are still struggling with the fact that their dark-haired people came from across the Straits of Gibraltar, and tinged their blood. And the memories of their treatment of the Jews and Muslims in 1492 still rankles..
The better team won, and I am glad for them. It was quite a contest though, wasn’t it?
I’m fully aware of Spanish colonialism; if it had come down to Spain against any one of her former colonies, I would not be rooting for Spain. The U.S. takes in a lot of immigrants does that mean they are absolved from 400 years of African enslavement? More than 90% of fertile South African land is still in the hands of the Boers and they maintain the status quo with the same thuggery that was on worldwide display by their national football team; including the pseudo/quasi Dutch, recently descended from their enslaved African ancestors.
Until the stolen land is returned to the indigenous African population in Southern Africa, I say Stay Up Zimbabwe! and to my Latino brethren I say Viva Chavez!
http://www.rastafarispeaks.com/cgi-bin/forum/config.pl?read=106591
Now that khem , and similar others are finally reconnected with their long lost love ,Trinidad and Tobago, we congratulate them, in all sincerity, as too many were languishing on the Canadian Prairies ,competing with disgruntled natives Canadians,Bison herders , US inner-cities , and unappealing , hostile ,sectors of ‘old Europe.’
His “ancestors moved from the Meditteranean to India. ” Yeah right! I wonder what’s that makes him?Hopefully for your sake it was not near the racist from Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as part of the reason for those country’s venomous attitudes towards African folks ,is due to the fact that they know that over 75 % of their DNA are comprise from the Moors that controlled that region for over 500 years.
Sorry Khem , you can run but you cannot hide, even when the skillful revisionists tries to work their magic.
Speaking about home for real patriots, can we expect to see that impish grin on your face cousin Khem ,when Uncle Jack finally go for the juggler in his quest to achieve his endgame-of rook capture Queen, then checkmate?
I told you guys once ,twice, but it’s worth repeating again, this man is not as dumb as you folks make him out to be.Guys with his background don’t end up garnering the highest national vote in Chagurnas ,or FIFA VP by coincidence , and engage in King/Queen maker extravaganzas, merely for the fun. Your call Mr Deputy PM!
Good for you that you have knowledge of Iberian Medieval history. However the history of African blood in the veins on Iberians goes back much further. “Todos Estamos Gitanas!”
http://www.rastafarispeaks.com/cgi-bin/forum/config.pl?read=106430
It was over 700 years Neal.
Africa should be for Africans. That is at least until that continent can heal from all of the invasions. Perhaps after they secure the continent and raise the standards of living amongst all mentally sound people to equal status of people in industrialized nations on other continents.
The Europeans gave Asia back to Asians (Hong Kong and India for example) so why not Africa?
Ironic that two European Colonial powers fought it out in South Africa all over again. This time Spain won, but where was the victory for the South Africans? The Africans actually believe that they are equal in a nation still controlled by European invaders.
It would appear that Africa’s decade is starting out with another European victory. As a good friend once said,” freedom is a happy slave”.
I repeat: How many scholarships has Spain given to help educate her colonial possessions that made her so rich she never industrialized until the second half of the twentieth century?
Why would Spain need to dole out scholarships when the whole of Latin America and the North American South West is rich with the history of the Spanish missions. Unlike her European cousins Spain sent out her gentry, her Caballeros, granting them land titles, which they developed for their families and the indigenous population. I say this to in no way defend Spanish colonialism but Spanish colonialism was quite different from the British and the Dutch. Remember Bartholome De Las Casas; he might have found his conscience a little late but he was the first defender of the Indians, and the Spanish were much gentler to their mulattos, mestizos, quadroons, etc much like the buffer class of French, Haiti. In fact many of the Spanish and French halfcastes and quarter-breeds ended up as slave owners themselves. Many Latinos love to identify as indigenous but the truth is they have more Spanish blood flowing through their veins than indigenous American blood. Which is a subject for another discussion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_missions_in_Texas
When I think of Spain in the Americas, unfortunately, I think that at discovery the population of Santo Domingo was estimated at nime million. Less than twenty years later, it was about 60,000. Genocide for which no one paid. I think of the massacre of the Incas, Mayas, Chibchas, Quecha and Taino people, and the seven caciques found in the dungeon at St. Vincent street across from the Police Museum, where the old Cabildo offices were, when Sir Ralph Abercromby’s team checked out their conquerred city in 1797. The men were down in that dungeon so long, they had lost all track of time. Spain’s history in the Americas is one of ignominy, of the destruction of cultures, of the massacre of people for their gold,of conquistadores putting indigenous people to the sword, to check if the blade was sharp enough.
When Spain was hit by terrorism in the train bombings about four years ago, I felt that their chickens had come home to roost.”Karma is a bitch” my son says.
That Spanish blood was due to the rape of indigenous women.
And I guess a few ‘scholarships’ would exonerate the Spaniards much like Dutch scholarships exonerate the Dutch?
Time to speak truth to power.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10609407.st
“For Africa to me… is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.”
Maya Angelou
When it comes to sharing licks, I am very evenhanded, believe me.I know their dark secrets. History reading for more than fifty years has not gone to waste, nt has my keen capacity to observe. The thing is, those who have travelled all over Europe, not just me, see Spain as the most racist of all the former colonial masters.Italy is a close second.I broke the law in Italy by buying a woodcarving from an African street vendor.
Street vending is illegal in Italy, but a walk through Rome, Venice or any other Tourist town, quickly reveals something: All of the small stores are owned by Italians. The vehicles from which vendors work, all along the route to the Vatican , are owned by Middle Easterners and Indians, and The Africans walk the street with their wares. I spent some money in a store or two, ate in a restaurant or two, bought stuff in the piazzas from people with cars, and on a night stroll through Roma bought this beautiful wood carving from an African street vendor.I paid him in US dollars rather than Euros, damnit.
Barcelona has the same policy. Stores are owned by Spaniards, various brown people and Indians- who sell mostly silver, and the Africans are barred from street vending. They will never get an edge up in those Mediterranean towns, where their continent’s wealth once flowed, but a lot of African Americans go on cruises to these places. One of my friends who travels on US government business to these towns first pointed this out, then I saw for myself.
Holland is a whole dfferent experience, and I am not talking of the red light district.
Using your measure as evidence for Spanish and Italian racism or more racism than their Dutch conterpart, then I must confess to being a racist. As a business owner, who followed all the rules I find myself opposed to Mexican immigrants who are allowed to undercut my prices and steal my clients, merely by circumventing the laws of the State in which I live. Many African-Americans would also fall into that category because some of them have to deal with the same issue of Continental Africans selling their wares on the sidewalks outside their places of business; and they do not like it one bit.
I also remember taking weekend drives along High Street as a child for the sole purpose of admiring the stores’ window dressing. I am also unable to erase from my memory what High Street, San Fernando has become after my last visit to sweet T’n’T.
I am also a victim of T’n’T’s former British colonial masters decision to purchase cheaper and lower quality cocoa from Ghana in order to avoid having to pay my grandfather a fair price for his Trinidadian grown cocoa.
“Every breath we take is someone’s death in another place.”
If it is okay for the Dutch government to levy taxes on their prostitutes, I believe to help with the escalating costs of AIDS related healthcare, then it has to be okay for the Spanish and Italian governments to protect the livelihood of their citizens. I imagine the Middle Easterners and Indians have to pay some kind of duty to park on the streets of Italy and Spain, and maybe even purchase a permit to sell their wares; but how are the Italians and Spaniards served by Africans selling goods on their sidewalks?
Now if the Dutch, the Germans, the French et al would get up off African land, and pay a proper price for Africans’ copious amounts of natural resources, there would be no need for Africans to be making themselves pariahs in Europe and elsewhere.
More African land theft:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/should-cashstrapped-california-buy-michael-jacksons-neverland-ranch.html
More land theft in Africa:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/goodfortune/
Synopsis
Good Fortune is a provocative exploration of how massive international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. In Kenya’s rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multimillion-dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest shantytown are being demolished as part of a U.N. slum-upgrading project. The gripping stories of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development present a unique opportunity see foreign aid through eyes of the people it is intended to help.
Man cannot live on rice alone:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/goodfortune/photo_gallery_watch.php