---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pambazuka Editor <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 7:22 PM Subject: Pambazuka News 532: Time to bury the IMF To: pambazuka-news <[email protected]>
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 532: TIME TO BURY THE IMF The authoritative electronic weekly newsletter and platform for social justice in Africa Pambazuka News (English edition): ISSN 1753-6839 CONTENTS: 1. Features, 2. Announcements, 3. Comment & analysis, 4. Tributes to Tajudeen, 5. Advocacy & campaigns, 6. Pan-African Postcard, 7. Obituaries, 8. Books & arts, 9. Letters & Opinions, 10. African Writers’ Corner, 11. Highlights French edition /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1 Features TIME TO BURY THE IMF Towards an International Bank for Reconstruction and Reparations Horace Campbell The demise of the IMF's former managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an opportunity to dismantle the fund and replace the current financial architecture with one that ‘invests in the repair and reconstruction of livelihoods and the planet’ instead of ‘destruction, dehumanisation, exploitation, and rape,’ writes Horace Campbell. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73741 ****** INTERNATIONAL FINANCE INSTITUTIONS AND EGYPT: AN ‘ORDERLY TRANSITION’? Adam Hanieh Billions of dollars are set to flow into Egypt from a host of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), writes Adam Hanieh. But far from supporting the aspirations of the Egyptian people, their real aim is to hijack the transition and ensure that the neoliberal project in Egypt is hastened. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73722 ****** WORLD BANK’S AFRICA STRATEGY REMAINS IN RUTTED COMFORT ZONE Patrick Bond A renewed wave of development babble began flowing soon after the February launch of the World Bank’s 10-year strategy document, ‘Africa‘s future and the world bank’s support to it’, says Patrick Bond. Within three months, a mini-tsunami of Afro-optimism swept in: The International Monetary Fund’s ‘Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa’, the Economic Commission on Africa’s upbeat study, the African World Economic Forum’s Competitiveness Report and the African Development Bank’s discovery of a vast new ‘middle class’ (creatively defined to include the 20 per cent of Africans whose expenditures are $2–4 a day). http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73721 ****** IMPERIAL NEUROSIS AND THE DANGERS OF ‘HUMANITARIAN’ INTERVENTIONISM Yash Tandon Yash Tandon critiques the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) resolutions within the UN system to show how the forces of Empire have used 'humanitarian intervention' to advance their own interests. He also explains how the militaristic solutions advanced under R2P are part of a neurotic response to the various crises faced by the Empire. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73728 ****** ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS FROM THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: 1990–2008 Dev Kar This paper, commissioned by the UNDP, ‘explores the scale and composition of illicit financial flows from the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Illicit financial flows involve the cross-border transfer of the proceeds of corruption, trade in contraband goods, criminal activities and tax evasion. In recent years, considerable interest has arisen over the extent to which such flows may have a detrimental impact on development and governance in both developed and developing countries alike.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73730 ****** ‘DEFIANT IN THE FACE OF BRUTALITY’ Uprisings in East and Southern Africa Sokari Ekine Uganda’s Walk2Work campaign, growing public consciousness in Kenya, Swaziland’s pro-democracy demonstrations, public sector protests in Botswana and the still invisible LGBTIQ movement feature in this week’s reflection on struggles for social justice across the continent, by Sokari Ekine. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73738 ****** COPPER IN ZAMBIA: CHARITY FOR MULTINATIONALS Khadija Sharife Despite the apparent ‘success’ of the privatisation of the Zambian copper industry, the true picture is one of systemic multinational exploitation, national assets sold ‘for a song’ and persistent tax dodging, writes Khadija Sharife. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73742 ****** THE SITUATION OF AFRICA Declaration of the Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA) The Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA), an organisation consisting of researchers and activists, issued a statement on the situation in Africa on African Liberation Day, 25 May 2011. The statement calls on the peoples of Africa and its diaspora to ramp up resistance, both locally and globally, and to unite on the basis of internationalism and Pan-Africanism. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73727 ****** TSHWANE DECLARATION ON AFRICA LIBERATION DAY Africa Institute of South Africa We the 100 plus delegates from various countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, having met in Tshwane, South Africa, over three days to commemorate Africa Liberation Day and deliberate on African affairs and global issues hereby resolved the following Tshwane Declaration. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73760 ****** CONGO AND GHANA: EARLY EXAMPLES OF INTER-AFRICAN CO-OPERATION Cameron Duodu Although Ghana’s alliance with Congo was ultimately unable to save Patrice Lumumba’s life or avert Mobutu’s 40-year dictatorship, the ‘African Union (AU) would do well to rediscover the spirit of those days, when Africans knew what was good for their continent, and what was not so good,’ says Cameron Duodu. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73739 ****** REPORTING SUDAN: DOMESTIC REPRESSION AND DISTANCE IN EXILE Muhammed Osman and Ron Singer In conversation with Ron Singer, Muhammed Osman discusses reporting on Sudan, his experiences of covering the country from both inside and out, the future of relations between the south and north, and his own personal history. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73723 ****** SOUTH AFRICA: ELECTION TRIUMPH FOR ANC, DESPITE INEQUALITY Hein Marais Following the African National Congress' victory in South Africa's latest local government elections, Hein Marais, author of the new book 'South Africa pushed to the Limit', examines the paradox of a political party that presides over one of the most unequal societies in the world, where close to half the population lives in poverty, and more than a third of workers are jobless – yet triumphs in election after election. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73732 ****** THE STRUGGLES OF ZIMBABWEAN IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA ‘It’s dangerous out there.’ Khadija Sharife For Zimbabweans who cross into South Africa in search of work, the risk of robbery, rape and extortion at the border is just the beginning of their problems. Khadija Sharife meets a ‘rightless’ underclass who are both exploited and scapegoated, simply for wanting to feed their children. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73729 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2 Announcements SUMMER UNIVERSITY OF PALESTINE: A NEW MIDDLE EAST People power, democracy and Palestine Viva Palestina Arabia is organising a seven-day summer university in Beirut, Lebabon, at the end of July with internationally known academics, writers, political figures and activists to discuss the unfolding revolutionary events in the Middle East and what they mean for Palestine and the international solidarity movement. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/Announce/73734 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3 Comment & analysis SYRIA: PINKWASHING ASSAD? Amina A. http://damascusgaygirl.blogspot.com/ ‘I do not want personal freedom if it comes at the cost of the oppression of millions. Freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by all,’ writes lesbian blogger Amina A. on 'A Gay Girl in Damascus', as Western imperial powers tout the defence of LGBT rights as a justification for intervention in the ‘Arab Spring’. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73750 ****** SECURING RIGHTS FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS Review of ‘Myths and Realities About Domestic Workers’ Paul Mwangi Maina A new booklet ( http://bit.ly/kEZlD0 ) from the International Domestic Workers Network calls for international regulation to secure the rights of domestic workers. But are minimum standards enough to end the exploitation of workers, asks Paul Mwangi Maina. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73735 ****** 'KILIO CHA WAMAMA': TREAT US LIKE HUMAN BEINGS Fahamu 'Wamama wa Dhobi' are a group of domestic workers in Mathare, a slum in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. Documentary 'Kilio Cha Wamama ( http://bit.ly/kBUiQf ) ' is about the struggles of women workers in informal employment; it follows their cries for for fairness and respect in the eyes of the Kenyan public as well as the law. ('Dhobi work' is domestic work for pay in an informal settlement). http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73740 ****** KENYA’S UNGA REVOLUTION: PROTESTING RISING FOOD PRICES Stephen Musau As part of the ‘Unga Revolution’, Kenyan civil society has been demonstrating over rising food prices and the escalating costs of living, writes Stephen Musau. And Kenyans should not feel alone in this struggle, Musau stresses, with the farmer-led movements across the global South like Via Campesina leading the fight for food sovereignty and the right to food. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73748 ****** TUNISIA: REGUEB SUSTAINS MOBILISATION Amanda Sebestyen ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/magharebia/5384188517/ ) As Barack Obama and William Hague offer very different kinds of support and different visions for Tunisia's future, trade unionists and human rights activists in the region have called for international solidarity, writes Amanda Sebestyen. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73733 ****** WHY CANADA SHOULDN'T HOST WSF 2013 National Coordination of the World March of Women in Quebec ( https://picasaweb.google.com/fedaepsa/CambioCivilizatorioVisionYAportesFeministas02#5515338317051318674 ) A statement from the coordinators of the World March of Women in Quebec sets out four reasons why Canada shouldn’t host the 2013 World Social Forum, from the difficulty of obtaining entry visas for activists from the South, to the need to focus on national grassroots alliance-building, following the election of a majority Conservative government. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/73736 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4 Tributes to Tajudeen THE INSPIRATION OF TAJUDEEN ABDUL-RAHEEM Daily Trust Nigeria's Daily Trust commemorated the second anniversary of Pan-Africanist Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem's passing on 25 May with a special memorial supplement, featuring contributions from Okello Oculi, Kole Shettima, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Horace Campbell, Aderemi Oyewumi and Nengak Daniel Gondyi. Read the articles here ( http://bit.ly/jUHYnt ) . ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5 Advocacy & campaigns ANC THREATENS ATTACK ON THE MAKAUSE SETTLEMENT Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo stands in full solidarity with the democratically elected leadership of the Makause settlement as they face threats of violence from the ANC branch in Primrose. We are far away in distance but close in spirit and we will do all that we can to mobilise support for the comrades in Makause as their community politic faces the threat of repression from the party politic. As our experience shows very well these threats must be taken very seriously by all democrats. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/73724 ****** HIGH COURT: ANTI-EVICTION COMMUNITIES WITH MITCHELL'S PLAIN BACKYARDERS Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign Anti-Eviction communities who are facing eviction and whose homes have been flooded by the recent rains (more on this soon), are joining backyarders from Tafelsig who are at the Cape High Court today. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/73751 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6 Pan-African Postcard CHANGING GUARD AT THE IMF H. Nanjala Nyabola In the wake of Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s resignation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), H. Nanjala Nyabola wonders why African governments are not calling for the same withdrawal from the IMF that they push for with the International Criminal Court (ICC). http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/panafrican/73737 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7 Obituaries ABDIAS DO NASCIMENTO: IN MEMORIAM 1914-2011 Molefi Kete Asante ‘Abdias do Nascimento defended the oppressed, advanced creativity, sought human community and made our lives better by his art, reason, emotion, and laughter,’ writes Molefi Kete Asante, in a homage to ‘this brother genius who has cherished our history and culture and who has made the life and struggle of the African Brazilian people his personal mission.’ http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/obituary/73743 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8 Books & arts GERMANY'S GENOCIDE OF THE HERERO Jeremy Sarkin http://bit.ly/khMHQf (PDF) Germany’s colonial genocide at the beginning of the twentieth century against the Herero of then German South West Africa, today Namibia, ranks among the most egregious human right catastrophes. An extermination order (Vernichtungsbefehl) was issued in 1904. In a very short time between 60 000 and 100 000 people; almost all civilians, many of them women and children, were killed by means of German bullets and clubs, by hanging, or by burning the huts where they lived. Many were forced into the desert to die of starvation and thirst or by drinking water at poisoned water wells. Thousands, including women and children were condemned to slavery in the German military and civil institutions, as well as for private companies and on German farms. In the concentration camps the mortality rate was more than 45 percent. Surviving Herero women were forced to become ‘comfort women’ for the settlers and soldiers. German geneticists came to the country to perform racial studies of alleged Herero inferiority. Herero skulls and skeletons were shipped to Germany, supposedly for further study. The book argues that the genocide was not the work of one rogue army general or the practises of the German military in general, but that German colonial policy at the turn of the twentieth century laid the foundation for the Herero genocide; GSWA’s status as ‘new Germany’ precluded the option of military, economic or social failure in the colony; international and domestic political pressures fuelled the Herero genocide; Germany conducted the Herero genocide in order to acquire Herero land, rebuild German pride and fulfil Germany’s racist ideology; the Kaiser ordered the genocide; and Germany’s actions in GSWA provided it with relevant experience to the orchestration of the Holocaust a few decades later. ****** NIGERIA: JALAA WRITERS' COLLECTIVE http://www.jalaawriters.com/aboutjalaa.html Jalaa Writers’ Collective was created in 2009 by ten Nigeria-based writers who came together in an effort to tackle the book production and distribution challenges of the local publishing industry. The business model of Jalaa is based on the premise that there exists 'a gap between professional, traditionally published books that sell in the thousands and amateurish subsidy and self-published books that sell in the hundreds'. As such, the collective aims to engage the weaknesses of the industry by pooling the talent, resources and experience of its members in a systematic and profit-oriented manner. ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9 Letters & Opinions UNDERSTANDING AFRICA'S EXPLOITATION AND PLUNDER Osarhieme George How different is the West's economic model of liberalisation and privatisation from Apartheid's economic system, asks Osarhieme George. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/73759 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10 African Writers’ Corner BRAGGING FLEA-KS Dennis Dancan Mosiere For Al-flea-ks am using my ammu-diction to kill your lexicography… http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/73725 ****** FAHAMU Dennis Dancan Mosiere Afrika sasa tumefahamu Ni mwamko wetu na akili timamu Kusaidiana ndo ujamaa uwe mtamu Waache wanaopiga kelele Kwetu Afrika ni ngoma na si lele Kumbuka sera ya Mwalimu nyerere Waambie wale wasiofahamu Kujifahamisha watie hamu Huu wito usambae hadi Lamu Nairobi hata Mombasa Watamu Arusha na kule Dar es Salaam Kusoma na kuandika ndo chemichemi http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/African_Writers/73726 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11 Highlights French edition PAMBAZUKA NEWS 191: AFRICA: TSUNAMIS SWEEPING THE POST-COLONIAL STATE AFRICA: SOCIO-POLITICAL UPHEAVALS AND HOPES FOR POLITICAL FREEDOMS Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa (GRILA) Several major events occurred at the beginning of 2011 on the African continent, particularly from a global perspective. Already weakened by its unfavourable historical insertion into the world system, Africa has endured, in the past two most recent decades, the pangs of the implementation of neoliberal austerity measures, the plundering of resources and the logic of the privatisation of war. The continent is now more than ever at a crossroads because of the failure of the neoliberal model, the crisis of capitalism and the exhaustion of the neocolonial mode of growth. http://www.pambazuka.org/fr/category/features/73680 ****** 2011: ARAB SPRING? Samir Amin The year 2011 started with a series of crashing explosions of anger of the Arab people. Will this Arab spring start the second phase of ‘the awakening of the Arab world’? Or, will these revolts trample and finally fall through – as was the case of the first phase of this awakening evoked in my book ‘the awakening of the South’? In the first hypothesis, the developments of the Arab world will necessarily fit in the movement of going beyond capitalism/imperialism on a worldwide scale. The failure to do so would maintain the Arab world in its current status at the periphery of domination, prohibiting it from playing an active role in shaping the world. http://www.pambazuka.org/fr/category/features/73683 ****** VIS-A-VIS THE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT: THE REACTIONARY BLOCK Part 2: 2011: Arab spring? Samir Amin Just like during the time of a string of struggles in the past, the anti-imperialist and social democratic movement in Egypt runs against a powerful reactionary block. This block can be identified in terms of its social components (of class, obviously) but it also owes its being to all those who define it by means of political intervention and ideological speeches in service to the followers. http://www.pambazuka.org/fr/category/features/73678 ****** EGYPT AND THE STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES: THE PAKISTANI MODEL Part 3: 2011: Arab spring? Samir Amin The three powers which dominated the Middle Eastern scene during the entire period of decline (1967–2011) are the United States – the master of the system – Saudi Arabia and Israel. Three close allies. The three share the same obsession for the emergence of a democratic Egypt. Because a democratic Egypt could only be a social anti-imperialist which would keep its distance with regard to globalised liberalism and would condemn Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to insignificance, while reanimating the solidarity of the Arab people and demanding the recognition of the Palestinian state by Israel. http://www.pambazuka.org/fr/category/features/73677 ****** /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ Fahamu - Networks For Social Justice http://www.fahamu.org Pambazuka News is published by Fahamu Ltd. © Unless otherwise indicated, all materials published are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. 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