Stop Foreign Intervention in Africa – New
Website Launched
By Shaun Ajamu
Hutchinson
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
With
millennia worth
of history, 50 plus countries on the multi-lingual African continent, several
forms of government and countries linked with multiple global bodies Africa is
the scene of intense economic and military rivalry. In one corner the countries
who colonised the continent over centuries, in the other, more recent
competitors such as the United States and China. The BRICS countries [Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa] are also contending to defend their own
economic interests and provide a counterbalance to their economically more
powerful adversaries.
For such an
important part of the world abundant disinformation is promoted about the home
of humanity. Much blinkered thinking results. A small effort to counter this
phenomenon is now available through an important recently launched website
publishing commentary, news reports, analysis and coverage from several sources
on issues related to the military, economic and other interventions on the
continent of Africa.
The stated aim
of the site is to oppose military, political and economic intervention in
Africa by the British government, the governments of the other big powers, and
the major monopolies and financial institutions – and to provide alternative
information to the narrative and discourse which justifies military
intervention.
New Scramble for Africa
Despite Africans
being perceived as poor, hungry and diseased (especially with the recent
onslaught of Ebola in West Africa), Africa’s physical resources such as coltan,
uranium, oil and tungsten continue to be highly prized by foreign interests –
especially the old slave owning/colonising Western industries [now assembled in
IMF, World Bank, ICC, NATO] and world markets. It is an analysis such as this –
that Western intervention is part of a ‘new scramble’ for Africa, in which
there is contention between the big powers – including China – for Africa’s
resources, markets and labour – which informs the editorial view of the site.
Defining Foreign Intervention
Reflecting that
intervention takes on economic and military form as well as on the cultural and
intellectual level by which foreign ideas, theories, perspectives and paradigms
are consciously or subconsciously imposed on the African continent, the
publishers of the site define foreign intervention in Africa as the
multi-dimensional actions taken by foreign powers which are harmful to Africa
and Africans and which are intended to solely preserve the interests of those
foreign powers. Identifying this issue
as a demonstration of cultural imperialism which affects all continents, no
less Africa, such intervention leaves African countries victim to the negative
effects of foreign control of their key economic resources and victim to
Western economic prescriptions.
The “Bring Back our Girls” Campaign
The collective
behind the site Stop Foreign Intervention in Africa (STOPFIIA) arose from the
concerns about the “bring back our girls” campaign instigated as a consequence
of the abduction of over 200 children from a village in North eastern Nigeria
in April 2014.
Recalling this
episode, a representative of the Editorial Board described how the heads of state of Nigeria, Chad, Benin
and Cameroon were summoned to Paris by diplomats from the US, France and
European Union observers to conclude a global and regional action plan as part
of the global war on terrorism and its manifestation in Boko Haram. In the wake
of this conference, the US sent 80 troops to Chad and [Predator] drones to
neighbouring Burkina Faso. Consequently, with the momentum of ostensibly
rescuing the girls and international voices [perhaps speciously orchestrated]
demanding ‘something be done’, the “Save our Girls” initiative arrived as a
gift to Western imperialism to arrange for military advisors (British, American
and Israeli) to be despatched to the continent.
Highlighting
this recent history, the representative of the Editorial Board emphasised that:
“We are opposed to foreign military bases in Africa and in particular the
activities of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the African
continent. We aim to counter disinformation
in the media by presenting alternative information and perspectives that
informs and increases people’s understanding of the real motives for
intervention”.
Refuting Western
justifications that they are helping Africans the representative of the
Editorial Board said the example of recent interventions in Libya and Mali have
been highly damaging for the people of these countries. “Libya remains a country in chaos and NATO,
under the pretext of the UN, has contributed to the devastation of the country
as a civil war engulfs it”. In fact, according to the Editorial Board
representative “the NATO bombing of Libya has led to the disintegration of that
African country, and has had the knock on effect of leading to an influx of
arms from Libya to insurgents in Mali and in the rest of West Africa”.
This deepening
militarisation of Africa under the pretext of assisting in the defence and
security of Africa appears to be more about training African armies in death
squad strategies and tactics via the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), as
that country have done in several Latin American countries with disastrous
effects.
As to the site
itself the front page displays several arresting images depicting centuries of
African history together with an Inspiring quote from Amilcar Cabral, independence
leader of Guinea and Cape Verde. Links to the most up to date pieces are also
found alongside links to pages describing further activities and ways to
participate in the work.
Visitors to the
site are invited to
give
feedback and send links and articles to stopfiiauk@gmail.com,
share
the website address http://www.stopforeigninterventioninafrica.org/
by as many means as are available
to
send in reports, commentary, analysis, book reviews, links to relevant
websites, interviews, articles and information related to stopping foreign
intervention in Africa.
By Shaun Ajamu Hutchinson
Shaun Ajamu Hutchinson is a Caribbean/London based arts
editor, writer and journalist for www.thenewblackmagazine.com.
He writes about political, social and cultural issues.
Email:shaunhutchinson@thenewblackmagazine.com.
Stop Foreign Intervention in Africa – New
Website Launched
Stop Foreign Intervention in Africa – New Website Launched
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