The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently had an online news feature titled, ‘Can Voluntary Colonialism Stop Migration to Europe?’. While the title itself is more a suggestion
than a question what was shocking in the article were comments attributed to
Germany’s Minister of state for Africa, Gunter Nooke.
He is reported to have said the following, “The
European Union, or a body like the World Bank, should build and run cities in
Africa in order to boost job creation and development on the continent.” The report
then highlights that these remarks were made in the context of Nooke outlining ‘his
thinking on how to stem migration to Europe.’
To its credit the African Union is also reported as having dismissed
such a suggestion.
And of course there
will be so called ‘rationalists’ from Africa who may agree with Nooke. While it
is their right to do so, they would be well advised to recall what exactly colonialism
was, what neocolonialism is and how neoliberalism is a direct offshoot of both.
This does not mean that Africa has no problems that cause
push factors in migration. But the
majority of these are as a direct result of interventionism on the continent in
one form or the other. Be it economic, military or political.
And examples of these are many. Both historically- actual colonialism as formalized
by the Berlin conference of 1884(-8) through to former colonial powers' broad complicity in destabilizing
post-independence African governments directly or indirectly. Add to this the deliberate playing out of one
African country against the other in the context of the Cold War and eventual imposition
of neoliberalism on the African political economy.
Where we analyze the contemporary causes of African’s northward
migration to Europe, again we will come back full circle to military
interventions in Libya the Sahel region.
While the complicity of African governments remains unquestionable with regards their domestic
political and economic policies they will in most cases be following economic
templates provided by, to the greater extent, international financial
institutions such as the World Bank. The
latter backed again by the superpowers of the global north.
So Nooke's proposed solution is not only ahistorical but
self-righteous and condescending toward not only Africa in its geographical existence but more significantly, its people. And here’s the
rub. There is a probable general
assumption that Africans cannot manage their own affairs hence Nooke can
casually make the claim of the EU or World Bank buying land from African governments and
building enclave cities that will prevent us from migrating to their countries in what they consider large
numbers.
The intention is also probably
not to see this actually happen in the short term. It is to ensure that the narrative of ‘voluntary
colonialism’ gains traction in European anti-immigrant discourse. And that the same narrative can be made to
appear to have some profitable business sense for global capital to consider
finding pliable African governments that would take up this ridiculous and
historically revisionist idea.
On our part as Africans, there will be others who, while
being outside of government, will want to see the ‘entrepreneurial’ side of
this. At the same time while conveniently
turning a blind eye to how rascist and neocolonial it is. Or in turn over-politicising the matter to
being about the ‘bad governance’ of African governments and therefore it would,
in their neo-colonial view, be better if we sold off cities or land to the
World Bank. At the same time forfeiting sovereignty and with it the right to self-determination
that was a fundamental objective of liberation struggles against
colonialism.
While our opinions as Africans may not matter for much in global
debates around migration as a ‘political and economic problem in the global
north’s metropoles and fortresses, we should always be conscious of the fact we
are not in any way, as Africans, the cause of it. And even if I am gladly accused of still
being a Walter Rodney acolyte, there are still some in the global north who
would not see Africans let alone the African continent as an equal global
player and partner. Some out of willful ignorance others more because of
misplaced nationalism and assumptions of racial superiority. And would be only too happy to perpetuate Africa
and Africans in the mythical colonial narrative of either the dark continent
and its peoples as ‘children’ who must be hand held. Thankfully these still remain a general
minority (though radical, racial nationalism is rising in the global north).
For many of us Africans, the proposition by Nook may
appear to be a storm in a teacup. Especially after it was correctly dismissed
by the African Union. Or we may decide
to let sleeping dogs lie lest we appear to be unreasonable. The truth and urgency of the matter is that we
must always be able to talk back with a conscientiousness that demonstrates our
own organic understanding of our humanity and equality in the world. Economically poor and historically oppressed
as we are. And that most certainly our cities or land are not up for ‘voluntary
colonialism’.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blgospot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment