Thursday 21 April 2022

Africa and Russia/Ukraine Conflict: Forgetfulness of Our Global Placement.

By Takura Zhangazha*

The war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is a very international one.  At least where we look at its impact on global diplomacy, allegiances and its global economic impact. With echoes of the Cold War and its global polarisation effect. 

Africa, and its general placement in international relations has had limited little say in this growing international conflict.  Except where it has found itself being cornered (at least diplomatically) to demonstrate where its loyalties lie via United Nations (UN) General Assembly votes. Some of which have been glaringly apparent either via abstentions, affirmations and rejection of specific resolutions against mainly the Russian Federation. 

A process that has definitively divided Africa and the African Union (AU) member states based on specific loyalties, assumed political values and economic interests. Although this is yet to reach a crescendo. 

What has however been more interesting are the African conversations of this most recent ‘global’ conflict.  And these are conversations that have had what can be considered a three pronged process. 

The first was the realisation of the racism that is retainable during a war and about black immigrants.  Social media in Africa at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was awash with narratives of the racism experienced by African students studying there.  Even as they were fleeing the conflict, narratives by these students indicated gross racial discrimination as they were enroute to safer countries and awaiting their repatriation home.  The discourse was also however complicated in relation to the surprising number of African students who were actually in Ukraine and how in some instances some embassies were saying that even though they had painstakingly managed to leave Ukraine for neighbouring countries, some of the students were not keen on returning home.  What was however quite apparent was the fact that even in conflict, the latent racism still reared its ugly head.  Even if it did not cause the conflict.  Something that we appear to have quickly forgotten. 

The second strand of conversations about this particular conflict by us here in Africa was more of dramatization.  Almost as though we have been commenting on an ongoing movie.  Conversations around the final winner of this war between Russia, Ukraine, the USA or Europe are abounding.  And as they are also mixed up with sporting team bans (Chelsea football club anyone?) Or extended economic sanctions wither way between the East or the West.  These are narratives that reflect how we may probably be viewing ‘war’ as a spectacle.  Even though we have experienced enough of it ourselves and know full well that war is never the answer.  This is partly how before the advent of social media we viewed the global media’s coverage of the West’s ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan, Iraq.  And even the more recent wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen and aborted coups in Venezuela and defeated ones in Bolivia. With the one in Libya leaving us smarting slightly because South Africa which was a member of the UN Security Council at that time allowed the imposition of a no fly zone over the country, a development that enabled what obtains today. 

The third element of the conversations that we are having as Africans on the Ukraine/Russia conflict is that of what I will refer to as ‘preference and admiration’.  Every time there was an announcement of a UN General Assembly vote or UN Security Council resolution on this conflict I would wince slightly.  In a majority of cases we knew which sides our governments were going to take and have taken. Including the reasons why they would do so.  For example, in Zimbabwe’s case it was almost a conversational given that our government would vote on the side of the Russian Federation at the UN.  Based on the history of the liberation struggle, our acerbic relations with the USA after the year 2000 to present and also the fact that Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on imposing international sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2008. But the point that remains clear is that there are preferences of winners and losers to a conflict that essentially we have no key say in.   Even as it impacts on us economically and politically, as geographically far away from it as we assume we are. 

What is however most important in our ongoing and future conversations on this particular conflict is the recognition of the importance of the United Nations in seeking solutions to prevent escalation of wars.  Inclusive of our continental and regional inter-governmental bodies such as the African Union and SADC.  While these bodies, particularly our own are generally derided, they help to keep the peace. Based on mutual solidarity and contextual historical grounding.  What is happening in Ukraine cannot and should never be wished, visited on any country or its people.  But it provides us with a learning point as Africans that we must take our placement in the global world/ international relations much more seriously and understand that even that in the contemporary is not as equitable as it would appear.

*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com) 

 

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