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)
No comments:
Post a Comment