A civil society activist, a policy analyst and two proponents of debt relief for Africa spoke about the state of U.S.-Africa relations to about 30 students Wednesday.
The discussion, held in Barnum Hall, was sponsored by the Institute for Global Leadership and co-sponsored by various other groups, including Pangea, Tufts Uganda Internship Program and the University College for Citizenship and Public Service.
Wahu Kaara, Ecumenical Coordinator for the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, opened her remarks by analyzing the image many people have of the African continent. "There is the image of Africa that never reaches here," she said. "Africa is not by accident and everything that comes from Africa is valuable, even suffering."
Kaara went on to discuss the balance of power in today's global political scene. The powerful dominate the powerless and on their own terms. "The G8 manages and controls everything; only eight white men rule the world," she said. "And in order to maintain this order they have organizations like the WTO, the World Bank and the IMF."
She closed her remarks by calling for African self-determination and for the cancellation of all international debt owed by African nations. "We don't want to die for Africa, we want to live for Africa," she said. "That is why we want debt cancelled now - with no conditions."
Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, General Secretary of the Global Pan African Movement, spoke about the role of young people in changing the dialogue and improving conditions worldwide. He said today's undergraduates do not share the same viewpoint as the youth of 25 years ago.
"The youth today have an idealized view, where they think they can change the world," he said. "Back 25 years ago there was no CNN, South African was under Apartheid, Vietnam, El Salvador, Nicaragua ... today is different."
He called on U.S. citizens to counter the power of the American government and to keep American imperialism in check. "I'm not so sure you know what your government is doing in your name," he said. Abdul-Raheen criticized the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - $15 billion dollars to combat the disease in Africa, Asia and the Carribbean. He called for a reframing of U.S.-Africa relations.
"You can stop your government from policies that hurt Africa," Abdul-Raheem said. He called upon all Americans to "find their inner Rosa Parks" and stand up against a system "that wants you to believe there is nothing you can do."
Mvuselelo Ngcoya, who works in the policy analysis department of the non-governmental organization Africa Action, opened his remarks by commenting on the genocide currently taking place in Darfur, Sudan. Ngcoya acknowledged that President George W. Bush called the situation genocide but then derailed the administration for failing to act to stop it.
He went on to comment on the administration's handling of the HIV/AIDS pandemic of which Africa is bearing the brunt. "The president announced recently $7.4 billion for a flu pandemic that is not even in existence, yet we have AIDS around since the 80's killing millions," Ngcoya said. "This is the kind of world we live in, where U.S. lives might be in danger or where blacks have been dying for years."
Marie Brill, the Africa Action Director for Public Education and Mobilization, spoke about how the genocide in Darfur, debt cancellation, and HIV/AIDS are the serious dilemmas that the world needs to deal with. "HIV/AIDS is the greatest threat to this world, greater than terrorism," she said.
Calling for radical changes in the global power structure, all the speakers were critical of the White House's handling of U.S.-Africa issues, especially HIV/AIDS and Darfur. "Clinton turned his back on Rwanda and now Bush has declared Darfur genocide but has done nothing about it," Brill said.
Though all the speakers were critical of the Bush Administration, the Institute for Global Leadership "prides itself in bringing speakers of all political persuasions to campus," according to Erica Levine (LA '04), who works for the institute.
Freshman Morissa Sobelson, who spent last March doing an independent study in Kenya on AIDS and children, agreed with the panel's assessment of America's aid to HIV-stricken African nations.
"We are in a serious crisis and the world is standing by and doing nothing," Sobelson said. "It is just not enough to have a substantial affect. In turn the global instability it is creating is enormous."
Sobelson also agreed with the panelists' demand for action from the U.S. and its allies in Darfur regardless of national interests. "It is a test of our humanity, not a matter of our economic or political best interest," she said.
