Joseph Ssuuna – Pelum Organization
Introduction
In responding to these questions one needs to realize that we are broadly talking about people and not land masses. These responses therefore should be seen as centering on the people of the two continents and the relationships they have had over the years. It is however not possible to talk about European and Africa relations without looking back into history to some of the significant developments that contributed to and or gave rise to the current relations.
What do you think of the evolution of Europe and Africa’s relations in the past years? In your opinion, what do you think worked/ didn’t work in the past experience?
Evolution of the EU Africa relations.
One can take the history of the two continents as far as the far first human beings are known to have habited the earth. Historical arguments seem to suggest that Africa was habited by the first humans and it s from there that the rest of the world was eventually habited. Through the above argument therefore one can conclude that Europe and Africa have an umbilical link.
For purposes of this response we would like to commence with the period of the industrial revolution in Europe which in sense was the main genesis of the current relationship between the two continents. The industrial revolution in Europe happened when the major powers at the time were more or less at par. Wars we generally over in Europe and territories broadly defined. It was therefore no longer easy for one European nation to overcome another in the quest of raw materials including labour. Europe therefore was forced to look else where for raw materials which were critical for it s industries. At that time not much was known about Africa especially sub Saharan Africa which was referred to as the Dark Continent a fact made even truer by the dark skinned people that habited it.
When the early explorers returned information to Europe of the indisputable presence of enormous resources on the Dark Continent, the ensuing scramble was inevitable. For four hundred years Africa had delivered slave laborers who were used for all sorts of manual jobs on demand in the industries and for close to 100 years it lived under the bondage colonialism.
The last fifth of the 19th century saw the transition from the so-called “informal” imperialism of control through military influence and economic dominance to that of direct rule.”
In addition, surplus capital was often more profitably invested overseas, where cheap labor, limited competition, and abundant raw materials made a greater premium possible. Another inducement to imperialism, of course, arose from the demand for raw materials unavailable in Europe, especially copper, cotton, rubber, tea, and tin, to which European consumers had grown accustomed and upon which European industry had grown dependent.
The Scramble for Africa, also known as the Race for Africa, was the proliferation of conflicting European claims to African territory during the New Imperialism period, between the 1880s and World War I in 1914.
Inevitably the quest for resources and the need to guarantee continued access to resources gave rise to tensions among European nations which culminated into the famous Berlin conference called by Bismarck in 1875 This land mark conference led to the complete partition of Africa and defined Africa into its current identity.
In the later years, slavery and colonialism were ended but they left behind an indelible mark which up to today defines how the various African countries relate with their European counterparts.
What is important to note in course of history is that Europe never sat with Africa to determine how to engage with it. In all instances Europe asserted itself and subdued Africa through, technological, military or economic supremacy. The only time when the tables seemed to have turned was during the quests for independence years when some Africa people took up arms against their colonial masters. In essence colonialism and slave trade worked for Europe and against Africa and the reasons are outlined above.
In later years especially after independence, former colonial powers maintained a grip on their former territories thus keeping Africa divided along European defined lines such as Anglophone and Francophone. In pursuing their post colonial interests, European countries have over the years often disrupted processes that could have resulted into internal self defined African growth and unity.
How do you see the future of Europe and Africa’s relations?
New developments have however emerged which have rendered it inevitable for the people of the two continents to overcome historical impediments and redefine how they are going to co exist in the future. Below we examine a few:
(a) A growing global reflection on whether our current generation and way of life are sustainable.
(b) Evolving economic powerhouses such as India, China and South Africa which are bringing new perspectives in global business.
(c) Global warming and the increasing worry about resources and if they are sustainable
The future of the two peoples lies in their ability to halt, take stock and reverse the unfortunate relationship bestowed on the two continents by history. To take this further, both continents need to dig deep into their minds to interrogate the current development paradigm and to deal with its negative and questionable attributes which are broadly not in concert with the realities of resource scarcity, changing and unpredictable climatic patterns and especially global warming as well as human development needs.
From a global trade perspective, the future of the two continents lies in the recognition that a prosperous Africa is a better asset for its self but also for Europe. In this case therefore it is no longer in the interest of Europe and it has never been in the interest of Africa for Africa to be regarded as a mere source of raw materials and a back yard dump for Europe. It is essential for Europe to acknowledge that great strides are being made by Africans to get out of their current quagmire and it would be in the prudent interest of Europe to support those efforts rather than undermine them. This is made even more critical given the emerging economic drivers in Africa such as china, India and South Africa. Unfortunately they are driven to emulate the European development model even when so many glaring imperfections have been experienced with that model.
On the part of Africa it is essential for the people of Africa to continue marshalling the inner energy to transform themselves and to begin engaging other actors as equals. This requires growing an supporting the emerging genuinely African institutions that promote good governance and democracy. It is also important for Africa to grow a new crop of leaders who are prudently visionary and who are prepared to take their people onto a new course of political and economic self rediscovery.
Global warming is the most critical reality which should enhance speedy partnership. It does not matter where one is located on the globe and it is not true that Africa will suffer the brunt of climate change, this is a global phenomenon calling for a global concerted effort.
Ultimately the future of the two continents depends on a speedy realization that what is at stake for posterity is no longer a partnership but rather a destiny that the two continents share.
What do you believe to be the strengths/weaknesses of the relations between North and South NGOs?
In responding to these questions I would rather examine issues of challenges and opportunities. My departure from the question is because it too hypothetical for one individual from a micro dimension to talk of weaknesses and strengths. The major challenges I see are the attitudes and stereo types that Europe and Africa have developed of one another. Over the years African people and institutions have been made to lose all sense of self confidence and self definition. They have lost the appreciation of the fundamental traits of self realization which are essential before one dares to engage others. Instead Africa people and institutions have grown to expect direction and guidance from EU or EU based institutions.
In the same vein, in Europe the people and institutions have broadly developed a paternalistic top down attitude towards Africa that blinds them to the realities on the continent.
Drawn from the above is the struggle to define a concrete vision that expresses the destiny of the two continents. Instead current discussions refer to a partnership, which is only expressed in terms of what needs to be done together. Migration, trade, regional integration etc. All these in my view are simple building blocks which may even be the wrong ones if the actual deliverable defined by a very clear an collectively defined vision is missing.
In terms of opportunities, I would say that the reality on the two continents is inevitable. In my view we are at the fringes of redefining the direction of the next civilization. We are confronted with many thrusts and the choices we make will determine how the future plays out for the two continents.
The other opportunity lays in the fact that current relationship between Europe and Africa is being discussed at a time when man is at his most prosperous time since the advent of man. However we are also aware that the challenges of our generation are not insurmountable. The means and capacity to shape a new future are available. What is missing is the will to do so.
Regarding the different subjects discussed during the Forum (governance and mutual accountability; development cooperation and partnership; economy, trade and regional integration; and migration and development), which do you find to be more important or to have priority in your country’s relationship to Europe? Why?
I work in ten countries in east and southern Africa and they all are my countries in a sense and I look at them as one. All the themes discussed at the conference in my view are important but should not be viewed as ends in themselves. Instead they should be viewed as essential building blocks to some thing bigger. In which case I feel the question above should have been framed to examine which of these issues is most critical at this point of the partnership to enhance the relationship between the two continents. This would include examining which ones are essential to achieve the short term objectives and which ones are essential to enhance the relationship in the long term.
As I outlined above the most critical challenges on either continent are the attitudes we hold of each other. Therefore interventions that target attitude change should be promoted first. Unfortunately these seem to either be missing or taken for granted. However if examined differently, development cooperation and partnership could be somewhat respond to this concern. All the other subjects are simply reacting to attitudinal symptoms. Once the attitudes are right, the vision will be correctly defined and the interventions will be right.
If you could talk to the Heads of the States at the December Summit, what would you like to tell them, what message would you like to get across?
If I had the chance in December to talk to the Heads of State I would tell them that they are heads of state at a moment when they could rewrite history. It is in their time that the possibility to redefine the destiny of the two continents and set the course towards attaining it has emerged. I would tell them that posterity will judge them harshly if they lost that opportunity. The choice lies in whether they chose to pursue a relationship defined by their individual self centered short term micro interests or they confronted the future by defining and pursuing the more strategic interests.
What was your general impression of the Euro-African Civil Society Forum?
I think on the whole the forum was a great opportunity in bringing people together and bridging perspectives. I however feel it needed greater logistical management to enable all to freely participate and fully bond. I felt some people were deeply inconvenienced with the meals arrangement on the first day while the speakers felt uncomfortable with the preferential treatment they received.
Source: Portuguese NGDO, Newsletter 4
