Colonialism, Mirriam-Webster tells us, is control by one power over a dependent area or people. For those of us who call our birthplace the periphery, this definition does not begin to sum up what this thing really is. Indeed, it is asking too much from one line of an online dictionary. After all, the story of colonialism is a long checkered one. The narrations run deep. It is universal, as old as human society, and, in fact, it is more than what can be summed up, also, in this small piece.
In fact, one can only hope to zone in on aspects of this long, convoluted, historical phenomenon. And while one is inclined to use generalities, one also, has to, based on the shortcomings of words and perspective, limit one’s discourse to a certain time and place, and within that context, assess the true nature of this beast.
King China?
Now, China, who many state, is slated to take over from the dying US Empire, has become the target of much mudslinging. Many are saying that she is now doing what the western powers have been doing for past 500+ years. I have great reservations about these views. I will concur that the Chinese are growing in both economic and diplomatic stature, already they are making their presence felt globally. From Eastern Europe to the Americas and in Asia where for centuries, she was the dominant state, the slogan everywhere is “The Rise of China”.
As an emerging power (or one that has already emerged, depending on who you ask), the label of colonizer is being plastered onto her. Nowhere is this more evident than on the African continent. Much hysteria surrounds this growing relationship between China and a number of African countries. In all of this we hear shouts of:
“They are coming for African land. They are coming to steal the natural resources. They are coming to re-enslave Africans, and so on and so forth. I would hasten to add that this is a stretch; for while we should look at Africa’s dealings with any outside power with great skepticism, a distinction should be made with the western approach to Africa and how China is relating to Africa.
Negativity abounds as it relates to this relationship. Before one continues, one is inclined to point out the obvious by stating that Africa, though many would like to classify it otherwise, is a continent with diverse systems of government. And that these countries differ in what they have to offer.
This fact seems to be lost on many. So while the DRC has great resources, it has an unstable government and its national treasures are vulnerable to continuing exploitation. We can compare this to Botswana, which, is also resource rich, boasts a stable government and is cautious about its dealings with China. As opposed to Ethiopia and several East African countries who have demanded that China set up factories in their countries to provide the citizenry with jobs. This the Chinese are doing. They are also in countries that have little in the way of natural resources to talk about, so to say that the Chinese are merely there to plunder resources is ridiculous.
There is much that could be said about this, and delving into more specifics is a bit too much. What I would say, however, is that I would like to see the glass, concerning these relationships between the various African countries and China, as half full.
No Guns. No Bibles. No ‘Multilaterals’
I will start by looking at what she is not doing. Two things stand out. China is not bringing bringing guns, and she is not bringing bibles. The aforementioned duo, has been the bane of, not only Africa’s existence, but also that of most of the third world. What China is bringing is business opportunities, not through force, whether it be through force as the West does with their armies or by propping up strong men to advance their cause, or through international bodies such as the WTO or the IMF whose policies have devastated many a third world economy. When China approaches an African country, that country has a choice as to whether or not that country does business with China.
It is highly unlikely, given the dire economic straights many are in, that any African country would turn down the opportunity for say, infrastructural development, however, they could. We find, that much of the concerns about China’s dealings with African countries is coming from western countries.
“We don’t want to see a new colonialism in Africa,” then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said in a television interview in Zambia. “When people come to Africa to make investments, we want them to do well but also want them to do good,” she said. “We don’t want them to undermine good governance in Africa.”
The secretary went on to state that: “We are beginning to see a lot of problems” in China that will intensify over the next 10 years, she said, pointing to friction over Chinese efforts to control the Internet as one example. “There are more lessons to learn from the United States and democracies,” Clinton said.
Were these statements not so perniciously hypocritical, they would be laughable, especially with what has transpired in the last election, and the recent repeal of net neutrality. And no, I am not judging the former secretary unfairly, because the seeds were planted long ago for the things that have transpired in the US, especially over these last few months. And yes, it would be a banality to point out US and Western hypocrisy all over the globe.
China, has not invaded a single African country. Has not propped up a single dictator. Nor has she sought to unseat a single African leader who has championed true self-governance. Also, she has not forced her economic policies on any of these countries through multilateral bodies. As far as the arms trade is concerned; there is little or no evidence that China has sold arms to corrupt African elites who trample of the rights of their citizenry. The US and Western Europe cannot make that claim. Even now, they continue to meddle in African affairs. The murder of Colonel Gaddafi is the latest in a slew of such incidents. And we now know about the slave markets in Libya where black people are being sold on the open market.
Western Hypocrisy and Arrogance
President Macron, during a speech in Burkina Faso, lost his cool when asked about the slave trade in Libya: “Who are the traffickers?” he shouted to the crowd. Ask yourselves… that question. You are unbelievable. Who are the traffickers? They are Africans, my friends. They are Africans.” Macron failed to account for the arms that are flowing into Libya that are being used in the enslavement of Africans.
Take a look at the top weapons exporting countries, you will find that China is the only non-European country on the list. To my knowledge, China is not a part of the Libyan conflict, there is no evidence that her arms are flowing into Libya. It stands to reason therefore, that these are western guns that were both used to kill the Libyan leader and which are now being used to enslave Africans. But Macron would like to convince us that his hands and the hands of his western counterparts are clean.
I digress a bit. After all, is it not China we are talking about? Yes, indeed, it is her. The history of colonialism is one of genocide, slavery, war, conquest, pillage, plunder and all the nastiness that comes with subjugating people. China, if one were to sift through the recent historical database, can hardly be accused of any of these things. France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the US, and their subordinates, cannot say the same. Therefore, if I were a Chinese, I would be outraged, and might I daresay appalled at this comparison. To think that Xi Jinping’s policies could be compared to King Leopold`s is vomit inducing.
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the images in this article.