Starving Africans and hungry bears

Ottawa Sun ^ | June 23, 2002 | Greg Weston

[Clive]

As battalions of heavily-armed police and combat soldiers load up with tear gas to welcome the world to this week's planned street riots and other festivities of the G8 summit meeting in Alberta, ordinary slow-thinkers like me are bound to wonder if this two-day political gabfest could possibly be worth all the danger, hassle and expense.

The short answer is, no.

The long answer is, you must be joking.

For two days this week, U.S. President George Bush, Tony Blair of the U.K., and the other leaders of the eight most powerful western countries on earth will gather at the Kananaskis resort in the Rockies, about 80 kilometres from Calgary.

As host of this year's conflab, Jean Chretien has decreed the centrepiece of discussion will be a new "action plan" for helping to lift Africa from continental misery.

"I am not known as someone of idle dreams and empty ideals," Chretien recently promised a gathering of Ethiopians who obviously had never read the PM's ethics code.

Don't get me wrong: Chretien's call to action for the world's rich nations to come to the aid of Africa, is noble and needed.

More than half of Africa's 820 million people live on less than a $1 a day; 200 million have no access to health services; 250 million have no safe drinking water; southern Africa is home to two-thirds of the world's AIDS cases; one in five Africans is a victim of war; high infant mortality is the norm. But the immediate issue is not whether Africa needs help, or if Canada and the other civilized nations should be whipped into action.

The question is whether this week's G8 meeting is really necessary to get food into African mouths, or indeed if it is likely to achieve anything useful for anyone.

First, there is the issue of cost and the prudent use of public funds. Those of us on the outside of the Chretien dictatorship probably will never know how much the Liberal government is hitting Canadian taxpayers for the summit. Published reports so far put the tab at about $300 million, or approximately $8.3 million for each of the 36 hours the leaders are on terra Canadiana, including Bush's nap time and Chretien's putting practice.

Given that Canada's entire new commitment to African aid is $500 million, paying $300 million for the talks and press conference does seem a bit excessive, even for the Chretien government. More to the point, that $300 million roughly equals the total daily sustenance required for the entire impoverished population of southern Africa.

Or maybe, for the same money, ask 100 million starving African children if they would rather have food for a week, or give George Bush two days to try to figure out what channel on his translation machine will give him Jean Chretien in English, assuming Bush even cares what our prime minister is saying.

Judging by the advance media coverage of the summit by the U.S. and other foreign press, Chretien's plan to save Africa isn't exactly keeping other leaders of the world awake at night.

A search of the New York Times for stories containing the words "G8 and Canada" produced a comprehensive list of, um, nothing. The Washington Post at least mentioned the Kananaskis summit in a three-paragraph story this week.

Unfortunately for Chretien's plan, what the Post reported was: "World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn last week urged the G8 to agree that Africa should receive at least half of the $12 billion in new aid that rich nations recently agreed to provide by 2006 to developing countries.

"But although some nations may go along, that proposal isn't going anywhere with the Bush administration."

One of the biggest stories in the recent U.S. press about the summit ran in the San Francisco Chronicle. The article began (really -- we're not making this stuff up): "President Bush may have a lot on his mind at this year's G8 economic summit in Canada, but at least one presidential worry has been put to rest -- he won't be devoured by grizzly bears. Canadian wildlife officials have quietly laid plans to trap and collar all the grizzlies they can find roaming near the conference site."

Unofficial sources tell us the collars are actually intended to help the RCMP distinguish the grizzlies from summit protesters, thus helping to save the bears from being accidentally shot on sight. (Okay, really unofficial sources.)

'Legendary headache'

The Associated Press put out an equally heart-warming story on its worldwide wire service, beginning: "Legend says Kananaskis was named for a Cree Indian who survived an ax blow to the head. A summit of the world's industrial powers in late June could be another legendary headache for this Rocky Mountain hiking and skiing haven." The same article noted that "services such as the water supply are being checked."

From where a desperate Africa is watching this week's $300-million photo-op for Jean Chretien and friends, it must seem a tad late to be checking for something funny in the water supply.

Greg Weston is Sun Media's national political columnist, his columns appear Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

[Clive]

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[Clive]

"Legend says Kananaskis was named for a Cree Indian who survived an ax blow to the head."

Actually, it was 'ti Jean who survived an ax blow to the head.

;-)

[sarcasm]

Just send more money - I'm sure that they won't waste it this time.

[backhoe]

Clive, I can't recall which African pest-hole crisis it was ( Rowanda, Somalia, whatever... ) but I can remember telling my wife that what we needed to do was load cargo planes with pallets containing a mix of food, medical supplies, and maybe some tools, fly over the country, and when the crew spotted a group of people, parachute it down to them.

That way, at least some of the needy would actually get some things they could use- instead of lining the pockets of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and dictators with our money.

[neutrino]

"But although some nations may go along, that proposal isn't going anywhere with the Bush administration."

Good! I'm glad I voted for him!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Meager Harvests in Africa Leaves Millions at the Edge of Starvation***The countries of southern Africa have the world's highest rates of H.I.V. infection, leaving millions of people vulnerable to the ravages of hunger. The sale of Malawi's entire backup supply of grain and the past year's political upheaval in Zimbabwe have exacerbated the effects of the natural disaster. Until recently, Zimbabwe was one of the region's more stable and self-sufficient countries, and neighbors often turned to it for help during food shortages. But the government's efforts to seize land from white farmers, who own more than half the country's fertile land, have disrupted production greatly. The combination of severe drought and farm seizures has been disastrous. Production of the corn crop in Zimbabwe plunged by nearly 70 percent this year, leaving almost half the population in need of emergency food. With triple-digit inflation, a limp currency and rising unemployment, Zimbabwe can barely help itself, let alone its neighbors.

Meanwhile, officials in Malawi have been assailed by Western diplomats, international donors and civic groups for selling off the country's 167,000-ton emergency grain reserve and failing to account for the proceeds. President Bakili Muluzi denies accusations of corruption. He says his officials were told by the International Monetary Fund to sell the grain to repay debt, a charge that fund officials deny. But Mr. Muluzi acknowledges that he cannot explain why his officials sold off the entire reserve, when they could have sold part, given that 30 percent of the population may go hungry and there is nothing left. "This is the question I was asking," President Muluzi said in an interview. "I didn't understand the intelligence about that." The debate is meaningless in the villages, where men and women are too busy scrabbling for food to weigh multiple causes of calamity.***

[albee]

I saw this rant somewhere and thought enough of it to keep a file copy. I now post it for your consideration.

Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!

Sorry folks, we've done enough throwing money down these third world rat holes. The last dollar sent should be exactly that the last dollar sent.

Let's see, most of these nations produce nothing of any value, are controlled by dictators or communists (or both), the people will not do anything about their circumstances other than beg for more money that they will never repay, and on top of all that they despise us.

Nope, not one dollar more to the global welfare state run by the UN or other "Feel Good" Organizations!

[xJones]

"I am not known as someone of idle dreams and empty ideals," Chretien recently promised a gathering of Ethiopians...

Somebody ought to tell the Ethiopians what the *cretin* is known as to his American neighbors.

[self_evident]

I am not known as someone of idle dreams and empty ideals," Chretien recently promised..

Nope. It's empty dreams and idle ideals for him.

[maro]

They don't need money; they need structural and cultural reform. We can't do that for them.

[Brian Allen]

Hi, Clive

It is time to afford Africa and the Africans the dignity of the consequences of their own actions!

[Perhaps the stronger half can eat the carcases of the ones that in any case are doomed to perish?]

FReegards -- Brian

[dfwgator]

You'd think these guys would look into videoconferencing.

[DeaconBenjamin]

I literally burst out laughing when I read that line. I think I woke up my wife, who was napping.

[JoeSchem]

This aid money will end up in the pockets of the corrupt African politicians administering the programs. Proof of that is the fact that we've been pouring billions of dollars of such aid into Africa for generations now, and there is no effect.

What Africa needs is capitalist investment, which will only come when investors feel confident that their investments won't get embroiled in Yet Another Civil War.

[Eternal_Bear]

Send the Africans all our liberal weenies. They can eat them for all i care! That will be enough aid for all time.

[technochick99]

My thoughts exactly, but include guns and ammo so they can have a chance to get rid of those tyrants.

[backhoe]

I agree, of course. The way of dictators & totalitarians is always to disarm, marginalize, and then silence unfavored groups. A thousand pities we cannot help more.