Sudan and Neo-Colonialism in Africa

On a day where a warrant was issued out of The International Criminal Court in The Hague for Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, a term was used that is becoming more and more prevalent. In response to the warrant that detailed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region, a statement from the Sudanese government read as follows:

“This decision is exactly what we have been expecting from the court, which was created to target Sudan and to be part of the new mechanism of neo-colonialism,”

They also dismissed the warrant saying it would “not be worth the ink it is written on” and that the ICC could “eat” it (Source: BBC).

The question that is raised in all this is exactly what role the Western world should and is even able to play in Sudan. Unfortunatly similar to the propaganda used by the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe, al-Bashir is playing up the past destruction of European colonialism to reflect the Western world, instead of himself, as the enemy. The term neo-colonialism essentially means: “They screwed us before and they’ll do it again.”

And who are we to say otherwise? At least that is what people in Sudan would say to Westerners. The truth is that there is nothing any Westerner, including myself, can say to combat this type of propaganda. In fact, anything we do say, no matter how well reasoned it is, is like blowing air into a fire to big to be blown out; it will only fuel the fire of anti-Europeanism.

This propaganda is so strong in fact that I have to take a step back and really evaluate the situation. Of course as an outsider I am biased. Even with my mind open as wide as it will go my criticism of another country in another part of the world will be conceived as biased and judgmental. This is the problem that members of the industrialized world face as we try and help the poorer nations of the world. But why?

The sad reality of the situation is that their propaganda, although false and misleading within the context of the current situation in the Darfur region and the atrocities committed by the al-Bahir regime, is grounded in truth. The Sudanese have every reason to mistrust the people that came to convert and colonize them; people that are just as foreign in their concept of the world as the geographically “othered” Africa is to us.

The warrant issued today is not useless. If nothing else it is a statement; a statement that however biased the Western world’s opinions might be; al-Bashir is a criminal. Whether or not this ruling is accepted in Sudan is inconsequential. Undoubtedly the question will be (and to some degree has already been) raised whether or not the ICC has the right to determine who is or is not a criminal in countries such as Sudan. Obviously rulings such as these must be monitored closely. It is always dangerous when a court is given too much power and is too liberal in handing out punishments. In this case however, the warrant is clearly justified, if not too light-handed as it does not accuse al-Bashir of genocide, although all signs have pointed to ethnic-cleansing on non-arab Sudanese in the Darfur region for quite some time.

With regards to “neo-colonialism” it is still up for debate whether this concept is wholly invented or if it exists. It is difficult for anyone reading this in a Western country to try and take an African perspective on this, but I would suggest that most of our conceptions of Africa involve some sort of idea of Western involvement in areas like the Darfur region of Sudan. Whether in a humanitarian sense or a more militaristic sense, the participation of the industrialized nations in the affairs of underdeveloped countries has become associated with terms like duty and obligation.

However altruistic these notions might be we have to remember that charity is often bundled together with derogation. In other words, the involvement of the Western world in African affairs can be seen as meddling or in a “we know what’s best for you” sense. This does not mean we should not be helping countries like Sudan. It just means that we should be aware that not all Africans are like Omar al-Bashir and that these people should have our respect and be treated equally to any Westerner. The Sudanese, as well as all Africans, have a point of view that should be heard and respected for its differences as well its similarities to ours. If it is not than we are doing nothing but fulfilling the neo-colonialist propaganda that keeps men like al-Bashir in power and fuels the genocide his propaganda conceals.

Will Grassby

The Caste of the Forgotten

Much is made of the caste system that has existed in India for hundreds of years and the way this very visible form of social stratification goes against the ideals of the “West.” Yet, as is shown in a very saddening and poignant column by Joe Fiorito in today’s Toronto Star, a less visible, yet extremely distressing social schism exists in cities around the world, including Toronto.

The case shown by Fiorito is that of a 62 year old named George who recently died in his socially supported apartment in January. I will not recount the squalid conditions her was living in, but instead I would like to look at a few of the details in the article that stand out to me.

For a whole week after he died he lay on his bed until the smell coming from his room alerted people to the fact something might be amiss. A week. Think for a moment how lonely this man must have been. Think of all the people you would interact with in a week, then think of this man who went a whole week without anyone coming to see him; without anyone wondering where he was. Fiorito says of the apartment: “It was not the smell of death. It was the smell of years of dying.” In many ways George was already dead to the world. He was ignored, cast aside and left to fend for himself, something he was clearly not capable of doing.

How many other people like this are there? How many times have you passed someone on the street who might’ve been someone like George, or even George himself?

This is clearly not an isolated case. There are tens of thousands of people like George. But why is it that those who are least capable of fending for themselves that are often left to do just that? Unfortunately there is only one answer to that question, and it is one not many of us would want to admit. We believe we are more important; that somehow our lives mean more than those who suffer from alcoholism, metal illness or problems known only to themselves.

In the caste system in India, people are organized into social groups by birth and have no opportunity to move up except through reincarnation. It does not matter how talented one is, they are stuck in their caste. Unfair? Yes, but by whose standards?

In the Western world we do not believe in holding people back but in so called virtues such as “free will” and “equality.” Yet there is a very fine line between opportunity and a Darwinian “survival of the fittest” type of society. Do not get me wrong. I am not advocating the Indian caste system, but instead trying to clarify that while the most able of us reach for the stars, we unconsciously step on the dreams of others and often leave them in our dust. So should we forget about our dreams to take care of the weak? I believe it is possible to both dream and take care of those around us, and the beginning is awareness.

As is seen in the case of George, he was left behind in the caste of the forgotten. There were people that could have helped him but, through weaknesses of their own, they did not.

The word society implies things like community and helping others. There are always those that need help and do not get it. Maybe they do not want it or maybe they cannot find it. Like the case of George, thousands of people like this isolate themselves from everyone around them, and according to many, deserve their fate. How often have you heard or even said the words “There’s only so much you can do.”

But why should there be any limit to what we can do? We, as a society, pride ourselves on reaching for the stars and being the best we can be; why should that stop when it concerns helping others, one of the most integral parts of our existence?

Or is it only important to do our best when there is something in it for us?

Will Grassby