Roadmap For Economic Injustice –  GDN Exclusive

By Afi G. Osakwe

This is the 1st article of Greater Diversity News (GDN)’ “Cocoa War series” in support of Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quoa’s vision and mission for “The Economic Liberation of Africa” through her organization African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) and its worldwide initiatives. All Black leaders and leadership organizations are asked to support the (ADDI)vision and mission publicly. GDN will use a series of articles to call attention to the vision and mission of ADDI and develop storylines to support this activity. This is the first article of a series considering the economic liberation of  African (Black) people worldwide and what you, students, youth, and the general public can actively do to join the initiatives.

What is meant by the term “economic liberation”? The reasons for historical and contemporary economic injustice toward African (Black) people are discussed by Professor Dr. Howard Nicholas, an eminent social scientist, in the context of global effects. After reviewing the arguments, decide whether you agree or not.

Dr. Nicholas cites six strategies that The West (Europe, the United States, and China) uses to keep Africans (Blacks) poor. He mentions six economic structures that have been put in place that are evidence of why Africa has been fundamental to the prosperity of the advanced countries as a raw material producer. Everything is done to keep African people poor to control the entire continent better and its people outside of it (the Diaspora):

1. Foreign Aid. (To keep repressive puppet regimes in power and a little infrastructure to make sure those raw materials are mined and gotten to the ports),
2. Debts and Foreign Loans. (Opaque banking institutions and government agencies such as IMF (International Monetary Fund), CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), and the American State Department. African leaders who do not accept loans are usually assassinated. This is a vast system for maintaining control,
3. Monopoly Buying Structures. (Multinational corporations collude within themselves and set low prices while creating the standards for what they need. There are only four or five that do this. From their vantage point, they maintain control, emphasizing meager prices for what they get. If a country does not produce at the price the multinational corporations want, they go to go to a country that will.
4. International Economic Institutions. There are clear advantages designed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO) to control poor countries explicitly to continue producing raw materials while keeping them mired in the recurrent-balance- of -payment problems—economic warfare. The rich declare war on the poor. It is about countries continuing to produce what the rich want them to produce and ensuring that those countries continue to have recurring balance-of-payment problems.
5. The destruction of Food Self Sufficiency. It started with colonization and continued with the World Bank. Once an entity has control of the food supply, it controls you. The World Bank forced most countries to eliminate food subsidies and food support. Once you don’t produce your food, those who do increase their control over you. The United States, Europe, and World Bank have destroyed all development countries’ subsidies so that those countries no longer control their food supplies and keep them dependent.
6. Poor School Curriculums. Utilizing the theory of comparative advantage, Countries should specialize in producing those goods of which they are relatively more efficient producers. These countries should then trade with the rest of the world to obtain needed commodities. The curricula throughout the educational process are often designed to teach very destructive things, such as the theory of comparative advantage, which is nothing but a lie from beginning to end. Why? Because it tells Sub Saharan Africa that its destiny is to produce raw materials. Aid was used to start the corruption process in the beginning. The “education” or miseducation process is used to maintain” blaming the victim”: “You’re poor because it’s your fault. You’re poor, stupid, and corrupt, basically.”`

The next article in this series is Genocide In The Congo Free State. Like and share our articles. To remain current on our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Student Engagement efforts, sign up for GDN’s free eNews publications at www.greaterdiversity.com. Also, this is a call to action. Please ask your organizations and friends to sign-up.