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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
March 5, 2006
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| January 10, 2006 |
The African Debt Trap – Global Crisis, Regional Catastrophe – Jonah Gokova |
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| Jonah Gokova during his first lecture onboard |
Onboard from Singapore to Mombasa, guest educator Jonah Gokova provided Peace Boat participants with a series of lectures specifically focused on the link between poverty and economic policy. A native of Zimbabwe, Jonah is the president of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) known as the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development. In addition, he directs a mens organization called Padre which deals with gender issues from a male perspective, and has lectured at the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. While onboard, Jonah also ran a series of seminars for Peace Boat’s Global University (GU) programme. |
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| Jonah Gokova (center) in between Communication Coordinators (CCs) Yumi Yoneda (left) and Misato Yamaguchi (right) during a Global University seminar |
The principal theme which Jonah has delivered throughout his lectures deals with what he describes as “the crisis of Capitalism.” In particular, Jonah is critical of the system’s processes which continue to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. He proclaims a need for engraining a way in which solidarity and hard work in all aspects of society are rewarded. While at the governmental level, the turning point to create policies in which “people [come] first before profits” is fundamental if there is ever to be a real attempt to combat the widespread poverty which has completely engulfed countries in the Global South. |
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| Onboard lecture led by Jonah Gokova |
Due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, endemic poverty, as well as an insurmountable debt crisis, most of Africa finds itself in the midst of a true socio-economic catastrophe. Some of the statistics that stand out are simply staggering: more than 70 percent of families in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi haven’t had enough food in the last 12 months. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 30 million people are HIV/AIDS positive. Kenya, for example, has a population in which one in every four of its citizens is HIV/AIDS positive, but only 2 percent can afford treatment. Hence, “access to medicines is truly becoming a politico-economic and moral issue, as most corporations do not want to make these drugs cheaply available to such needy populations.”
Jonah has also given detailed explanations of how the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), which were initially established to assist poor countries, are also adept at making profit at the expense of poor nations in certain cases.
One such example is the so called Apartheid Debt, which was large sums of money loaned to the former Apartheid regime of South Africa. It is believed by many that these funds were used contrary to the people’s interest, such as in the oppression of the black population. This may become a case of what is known as an ‘odious debt’, however it has not been recognized as so by its creditors yet. In the end, the lending institutions of the Global North profited from such repressive regimes, while the nation of South Africa was left to carry the burden of a society left in disarray.
As Jonah explains, “for every original dollar borrowed in Sub-Saharan Africa, five dollars have already been repaid and yet there are still 3 more dollars to pay. This interest is being paid at the expense of innocent women and children.” The African debt crisis, which has become a global dilemma, has been created through “corruption and immoral treaties.” Therefore, Jonah claims “the total, unconditional, and immediate cancellation of the foreign debt on African nations is an absolute necessity.” The still unpaid 300 billion dollars should be applied to develop “internal infrastructure, agricultural projects and establish new mechanisms which will eradicate corruption.” |
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| Participants of the under-30 male gender workshop |
Fortunately, a positive step has been taken as the international community, and G8 countries in particular, have finally accepted that Africa’s debt cancellation ought to occur at some point. The methods dealing with when and how to implement the cancellation are now at the heart of the debate.
At the grassroots level, Jonah has also been actively involved with leading workshops centered on male gender issues. He states that “men have been the beneficiaries of the oppression of women in our societies.” Confronting such a problem is fundamental for progressive change. Onboard, Jonah led several of these enlightening exercises in which the results, he claims, are the same “whether the workshops are run in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Germany, the United States or Japan.” |
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