China's New Slave Trade in Africa

For those of you who don't keep up with international affairs. China has/is/ continuing to make major inroads towards becoming the next colonizer of Africa. Following in the footsteps of the West in Africa. What isn't said is that they are doing the same thing in Mexico and other Central American countries as well. Yet, we're about to hand foreign banks 700 billion dollars. We just love repeating history especially the African Elite Establishment that love selling their own people down river oops I mean "across ocean.""

That China's cynical new version of imperialism in Africa is a wicked enterprise. China offers both rulers and the ruled in Africa the simple, squalid advantages of shameless exploitation. For the governments, there are gargantuan loans, promises of new roads, railways, hospitals and schools - in return for giving Peking a free and tax-free run at Africa's rich resources of oil, minerals and metals. For the people, there are these wretched leavings, which, miserable as they are, must be better than the near-starvation they otherwise face.

We have come a long way from Cecil Rhodes to Bob Geldof, but we still have not brought much happiness with us, and even Nelson Mandela's vaunted 'Rainbow Nation' in South Africa is careering rapidly towards banana republic status. Now a new great power, China, is scrambling for wealth, power and influence in this sad continent, without a single illusion or pretence. Peter Hitchens

In addition, the Chinese are dealing with massive overcrowding by sending its citizens to Africa (sound familiar:

China is colonizing Africa at an alarming rate, influencing governments, supplying vast supplies of arms, and even fixing their own overpopulation problem by sending Chinese citizens to Africa to live---750,000 in the last 10 years!St. Blogustine

and this

While it geopolitically might make sense, from an ideological and cultural point of view it's complete failure. To revoke the colonial past and turn Africa yet again into a slave continent, will not only be detrimental to its inhabitants, who scream for independence, but it will disarm the land of its resources and further contribute to a world ecological catastrophe waiting ahead. Further, Asian and African cultures don't mix. The West made a mistake three centuries ago that China is now repeating in order to grow into a serious contestant for world super power. This is the last thing Africa needs right now Corrupt.org

Some other's take on the matter:

China -- the New Belgium?

China’s new slave empire - a disturbing eyewitness account

China goes international on slave labor

Comments

[SassyJ]

Speechless...and a bit angered

[deborah]

Not surprising when you consider how the Chinese have helped prop up the regime in Sudan. The Chinese are the superpower of the 21st century. They have studied history well and are doing what the 19th/20th century superpowers did. Sadly, it still works.

[JJ]

Is thre a reason why African nations don't/won't control their own resources?

Is it because government is so unstable in many of the countries?

But damn...many of the African nations got their freedom in 1960's...u gonna let someone colonize you again?

[LorMarie]

I actually heard about this before. Normally, I'm all for "globalization" but the motives of the Chinese do not sound pure at all.

[gem2001]

@jj nothing ever really seems to change. they keep repeating the same mistake. believing that their wealth must come from the outside world. the elites live lavish lives while the people live in squalor until another elite takes advantage of the squalid conditions. starts a war in the name of the poor and then go on to do the same thing.

Heck look at us. Our elites are selling us down river to the Wall Street class right now
@ deborah they sure are the super power of the century and we are too dependent on them to do anything about it.

[miriam]

Sad.

I hope the situation will be different since its a different group of people (chinese as opposed to Europeans) and the Africans have gone through this before. My hopes would normally not be high, if it wasn't simply for the times we are living in.

Our elites are also selling us down the river, but slowly people are waking up to it and not taking it.

[KIM]

Is anyone really surprised? Black folks all over the world will sell each other out in a heart beat. AND THE DANCE GOES ON AND ON.

[Tiffany]

Not surprised

[Clnmike]

I think a little more reaserch is needed here before everybody "condems" the Africans.

The only ones raising hell about the Chinese as colonizers, just so happens to be the former colonist the Europeans who I suspect dont like the competition.

Also any one notice that the Americans are trying to sucker the Africans in to allowing a base on their continent under the guise of helping hand when every one knows they are after the same things the Chinese are after.

There is no state sponsored SLAVE Labor in Sub Sahara Africa.

The only thing the Chinese are doing is offering a better deal than all the other nations that try to rape the land for dirt cheap (see the diamonds and gold in your jewlery boxes).

And if the Africans are smart they will will take what they can and finally get a fair prices for their resources.

As far as slavery is concerned people need to get over it.

The perpetrators are long gone and dead, the concept of slavery in Africa is a far cry from what the Europeans and Americas had in mind, it was a tribal isssue, and I am sure if the Africans new that dealing slaves would open up there land to years of colonization, and genocide they would of said hell no.

[JES]

I know this is going to sound terrible, but if Africans and the Diaspora are this stupid, perhaps we deserve to die out or be dominated.

>:-( Storms off to do some major venting…

[Sister Seeking]

Peace and blessings:

Found this blog by way of Khadija and others.

My dh is from Senegal and the Chinese have completely taken over. Don't be discouraged though becuase there are Senegalse resisters trying to kick them out.

[Lena]

Thank you, CLNMIKE. Finally a comment that makes sense. Africa needs investment and that is what many Chinese enterprises are bringing the continent - unlike the Europeans who brought violence, destruction, zero investment, skin-lightening cream, pity, and encouraged tribal wars. While so many other global countries have given up on African nations, China is seeing the potential in Africa. And yes, noone does anything solely out of the goodness of their hearts - China has its own agenda too in order to more quickly move up and become an influential player in world political and economic movements. But foreign investors in the U.S. and Europe have the same motives.

People need to stop insulting the intelligence of Africans. One of the biggest problems that Africa has had for so long is that noone wanted to invest in an "AIDS-ridden, starving, overly-dependent, economically irrelevant, backwards dark" continent. The only organizations interested in Africa were European and American NGO's who, in their supposed liberal quest to bear the burden that is Africa, publish works daily that make Africa seem like the weakest, most inferior and pitifiul continent of people in world history. (I know, I have worked for such NGO's). I think the Chinese are proving that's not true for all. They don't see Africa as a place to fill their quota of sob stories, and instead recognize potential. It's now up to the Africans to use this opportunity to their advantage, or become even more irrelevant in the worlds' eyes.

[miriam]

Yeah, Lena! Well put!

[Why]

Some of you aren't very bright. African people aren't "letting this happen"; nobody's that short-sighted. Information about Africa will never be interpreted correctly until you understand that almost every African nation is a single party dictatorship. Democracies are VERY rare in Africa. The governments of the vast majority of the continent are incredibly selfish, pragmatic and do not care about their people or their countries in the slightest. Those that comprise African governments often embezzle any aid that comes in, accept HANDS OFF donations from corrupt countries (which they use not to feed the people, but to sustain themselves) and receive military support from China in order to quell any opposition and keep their people in check.

Every African government involved with this Chinese "investment" has sold their country out personal gain and wealth. Make no mistake people, African leaders are NOT suffering. Look no further than Mugabe's mansion. If you actually read the second article, you'll see that African citizens overwhelmingly resent China's involvement with their countries.

Africans aren't "doing anything" about this debacle because they can't. The majority of these nations are NOT democracies (even those that are like Zambia are corrupt beyond belief) so the people, frankly have no choice but to deal with. Don't blame the African people.