Depoliticised discourses negate progress

The Flip Side with Kuthula Matshazi

Neutral observers and progressive elements, and enemies are shocked and delighted respectively when Zimbabweans engage in discourses aimed at solving problems in our country because the way we do it is laughable at best and awry at worst.
The neutral observers are shocked because of our tendency to misrepresent facts only to satisfy our respective dialogical positions. For instance, in many instances, when Zimbabweans discuss our preferred economic model, or political issues, we tend to depoliticise these subjects. We strip these discussions of the politics that is inherent and discuss them as if they have no political dimensions at all. More...

My Top 10 Songs of the Week

The Top 10 songs of the week are published every Saturday based on my music collection. I rank them based on the number of times I play a particular song during that week and how much it rocks me.

1. Complicated – Avril Lavigne

2. I Still Love You - 702 Feat. Pharell

3. Let’s Celebrate – Skyy

4. Love Shoulda Brought You Home – Toni Braxton

5. Falling In Love With You – Tyrese

6. With You – Somethin’ For The People

7. Lotto – Mafikizolo

8. Matter of Fact - Innocence

9. In the Heat of The Night – Soul II Soul

10. Chant a Psalm - Steel Pulse

Paris Club creditors plan steps over vulture funds

The politics of debt forgiveness

PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - The Paris Club of official creditors said on Wednesday it would look at concrete steps to prevent aggressive investors buying poor countries' debt at a low price and then suing to recover large sums of money.
There is growing irritation among international development agencies and campaigners over the actions of "vulture funds", which buy up discounted debt, often of developing countries, and then sue the government for more money than they paid. More...

Bloch deception, lies about economic sanctions

The Flip Side with Kuthula Matshazi

Eric Bloch’s article in The Zimbabwe Independent, 18 May 2007, headlined “Sanctions: lies and deception”, undermines his credibility and demonstrates that he is a beholden man. He is disregarding inquiry and pragmatism for political correctness to seemingly please certain quarters. He comes up with several questionable arguments and “vitriolic” language to legitimize his flawed ideas. The problem with these arguments is that they distort the proper understanding of issues related to economic sanctions. More dangerously, at face value they are appealing arguments and therefore susceptible to be easily believed and embraced by casual readers. More...

Bloch deception, lies on economic sanctions - a synopsis

If the government on Zimbabwe is deceptive on economic sanctions, then Eric Bloch is even more deceptive. In an article in the Zimbabwe Independent (18 May 2007) titled Sanctions: lies and deception, Bloch denies that there are economic sanctions in Zimbabwe and yet strangely uses the characteristics of economic sanctions to refute their presence.
He justifies the absence of the economic sanctions on the fact that the European Union said there were none and that trade still exists with the West. These are misleading and very simplistic arguments. His arguments show that Bloch either does not have a conceptual understanding of economic sanctions or as is common, he is being politically correct.
But also, we have to take into consideration that Bloch’s economics is informed by neoliberalism, which is in war with the current Zimbabwean government’s leftist policies.
It is wrong for Bloch to suggest that because the entire economic activities have not been blocked then economic sanctions are not present. That is conceptually and practically wrong.
Economic sanctions do not begin and end when there has been total blockade of economic activities. Even if we are to take the example of IMF where, even by his admission, there has been some problems with the relations, that on its own, are sanctions, and huge ones for that matter. The basis of the whole problem in Zimbabwe is because we do not have IMF balanced of payments support, therefore no foreign currency to buy from the external markets. So by Eric Bloch’s own admission (even if we do not extend our argument) he has clearly demonstrated that there are economic sanctions in Zimbabwe.
It is strange for Bloch to suggest that the government of Zimbabwe is lying if it suggests that there are economic sanctions.
It is true that there are economic sanctions and that they are hurting the ordinary people. In all fairness, it is Bloch who has lied about the sanctions.
A deeper analysis of Bloch’s argument is to follow soon.

My Top 10 Songs of the Week

The Top 10 songs of the week are published every Saturday based on my music collection. I rank them based on the number of times I play a particular song during that week and how much it rocks me.

1. Stressed Out – A Tribe Called Quest

2. Usemncane – Soul Brothers

3. So Rotten – Blak Twang Feat. Jah Mali

4. Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas

5. Give It To You (Flava All Stars Mix) – Carlos Morgan

6. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

7. Crucial Situation – Don Carlos

8. U Know What’s Up – Donell Jones

9. How Deep Is Your Love – Dru Hill

10. Brick House – Earth, Wind & House

This week on African Perspective

The politics around Somalia

This Tuesday 22 May we explore the situation in Somalia. The country has struggled to form a central government since the overthrow of Siyad Barre in 1991. The current government was constituted outside of Somalia and is largely ineffective as it still struggles to establish itself.
Recently, Ethiopia sent its forces into Somalia with the help of the United States to push out the Islamic Courts Union from Baladweyne and Mogadishu.
The Africa Union is trying to bring stability to the country and yet it is struggling to get commitment from other member countries whose budgets are overstretched for the mission. Uganda has contributed 1600 of the 8000 soldiers needed. The conflict does not seem to be subsiding. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

Listen live on 105.5 FM in Toronto or online on www.chry.fm worldwide as we discuss with Africans conversant with the situation on the ground.
To contribute, call our studio number on +1 416 736 5656

About African Perspective
African Perspective broadcasts on Tuesdays at 10am-11am Eastern Time/2pm-3pm Greenwich Mean Time on CHRY 105.5FM in Toronto and www.chry.fm on the Internet worldwide.
The programme provides Africans with a platform to articulate their experiences and celebrate their achievements to both the Canadian public and policy makers.

Presenters: Kuthula Matshazi and Shadya Yasin

Wolfowitz resigns from World Bank

"Everyone ran into the hallways and were clapping and hugging each other," said one employee who declined to be named.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz resigned as president of the World Bank on Thursday, ending a protracted battle over his stewardship prompted by his involvement in a high-paying promotion for his companion. More

My Top 10 Songs of the Week

The Top 10 songs of the week are published every Saturday based on my music collection. I rank them based on the number of times I play a particular song during that week and how much it rocks me.

1. Shauri Yako – Orchestra Super Mazembe

2. YU4ME – Mashamplani

3. Hamba Phepha Lami – Soul Brothers

4. Love T.K.O – Teddy Pendergrass

5. Sometimes When We Touch – Dan Hill

6. Still Believe – Shola Ama

7. So Badd – Zhane

8. No More – Ruff Endz

9. Sweeter As The Days Go By – Shalamar

10 Forbidden Love – Third World

40 years of international development assistance failure in Africa

This Week on African Perspective

This Tuesday 15 May African Perspective discusses a recent senate report on how 40 years of international development assistance to Africa has failed to achieve its objective of eliminating poverty. Instead, Africans are worse off than 45 years ago.

Listen live on 105.5 FM in Toronto or online on www.chry.fm worldwide as we discuss with Liberal Party senator Peter Stollery the co-chair of the senate committee that produced the report. To contribute, call our studio number on +1 416 736 5656

About African Perspective
African Perspective broadcasts on Tuesdays at 10am-11am Eastern Time/2pm-3pm Greenwich Mean Time on CHRY 105.5FM in Toronto and www.chry.fm on the Internet worldwide. The programme provides Africans with a platform to articulate their experiences and celebrate their achievements to both the Canadian public and policy makers.

Presenters: Kuthula Matshazi and Shadya Yasin

African Perspective Audio Promo

You may listen to the African Perspective audio promo. Click Here...

Why Tsvangirai shouldn't be re-invented

The Flip Side with Kuthula Matshazi

Several interesting issues came out of the president of one faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai in his article that he wrote for The Washington Post this past week.
The idea of giving Tsvangirai that space seems to be a move to reinvent the man who seems to be meeting self created obstacles at every corner. He initially boycotted the 2005 elections and then at the last minute decided to participate and when beaten after inadequate preparations, blamed everyone else except himself. He put the senatorial elections to a vote among his party executive committee members and then refused to recognise the result after he lost. The committee voted against Tsvangirai and decided to participate in the senatorial elections. This action by Tsvangirai provided the impetus for the MDC to break into two seemingly irreconcilable groups. Then there was the failed 2003 “final push” and last year’s winter of discontent.
The interesting thing about Tsvangirai’s Washington Post article is that he is coming out publicly to embrace and legitimise the negotiation route as the only way to solve our problems. Not only is Tsvangirai engaging Zanu PF, but also President Robert Mugabe himself. In the past it was taboo to even attempt to think that Zanu PF or President Mugabe were supposed to be part of the solution to Zimbabwe’s challenges. It had been envisaged that MDC was going to decisively solve the Zimbabwean situation through confrontational tactics such as stay aways and economic sanctions.
At that time, people like us were targeted for criticism for suggesting that the only way to solve the Zimbabwe situation was for all stakeholders to sit down and talk. We were viewed as crazy and irrelevant in the discussion about the possible solutions to the Zimbabwe situation because we resisted political correctness, preferring pragmatism. What meaningful ideas were armchair analysts “in the comforts of Western countries” ever going to contribute?”, many in the opposition would ask. Now seven years later the same opposition party begins to realise that there is no way of solving our differences except by bringing together all stakeholders.
Similarly, the same opposition is denying the existence of economic sanctions on Zimbabwe and they deny the relationship of the current sanctions and the economic meltdown. Whichever way one wants to frame the “targeted sanctions” issue, by definition, they are still economic sanctions.
Two definitions of economic sanctions need to be outlined. Writing in the American Journal of Political Science, Yale University assistant professor Nikolay Marinov’s essay titled Do Economic Sanctions Destabilize Country Leaders?, defines economic sanctions as “government-inspired restrictions on customary trade or aid relations, designed to promote political objectives.
Donald Losman, in his book titled International Economic Sanctions: The Cases of Cuba, Israel and Rhodesia defines economic sanctions as penalties inflicted upon one or more states by one or more others, generally to coerce the target nation(s) to comply with certain norms that the boycott initiators deem proper or necessary. The forms that economic sanctions take also include interfering or restricting the movement of people, restriction of capital flows and withholding wealth in the boycotting countries.
Now even if we are conceptually given a definition of economic sanctions, many of us just deny without giving us their grounds for suggesting that targeted sanctions are not economic sanctions. The reason the deniers give for their position is, unfortunately part of those features that make the targeted sanctions economic sanctions – so-called individual sanctions. Tsvangirai is one of the deniers and seeing that it takes about several years for him to understand issues, we cannot afford him. Of course, I do not need to impose my will on the MDC supporters but I am only speaking through facts to demonstrate how destructive Tsvangirai has been and how he continues to be, by refusing to understand that Zimbabwe is under economic sanctions. Unwittingly Tsvangirai tries to make his case how President Mugabe’s economic policies have destroyed the country by pointing to the ever-rising inflation rate. It is, to a greater extent the problem of his economic sanctions that is causing such inflation as we have.
To further buttress the reason why Tsvangirai should not be re-invented is that he does not know suitable role models to learn from. He quotes former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as saying, "If you want to make peace, it's no good talking to your friends; you need to speak with your enemies." Well, that’s true but Tsvangirai forgets that Kissinger is someone who has a dirty record and whose guiding philosophy was that foreign policy should serve the national interest. True to his guiding philosophy, he went on to commit, according to journalist Christopher Hitchens in a British Broadcasting Corporation Channel Four documentary called Trials of Henry Kissinger, horrendous crimes. The BBC reported in April 2006 that a lawsuit was under way in Washington DC, in which Kissinger is charged with having authorised a coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende and the secret bombing of Cambodia, which, arguably, Kissinger engineered without the knowledge of the US Congress in 1969. He is also accused in the sale of US weapons to Indonesian President Suharto for use in the massacre of a third of the population of East Timor in 1975. In Africa, Tsvangirai could have identified the reconciliation work that was accomplished in South Africa, for instance, between Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress as an experience from which to draw inspiration as opposed to Kissinger.
While Tsvangirai has seen the need for an all-inclusive talk to solve the Zimbabwean situation, his sense of judgement has demonstrated that he is a lurking danger to Zimbabwe. Right now, he continues to ignore the plight of people who are affected by the economic sanctions that he called for by denying their existence, except travel restrictions to certain government individuals. This position on its own is a strong case for arguing against re-inventing Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe under Mugabe and 40 years of aid failure

Canadian senator Peter Stollery discusses with Toronto's TVO a senatorial committee report titled "40 Years of Failure: What Happened ? The Senate Report on Sub-Saharan Africa". Stollery was co-chair of the committe that produced the report lamenting how development assistance by the West has let down Africa for the past 40 years.
In the second segment of the programme, a panel discusses the Zimbabwean situation. Interesting to note is the consensus coalescing internationally that Zimbabweans and to some extent Africans should solve their problems and not the West. [Watch The Video]

My Top 10 Songs of the Week

The Top 10 songs of the week are published every Saturday based on my music collection. I rank them based on the number of times I play a particular song during that week and how much it rocks me.

1. Tell Me (Album Version) - Groove Theory

2. I'm not Feeling You (Radio Edit) - Yvette Michele

3. Be Strong - Sizzla

4. 50/50 - Lemar

5. Good Loving - Regina Bell

6. Music and Lights - Imagination

7. Love You All My Lifetime - Chaka Khan

8. Lovers Again - Alexander O'Neal

9. Chant Down Babylon - Bob Marley

10. Summertym ('98 Remix) - Bongo Maffin