Cina. Consolida il suo impero in Africa.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2016-11-05.

 

L’idealismo hegeliano e quello storico, poi evolutosi in puro materialismo, hanno inferto al mondo vulnus severi, tra i quali grandeggia la visione meramente economica dell’uomo concepito come puro ingranaggio di una macchina sociale.

Da questo assioma derivano conseguenze che sarebbero state logicamente deducibili, solo che la gente avesse pensato in modo più aderente alla realtà: siccome ciò non è avvenuto, l’umanità si trova ora a dover gestire un simile fardello.

Ma nel volgere del tempo la situazione mondiale è drammaticamente cambiata: solo l’Occidente non sembrerebbe essersene ancora accorto, e persiste nel voler ragionare con metri passati, sradicati dalla realtà.

L’Occidente rende conto di circa un sesto della popolazione mondiale.

Non solo, se negli anni sessanta rendeva conto di oltre il 90% del pil mondiale, ad oggi supera a stento il 40%: paesi allora miseri sono emersi economicamente ed adesso sono potenze economiche mondiale o, almeno, locoregionali.

L’occidente non è più in grado di utilizzare l’arma che aveva considerato essere la prediletta: il potere economico. Non che esso sia vanificato: è ancora potente. Ma non conta più come un tempo, si voglia o meno. E sono venuti i tempi neiquali deve per forza di cose tener presente che esistono anche gli altri.

Ed il mondo inizia a ribellarsi a simile Weltanschauung e prassi comportamentale.

Prosegue e si allarga la rivolta all’impèrio mondiale. Gambia.

Nella fattispecie dell’argomento odierno, stiamo assistendo al crollo della visione occidentale di tentare di integrare obtorto collo le altre realtà politiche, sociali ed economiche usando la sola leva economica. Le integrazioni forzose riuscirono solo all’Impero Assiro, ma erano tempi e condizione ben differenti dagli attuali.

Il nodo è che i popoli sono attaccati al loro retaggio religioso, storico, culturale e sociale in modo ben più radicato e profondo di quanto non possa apparire ad un’analisi superficiale.

Esempi paradigmatici sono la Russia e la Cina, quantunque in termini alquanto diversi. I Russia, settanta anni di comunismo non sono stati in grado di sradicare il popolo russo dalle proprie tradizioni, ancorché vissute in modo latente: Mr Putin ha ripreso come se nulla fosse accaduto l’eredità del Czar e la Chiesa Ortodossa è più viva che mai. In Cina Deng Xioaping ha fatto transitare il Pcc in una risorta scuola mandarinica. Solo per fare due esempi a portata di tutti.

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Ricordate la visita di Mr Obama in Kenya?

«Kenyan president describes gay rights as a non-issue after Obama calls for equality for gays and lesbians in Africa»

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«South Africa is the only country on the continent to have legalised gay marriage. Most African countries have made it illegal to be gay or lesbian»

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«China’s popularity in Africa is strong. Its policy of not linking aid and investments to human rights and good governance has made Beijing many friends on the continent, beyond its authoritarian governments»

La dizione “human rights” si estingue per gli Occidentali nel riconoscere giusto ciò essi reputano sia tale, ovvero l’accettazione come normale del comportamento contro-natura. Davvero misera concezione.

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Sembrerebbe essere ben difficile affondare le fondamenta di rapporti internazionali all’accettazione di canoni etici che non solo sono pervertiti, ma non condivisi in nulla dal resto del mondo.

Più che un crimine è un errore, per usare le parole dette da Joseph Fouché a Napoleone.

La politica cinese di penetrazione nell’Africa è pragmatica, non ideologica. È solo questione di tempo, poi la Realpolik non può fare altro che trionfare.

Non solo.

È di concezione imperale e non statale. Non cerca l’integrazione forzata bensì rapporti di comune convivenza nel reciproco rispetto delle proprie concezioni e tradizioni.

Infine, tranne l’élite dominante, le popolazioni occidentali non si riconoscono certo nella teoria del gender.

 

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→ Aljazeera. 2015-07-25. Kenyatta: Gay rights is a non-issue for Kenya

Kenyan president describes gay rights as a non-issue after Obama calls for equality for gays and lesbians in Africa.

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Kenyatta: ‘Gay rights is a non-issue for Kenya’

With US only recently ruling in favour of gay marriage in the US, the question about gay rights in Kenya and in Africa as a whole was bound to crop up. And when it did, Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta’s answers couldn’t have been further apart.

In a press conference addressing a wide range of issues – from joint operations fighting the armed group al-Shabab to the need to end corruption – it was the discussion over gay rights that got everyone talking. US President Barack Obama was categorical in his condemnation of discriminatory practices against gay and lesbian people. He “nudged” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to treat the issue as a universal human right, comparable to the fight against racism or sexism.

Barack Obama: “I’ve been consistent all across Africa on this. When you start treating people differently, because they’re different, that’s the path whereby freedoms begin to erode. And bad things happen”.

As it stands, South Africa is the only country on the continent to have legalised gay marriage. Most African countries have made it illegal to be gay or lesbian. For instance, neighbouring Uganda is known for its repeated attempts to strengthen prison laws against gays. When Kenyatta responded, he offered a popular response to the question of gay rights on the continent: he said it was a question of priorities.

Uhuru Kenyatta: “There are some things that we must admit we don’t share. It’s very difficult for us to impose on people that which they themselves do not accept. This is why I say for Kenyans today the issue of gay rights is really a non-issue”.

Whereas Obama and Kenyatta appeared to be in agreement over issues concerning security, corruption and Kenya’s development, the topic of gay and lesbian rights was seemingly irreconcilable.

It also quickly became the defining feature of the day’s play.

Kenyatta’s decisive reply on gay rights, brought with it a volley of support. Many users on social media defended Kenyatta, arguing he was standing up for Africa and against evil.

Others were thrilled Obama had raised the topic in such a sensitive environment. Eric Gitari, who heads a Kenyan gay-rights group, told Reuters he was pleased Obama had tackled the matter on the basis of “the dignity of people by speaking about simple human to human interactions”.

There was a lot of talk before Obama’s visit about the issues and topics the US president would explore with his counterpart. He was reportedly warned not to bring up the “gay rights issue”.

But perspective, as they say, is a great leveller. Many African nations have abysmal records when it comes to the rights of gays and lesbians. The US, it would appear, is no stranger to opposition to gay rights either.

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→ Deutsche Welle. 2015-07-25. Africans approve of China, says Afrobarometer

China’s popularity in Africa is strong. Its policy of not linking aid and investments to human rights and good governance has made Beijing many friends on the continent, beyond its authoritarian governments.

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“We didn’t really ask that question,” said Anyway Chingwete, co-author of a survey recently published by Afrobarometer. She was referring to the difference between East and West in their approach to trade and development aid relations with Africa. But the senior project leader for the African organization that measures public attitudes on economic, political and social issues in sub-Saharan Africa believes that China’s approach, its policy of not making aid and investments conditional on performance on human rights and good governance, has won China a lot of sympathy across the continent. “It has had a positive impact in terms of the growth of trade relationships between China and African countries.” Chingwete told DW.

Zimbabwe is a case in point; the perceived meddling by western powers drove the regime of long-term President Robert Mugabe to look to the east for much needed investments. Now Zimbabweans not only feel that China has the greatest external influence in their country by far, but many of them also approve this: 48 percent say this influence is positive as opposed to 31 percent who perceive it as negative.

Problem awareness

Contrary to countries like Mali, where China meets with a 92 percent approval rate, Zimbabweans are divided over whether China or the US offer the best model for development: 25 percent still feel the Americans have better solutions, but a significant 20 percent prefer the Chinese way.

This is not to say that Africans overlook problematic aspects in Sino-African relations. Zambians have not forgotten that a couple of years ago their miners had to fight to get minimum wages from Chinese investors. The protests resulted in riots which turned deadly. Still ,72 percent of Zambians today say that China’s economic and political influence is positive. Analyst Chingwete says: “I think people possibly weigh the positive and the negative. I know there were issues. But I think they also look at the positive aspect.”

China’s investments are especially welcome

According to the survey, there are a number of factors which are liable to tarnish China’s good reputation among Africans: “Citizens highlighted issues having to do with the quality of Chinese products,” Chingwete said. More than one third of Africans (35 percent) feel the products they buy from China are not up to standard. Other negative perceptions are China’s extraction of resources from the continent, land grabbing and taking away jobs and trade from Africans. On the positive side are Chinese investments in infrastructure and other projects, business partnerships and the low cost of imported products. 

Currently, former European colonial powers are still seen as the countries having the strongest political and economic influence on the continent (28 percent). But the gap with China (23 percent) is narrowing. The US comes a close third with 22 percent. But with 30 percent they are still ahead of China (24 percent) when it comes to being a role model.

Will China soon replace America in that position? Expert Chingwete doesn’t think so. The US is increasing its presence in Africa, and Africans are well aware of the benefits of trade relations with the US: “For instance we can look at the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA. This has really helped most African countries to be able to trade effectively with the States.”  But, she adds, “China is really coming on board and moving very fast.”