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International-UN-NGOs
Mandela Demands Africa Aid
2005-02-05
Britain's hopes of drumming up $50 billion a year in aid for Africa suffered a serious setback on Friday when the United States rejected London's plan. Even Europe's backing seemed to be fading as both Italy and Germany said they would prefer something less ambitious than the proposal British finance minister Gordon Brown put to a meeting of the Group of Seven rich nations. But former South African president Nelson Mandela said he would accept no half measures. It was an outrage to let Africa sink further into disease and poverty, he said. "We are here to claim justice," the frail 86-year-old told the G7 ministers. "Do not delay while poor people continue to suffer," he said, demanding a full write-off of African debt and $50 billion extra a year in aid for the next decade...
We have a right to 600 Billion of your dollars! Reparations for colonization! We need more palaces!
Posted by:Anonymoose

#15  Darfur, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda under Idi Amin, the racist dictator Mugabe now... The list goes on an on of Africans pissing in thier own wells then screaming for someone to come fix things - all the while cursing those who are fixing things as White Devils, and trying to shift the blame to the outsiders for they horrors the inflict on themselves.

Tell ya what Mr Mandela. You get a handle on all the slavery, brutalism and racist tribalism by Africans against Africans that is running rampant across Africa especially in the totalitarian dictatorships, then we will talk aid.

Until then: Its your problem, you broke it, you fix it. Not the symptoms (the deaths and famine), but the root causes of problem itself (your tribalism).

Because until you so stop being tribal racists (and beginto see the real problem is not us, but YOU!), sending you aid is like feeding a starving gorilla and then handing him a fully loaded machine gun.
Posted by: OldSpook   2005-02-05 11:15:07 AM  

#14  Darfur, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda under Idi Amin, the racist dictator Mugabe now... The list goes on an on of Africans pissing in thier own wells then screaming for someone to come fix things - all the while cursing those who are fixing things as White Devils, and trying to shift the blame to the outsiders for they horrors the inflict on themselves.

Tell ya what Mr Mandela. You get a handle on all the slavery, brutalism and racist tribalism by Africans against Africans that is running rampant across Africa especially in the totalitarian dictatorships, then we will talk aid.

Until then: Its your problem, you broke it, you fix it. Not the symptoms (the deaths and famine), but the root causes of problem itself (your tribalism).

Because until you so stop being tribal racists (and beginto see the real problem is not us, but YOU!), sending you aid is like feeding a starving gorilla and then handing him a fully loaded machine gun.
Posted by: OldSpook   2005-02-05 11:15:07 AM  

#13  Most African colonies were freed in the 1950s or 1960s. It's been nearly 50 years. Any problems are of their own making.

We bombed German and Japan flat in 1945. There was starvation and people freezing in '46-47. The much-vaunted Marshall plan was a far smaller amount of money than we've given to these kleptocracies. Yet, they were back on their feet and beating the pants of RCA and GM in under 30 years.

The difference was the culture. I can't see Africa ever becoming a decent place without a change in the culture.

Perhaps the problem with colonialism was that it didn't last long enough and the imperial states weren't aggressive enough in forcibly re-making the societies.
Posted by: jackal   2005-02-06 12:03:19 AM  

#12  JFM is right. Much of what passes as history is little more ideology. Go back and read contemporary sources and you will find people were constantly asking why colonies cost so much and gave so little return and the arguments in return were its our duty to help them. The term 'white man's burden' was not originally ironic.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-05 6:07:33 PM  

#11  Steve White

You need a refresher on African history: the late 19th century colonization was an effort to protect blacks against Muslim slavery (or at least that how it was sold to the public). So much for the white man doing nothing for Africa. And whatever the afterthoughts of those cold monsters called statemen your average British or French believed it was doing Africans a favour. And before you sneer remember that it was not African doctors who brought a cure against paludism and it was not African Army the one who stopped the slaver raids (except in Rwanda) or put an end to the bloodbaths perpetrated by the Zulu Kings: hundreds of thousands dead mostly by impaling.

Of course it was bad to bring the Africans to what was none of their business ie WWI and the German and Belgian colonization were particularly brutal, greedy and times genocidical but as I said not evrything was bad.
Posted by: JFM   2005-02-05 4:53:50 PM  

#10   It was an outrage to let Africa sink further into disease and poverty, he said.

And were we to try telling these guys how to clean up their act and run their show, it's almost a certainty that we'd be accused of meddling, or worse, imperialism.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-02-05 4:16:19 PM  

#9  Until then: Its your problem, you broke it, you fix it.

I dunno, King Leopold had a hand in it.

So did the Germans in South-West Africa. So did the French and the Brits. I suppose you could blame Brazilians, Americans and assorted New World governemnts, too, if you were rigorous in your scorekeeping.

Fact is, the Euros didn't do Africa any favors over the last five centuries or so. The worst thing, even worse than Leopold, may have been inflicting socialism on Africa. Damn that Marx guy.

I wouldn't mind at all helping Africa, particularly those Africans who have had the scales fall from their eyes. I see little nuggets of hope here and there and would like to encourage that.

But Mandela's extortion (for that is exactly what it is)? Nope, no way.
Posted by: Steve White   2005-02-05 1:49:37 PM  

#8  No half measures were offered; case closed.
Posted by: Tom   2005-02-05 1:06:41 PM  

#7  Well, wasn't this a nice, objective article?
Posted by: Pappy   2005-02-05 1:02:38 PM  

#6  mandy's an asshole, always has been. How about we write off their debt but no new aid package, deal?
Posted by: Jeamp Ebbereting9472 aka Jarhead   2005-02-05 11:58:08 AM  

#5  mandela is a dingleberry on the butthole of Africa. He's a communist, always has been a communist, always will be a communist. PISS ON HIM! And, PISS ON AFRICA! The problems they have are of their own doing. As long as they adhere to the principles of communism/socialism, no amount of aid, (U.S. taxpayer money), will do anything but intensify their suffering. In short.....FUCK 'EM AND FEED 'EM FISH HEADS.
Posted by: Tom Dooley   2005-02-05 11:43:23 AM  

#4  show us Bob's head on a pike and we'll throw you a bone. Until then, STFU and get your house in order
Posted by: Frank G   2005-02-05 11:32:30 AM  

#3  "... Nelson Mandela said he would accept no half measures"

OK. We won't offer any. Do visit again sometime.
Posted by: jackal   2005-02-05 11:31:06 AM  

#2  Darfur, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda under Idi Amin, the racist dictator Mugabe now... The list goes on an on of Africans pissing in thier own wells then screaming for someone to come fix things - all the while cursing those who are fixing things as White Devils, and trying to shift the blame to the outsiders for they horrors the inflict on themselves.

Tell ya what Mr Mandela. You get a handle on all the slavery, brutalism and racist tribalism by Africans against Africans that is running rampant across Africa especially in the totalitarian dictatorships, then we will talk aid.

Until then: Its your problem, you broke it, you fix it. Not the symptoms (the deaths and famine), but the root causes of problem itself (your tribalism).

Because until you so stop being tribal racists (and beginto see the real problem is not us, but YOU!), sending you aid is like feeding a starving gorilla and then handing him a fully loaded machine gun.
Posted by: OldSpook   2005-02-05 11:15:07 AM  

#1  But former South African president Nelson Mandela said he would accept no half measures.

Beggars should be humble.

Posted by: gromgorru   2005-02-05 10:51:06 AM  

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