By Farai Maguwu|Well, today I had the honour of speaking at the African Development Bank in Abidjan at the invitation of AfDB and Nordic African Institute, standing in for my Professor, Patrick Bond. It was about balancing the energy needs of Africa and the transition to clean energy as enunciated in many policy documents of AU and African countries.
Both myself and the audience got a shock therapy a bit. I presented climate change as an act of war, an act of aggression against the poor by the rich, structural violence and ..in light of the devastating cyclone Idai – crimes against humanity! Wow! When I I finished speaking the moderator said ‘I first need to put a disclaimer that the views expressed are those of the presenter and not of the AfDB or the Nordic African Institute’ and I bowed my head in appreciation. It truly felt good to say things as truthfully as I could. Then a very senior official with AfDB followed up by apologising to govts and the private sector, saying its unfortunate when they chose speakers they overlooked the need to put a session for govts and private sector so that they can respond to some of the accusations, articulate their positions and challenges too. Again I felt honoured!
I argued that if there was absolutely nothing we can do about the changing climate then violence is absent, just like a baby and mother who died during child birth in 1898, the year Mbuya Nehanda and Kaguvi died. Then we had primitive medical facilities that caused high infant mortality rates and even with the greatest of efforts nothing could be done to save the little soul and the mother. But if we have mothers dying in child birth or infants dying during delivery today, then violence has occurred even though you don’t see someone holding a machete decapitating the child and the mother, because we have the resources and skills set to prevent it from happening. Climate Change denialists like Donal Trump do so because coal serves his business constituency well which is well covered in terms of mitigation against adverse effects. Now compare that with the more than 3 million affected by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa. I said the actual number of Cyclone Idai deaths could be more than double the official statistics as some govts are playing down the full scale of the disaster due to their lackadaisical response. Its high time we treat the impacts of climate change on those least responsible for it as an act of aggression or manslaughter.
I banned the use of phrases like ‘natural disasters’ or ‘acts of God’ when describing tropical cyclones. This removes humans from the centre of these disasters.
I also talked of the logic of keeping minerals in the ground….until we have patriotic leaders who can make good decisions. At the moment poor Africa is the greatest donor to the world. Undeniable fact! Natural capital accounting is essential, we are giving away our national assets for a song and then we tour the world with a begging bowl. The world need African resources and they must come to us begging. Then I talked about how Africans negotiate the so called mega deals. I said when ‘investor countries’ come to Africa they have a plan. They bring a team of competent people but who do they meet in Africa? Probably a Minister and his girlfriend! The deals are so ugly that they cant be published.
Then i came to NDCs, arguing that African govts talk green economy whilst receiving billions of dirty money for fossil energy. Rich countries are shutting down coal fired power stations whilst pouring billions into Africa to construct the same. Bad and corrupt energy deals, esp from China which we shall repay through the nose with huge interests. I also talked about the corruption around Climate Finance and countries that develop climate change response strategies just to access climate finance and never implement anything tangible on the ground. Then I talked briefly about Wicknell Chivhayo’s Gwanda solar circus.
I challenged Africa to dare dream and transition economies to green economies, modify legislations, create conducive environments for renewables / clean jobs and genuinely fight corruption etc. Challenges bring opportunities. Climate change has many opportunities and those that quickly embrace the challenge will lead in technology and innovation
I also talked about BRICS versus the Western fossil fuel investors – two man fighting to rape a woman chained to the wall. I was again reminded during questions and responses by an AfDB official that a study by John Hopkins University said the Chinese are doing very good projects in Africa and well received by Africans. I laughed! I refused to be intimidated by the name John Hopkins University. I then responded and said, ‘you better listen to me who lives and work with communities and activists in Africa than professors at John Hopkins University who probably finished their research paper before the field trip to a certain capital in Africa, if ever they had one! I said Chinese investors are loved only by African ruling elites and NOT by majority of African citizens to whom Chinese investments come with violence, corruption, pollution, water grabbing and inhuman and degrading treatment of the African citizen.
In the end, when I finished I apologized and told my audience ‘on reflection I think I should have been more academic…., next time!’ Afterwards one official from AfDB came to me and said ‘my brother thank you for raising these critical issues, we have had some very uncomfortable internal discussions about these issues, and today I felt vindicated!’
Farai Maguwu is the director of the Natural Resources Governance Trust
