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From the Slave Trade to Free Trade

How Trade Undermines Democracy and Justice in Africa

Edited by Partrick Burnett, Firoze Manji

Leading up to the 200th commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade and the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence, Pambazuka News carried a series of four special issues during 2006 and 2007 that included articles designed to raise awareness and debate on issues of trade and justice. These and other articles from Pambazuka News have been gathered in this book.

We have chosen a deliberately provocative subtitle for this book: ‘How trade undermines democracy and justice’. Two years ago saw large mobilisations around the world, calling for ‘trade justice’. The campaigners were lobbying for the introduction and implementation of new world trade rules, ones that would work for all people, instead of benefiting those who already have the most. They argued that the global trading system should be rebalanced, taking into account the needs of the poor, human rights and the environment.

But, can trade in the era of globalisation be ‘fair’ or ‘just’?

Drawing on lessons from the slave trade, studies of the international finance institutions and the struggles of many African people to make a living, these essays provide insights into how free trade policies have a profoundly negative impact on democracy and justice in Africa. Whether it is the effects of trade policies on informal street traders, who in Africa are often women, the decimation of a country’s health system as a result of the World Bank’s obsession with low inflation, or the sacrificing of community rights in the interests of multinational corporations, it is clear that ‘free’ trade policies impose a profit first and people last regime in Africa.

Many of the book’s contributors will be familiar to the readers of Pambazuka News. They include Charles Abugre, Tope Akinwande, Soren Ambrose, Nnimmo Bassey, Patrick Bond, Jennifer Chiriga, Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, M.P. Giyose, Manu Herbstein, Mouhamadou Tidiane Kasse, Salma Maoulidi, Stephen Marks, Mariam Mayet, Henning Melber, Winnie Mitullah, Patrick Ochieng, Oduor Ongwen, Robtel Neajai Pailey, Liepollo Lebohang Pheko and Jagjit Plahe.

The publication of this book was made possible with the support of HIVOS.

Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction
Firoze Manji and Patrick Burnett

About the contributors

TRADE, INVESTMENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Plugging the leaks – the role of debt, aid and trade
Charles Abugre

For life or profit? GATS and the externalisation of Africa’s resources
Oduor Ongwen

Preserving disorder – IMF policies and Kenya’s healthcare crisis
Soren Ambrose

The new scramble for Africa’s resources
Henning Melber

China in Africa
Stephen Marks

South Africa’s Coega complex – cheap energy for industry
Patrick Bond

LESSONS FROM THE SLAVE TRADE

A story of the Atlantic slave trade
Manu Herbstein

Slavery ain’t dead, it’s manufactured in Liberia’s rubber
Robtel Neajai Pailey

Trade, justice and the case for reparations
M.P. Giyose

WOMEN AND TRADE

What do women want?
Pambazuka News

World trade liberalisation in Africa – why women are most affected by poverty
Cheikh Tidiane Dièye

Trade, gender and the search for alternatives – trade liberalisation and social development
Jennifer Chiriga

Women and globalisation – the impact on their health
Mouhamadou Tidiane Kasse

What do women stand to gain from trade? – women in business and commerce
Salma Maoulidi

Street vendors and informal trading – the struggle for the right to trade
Winnie Mitullah

Friend or foe – the EPAs unmasked
Liepollo Lebohang Pheko

TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE

Trade and human rights in the Niger Delta
Nnimmo Bassey

Community rights and foreign direct investment in Kenya’s Yala Swamp
Patrick Ochieng

Trading food rights and GM crops
Interview with Mariam Mayet

International trade (in)justice or the survival of the fattest – the effects of agricultural subsidies
Tope Akinwande

Sacrificing the right to food on the altar of free trade
Jagjit Plahe

Europe – the ‘promised land’ for Africa’s unemployed
Tope Akinwande

BOXES
Cocoa trade and children
Quick facts on trade
The fight for water in Ghana
Export processing zones in Kenya
Soweto fights for electricity
Stop economic partnership agreements
Kenya: women workers turn to flower power
Facts and figures: women’s rights and trade
Toxic waste in Africa

About the Authors

Patrick Burnett is the News and Information Coordinator for Fahamu and co-editor of Pambazuka News. He has a background in journalism and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Firoze Manji, a Kenyan, is founder and executive director of Fahamu and editor of Pambazuka News. He has formerly worked as programme director for the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, CEO for the Aga Khan Foundation UK, and regional representative for health for IDRC’s office for Eastern and Southern Africa.