TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Ikh' ra (Learn)
Ikh' ra (Learn)
« previous 2


Senegal has lost much
Related to country: Senegal

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic



by Ababacar

Senegal has lost much in the last 20 years. Each day, a little more of our cultivable land crumbles into sand dunes; each night, our pirogues (traditional fishing boats) return with a little less fish than the day before. The rural exodus and illegal immigration are the forerunners of an ecological poverty which threatens the margins of our survival.
Due to all these problems, the cost of life in Senegal is high and getting higher.
Negotiations between the Senegalese government, the unions, and employers were held more than three months ago. At this meeting, according to the news reports, the different parties came together to examine the demands for an increase in buying power. Saying that poverty is gaining ground is becoming redundant in Senegal and in many African countries. For many years, “Africa experts” have maintained that the main reason for the poverty of the continent is tribal wars. But even if there is some reason in this theory, seeing the example of Senegal and of other countries which have not been at war, one must question the truth of these generalizations. A common phenomenon right now, which illustrates the level of poverty and despair which holds sway in the country, is the young people who take to the sea in pirogues in an attempt to migrate to Europe. Here they tell us that the youth are the vehicles of development, but they never say what kind of development or in whose or what interest. Most young people refuse to discuss politics, saying that it is a waste of time. Is this true, or are they simply falling victim to a vision of politics created by the people in power? Are we letting them get away with their lies? They tell us we must go to university, and be successful. Most of us go to school to relieve loneliness, but unfortunately find ourselves there alone because most of the professors are absent from their classrooms (University of Dakar, Department of Letters and Social Sciences/ English). According to a source at the association of students of the College of Letters and Human Sciences, their college was constructed to hold 600 to 1,200 students but it has passed between 25,000 and 30,000 registered students, 25 to 40 times more than the number predicted.

The authorities expect the students to be successful, but the system is set up for them to fail. Here, they demand the population to be patriotic and public-spirited, and yet the ministers themselves falsify their resumes in order to be promoted. Why should we be surprised to see, two weeks ago, the citizen who was arrested for helping his fellow student citizens make their way to study in France using fake diplomas he created himself? They warn that you can’t do whatever you want in Senegal, because it is a country with justice. But, like many African countries, our ‘just’ justice seems to ignore that millions of citizens are living poorly because some people have stolen millions of dollars from them. In reference to these millions, I can’t even begin to estimate the debt of this continent. Since independence, our countries have done nothing but indebt themselves, or rather our governments have done nothing but indebt themselves. It is important to point out that the loans seem to enrich our governments but bizarrely impoverish our countries and our people. The Northern countries, who since independence have participated in the theft of riches from the continent, soothe their conscience by giving us what they call ‘development aid’. What they realize and we seem to ignore is that the development aid does nothing to help us develop. At the same time, their model of development has already shown its limits and consequently they are now trying to find a new solution which is commonly called ‘sustainable development’. African leaders still want to develop their continent in the former model; they want to take what Northern countries have thrown out, while the North continues to develop itself by exploiting Africa’s natural and mineral resources, but especially through a new phenomenon which is reminiscent of slavery: selective emigration. Europe is surprised to see how many young Africans (most of them Senegalese) are fleeing in pirogues. On our side, it is their incomprehension of this phenomenon which surprises us.
Who is it who comes and pumps our seas of its resources for their own needs? Who is it who has caused and continues to cause the ill-being of the Ogoni population of Nigeria?
Quel développement durable pour le Sud? - Résultats Google Recherche de Livres. According to them, our continent represents only one percent (1%) of world trade. This is incomprehensible to us, because it seems clear that African resources are indispensable for so many of the things which are done in their countries. If Africa is poor it is because the IMF and the World Bank, in complicity with shady African regimes, have dirty politics which consist of keeping our head under water so that we will stay in the position of dependence on them www.bamako-film.com/. When African leaders embezzle our money, they keep it in Northern banks. When they finish pillaging Africa and finally withdraw, though they will never completely retire, it is in the North that they will finish their pampered life. We will never know what deal exists between these two poles, in which it is the people who are the victims. Nevertheless, the African peoples must wake up and take their future in their own hands. Africa is out of breath from dancing too much. Let us choose leaders who are competent and motivated by the desire to develop the continent in a sustainable manner, not choose leaders and dealers who are of the same religion or hometown, or who are of the same ethnic group… as me. This last type of leader does not hesitate to auction off the resources of the continent, creating a famine, and then violently suppressing the populations who protest against their hunger. www.haitiwebs.com/forums/world_news/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/africa/18senegal.html?ex=1371528000&en=28e917442c014b0b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

January 19, 2009 | 9:22 PM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


Sustainable Development: Yes, BUT...
Related to country: Senegal

Translations available in: English (original) | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | English | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

An expression translated from English, the term "sustainable development"
appeared for the first time in 1980, in the book written by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Then in 1987 came the publication of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) report, Our Common Future, also called the Brundtland Report, after WCED chair GRO Harlem Brundtland. The report contained the first definition of the term sustainable development--development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable development has a long-term vision taking into account the indisociable character of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of development. Sustainable development became the quest of Graal, of governments and of political leaders, but this concept has often remained elusive and unattainable.
Are we now progressing towards sustainable development? If not, what are the obstacles? Conventional indicators of progress, like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), do not take in account the fundamental human and ecological problems and do not bring answers to these questions.
As far as we can see, sustainable development is in the interests of our elected officials. But a nation is not made only of its elected officials: there are also those who carry them to their positions of power on the promise of a better life. What one notes and what unfortunately remains is that there is an economic language which is addressed only to those privileged enough to speak it and which does not reflect the wellbeing of the people and their environment. It is well and good for the stock markets to finish in the black and be able to pay pay off or erase their slate of foreign debt (as it is often the case for our countries). However if economic gains do not reflect the true quality of life of the populations, the latter will undoubtedly be disinherited from the dividends of growth. We are tempted to say sometimes that our economists fudge the books or simply that their employers (our governments) cultivate ignorance. Such a situation can continue for a time but not forever. Must we
continue to develop to the detriment of the environment and society? Does Africa have to follow in the footsteps of Western development, to be rewarded by the IMF with the title of "good student, studious pupil"? Are the objectives of sustainable development realizable and not utopian? There are many questions, but few answers. The observation we have made is that certain regimes devoid of inspiration grapple for the concept of sustainable development as for a life preserver. Yes, sustainable development can be a lifesaver, in particular for our people and all the people of the world in a general way. But it is first necessary to seek to see how to introduce it into our respective countries, considering each country has its geographical, socio-cultural, and economic specificities. What is valid for the North may not be valid for the South and vice versa. However we can all arrive at agreeing on certain points, such as deforestation, as being an obstacle toward the fight against global warming, or linear economics as a foundation of development which has shown its limits for a long time. But it is because we are too stubborn to maintain the idea, and also because old habits die hard, but especially because the unknown often creates fear, that we hesitate to adopt a new type of economics suitable for sustainable development--circular economics. There is theory, but not enough results. What are we missing? Grassroots involvement? Maybe it has been a problem, but what can you expect when in schools and training programs the message of the environment is almost nonexistent. Does the problem lie in our elected leaders? It is necessary to know the existing priorities and to make steps to move forward: one should not put the plough before the horse! School is a tool for education, the children constitute a vector of development; it follows that good programs of Education Relating to the Environment (ERA) for the children would be productive. “There exists a problem of engagement of individuals in local projects and movements. There is a lack of conscience citizens,” they tell us.
How can they claim to ensure the development and well being of their people without even holding preliminary discussions with the grassroots before making decisions? Regarding the safeguard of biodiversity and emancipation of the populations in the fight against climate change and its consequences, it should be said that there is an urgency of action. Nevertheless, the emergency measures, are not only unproductive but also draconian, even radical. Let us talk about sustainable development before adopting it. That will help us to avoid the mistake of our leaders: adopting rather than adapting ideas coming from abroad.
Paraphrasing the Brundtland Report, “To reach that point, corporations, public authorities and civil society will have to work hand in hand in order to reconcile three spheres which have ignored each other for a long time, the spheres of economy, ecology and society. In the long run, there will be no effective development if it is not economically effective, socially equitable and ecologically tolerable."

November 29, 2008 | 4:23 AM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


« previous 2


Ababacar's Profile

Ababacar's Friends


Latest Posts
Senegal has lost much
Sustainable...
For Your Information
Le Sénégal a...

Monthly Archive
April 2008
November 2008
January 2009

Change Language


Filter By Type
Travel
Topics

Friends
Abdou Aziz Ndoye
Andrea Lennberg
CHILD RESCUE MISSION CRM
clarita zarate
Danish Khan MCP, CompTIA A+ & CompTIA Network+ Certified Professional (webmaster@mdanishkhan.tk)
Dia
Emily Briggs
famanta
linda williams
makhisto
Meinark
Mohamed Elkashash
Rezah
Suneboy
Timothy G. Branfalt Sr.


8253 views
Important Disclaimer