Slavery returns to Africa

Africa has often been exploited by foreign powers for its wealth, or its people.  Having thrown off European colonial rule over the course of the twentieth century, it now faces new challenges.  One of those is the ‘so-called “China model” of authoritarian, state-driven development as a counter to Western efforts to spread liberal democratic capitalism.’

‘China is, like the West, strategic about the ways in which it doles out aid. A study by AidData, a project based at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, found that countries that vote with China in the UN General Assembly get considerably more money than those that do not’, reports the Economist.

Back in 2008, Peter Hitchens reported that China was creating a new slave empire in Africa.  Similar claims were echoed by the Guardian earlier this year, though more related to their willingness to leave home and become prey to human traffickers.

Countries like Canada are boasting of the ethics of their foreign policies in supporting organizations that impose Western sexual ethics, i.e. abortion to African countries.  Some Africans consider it ideological colonization.  The policy plays well at home, where people can romanticize that the circumstances of African women might be improved with a little biotechnology.  It seems a little less attractive when set against the backdrop of the growth in slavery that Africans are facing.

Perhaps this ought to be the focus of an ethical foreign policy.  No doubt it would draw support from Canadians across party lines.

CNN reports that ‘inside the slave auctions it’s like we’ve stepped back in time. The only thing missing is the shackles around the migrants’ wrists and ankles.’

Read the article and watch the video on CNN