DEBT IS POVERTY !
DEBT IS SLAVERY !
CANCELLATION IS JUSTICE !!

2005 International women day in Korogocho

The international women day is here with us again. This is a time when women world over converge to take stock of their achievements, challenges and failures. Unfortunately in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the failures and challenges out way the achievements by wide margins. Women, particularly those in the slums and rural areas continue to be the major culprits of the national and global injustices.
The governments in Africa have not done enough to improve the welfare of the women and life in general. In instances where attempts have been made to address the plight of Africans and specifically the women issues, global factors have always frustrated the government’s access to funding. The international community attaches several unrealistic conditionalities before granting multilateral aid and debts to African governments. Most of the times these conditionalities are designed to benefit the donor countries and ensure that the moneys are repatriated back indirectly. They ensure that major machinery and manpower come from the donor counties besides the interests they levy on the loans advanced.
The question of debts advanced to African governments is a major source of the perpetuation of injustice and economic colonization by the West. The existing unfair lending policies and the high interest rates are manifestations of the fact that the donors are directly responsible for creating the African debt crisis. It is only logical that it does spearhead the process to redeem Africa from the debt burden that hung around the neck of every African including those who just been born. According to statistics obtained from Oxfam International, each low-income country pay about 100million dollars to their creditors everyday. The report also says that these countries serviced their external debts at a tune of about 39 billion dollars in 2003 . Kenya for instance spends about 100 billion shillings every fiscal year to service her external debts. These moneys, if written of, would be diverted to pro-poor development programmes.
According to the Korogocho Women Awareness programme, KWAP, the problem of debt has a trickle down effect. The grass root woman directly and indirectly bears the debt burden. KWAP in conjunction with St. John Catholic Church, Korogocho has decided to dedicate this year’ international women day to create awareness on the need for the international community to write of the debts of Africa
The day’s theme will be: DEBT IS POVERTY! DEBT IS SLAVERY! CANCELLATION IS JUSTICE! They have organized peaceful processions along the streets of Korogocho to reach to other women in the slums to rise up to call for the cancellation of these debts. The women organization will also call upon the government to apply the funds saved from the debt relief to initiate pro-women development programmes. Women head many of the families in Korogocho and if their plight is adequately addressed, they are able to cater for their children.100% debt cancellation will assist in achieving this goal.

KOROGOCHO WOMEN AWARENESS PROGRAMME (KWAP)
ST.JOHN CATHOLIC CHURCH, KOROGOCHO
BOX 47714 00100 G.P.O NAIROBI
TEL: (020) 780430
MOBILE: 0733-702972
EMAIL: combonikario@clubinternetk.com

DEBT IS POVERTY! DEBT IS SLAVERY! CANCELLATION IS JUSTICE!!

By Oluoch Japheth*

Many Africans do not understand the intricate jargon that is the international debts. The only thing they are told is that upon their birth, they become creditors. They have debts, which were advanced to their Africa long before they were born. Though this loan has not improved tier welfare, their governments have to pay billions of dollars annually to service the debts. Many of the debts were incurred several year ago before many o them were born. Each Kenyan for instance inherits a debt burden of about 45,000 shillings the first second they appear on earth!!
The governments in Africa have not done enough to improve the welfare of her people and life in general. While in some circumstances this has been due to poor governance and corruption, in instances where attempts have been made to address the plight of Africans, global factors have always frustrated the government’s access to funding. The international community attaches several unrealistic conditionalities before granting multilateral aid and debts to African governments. Most of the times these conditionalities are designed to benefit the donor countries and ensure that the moneys are repatriated back indirectly. They ensure that major machinery and manpower come from the donor counties besides the interests they levy on the loans advanced.
The question of debts advanced to African governments is a major source of the perpetuation of injustice and continued economic slavery by the West. The existing unfair lending policies and the high interest rates are manifestations of the fact that the donors are directly responsible for creating the African debt crisis. When lending practices are unjust, the receiving institutions are unable to generate adequate revenues to provide services to their countries and spare enough to repay the debts. In any case, with the high interest rates levied upon the loans, the governments only manage each year, to repay amounts equivalent to the annual interests. The result is that the principal figures stand unpaid for several years. It is therefore only logical and just that the international community does spearhead the process to redeem Africa from the debt burden that hung around the neck of every African including, those who just been born.
If Africa had no loans and the governments embraced ethical governance, Africa would be able to address the problem of poverty that has threatened the lives of the majority poor. According to statistics obtained from Oxfam International, each low-income country pays about 100million dollars to their creditors everyday. The report also says that these countries serviced their external debts at a tune of about 39 billion dollars in 2003. Kenya for instance spends about 100 billion shillings every fiscal year to service her external debts. These moneys, if written of, would be diverted to pro-poor development programmes. It is also clear that many African governments are committed to servicing these loans only that the burden is too unbearable hence the need for relief.
In light of this worrying scenario, is has become imperative the countries most affected by the debt burden rise up and ask for 100% cancellation of these debts. This is a gigantic task that governments alone cannot carry. The African governments are in most cases in bad books of the donors and this makes negotiation for the debt relief difficult. The donor and dornee institutions do have their own political and economic interests to defend. As the game of interests intensify. The ordinary Africa dies. He continues to be ravaged by the effects of poverty and HIV-AIDS.
There comes a time n the history of humanity, when the ordinary citizens of a country must stop looking up to their governments, crying that the governments provide all the services without doing anything to help the it access resources to provide the services. Such a time has dawned on Kenya and this is why different organizations have changed approach to the debt relief campaigns. While the African governments have a myriad of governance deficiencies, organizations such as Nairobi Economic Justice, a consortium of national and international religious people working for economic justice for Kenyans, motivated by the need to improve the welfare of the poor, have decided to launch vigorous campaigns to ask the international community and other landing institutions to write off Africa’s outstanding debts. Other organizations in this campaign include The Kenya Debt Relief Network, HAKIMANI and Solidarity Action Network.
Addressing a debt relief campaign function in Porto Allegre, Njoki Ndungu of the Solidarity Action made it clear the current debt relief campaigns are issues of justice. Said her: “We are telling every one who wishes to help Africa. We are not requesting charity. We are demanding justice. Our continent has been exploited and abused by powerful outsiders for centuries. After slavery and colonization, the latest tool for imposing foreign interests on us is the lethal combination of debt and the economic conditions of IMF and the World Bank. We can no longer tolerate a system that demands the most impoverished to continue to pay the wealthiest for the privilege to continue struggling to eat, breathe and live! We demand justice!”
These campaigns are not meant to exert unnecessary pressure on the developed countries such us the G8. The U.S for instance is one of the poorest contributors to the aid kitty while it is the heaviest spender on war programmes. A large chunk of this war expenditure is spent in destroying imaginary weapons and enemies. This money could be diverted into more productive humanitarian assistance such as financing poverty eradication programmes in Africa. The children continue to carry on their softer shoulders the heavy burden of debt through diseases and starvation. The moneys spent in wasteful programmes could be used to secure a future for thee innocent children.
The ordinary citizens must personally identify with these campaigns. They ought to be annoyed at the state of the world economy.
Public consciousness is necessary to succeed in involving the public these campaigns. According to Fr. Daniel Moschetti, one of the prime personalities behind the campaigns, Kenyans must be able to address issues that affect their own people and their own country.
The governments of Africa must appreciate the efforts of the citizens and the organizations involved in this campaign by providing political leadership. The governments must not only be heard but be seen to be committed to issues of governance, rule of law, zero tolerance to corruption , social ,economic ,legal and institutional reforms. The African governments must ensure that any funds saved from the debt relief are ploughed back to viable development projects. Never again should such funds find themselves in the pockets of mercantile crocodiles, sharks and hyenas that are closer to the hearts of power.

* The writer is a member of the Justice and peace commission of St. John Catholic Church, Korogocho. He can be reached through: japhol2002@yahoo.co.uk