DRC 'Fun' Fact

I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of all things African is pretty limited. Sure I've been to Morocco, but that hardly counts as Africa (except that it's physically on the landmass). But through my work at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and with many of my friends at the LSE who are interested in Africa, a flatmate who studies African politics, and two friends who just moved there (one to South Africa and the other to Tanzania), my interest has officially been piqued.

As I've been working on my dissertation (which is due all too soon), I've been trying to bone up on (aside: where does that expression come from?!?!) my African geography and general knowledgebase. Which is why, when an old friend from school who is now into her third year of med school said she was interested in maybe spending a year in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), and we both joked that it would be too dangerous, I decided that I needed to find out more about why exactly it would be too dangerous. So Wikipedia, there I went.

And the interesting DRC fact that I learned:

"The Belgian Congo, which was also rich in uranium deposits, supplied the uranium that was used by the United States to build the atomic weapons that were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945."

I had no idea! I thought that we had rich uranium deposits in Nevada that we sourced from in that era. Since there was no source cited, I thought I'd do a little search and indeed, iafrica.com backed up this assertion.

So now I just need to figure out why, besides the uranium, the DRC is a dangerous place... back to the Wikipedia (oh, and the dissertation)!

Diegogarcity and an Excuse to Procrastinate

It's amazing how productive one can be when trying to avoid other tasks (ie, writing a dissertation...). Or maybe reading the IHT isn't that productive, but I saw several fascinating articles that were worth mentioning.

First, in a fit of diegogarcity (alright, a slightly hijacked usage of the term, expanding its meaning from a word that we suddenly see everywhere to a concept we suddenly see everywhere), I noticed several interesting articles about a renaissance of sorts in Northern Africa. Ancient writings bring new interest to Timbuktu was a fascinating article that explored the 're-discovery' of ancient texts that have been stored in what was once a cultural centre but is now synonymous with the middle-of-nowhere. Perhaps that's a small part of what is causing European governments to ask: Will North Africa gain from closer ties to Europe? And vice versa, of course. This article mentions specifically Sarko's and Prodi's plans to develop North Africa as a way of deterring immigration to their respective countries (France and Italy). I had not heard of a desire to create a Mediterranean Union before, but I like the idea (as long as it's not a second class substitute to allowing these countries into the EU).

And somewhat related to that story is one I just found about Chinese foreign policy in Africa: Is China Changing Africa or is Africa Changing China?, written by an LSE professor, Dr Chris Alden. This unique perspective offers that:

Ironically, deepening Chinese engagement has caused China to drift away from its once rock-solid principle of domestic non-intervention to support for internationally-sanctioned intervention in selected conflicts or post-conflict areas like Sudan and Liberia. One has the sense that Beijing is feeling the hot breadth of Africa's worst governing practices and is in the midst of absorbing a swiftly applied series of lessons meted out by petro-elites and pariah regimes.

And with regards to globalization, I thought this article about locally produced food, Homegrown isn't always best, was interesting. While there is still a lot to be said for eating seasonally and supporting local communities, I suppose we really do have to take a macro systems view when it comes to food production/distribution. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we can't just look at transport, but also all the factors that go into production. Consider this tidbit from the article:

[Scientists] found that lamb raised on New Zealand's clover-choked pastures and shipped 11,000 miles by boat to Britain produced 1,520 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per ton while British lamb produced 6,280 pounds of carbon dioxide per ton, in part because poorer British pastures force farmers to use feed.

I should note that this study was done in New Zealand and we might want to question the political motives of the scientists, but an interesting thought nevertheless!

And on the Asia front, I was disconcerted to see the Thai police resorting to punishments based on really puerile gender stereotypes. The idea: Less-than-purr-fect Thai police to sport Hello Kitty armbands as punishment. Give me a break!

A Moroccan Aside

Well, I've been working on my dissertation of late, and part of that required some background research into Morocco. I found out some interesting trivia that's not exactly relevant to my dissertation in the end, but worth sharing nevertheless. It is fun facts for wHeNeVeR, right?

• Morocco is the world's third largest producer (after the US and Russia) and the largest exporter of phosphates.


• Morocco was the first country to officially recognise the US as a country in 1777 after it declared its independence from Britain. Indeed, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship is the US's oldest non-broken friendship treaty dating back to 1786.


• Essaouira, a formerly important port on the Atlantic coast, was home to a large Jewish community that escaped there following Spanish persecution under Queen Isabella.


• In 2006 a free-trade agreement went into effect between Morocco and the US. However, because the dirham is linked mainly to the Euro and the dollar has been so weak, trade between the two countries is still quite minimal.


• Tourism is one of Morocco's key markets for development, with a government goal of 10 million tourists per annum by 2010. Figures stood at 6.1 million in 2005.

Who knew?

A Globalizing Maroc

It has been argued that the ‘national identity’ is perhaps the biggest and most successful myth perpetrated on humankind during the modern era. Morocco might be a good example of this.

Originally home to nomadic Berber tribes, Arab influences were introduced to the area early, and Carthage established not long thereafter. And though the French had a major role as the main colonizing power of Morocco, one doesn’t have to look far to see the influences of other European states. In the north, where only a small stretch of water separates Morocco and Spain, Spanish sway is evident. Or, a tour around the port town of Essaouira will make apparent the power the Portuguese once had in the area. And with it’s role as one of the most important slave ports on the North African coast, the influence of Sub-Saharan slaves who never made it farther than Morocco is obvious in the Gnaoua tribe that still inhabits the area.

“Every grand civilization is a metissage,” once said Leopold Sedar Senghor (at least according to the Routard), and perhaps this is because, as Salman Rushdie said in defense of his controversial Satanic Verses, “ mélange, hotchpotch [by which we assume he means hodgepodge?!], a bit of this and a bit of that is how newness enters the word.”

And so what does it mean to be Moroccan? Does one identify with Berber roots (of which one might have none)? Does one look to Islam which has organized the society? And if we go that far, must we then look to the French who have left an indelible impression on the politics, economy, and culture of the country? The answer is, probably a little bit of all of these, depending on the time, place, and person. And this is exactly why the myth of that nation-state is so powerful—no matter one’s personal leanings, one is above all else Moroccan. Dwell on that thought a while with regards to your personal context (what does it mean to be an American [especially], or a Chinese, or a Mexican, or a Pilipino, or ad infinidum anyway?).

And while you do, let me continue with two other questions with regards to the Moroccan case: a) is this Marocaine metissage of the past any different from what we experience today as globalization? and b) how is globalization experienced in Morocco today?

With regards to the first question, I can only start with the same argument that most proponents of a globalization thesis start with: the idea of intensification. Indeed Anthony Giddens, one of the pioneering globalization theorists defines globalization “as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.”

And so, it can be argued that in previous periods, Morocco was maybe subordinated to a colonial ruler, but that this hardly constitutes the close relations all around the world that apparently exist today. Colonial imperialism ≠ globalization—it is too simple a relationship. Also, to what extent did farmers in Bordeaux know and/or care about a nomadic Berber tribe at the height of French colonial rule in Morocco? Perhaps more so than vice versa, but still probably only a negligible amount.

Is this any different from the modern era? Questionable, though several scenarios can be imagined where the two disparate groups might have a large impact on one another. For example, it is much more likely today that a member of the Berber tribe might have immigrated (legally or otherwise) to France, maybe to Bordeaux even. The French farmer then would be confronted directly with this ‘other,’ who might keep in touch with relatives in Morocco via telephone (Skype?), or some other mediated form of nearly instantaneous interaction. Or a more likely scenario might be the French farmer who now has the easy ability to jump a cheap flight to Morocco to go meet (and buy a rug from?) said nomadic Berber tribe.

Framed in this way, it’s a question of intensification. But while a tourist to Morocco is more likely to be from France, or at least Francophone, s/he might just as easily be Spanish, British, Canadian, Australian, Italian, American, Japanese, German, etc. Here it is the diverse global influences, the world system, that is emphasized.

Returning to the Portu-Franco-Arab-Moroccan slave port of Essaouira then, was that not a player in a global system? Anyone with basic high school history can draw the golden triangle of the slave trade between Africa, the New World, and established European powers. Perhaps I’m being to Western-centric to call this a world system, for where is Asia in the slave game? But it’s certainly a very established, very international economic process, where actions in distant lands had very direct local consequences. How is globalization any different today? I’m a little at a loss.

And so I turn to the second question: how is globalization experienced for Moroccans today?

Again, I want to start in Essaouira, a UNESCO world heritage site, which might begin to give us an idea of how the town experiences the world today: as a tourist attraction.

For Amir (names have been changed to protect the innocent) a horse handler who comes from a small village about 3km from Essaouira, this means that beyond speaking Arabic and French (the two languages taught in school) he also must be semi-conversant in English and German. We chose to speak in French.

“Moi, je suis lycencé en informatique,” he explained during our short horse ride. “Me, I have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.” “Mais tu vois, je suis ici avec les chevaux,” he laments. “But you see, I’m here with the horses.” It’s the only way for him to make a living in a community which he estimates has an unemployment rate upwards of 40%. “I did create a website for my ranch. I’ll give you the address.”

As we ride through the scrub brush he points to an ancient stone bridge that had been washed away many years before during a flash flood. There are men taking laser measurements on top of the remains. “Are they rebuilding the bridge?” I ask.

“Oh, of course. You see all that scrub over there, that’s being cleared for a golf course. And the construction over there is a new resort. They need to rebuild the bridge so they have access to it.”

“It’s a shame that they’re destroying all that ‘forest,’” I reply.
“Yeah, but the one good thing I can say about it all is that it brings work for the locals.”

And so it appears that Morocco is moving to fill its global niche as a European vacation spot—France’s Mexico if you will. If we are to believe Amir, this is the only route to economic stability for the local populace, which is quite disheartening. But THAT’s globalization today.

Marrakech Vid

And since I'm having so much fun playing with iMovie, here's another short excerpt of my trip to Morocco.

Essaouria Vid

Best Laid Plans

Arriving in Essaouira (as-suira, or 'the well drawn/designed') one can't help but feel the presence of antiquity. That's not to say it's not a modern town--indeed, the beach is lit at night with acerbic floodlights that flicker in the harsh sea wind. But standing on the flushed white ramparts that encircle the medina watching the waves crash up against the rocks, one gets the impression that it's a city past its prime. Rising from the sea-mist it sits regally, like a queen who has lost her kingdom but retains her dignity.

And so it is a welcome change from England, or even St. Malo, France, of which it is vaguely reminiscent. In the medina, motorized vehicles are not allowed, making it a real breath of fresh air. It's a UNESCO world heritage site, and in that sense could just as easily be Lijiang or Luang Prabang, but I'm here during the winter, at the nadir or tourist season, and so it's doable. The beach is mostly empty with the exception of small groups of boys playing football.

But it's the history that's interesting here. Essaouira is situated just on the NW coast of Africa (see map above) facing out to the Atlantic ocean and the Canary Islands. There are small islands just off the coast (just like St. Malo), but the port is more like Marseille, with an island housing not the famous Chateau D'If (of The Count of Monte Christo fame) but a prison just the same. Ironically though, the prison sits next to a mosque, whose minaret stands proud as a monument to ancient Arabic expansion into the west through North Africa.

These islands are known as the "Iles Purpres," or the Purple Islands, and it's here that we can begin to see the links to antiquity. During the time of Caesar, it was on these isles that the mollusks used to make the purple dye for the royal robes were collected. But the "height" of Essouira came much later, as an important port along the slave trade.

And walking along the port, now used to support a fairly minor fishing economy, I couldn't help but think about the trade that used to take place here. And suddenly the ramparts became opressive.

But beyond its history, Essaouira is a beautiful city. Today, as I was walking down the beach, a man approached me with the idea of taking a horse over to "Jimi Hendrix's Castle" (note, Jimi Hendrix, and many other hippies, stationed out here in Essaouira during the 70s apparently). I thought, why not, and we were off with me riding Che Guevara (what a name for a horse!).

We did go over to the little village of Diabat, after fording a river whose stone bridge had collapsed long ago. After a ride through the brush, we came upon Hendrix's "chateau," again, long since in disrepair. The best part was trotting over to the dunes and then over to the beach, where we set out in a full gallop through the shallows. I felt like I was either in Hidalgo, with the sea appearing from behind the dunes, or some Bond film, racing down the beach on a horse. In any case, it was the best experience I've had all trip, and is one I'd recommend highly.

If you have the time, Ranch Mogador even does 6-day horse treks from Essaouira to Agadir, following the coast. It's something I'll definitely have to keep in mind for next time, as riding horses is soooo much nicer than riding camels!

Soyez le bienvenue

First, my apologies if there are a lot of mistakes in this post. I'm trying to be careful with my typing, but I'm using a Moroccan keyboard whose Roman character input is in the French-AZERTY style. Of course, this is made more difficult by the fact that most of the keys are so well used that I can't read the letters, so I'm trying to use AZERTY from memory, and that's just a touch difficult.

But at least I'm here in Marrakech, just meters from the central square, Djemma al-fenah listening to the afternoon prayers. I was looking at flights several months ago (which is how I ended up in France) and thought to myself: 'at the end of term, I'm going to want to escape from London's cold grey skies to some place vaguely warm and sunny.' And so, Morocco!

The funny thing is though, that it's actually warmer in London at the moment. That's not to say that it wasn't damn cold last night when I left (I spent forever waiting for a bus in 35 degree Farenheit weather...grrr), it's just not that much warmer here, and to top it off, it's raining en plus! It's supposed to clear up (and warm up!) by Tuesday, but it still makes me sad, especially since I don't have indoor heating.

But despite all this, I'm really enjoying myself already. I've been taking Arabic classes at the LSE this term, and upon arrival here in al-Maghreb (Morocco) have had a sense of instant gratification. Now, all we've spent the first six weeks doing is learning the Arabic alphabet, but it's so refreshing to study a language with an alphabet again! I'm just going around Marrakech like a little child sounding out letter by letter the words. But it works, and I could read 'Marrakech Menera Airport' in Arabic when I arrived. It's so different than in Chinese where even if I can understand what the word means, I might not be able to pronounce it unless I've memorized how to do so. Now my problem is that I can read some words, but I have absolutely no clue what they actually mean. Details, right? I also don't know how to say anything in Arabic yet, with the exception of "Peace be upon you," so that's a little less than helpful when trying to get around. Next time, next time!

And in a truly bizarre, small world moment, I was walking down the street here, when all of a sudden I heard: "Jeff! Is that you?" Travelling by myself, I was a little taken aback. And then I recognized her--it was a fellow Whittie named Molly who is just returning to the US from Senegal after her two-year Peace Corps stint there. Apparently with Air Maroc you can stay over in Casablanca for up to a month when flying between Dakar and JFK, so she thought she'd take advantage of that fact to explore a new country. She's even already started to catch me up on all the gossip about the other Whitties and people I know from my study abroad program in Nantes, France who were doing Peace Corps in Western, Sub-Saharan Africa. After just having met another friend, Mags, who was passing through London last Wednesday, I can't help but think that us Whitties are everywhere!

Now to see if I can't find a hammam (bath house) to go warm up and get a massage in...

Hakuna Matata?

With the China-Africa Forum on in Beijing at the moment the news is flush with commentary on Sino-African relations, and the subtitle of one of the IHT’s lead articles, China aims to increase its clout in Africa, Unsaid goal: Redraw world's strategic map, says a lot about how it’s being talked about.

Is China trying to become Africa’s next imperial ruler, or are they truly trying to promote universal development (see The allure of the Chinese model)? And what are the ramifications of China’s involvement in Africa? Should the US and Europe be worried that there is a new player in the game?

I’ve written several times before about China’s policy of non-interference in the “internal affairs” of other countries, especially pointing to an excellent article by Howard French back in May entitled Letter from China: A growing power lets a growing crisis fester. That article was a scathing critique of China’s approach to the Sudan, but The perils of Beijing's Africa strategy takes an even broader picture of the ramifications of non-interference.

And if you’re looking for an even larger view, the article that my friend Even pointed me towards, China paves way to Myanmar riches, talks about China’s growing influence in the junta-state of Myanmar (formally Burma, which borders the Yunnan province where I was for the last two years). Essentially the Chinese are trying to open up routes through Myanmar to get to Africa.

As for my opinion: is China trying to spread its influence outside of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries? Absolutely. Is it doing it in an irresponsible way? Possibly. I’m not an expert on African studies (Aaliyah, I’d be curious about your analysis), but supporting corrupt governments with atrocious human-rights records for personal gain hardly seems the responsible thing to do.

On the other hand, if the US wasn’t so obsessed with promoting its ideologies throughout the world, we might not be in such the quagmire we face today.