April 2, 2006
Fish, The Chinese and Africa
Judie (Not real name), my friend, a couple others and I carried out some research work a few years ago. It only seemed like yesterday when we met electronically for the first time. We had all been given so work to carry out some research on ICTs and Education. Indeed Judie was a great project leader and as such managed our lives and our contributions as effectively and positively as possible. Reports were submitted, accepted and published.

The job came and went but something remained – the friendship that this team of four developed. It was not long before we all sought avenues to meet. We capitalized on any opportunity that would bring us together.

Oleg (not real name) lives in Sweden. He was coming to Addis Ababa where I used to live and thought we could schedule an appointment to finally evade the electronic barriers created by emails and IMs. Unfortunately, the winds of my job had blown me to another country, city altogether. We never met looking for whatever opportunity would present itself again in the future.

Lem (not real name) on the other hand visited Addis Ababa and we had a couple of drinks between us. A long term friendship had commenced that seem to involve our families.

I wish this entry is about the friendship that one had grown to become a part of and the quality of work generated from such but rather its about something that is becoming a serious issue in west Africa, indeed the entire continent.

Back to Judie – we had shared drinks a couple of times before. I had visited Johannesburg a few years back and she drove over 50kms for a cup of coffee from Pretoria where she lives only to catch up and further strengthen this friendship she had been a part of starting. This was our first meeting. However, we still seek opportunities to meet and talk about everything though we may not have any research work in the offing.

I was excited when I learnt Judie was visitin my city again. Tuesday, March 21, 2006. Out of her busy schedule, she made time for dinner during one of her project trips to Dakar Senegal where I now live. I took her to one of my favorite restaurants – the open air restaurants at Almadies. These are non-flashy, relatively inexpensive restaurants but the food offered is fresh, delicious and excellent.

Over the months I realized I was taking more to fish. This new food line followership was called fishiterianism. I was a fishiterian. I loved fish and sea food. I still have issues with clams, oysters and shell fishes but I am getting there. I would eat fish in various forms and sizes. And Dakar made these cravings more real as fish was in abundance. ‘Thiof’, the Senegalese favorite come in all forms and sizes. ‘Thiebou-dieun’ (pronounced 'chep-u-gen') (fish and rice) was normal and always available. The aroma would make you hungry even if you had just had a filling and are struggling to breath. Fish came in all forms. My favorite is grilled thiof. Just fish unseasoned usually, placed on the grill and made to slowly cook over for a short period of time. This procedure was carefully but expertly tended to by one of the many young males that wait tables at this sea side place. The choice of fish is often in sizes - small, medium and large. This night, Judie and I wanted small size fishes. I was watching my weight without success. I realized that the less I eat the more weight I gained. I could do nothing about it. I would jog, run, play squash and tennis once in a while. These were also not helping. Anyhow, the subject of this discuss is about fish and not my weight. Although, I believed that eating less caloric foods like fishes could help in my struggle for weight loss. There was justification for my fishiterianism.

« Je peut avoir du petit poisson sil vous plait ? » Could I have the small fish please?, I requested.

« Il n’ya plus. C’est fini ». None, Its finished. He did not want to continue the conversation.

I looked confused because this was the first time I had not had fish the size I wanted at this particular restaurant. He noticed my confusion and added, “mais il’ya grande. Vous voulez ? Je peut vous donnez?” There is large, should I bring those ?

I ventured further to ask what happened to the fishes. This was early evening and there was no way he could have sold all the small and medium size fishes so early. Reluctantly we had a brief waiter-client tete-a-tete. He mentioned that the fishes are being 'sucked' from under the sea by big Chinese fishing trawlers. They constantly suck the fishes, freeze and export them. This has impacted on the availability of fish in the local Senegalese market. Fish that can be found is a certain size as determined by these external fishing forces. The piroques (fishing boats) have territories from which they must fish and they must do so within a certain time of day. Fish – the staple food of the Senegalese was becoming a scarce commodity in the sea side city of Dakar, a city I am growing daily to like. I wonder how many Senegalese could afford fish that size at the amount they are being charged at. Large fishes are not cheap!

I recalled some incidences last year. Fish had become totally scarce and unavailable in Senegal. I am lay when it comes to marine life. I did not know fishes live in seasons. They may also 'hibernate' like every other creature (or so I was made to understand) I could not understand where the fishes went in the month of June- September. Fish was scarce and totally unavailable! I noticed this when for 3 months our office caterers could not provide fish larger than a certain size. They were the size of a mid size man’s palm held out straight but curved inwards in a way as if to cup some water.

Hmmm, over dinner that evening with Judie, my mind raced (we ordered prawns and rice by the way).

Thought processes kicked in. Where were the fishes? And its not even June (or September yet when fishes are presumable hybernating)? How do the local Senegalese folks survive? Where have the fishes gone? Who controls the Senegalese fishing trade? Who regulates it? Within what waters was the Chinese fishing trade happening. Who controlled the territorial boundaries? Did these deep sea fishing affect fishing in other countries that share the Atlantic with Senegal such as Liberia, Guinea and Mauritania? How long was this exploitation of sealife suppose to continue for? When would it stop? What was the indicator for halting fishing for a season? How long was the contract between the Senegalese and Chinese government?

Suddenly, Dakar is undergoing a facelift. The traffic in the city is usually frustrating and unpredictable. However, there are bridges springing up in places. The government has announced this massive reconstruction projects linking catiers (neighbourhoods) in the city, better traffic flows and control. And bridges are rising. True to the word of the government of the country. Bridges are being constructed.

The elections are next year 2007 and therefore the citizens must be made to see that there is developmental progress in the country. It does not matter at what or whose expense. Again, this discuss is not about bridges or town planning or even politics (hic)

A few months ago, the Embassy of Taiwan abruptly shut down its services in Dakar. A few days before the Chinese had announced the establishment of their embassy in the same city. These two countries apparently do not believe in cohabitation or the values of same. Two captains can not steer a ship. It was best for one to move on as the other remained. The differences between the Chinese and Taiwanese consistently become evident in countries of Africa. One comes in, the other exits.

A friend of mine in the diplomatic cycle was sorry to see her Taiwanese friend go. Alas, she had no control over her diplomatic life as she thought she did. They live in spasms of 4 years in any given country – this is the diplomatic duration. This friend lasted less. Her country had to unceremoniously terminate its engagement in Senegal. The host country did not care a hoot. The benefits of the new entrant far superseded the contributions of the old. It was time for change. Away with the old, in with the new.

So, Dakar is experiencing this Chinese revolution in the way of imports of engineers, technicians and bridges at the expense of fishes, intellectual property, textile and God knows what other materials Senegal is selling in exchange for the biblical morsel of bread.

Millions of dollars are being funneled out of the continent in droves of raw materials. The leaders are selling the heritages of their countries in forms never before experienced, with outright disregard for the future, no sense of pride and for purely selfish reasons. To enrich their pockets, to leave legacies behind (so I can say “bridges were built in my time, while I was president”) and to ensure that the country remain impoverished in the face of modern implementation of technology and infrastructure.

The intellectual properly rights of the Ghanian Kente cloth is held by the Chinese or Dutch or so it seems. Fishing rights in Senegal are supposedly held by the Chinese (unconfirmed) and the once thriving textile industry in Kakuri, Kaduna, State of Nigeria struggled and struggled until it eventually closed shop. My cousin used to work in that industry. He and a host of others no longer have their jobs. Firestone owns and runs a huge industrial infrastructure in Liberia. It thrived even through the war that thousands of Liberians were killed. Rubber is constantly being sucked from the trees, tires and other rubber products manufactured are sold at rates unbelievable to the Liberian people and the other countries of West Africa.

Ivorian coffee is one of the best in the world. Nestle ran through the Ivorian war. When the condition affected its returns, it sought to relocate. Staff were scattered in several other West African countries.

Ghana enjoys a huge chunk of Nestle’s operations. Offices sprang up in Senegal and other West African countries. Ghana’s chocolate does not meet international standards but its cocoa does. Its ok to export it to Switzerland where it is converted into the famous swiss chocolates and sold back into the country.

Nigerian oil follows the same path. It finds no market in Africa including neighboring Benin except in its black market. Nigerian refined essence can be found only in Nigerian gas pumps or in bellies of reconstructed scooters in the neighboring Benin to be sold as smuggled products in large gallon bottles. Even Benin does not sell Nigerian petrol from its gas pumps.

Cameroonian bananas, mangoes and other fruits find their way into the UK markets. They are labeled as such in the Tescos and the Salisburys - “Product of Cameroon”. They have no market in Africa. Ethiopian coffee (one of the best grades in the world) sit on very high end coffee shelfs in Careffour – the French supermarket chain.

Just a little of the products that have made their way out of Africa into every part of the world makes it back into itself. Again, this discuss is about fish and not coffee, chocolate, or bananas.

'A fool at forty is a fool forever.' - anonymous

Africa has remained in its teens long after independence. Behaves as a child and lives like one. Like a 2 year old, it would not understand why a second helping of candy is being denied it. It would wail, seek attention, pity and the eventual second helping to the detriment of its tiny milk teeth.

It travels around the world seeking debt relief, cancellation and forgiveness. It is being offered all sorts of goodies which it grabs with open arms – strings attached. Eats the bait, hook and line and eventually succumbs to the whims and caprices of its fisherman as they jerk the line pulling up its innards when it seeks a return for one of its many 'investements'.

The West had and still does rob Africa of its wealth. The East, in a more subtle way has commenced from where the west stopped (or didn’t stop).The continent is still being ripped into shreds. Very lose stings hold the fabrics together. No western eye blinks as the diseases and famines that ravage the continent have become daily occurrences and subjects of daily propaganda news items which are carried by western news media reported by African correspondents that do not seem to understand the agenda of their employers. They in turn have sold their souls for morsels of the “best” meats that can be provided them by the western press.

The continent is being siphoned. The wars and civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola Sierra Leone, Liberia would never cease as wealth is involved – African wealth. Gold, diamonds, and oil shift location in billions on a frequent basis - without question. Now fishes, mangoes, oranges and other raw materials have joined those that leave our shores for the Salisburys, Tescos, Walmarts and Careffours of the world. Countries are being rippd apart for their coffee, tea and every resource that can be gleaned from it. Textile is no longer our strength. Wool is constantly the subject of international trade talks without recourse to Africa or Africans.

Our parents and children have built the economies of the western world. They continue to do so working in several strata of the working class. Nigerian professors don American universities; Senegalese entrepreneurs manage businesses in France, down to the droves of taxi drivers that daily traverse the streets of New York, Seatlle and Boston. In between, are bell boys from Ethiopia in major hotels in Washington DC, project managers and leaders in the worlds large corporations – Microsoft, google, IBM, etc – all seeking the relevance, the national dream and a share of a piece of life - a piece of cloth to cover the backs of their mothers, grand mamas and children at home; to put some stew with a tiny slice of fish on their table to be shared amongst all family members; and to ensure that they have enough to last the next day when their son overseas would send the next $100 via western union. We have exported all - including ourselves. Yet crossing the borders to these countries result in a call for national referendum on immigration by western countries. These nations are jerking up the immigration laws yet there are lotteries and other immigration considerations for skilled labour in these countries. Again, this is not the subject of this discuss.

Fish on my table is what I ask for. Is this too much to ask? Fish is all I ask for. I am not in the West or living in the East. I may not seek to live in the West; I may not jump border walls and fences into Europe. I may not ford rivers and seas with the aim of illegally emigrating; I may not be seeking work in another continent. But I may need to remain in my country and be able to put some fish on my table. Fish is all I ask for. Fish is all I want. I would like to have fish the size I want, when I want it, at the price that is affordable and without entering into another discussion with the waiter.