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July 29, 2006
Burkina Faso could sue the US!
Apparently, Burkina Faso and other West African cotton-growing countries are considering taking legal action against the US and its cotton subsidies, which are undermining the economies of poorer countries like Burkina.
Africast reports:
"African countries on Thursday warned they may launch a legal challenge over subsidies to cotton producers in rich countries, notably the United States, after the collapse of talks aimed at making global commerce fairer."
The countries are talking with Brazil, which won an earlier legal challenge to America's illegal cotton subsidies.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina trade wto cotton justice poverty development subsidies farming agriculture
The mission continues...
This weekend I am being re-commissioned by my church to the work among the Fulani in the north of Burkina Faso. I am told that being re-commissioned makes me sound like an old boat or boiler...
This coming phase of ministry will be a somewhat different approach to previously, and I will be writing more about what this means over the coming weeks.
If you can't wait however, you can download a leaflet about it below.
Continue reading "The mission continues..."
July 26, 2006
Which do you prefer?
This is Monique, Seydou's wife, enjoying a laugh.
Just wondering - which photo do you prefer?
 |  |
| Monique 1 | Monique 2 |
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina photos
More on Cotton in Burkina. And re-thinking emergency Aid
Cotton
Following my posting on cotton a few days ago, the BBC have just filed this report on the struggles faced by cotton farmers in Burkina Faso, and the temptation to protectionism as a response to the inequities of American subsidies. Meanwhile, the US and EU continue to blame each other for the failure of the latest WTO talks, for which - as always - the poorer countries will be the ones to suffer in the fall-out of richer nations' bickering.
Aid
The BBC also reports on Oxfam's call for a re-examination of the approach to emergency aid. Oxfam say that recent emergencies have focused attention on immediate aid without enough attention to longer-term development strategies, and that aid is often late and expensive. They recommend buying aid locally and focusin on small-scale, low-tech development strategies such as livestock purchase deals as ways to break the cycle of dependance.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina aid trade wto cotton justice poverty development subsidies farming agriculture
July 24, 2006
Light in the darkness
This photo shows one of the solar-powered lamp-posts that are springing up around Burkina Faso, especially in small towns which otherwise have no electricity. This one is at the colourful market in Markoye, about 40km north-east of Gorom-Gorom.
Solar power of course has considerable potential in places like Burkina, where there is more than enough sun. But the purchase and replacement costs for the equipment are still prohibitive for people's personal use.
Tags: burkina burkina faso africa market solar power technology markoye lamp post
July 22, 2006
Murder suspect freed in the Zongo case
The BBC and UN report that the former head of Burkina's presidential guard, Marcel Kafaondo, has had charges dropped against him for the murder of journalist Norbert Zongo (pictured), due to lack of evidence.
Kafando had already been convicted for the murder of David Ouedraogo, the chauffeur of the president's brother. It was this murder that Zongo was investigating when he was killed in 1998. He and three others were found burned and bullet-ridden in Zongo's car, 100km from Ouaga. The official investigation in 1999 into Zongo's murder concluded that Zongo's death was for political reasons linked to his research, and six presidential bodyguards were identified as suspects.
Zongo was the country's most well-known and outspoken journalist, and publishing manager of the Burkina national newspaper l'Independant. His murder, and the apparent impunity of those behind it, sparked country-wide protests with street demonstrations by students, and vocal criticism by the press. After an initial official crackdown on the demonstrations, a more conciliatory approach was tried by the presidency, and the long-term benefit of the case has been a response of the government to public pressure to increase democracy and transparency in the country's institutions.
The "Zongo case" has continued, 8 years later, to stir people's emotions in Burkina. Especially in his home town of Koudougou, the anniversary of his death is remembered and marked, and this has kept a degree of pressure for justice. The latest ruling is being noted with disappointment and frustration, and leaves a lack of closure on a key wound for a country wanting to move forward into a new future.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina norbert zongo journalism justice
July 19, 2006
US cotton farmers see the effects of American subsidies on Africa
A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away."
(Prov 13:23)
A while ago, I wrote about the US cotton subsidies, how they depress world prices and harm the economy of poor cotton-producing countries such as Burkina Faso. Burkina loses more money through the effect of US cotton subsidies than it receives through US aid. These subsidies have been declared illegal by the WTO.
Then, to the hope of millions, the US announced it was scrapping its cotton subsidies.
US farmers see the reality for themselves
But it seems there is still a problem. US cotton farmers have recently visited Burkina's neighbour, Mali, and said themselves that US cotton subsidies are hurting Africans and "worsening hardship in the world's poorest region". In 2004-05, $4.2 billion in government subsidies was given to just 25 000 US cotton producers, affecting between 15 and 20 million people in Africa who depend on the crop.
In addition, a paper produced by TCS observes: "The vast majority of these and other commodity subsidies go to the largest and most profitable farm operations. ... one farm in Arkansas received $23 million in cotton subsidies between fiscal years 1996 and 2001."
The situation as it stands
So what happened to that "scrapping" of the subsidies?
Well, in fact, Congress only agreed to scrap one part of the subsidies (the the Step 2 cotton export subsidy program if you are interested), and that only comes into effect as from next month. Oxfam does a good analysis of that decision here.
It was a good start, but leaves $3.2 billion in annual cotton subsidies and $1.6 billion in export credits untouched - all equally illegal and unjust.
West Africa have seen a 14% increase in their cotton yields, but the absence of an equitable price, caused by the western subsidies, meant a 31% loss in the income they received from it. While the price of imports such as oil are rising, the price Burkina can receive for its key export is falling due to western subsidies. So we keep Burkina poor by our unjust trade rules, and then appease our consciences by giving a few million in aid.
International deliberations
Ahead of the WTO, the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Benin have been continuing their fight for the elimination of cotton subsidies worldwide. President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso spoke to the Trade Negotiating Committee of the WTO in June, and, with the president of Mali, has written a letter to the New York Times condemning the subsidies.
One year after the climax of the Make Poverty History campaign at the G8 summit in Edinburgh, the EU and US are still arguing over who needs to make more cuts to their subsidies and tariffs. The Middle East crisis then inevitably kicked concern for Africa onto the sidelines. Yesterday, there was more hope as trade ministers have been sent to meet at the WTO with a principle of "more flexibility" in the aim of resolving the issues of trade subsidies and tariffs.
Parallel to the G8 summit in Russia, there is another summit in Gao in Mali, trying to bring attention to the region's issues. With immigration from Africa to Europe a major concern for the "rich nations", the gathering in Mali observes that "working to improve the standard of living in sub-Saharan Africa is the only way to stem the tide of immigration".
Justice and common sense
The obvious injustice of the vast discrepency of wealth between the rich and poor world is also a cause for international social disruption - whether that be immigration or terrorism.
Justice in trade rules for the poor, giving a fair income for their work, is not only right on its own merit, but is beneficial to all. It gives dignity to people, allowing them to work to improve their lives rather than being so dependant on aid. And it takes away one of the main incentives to the international social unrest that so threatens our world today.
Please pray and campaign for trade justice for the poor:
UK:
Tear Fund
US: ONE
A good paper by Oxfam on the cotton issue is available here.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina aid trade wto cotton justice poverty g8 subsidies farming agriculture
July 17, 2006
What do Burkina Faso, the Vatican, and Afghanistan have in common?
None of them, along with 95 other countries have McDonalds.
In fact only three countries in Africa - the three wealthiest - have the Golden Arches.
Blessed are the poor, for they shall not have a Big Mac.
Tags: burkina burkina faso africa mdconalds big mac
July 14, 2006
Congratulations, Steve and Charlotte !!!
My colleague and good friend Steve knows a good thing when he sees one.
He has just got engaged to Charlotte. Charlotte is lovely, and also works with Horizons - but in Cambodia.
Congratulations to both of you
(Just don't ask me to collect her for the wedding on my motorbike...)
:O)
July 11, 2006
Osama bin Laden in Burkina Faso
The face of Osama bin Laden glared down at me from his camel, a kalashnikov gun in his hand.
Fortunately, he was only on the front of a t-shirt of a young boy, who was standing listening as I chatted at Gorom-Gorom market with some friends. Bin Laden is not physically in Burkina Faso, of course - in spite of the occasional local rumour he was hiding out it Deou, a remote market town north of Gorom-Gorom. However, t-shirts with his face are widespread - although not as widely seen now as in 2002. But what does this mean - does he really have so much support here?
"Ada anndi mo, naa?" I asked the boy. "Do you know who he is?"
"Samma Biladden" the boy replied knowledgably.
"Uh-huh, and who is he?"
The boy shrugged. No idea. I asked my friends, who also didn't know. I reminded them of the events of 9-11, which they had heard of on the radio, and they looked with renewed concern at the boy's t-shirt, the boy now squirming with the sudden attention directed at his chest.
"Robel mawdo!" I heard them say with alarm and awe. "He is a major bad guy!"
Wahhabiya Islam and a bit of dress sense
In the period after 9/11, ObL t-shirts were to be seen everywhere, worn around Gorom-Gorom and sold at the market, with ObL in various heroic poses. Like the boy I met, many people who have no idea who ObL is, and who certainly would not support his cause, were trotting round Gorom with his face adorning their chests. If you have no money to buy new clothes, and someone offers you a free t-shirt, what will you say...?
I can only imagine that someone with a lot of money had them made and shipped in, and then distributed or sold very cheaply through the network of Wahhabiya Muslims there. This is the Islamic sect to which ObL belongs. It doesn't imply that the Wahhabiya in Gorom support ObL of course, anymore than the Gorom church receiving t-shirts for distribution with David Beckham on should be seen as England football supporters.
The Wahhabiya are a Sunni sect, a more conservative, and revivalist group than the other Muslim sects in Gorom. (We have 4 altogether, including the Tijaniyya, the Ahmadiyya, and the Qadiriyya). However, the Wahhabiya in Gorom are generally peacable - certainly not extremist or terrorist. But they are fairly new arrivals in Gorom - in the last 10 years - and their particular form of Islam (traditional dress, rejection of the use of charms, way of praying etc) has set them apart and caused some tensions - even arguments - with the other sects.
They are not wealthy, but they do get money from somewhere - for example, to build their mosque (another cause for fall-out with the other Muslims, who claimed there should only be one "Friday mosque" in town). Maybe the same source provided the ObL t-shirts. Maybe they were surplus to requirement - after all, Wahhibiya Muslims don't generally wear t-shirts...
By their clothes shall you know them...?
In any case, most people wearing the t-shirts, like the boy at market, have no idea who ObL is. This is higlighted by this picture of a sweet young mother and friend of ours in Gorom. It might not be obvious, but she is wearing an Osama bin Laden t-shirt, and an Assemblies of God skirt - and with no idea what either of them are! Both were probably given to her.
Sometimes dress can tell you something about the person wearing the clothes. And - whether that is an ObL t-shirt, or a "hoody", that can initially be frightening. But sometimes the reason for what the person is wearing is not what we think, and we can wrongly judge them. Sometimes, the only way to find out is to get past our fear, and to get to know the person and their story.
Clothing doesn't last long here. The ObL t-shirts have by now mostly been worn too thin to last. They have been replaced by ones with President Blaise Compaore (after last year's elections), which will no doubt soon be supplanted by the cast-offs from this year's World Cup. Expect to see Zidane and Beckham and co in Gorom soon. But don't read too much into their popularity...
Tags: burkina burkina faso africa osama bin laden clothes islam wahibiya 9-11 hoodies
July 08, 2006
Family photos...
The word seems to have gone round Gorom-Gorom about my photos. After my last trip, I ended up sending over 200 copies out to people in Burkina. So now, many more people were asking me to take pictures. Here is one family:
Big sister was a bit shy...
...and little sister seemed quite bewildered by the whole experience...
but mum was happy to get some pictures of the family.
Tags: burkina burkina faso africa photos travel people
July 04, 2006
Ouagadougou taxi-drivers gambling on international markets
Three in the front and four in the back is the legal limit for taxis in Ouagadougou.
Ouaga's ubiquitous lime-green taxis are an assortment of mostly run-down old Peugeots, Toyotas and even Mercedes, mostly with little in the way of suspension, and often with a suspicious lack of steering or brakes. The taxi-driver rarely owns his own vehicle, usually renting it from some enterprising and presumably wealthy patron.
A fare wage...?
The going rate is 200cfa (20p) for a single journey - that is, a journey in or out of town on one of the main tarmac roads. If you want to be dropped off at your door, needing a diversion from the main road, be prepared to pay extra. Or, if you want to cross the centre of town to a suburb on the other side, you will either need to take a second taxi, or negotiate for the full journey for a higher price. 20p for a taxi ride of a few miles isn't bad for the client, but it is no wonder the drivers cram the passengers in.
The taxi-driver has a hard job making a living. He can spend about 12 hours on the job, looking for passengers at 20p a time. Out of the money he receives he has to pay rent for the car and of course buy fuel, and presumably pay tax and insurance.
Oil prices and the man on the street
Recent international oil price rises have pushed fuel prices in Burkina Faso up by 40%, causing a 3-day strike by the taxi-drivers. They wanted the right to put up fares to 300cfa, but were not allowed to do so. They have been forced to continue at 200cfa, and to take an effective cut in their already meagre income. Taxi drivers in Ouaga are looking grim these days. They have no alternative but to continue, gambling without understanding on the international oil markets, hoping that the next wind will blow for once in their favour.
If ever you take a taxi in Ouaga, you might want to remember this. Don't be too aggressive about haggling for your price, or complaining about the crowded taxi. What is the journey worth to you? What would you pay for it back home? And if you as a rich tourist can easily afford the extra 10p that may help buy the driver's children's dinner, should you worry if he charges you extra just because you are white?
Can't you afford to be taken for a ride...?
Tags: burkina burkina faso africa ouagadougou travel taxis
July 02, 2006
Back to Britain
As you will maybe have realised, I am now back in the UK, just in time for the disastrous exit of England from the World Cup.
Tripoli Airport...again
The journey back was very long and tiring, with the connecting flight in Libya delayed by nearly 4 hours, giving me over 6 hours at Tripoli Airport transit lounge. As it is not much larger than our church hall, I am now pretty familiar with most corners of it. Sitting opposite me was an Arab mother fully robed in traditional Muslim clothes, with her teenage daughter in a tight t-shirt and combat trousers.
Tripoli Airport is definitely making an effort. There are now large flat-screen tv's (not yet working), and an internet cafe (also not yet working), some colourful plastic children's slides, display cases of cigarettes and perfume, a bar selling cakes and non-alcoholic beer (in support of Libya's anti-drug stance), and shops selling souvenirs and duty-free goods.
To bribe or not to bribe....again
I bumped into J, an old friend from Burkina, there. After one of my tours of the transit lounge, I came back to find him in discussion with a nervous young Chadian man in a red jumper. The man had apparently been travelling on a false passport, and had been arrested by the Libyan authorities. He had apparently spent about £200 for the false passport, when he could have had the real thing for £20 if he had been prepared to wait 3 months. Now he was facing being shipped back to Chad.
He was asking J whether he should try and bribe the Libyan police to let him go, or the toilet cleaners to help him escape. J assured him this would be about the worst thing he could possibly do, and the young man withdrew with a worried expression to consider his fate. The Libyan police were very friendly with everyone, and very matter-of-fact about the whole incident, but were keeping a close eye on the red jumper.
Cool Britannia
It's nice to get back to the relative coolness of the UK - only about 30C at the moment, which is very pleasant after the heat of Burkina. However, with 42kg of luggage, and having missed my train because of the delayed flight, I was pretty tired and probably smelly by the time I got here, and am very grateful to the friendly railway staff at Gatwick and Reading who made my onward journey so much easier. Thanks guys, if you read this.
Overall, this trip to Burkina Faso has been an excellent and successful time, and I am looking to forging ahead now with plans for the future. Please pray as I put things into place at this end. More details soon...
Tags: libya airport tripoli bribery travel north africa
July 01, 2006
Don't do drugs in Libya
In Tripoli airport there is a new large board warning against the use and smuggling of drugs.
Libya calls for our co-operation
"to pluck out this destroying lesion and to protect our chaste society from its destroying risks, so don't hesitate to contact us to give any information that may help the security agents in tracking the trace of who may his soul entices him to violate the values of our happy jamhiriyan society."
In this context, it also advises strongly against carrying baggage for other people, with the advice: "remember that law do not protect stupidest."
At the top of the board is this stark warning from "The Revolution Leader" himself:
"Wines and drugs are total destruction weapons. Hashish is like the bacteriological and chemical weapons and the atomic bomb. Person who deals therewith he seems like he takes a weapon from the enemy and do explode it inside his country."
You have been warned.
