Rabble Rousers

Reflection of Zambia sociology video

In my SOCL course, we just watched a video on Zambia and how the used clothes business is so huge there. Basically, 95% of our used cloths we donate to Salvation Army and Goodwill end up by these huge buyers, who sell them to people in Africa. The middle men make insane profits.

Now, why is this business so huge? Because of how Zambia was screwed over. They were colonized for their copper, and then in the 1970s (I believe) copper prices dropped and oil went up huge, so they had to borrow money.

The World Bank and IMF decided to lend them money to get better, but of course it was just more exploitation. *gets out notes*

"Structural Adjustment" - imposed economic policies designed to improve Zambia. However... by limiting the amount of national budget they can spend on developing their country - like schools and teachers and stuff - to 8% - and making the rest of the money go to paying off their astronomical debt, Zambia is not exactly making progress.

Their debt is actually increasing, as per the video we watched. So, big surprise, the World Bank and IMF made policies that were benefiting themselves, instead of actually helping out Zambia.



This video was a key example of one of the big 4 aspects of the third world countries that has lead to them being in their current condition: (2) reliance on a limited number of raw materials for export. Because they were colonized ( by the Brits?), Zambia was told to just focus on copper - so the imperial country could extract the necessary resources. And, consequently, "winning independence" can be an actually beneficial thing to the imperial country, because now that a place like Zambia is totally stripped of something valuable like copper, they are of no more use.


So really, this reminds me of a conversation I had with someone a while ago, who was really wondering about why African countries are struggling so much - are they really that behind because they are black or something? Well, this video, and some other remarks in it about how all of the top qualified skilled workers were simply pushed into slavery in the past, and then more recently the natural resource exploitation, and then severely lopsided debt scenarios -- it makes me think about that question in another way.

It is very easy to see how the average person will not get the understandings that I have seen, in my sociology course or other things, so it almost is a reasonable conclusion, from his point. The way our history is taught and things are implied, why not think that African countries are just full of incompetent people who can't govern themselves?


Yet, one thing I have been thinking about lately since seeing that video in particular, is, (and what reminded me of this article) wondering whether or not our progress requires other people to live in such horrible conditions. Right now I am listening to a radio program from across the country via the internet on highspeed connection while at uni, starting at a huge monitor screen, with a scanner, several more computers and printers near by, and so on.

An immense feeling of wondering how true the perspective we are presented with and acclimated to is really an accurate way to view the world. If you aren't thinking about people in S America or Africa, does that mean they don't exist or should not be apart of your awareness, your perspective?

Perhaps the blessing of the internet may be that it will make it harder to avoid what you can't see with your own eyes.

Hidden: Reminds me of "Beyond the Invisible", by Enigma LinkClose your eyesJust feel and realizeIt is real and not a dreamIm in you and youre in me.It is timeTo break the chains of lifeIf you follow you will seeWhats beyond reality



PS: just to complete my incorporations, I am reminded of Humanities I, and the necessity of having many qualified, educated decision makers in a democracy. Public education is very important... maybe I will get into that later on.