There was such optimism when the Dangote refinery was being unveiled. The world, or at least the pro-business, pro sovereignty part of the world, breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, Nigeria, one of the largest crude oil producing countries in the world would have its own refinery. It would be able to produce refined petroleum products for both the donestic and internatiinal market.
And then, strange stories began to emerge in the news from Nigeria, about delays, crude imports from the USA and other oddities that seemed like misplaced nonsense. Surely, this was not happening? Surely Africa's top billionaire was not being hamstrung...
And then new reports emerged of Dangote making unusual concessions about the oil cartel. One article reported that he offered to SELL the refinery to a Nigerian government agency. And now there is talk of an oil mafia-- and that makes total sense. Truth be told, I have been hearing about this concept for more than half of my life. And with what happened with Nord Stream II and the subsequent Ukrainian ban on Russia"s Lukoil it makes a lot of sense.
Energy is a big deal. And so are blood minerals like those mined in Congo and Latin America. Few people know just how much subterfuge and violence actually goes on in Latin America when it comes to mining and natural resources. Perhaps not on the scale of Congo, but many of these cartels are diggerent terms for the same concept, like rebels, IS-ABCDXyZ, Jihadists and mercernaries, Indigenous people in Latin America suffer at horrific rates for those underground prizes too. Whole communities are thrown into upheaval and chaos. Ask yourself why so many people are showing up at the US/Mexico border. The rabbit hole goes deep.
So, does it truly come down to greedly multinationals? No, not entirely. Perhaps, duplicitous dark money politicians? It's a bit more complicated than that. Many would like for the masses to think that corruption cesspools exist merely because the rich guys are teaming up on the poor. But that is not the entire story. Because the "rich guys" overwhelmingly belong to descendants of the extant colonial or apartheid class.
It's nor rocket science that a man with wonky ideas becomes a paper billionaire because his parents were benefactors of Apartheid South African. Or that the founder of a giant tech company is the son of a prominent colonizer class family. Or that a major automotive chain can fund candidates because they benefit from the slavish Liberian rubber trade. It is why a billionaire like Dangote and his team are no match in the international business world where he is the minority-type. Unfortunately, most of these global south billionaires must go along to get along.
What we are missing in this conversation is what Martin Luther King Jr. talked about--the beloved community. Instead there are chopped up factions from Afghanistan and Somalia to El Salvador and Eastern Europe bickering over the irritatingly obvious. There is a lack of understanding that neighbors are YOUR strength. Those who understand this build strong ties with their geospatial neighbors. Those who don't wage silly never-ending contingencies that keep the regions they inhabit destabilized, dangerous and broke.
Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives. ~Martin Luther King Jr
It is a mind-blowing experience to watch people walking down a dirt road and skipping over car sized potholes, while carrying a smartphone that use the world's most advanced semiconductors. Something has been left undone. And it is not just the road. It's more than the technology and the economy. It is the community.
Community where it really matters, is what is lacking. It's easy to find commonality with those from our own family, tribe, religion, etc, etc. But the beloved community matters most where there is LESS commonality. We are not obligated to eat each other's cultural dishes, celebrate the same holidays, intermarry or even speak the same language. But were obligated to preserve a peace between us on shared land and shared borders for a common prosperity.
It's not hard to see Ukraine is falling apart--both military and physically--but also politically. And this comes from the ability for an interloper to wedge itself between an ancient cultural affair and convince neighbors to act in their worst interest. It's rife in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and even Southeast Asia. People of former colonial states easily dive into contentions that jeapardize the beloved community.
Dangote needs more vested billionaires from his region. Corruption robs these nations of a community of the powerful and the people from their own countries and regions. It is impossible to move the needle forward when one belongs to a limited minority of billionaires that share the backgtound. It is all fun and games when they are buying sports cars, commercial property, sports teams and making regional deals--but should one dare to move his multinational to the international arena, there is resistance.
In the late 90s and early 2000s the world was told that oil would dry up in 50 years. The wonks were wrong! Again. There has been more oil discoveries in the past ten years than almost ever before. That means oil is not so scarce. And certain countries who once held a monopoly on oil production actually do not anymore. And anyone can ably predict that there will be more finds in the future--of oil, precious metals and resources. We have not exhausted the tap.
And it is very likely that these new discoveries are going to change the market. Market disruptions complicate things, because now markets that could coast on being the onky producer will have to compete. And that is why some kneecaps are being broken in Nigeria. The Nigerian people are being deprived of the right to buy reasonably priced, homegrown and sourced petrol products. They are robbed of living a modern life. Many complain about "Nigerians" in their country, but participate in the mechanisms that keep them destabilized and fleeing. Make it make sense.
But this brings us back to to the beloved community. Where many nations hamstring local businesses and industries in favor of a favorite foreign sponsor. The politician gets a few dollars in his offshore account but the community loses the opportunity to build wealth and jobs through home grown business and industry-makers. These ventures should be informed by the community BEFORE they can be approved, not after.
Communities then must support business and business must support community. It must be a symbiotic relationship whereby citizens may be informed about why a local business was rejected for a project in favor of a massive foreign muktinational. And local business must return the favor by ensuring jobs, good pay and human practices and standards. Business, government contracts, monetary policy and budgets are not disconnected from the communities they purport to serve. They should be informed by them.
Business must be a part of the beloved community as much as any citizen. This means concessions must be made on behalf of both parties. It must be acknowledged that community is more than just people and business is more than just products and services. Businesses need local people and local people need business and industry.
Sure, colonialism and conquests may have disrupted communities for decades, but that doesn't have to remain even a day more. It is time to get back to building and maintaining the beloved community. In your towns, villages and hamlets peoole must be a part of the building of their societies again. This is the true commonwealth. These require the participation of youth, elders, education, business, military, law and leadership to create viable systems that work. It's time to get back to doing things that work.
Without it, we will continue to see the IMF come into nations to propose anti-society measures that gut communities and rob yet another genwration of a future. We will see more foreign hedge funds appear and offer massive paper fiat loans that can never be repaid for projects with limited benefit that don't generate income. It is a beloved community that fails to put a collective foot down to say "no" to policies and plans that do not serve. We must see the beloved community as more than just people and civil sercuce organizations. The beloved community is all that we are; all that we create: and all that we gooe to be. From businesses and NGOs to Schools and workers unions we belong to each other.
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. ~Mother Teresa
The global south needs a true beloved community in every enclave to speak up and say, we cannot steal the future from our children anymore. We must create the solutions that work--not the ones that merely placate. We cannot be cowwed into a silence that results in a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity. The people of small and big towns and villages must summon the courage protect and establish a commonwealth of prosperity. One that is not based on tribe or proximity to foreign interests, but is undergirded by a common will to survive and (one day, God willing) to thrive.
CongoIsBleeding
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