Africa-China trade imbalances: Is China really to blame?

Mugabi Mwanje

In the wake of the Chinese president’s trip to Africa, there’s all this talk nowadays cropping up about China; the way it’s doing trade in Africa, whether Africa is being exploited or not, and whether we should look at all this as a new form of colonialism. Anybody who is well versed with Africa knows that China is not the one to blame. The problem with most of Africa is that the governments are screwing their own people. Ever since African countries got independence from their former colonial masters, the ruling governments—with a few exceptions—have done nothing but screw up their own people and countries. Do I believe that the Chinese have imposed predatory trade practices on Africa? Yes. Do I believe that China is very keen on taking raw materials—just like everyone has said—from Africa? Yes. Do I believe that in the end China is ridiculously benefiting from this relationship more than Africa is? Hell yes. Nonetheless, I don’t believe that China is to blame at all and this is why.

Take this scenario for instance. Mwanje is a fresh Ugandan graduate just out of college. His business enthusiasm is characteristic of many youths his age. After pounding the streets of Kampala in search of a job for a good number of years, he finally comes to the realization that nothing is about to change. Mwanje and his family mobilize some capital, and with the help of networks trough friends, he manages to make a flight to the Chinese city of Guangzhou, with a motive of buying cheap consumer commodities and selling them for a profit back in Kampala. Business is good and he’s able to turn a profit and in the end both Mwanje and his customers are happy. Would you tell this young budding businessman that there’s really is a problem with China? He doesn’t even comprehend the fact that when the Chinese get government contracts to do work like infrastructural construction in Uganda, they employ fellow Chinese—to the detriment of the local human resources—for projects like roads and bridges. He is less concerned about all the raw materials that china takes for peanuts. He could care less about the fact that China sells us cheap machinery—in exchange of huge government contracts—instead of selling us the technical know-how that relates to the manufacture, or at least assembly of such machinery. This could be in form of construction of technical/vocational schools and the exchange of skilled Chinese instructors to teach local students. Mwanje’s concern is not really whether Chinese trade practices with Uganda are fair or in favor of China. That’s a job that someone in the government is paid to do. He is more concerned with whether he can afford to feed his family and build himself a house in the suburbs.

Let the world know that, actually, China is not the real problem in this entire hullabaloo. For someone with a rank of a country’s central bank governor to claim that China is a ‘‘significant contributor to Africa’s deindustrialisation and underdevelopment’’, without emphasizing that it’s Africa’s political leaders and governments that are ultimately responsible for the way China treats this partnership is not only unfortunate, but also a big joke. Africa’s leaders are in fact the real reason why Africa still desperately depends on countries like China. Had it not been for the despicable governance and leadership that has plagued most African countries for decades, countries like Nigeria would be the ones making predatory investments in China. Nigeria produces more oil than Norway, but why is it that it has not done—with this oil—what countries like Norway have managed to do with theirs?

The problem with most of Africa is not that it’s exploited. It’s rather that it—with its leaders as the architects—allows to be exploited. I mean its good business for most African presidents for China to exploit Africa. Countries like China would not get away with all that if leadership in Africa really cared about its people. That’s it. I see many people in the west naively commenting on the Africa- China relations and it’s all clear to me that they are quick to blame China, yet they have completely no clue about these things. The truth is, most African leaders have let many western countries rip us off for so long, for as long as such arrangements satisfy their selfish interests. China might as well just be a new addition to the ages-old tradition. Most African presidents don’t work for their populace. They work for themselves and their families. They don’t care whether their fellow citizens—in some cases they are not citizens of that country—get get more educated or even prosper and the opposite may be true. Many people in the west would be surprised to learn that we have leaders in Africa who perceive the expansion of the middle class as a threat to their long rulerships. They don’t want people to become rich because then it will be easier to rule them for 35 years. I cannot speak for other countries but at least I can confirm that this is the case for Uganda where I come from.

So, to an ordinary Ugandan, knowing that the government would rather have her poor, an opportunity to buy fake jewellery from China and selling it for a profit back in Uganda doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. And because the government doesn’t care whether she gets a descent education, she’s not even educated enough to know that beyond her personal small scale business with ordinary Chinese business people, there are far bigger kinds of win-lose—in favor of China—business dealings going on between her country and the Chinese government backed institutions. And quite frankly, even after reading this, she would still care less about the so called new Chinese colonialism. The kind of colonialism that makes you rich and exploits your country is not really a bad thing because, after being abused by your own people—the president and the ruling elite—you don’t even feel like it’s your country anymore. It’s their country.

My quick thoughts on the Obama speech in Jerusalem

Mugabi Mwanje

I followed the events in Jerusalem with keen interest. Did I even mention that I’m for the independent state of Palestine? I thought that for the most part, (especially the first half), the speech was overly pro-Israel and I was bogged down by all his naive Zionist rhetoric. It’s kind of annoying to hear this stuff all the time but then again, it’s what you would expect from an American president. The first part of it was full of pro Israel political correctness. Towards the end of the speech, Obama made sort of a U-turn and the speech now shifted to what I love to call the truth. The truth is that Palestine should and must be a sovereign state and that Israeli settlements are not consistent with the idea of peace and a free Palestine. They are obscene and I honestly believe that there will be no peace in this region if Israel doesn’t halt its occupation ambitions.

This was a very powerful speech from Obama, it had a certain depth to it and I think it was special in many ways. I have not heard of any US president being even close to being blunt like Obama on the Israel- Palestine conflict. There were moments, where he said things that I suspect, right wing Israelis including Netanyahu himself didn’t want to hear. For me, some of the highlights were when Obama asked the Israelis to put themselves in the shoes of Palestinians (I guess most Israelis would request the same thing of Palestinians, but we all know which side has been most unjust to the other). There was also the moment where he reiterated having talked to young Palestine children and saying that if Israeli parents met and talked to these children, they would want them to flourish, just like their own. There was a wave of emotions here; I remember getting a little teary here. He said, and I quote ‘‘…it is not fair that Palestinian children cannot grow up in a country of their own…’’ We saw multiple standing ovations from the young people in the hall, especially at times when Obama talked of Palestine deserving an independent and Free State alongside the Jewish state of Israel. Then, he also mentioned that politicians will usually never take risks unless the people force them to. He asked the young people to get involved this process.

Like I’ve said, this was a particularly powerful speech from Obama. There were times when I felt that he was ‘trying too hard’ to assure Israel that he was with them, but generally I think that it was balanced and most importantly, it had some elements of truth. Truth is what Israelis have chosen not to see in the Israeli- Palestine conflict.

Palestine: you are not alone, we love you.

Uganda; home sweet home II

Primary school children, in Uganda out with their teacher, probably studying something concerning botany or plants……… ”why is he photographing us?”, they seem to wonder.

He is called Shaggy and he is my friend.

New reads and development aid

 

Today I am a very happy man. I ordered some five books and I’ve just got them in my mail box. These will make me very busy for the rest of this coming spring holiday. One book that I can’t wait to get my hands on, is William Easterly’s ‘The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good’. Nevertheless, I want to approach this development aid thing from an objective stand point, so I also ordered for Jeffrey Sachs’s ‘ The end of poverty: Economic possibilities for our time’. Sachs is one of William Easterly’s strongest critics. Dude is arguing that poverty could be decimated through development aid. I cannot stress enough how ridiculous this sounds. Now, I have not read his book, but I’m sure that if Jeffrey Sachs had been raised in Africa, for instance in Uganda like me, he would be writing a completely different book.

I’m vehemently opposed to development aid, especially for Africa. Just to give you a hint, most (approx 90%) of the development aid goes into the pockets of the a few members of the ‘ruling government’. I have many reasons for hating on development aid, unfortunately, I cannot go into that right in this post. Fact is, I have seen firsthand what development aid has done (or not done) to countries like Uganda and I highly doubt that Jeffrey Sachs will change my mind. Let me read these guys and see how all this goes down. My mind is open. I am ready to be convinced, but if you are to convince me, you had better get your numbers together. Don’t sell me nonsense……………

The other reads on the menu are Richard Dawkins’s ‘The god delusion’, Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Blink’ and Paul Collier’s ‘The bottom billion’. This is the second time I will be reading the Bottom Billion. I read a borrowed copy in 2011. The things that Collier says are so significant that I felt the book is worth my investment. I’m glad I’ve got my own now.

 

 

Kylling

Chicken, or ‘kylling’ as we call it here in Norway is the only dish that I can do with confidence.

Uganda; home sweet home

Some of the images taken from Kisoro and Mt. Gahinga, south western Uganda. Beautiful, beautiful place……..

Snow + Sky + Sun

We have some good inches of snow here in Svolvær and the sun brightened up the day. I took a few shot just before I had lunch today………..

‘Solnedgang’ eller ‘sunset’ på engelsk

I shot these on 16.01.2013. The weather was dull and it was freezing cold here in Svolvær but we had some sun in the evening and I was able get a few shots before it totally disappeared. Trying not to suck at shooting. I’m still very insecure about my composition skills, but I hope to get better at shooting….:)

21 random observations on Norway, part I

Mugabi Mwanje

1-      Woman is king. She is the boss. In Norge, it’s not very hard to witness the power of females. This is a good place for women to make it to the top of high places without worrying about the glass ceiling. The equality trumpets have been blown out loud; more women are getting into positions of power. Unfortunately, there have also been reports that marital rape is on the increase. On the other hand some sources have shown that academic achievement of females in Norge is much higher than that of males. Could it be that more focus on women has caused a favorite child situation, which then translates into these kinds of academic trends?

2-      Norwegians are the most politically correct people that I’ve ever known. Those that speak their mind are often demonized by the media as either being right wing or extreme and all that nonsense. Most Norwegians will act like all is well. They won’t really raise dust on many serious issues, but you can feel it that these are things that should be talked about more often. Currently, the issues of multiculturalism, immigrant integration in Norwegian society and Islam have raised hot debate in the media but still most people would rather not talk about them, only to sit behind their computers and anonymously write stuff on online fora that is quite the opposite to what they always say.

3-      In Norway, there is a very big chance that if you are born to a poor family/modest family circumstances, you will not die poor unless if you really want to be poor. The government through its educational fund is very much committed to eliminating social inequality in this country. My verdict is that they have been totally successful. Also, considering the fact that elitism is something that Norwegians resent, you can be quite sure that kids from all walks of life will have equal educational opportunities whatsoever. The system is so user friendly that it’s extremely easy for kids to make it. Even the average student has a shot at success. For the academically exceptional, the opportunities are even more unlimited.

4-     Is it me or is it that divorce seems to be on a rampage in this part of the world? Everywhere you look it seems like everyone is divorcing. Single mothers are all over the place and they seem to be proud of it. Why this is the case, I have no idea. Could it be that the princess status that the women enjoy has to do with this? I don’t know. I know for a fact that women here, like in the rest of the Scandinavia are more financially independent and empowered. Could it be that this is related to the ridiculous levels of divorces? I have no idea….

5-      Senior citizens (like in most countries) tend to be more opposed to the idea of multiculturalism and mass immigration. It just freaks them out. I get it though. Its kinda hard to judge them. Somehow they forget that the 60s are gone.

6 -      You have probably already heard about this. The fjords are beautiful. It’s a plain fact. There’s no better way of stating it. I’ve been blessed to have gone to Forsand to experience the Lysefjord and I can confidently say that beautiful is an understatement. I got goose bumps the whole time I was there. I’ve also been to Møre og Romsdal to see the Geirangerfjord. Both these rank up there as some of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced ever. If I could choose one place where I want my spirit to stay after I’ve passed, it should be Geirangerfjord. Let me put it this way, seeing this fjord for me, is like a never ending orgasm.

7-      There’s a tendency for Norwegians to feel the need to socialize when they’re drunk. It’s very annoying and it will take time for me to get used to it. Binge drinking is the least of my concerns here. I did it many, many times during my college years. Also, growing up in Uganda, where binge drinking is commonplace, I was familiar with this behavior early on. What I wasn’t used to was people wanting to talk to you when they are wasted. In Uganda we enjoy having conversations while we are sober. When people get knocked after having a little too much, they just don’t engage you in conversation. In fact they don’t want to say much then. It seems to be the opposite in Norway. Generalizations apply here, of course, but then again we always generalize to put points across. Norwegians instead don’t want to talk when sober, in normal daily life. They wait for Saturday nights, when they are wasted to ask you very annoying questions.  How creepy?

8-      Most night clubs and bars will close at 3:00 am and you cannot access alcohol beyond this time. This, to me, sounds like torture. Why would grown ass people be restricted on how much they can drink and how long they can party? This, I’ve never quite figured…

9-      The government’s experimentation with multiculturalism and immigration seems to me like one epic failure and this is why. Put yourself in the shoes of a typical Norwegian. Blue eyes, blonde hair, born and raised in Norway. Let me say that you were born in a small beautiful village like Gravdal. You wake up one day and there are all these people around you who don’t behave like you, don’t dress like you, and don’t speak your language plus many other don’ts. But this in its self is not the problem. The real issue here is that not only are these people very different, they also don’t respect your culture, customs and values! They want to do things like they are done in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Palestine, Liberia, Uganda and wherever they are coming from. Also, they definitely don’t want to integrate. In fact, they refer to the women in your country as whores just because they believe that they’re morally inferior. Well, occasionally (may be more often), they also rape the native women. Did I mention that most are also financially dependent on your generous welfare model? They disregard everything Norwegian and your government acts like everything is working just fine. What would you do? Personally, what I would do scares a hell out me to even write here. But, I guess you would not be very happy, to say the least. Now, this in my understanding is what is happening in Norway right now. I get it and I honestly believe that if the government doesn’t do anything to change the current situation, things might not look very well in the future. We could avoid the likes of Anders Behring Breivik if the government just paid a little more attention to its people. I will dig deeper into this in a separate post but all I can say for now is that Norwegians are, hands down, the most tolerant people I ever met. I pretty sure that I and many Ugandans would not put up with all that bull shit in my country. And Uganda is even on top of the list of the bottom billion.

10-      ‘‘So…, how do you like Norway?’’ OR ‘‘Do you like this place?’’ Typical questions that you will get in many conversations with Norwegians. You are better off saying only the nice things. Don’t ever complain about anything, ever. Sometimes, I think this also applies to other countries where citizens are proud of their country, only to revert to the thought that Norwegians tend to think of their country as some sort of paradise to immigrants. But then you have to look at the quality (in terms of human capital) of the majority of immigrants that Norway gets, to blame those with this kind of thinking. It’s actually not that high. My guess is that there are many immigrants comfortably living off welfare not because they cannot work, but simply because it’s enough for them. In their minds they think, ‘‘why really should I work when I claim multiple benefits for all these kids and a sham divorce too?’’ Hence, sometimes I don’t blame the natives when they feel that such people should love everything about Norge. I mean, what right do they have to complain? That said, there are many immigrants who are cable of being employed, but have trouble getting hired mainly because of discrimination. As always I digress a little bit. This issue needs wider space. I can not do justice to it in this particular post.

11-  I hate to be the one to criticize, but I’ve come to realize that the natives’ work ethic in this country is nothing to write home about. I don’t want to be the one to point this out (claiming that a peoples’ work ethic is weak is a serious accusation not to be taken lightly) but, you just get this impression that people here just don’t work that hard and they still survive. I mean, people are just not willing to push the boundaries. Foreigners, take note. You can take advantages of many things here, if at all you can go an extra mile and I know most foreigners can. Besides I read from somewhere that academic achievement in Norwegian high education among Norwegians of immigrant backgrounds is higher than that of ethnic Norwegians, more so in harder academic programs. Funny thing (may be not funny) is that it’s interesting to see how some people interpret these statistics. I have seen somewhere, someone saying that this shows that integration has been a success. Really? Are you kidding me?

12-  The government is genuinely committed to doing something about the plight of the so called ‘developing countries’. Considering the link between development and education, Norway (and its Nordic sisters) is one of the only few places where students from developing countries have an opportunity to purse graduate education on full scholarships. Yes, full as in everything catered for. In Norway they do this through what is called the Quota scheme. You only need to have descent grades from your home country to have a shot at this. But it doesn’t hurt if you are the best. The best students from their home universities can be 100% sure that they will get in. Now, this is not something to be taken for granted. There are not many countries in this day and age that can render you this opportunity. Did I also mention that no country in the whole entire world spends more money on development aid than these guys? Apparently, if statistics are to be believed, the Norwegian government spends ‘‘just over’’ 1% of its GDP on development aid. I’m not so naive to think that the government has no political interests attached to the aid, but I’m sure those interests are not as bad as those that come with aid from USAID. Aid from the US is the most evil foreign aid ever. Also, the issue of whether I think this is the best way that they can help the poor is beyond the scope of this article. I have to discuss it somewhere else.

13-  I love the informal and laid back nature of daily life in this land. Where can I begin from? It’s just a lot to mention here. The power distance between superiors and their subordinates, parents and children is almost nonexistent. The dress code in most places is— ‘‘well, just put on something and don’t be naked’’ I’m a t-shirt and jeans guy so this makes me a very happy person. Piercings and tattoos seem not to be that much of a problem in some work settings where it would be unthinkable in many countries. No one seems to mind, no big deal. Girls can put on Converse All Stars, instead of high heels for a date, no big deal. You don’t need to refer to anyone by their title, no big deal. I’ve never heard of the word ‘‘Sir’’ being used to refer to anyone. I always hear someone referring to another person as Sir on American TV.

14-  Gay and LGBT couples in Norway have the same rights as ordinary couples, including the rights to marriage, child adoption, and military service. You cannot get any more liberal than that. How awesome?

15-  I love the fact that society as a whole doesn’t care about the famous, the rich and the so called celebrities that much. Of course with the exception of a few cases like when the Justin Bieber descended on Oslo and had some girls passing out at a concert. But you can be sure that they were all blondes who cannot spell the name of the young artist that they were screaming for! Even then, I guess if Bieber just walked the streets of Oslo unannounced, he would not get much attention like in the US and few people would take notice.

16-  Norwegian women are definitely better looking than their Scandinavian counterparts, but it seems to me that in Norway, the men are cuter/more beautiful than the women. GQ and Men’s Health magazines should be taking this country more seriously. There’s more business for them here (this has nothing to do with my sexuality).

17-  Why does it seem to me that the current generation of young Norwegians is taking the country’s economic success for granted? This country seems to be very high on the population of spoilt little brats.

18-  We all know that practicing speech with actual people is very important when learning a new language. Norsk is a fairly easy language to learn, but Norwegians make practicing it quite hard. Why? Because they just won’t talk to you. Kind of strange.

19-  Why do so many females tend to be insecure about their weight? I’m talking about women that I would not normally consider fat, but for some reason think that they are fat! Sadly also, they think that everyone thinks that they are fat! Don’t people know that being fat and curvaceous are totally two different things? Can’t people just be normal? These are beautiful people already. Somebody help here.

20-  Ever heard of Norsk Data? Those guys could put Steve Jobs to shame. I keep wondering–where are the days of Norsk Data gone? I think the guys at Norsk Data had much more potential to save us from the crap that we get from Microsoft. Could it be that the generous welfare model–made possible by the oil money–is getting people more comfortable? But I would presume that both Sweden and Finland have comparable welfare policies? Why have they always done much better? Just curious.Why do I think that the level of innovation in this country is something to be worried about? Before I even start, why would India register more patents than Norway, when there are far more factors that foster innovation in Norway than in India? You might argue that Norway is less populous than India but so is Sweden. What makes it so hard for Norwegians to be just as productive as the Swedish? Only ten countries have registered more patents than Sweden as per 2011. Given the large amounts of financial resources that this country commands, why is it that it doesn’t even appear on Boston Consulting Group’s Global Innovation Index of large country rankings? According to the Boston Consulting Group, they look at thing like ‘‘government and fiscal policy, education policy and the innovation environment’’ to determine innovation inputs. Norway is by far high on all those things compared to other countries like Spain that are doing way better than Norway as far as innovation in concerned. You would think that the financial resources that Norway has can afford it the freedom to invest in more R&D than most developed countries. Why is everything around me NOT made in Norway? Well, some might say that it would cost companies more money to produce things here because the cost of living in Norway is insanely high. That’s right, but but how do the Swedes do it? How about Switzerland? They don’t even have the North Sea oil that Norway is blessed with. Is this what oil does to societies? I don’t know. I have not found any published studies that link oil wealth to the death of innovation, so it’s hard to make that claim, but they seem to be related.

Can the new found oil wealth help to match the runaway innovation levels of Sweden, or better still exceed them? I may probably be ignorant for thinking that a state can use its financial resources to boost innovation or to think that there’s a relationship between a country’s financial well-being and its level of innovation. I don’t really think that there are a lot of differences between Norway and Sweden, but it seems to me  that there are very significant differences when it comes to manufacturing and innovation. Could it be that the quality of human capital in Sweden is better than that in Norway? I don’t know. Is there something still deficient in the Norwegian education system/ policy? Could it be that students in Norway are still lagging behind in math and science? When you look at countries that register the biggest number of patents, they are all characterized by very strong education systems. How well has the North Sea oil wealth been used to advance things like quality education, science and technology? Would an average Norwegian compete with an average German on a global scale? What can Norway learn from countries like Germany and South Korea? Why do South Koreans register more patents in a single year than Norway has ever registered in a lifetime? Another thing that you notice as you look at the countries that top the list of registered patents is the strong work ethic that they have come to be known for. I previously mentioned the issue of work ethic in this country. Could it explain why Norway is not catching up with its developed counterparts? These are some questions to ponder on. I hope I have not digressed a lot.

21-  Finally, I’m so happy about the ease with which any averagely motivated person can access education in Norway, it’s very important that the government is committed to equal education. Nonetheless, I have a few concerns. How much are Norwegians taking advantage of this? Also, of recent there seems to be a deliberate effort by the authorities to internationalize higher education. Some sources indicate that more and more students, at a graduate level are choosing to study in Norway. But how much knowledge and cultural exchange do Norwegian students get out of this? My guess is that, unfortunately, not that much as compared to countries like the UK and the US have been able to do with foreign talent. I’m aware that those within engineering and other oil related fields have had luck, but what about business those in business and other fields? Would you imagine a Harvard Business School MBA who happens to be an international student, working as a janitor somewhere in Boston? Why would a Nigerian international master’s student who has graduated from NHH (for those who don’t know it’s like the Harvard Business School of Norway) be cleaning toilets in Bergen when all his Norwegian classmates were hired even before graduation? True story. This leads us to ask. Could it be that this all his class mates are better than him or could it be that there’s a systemic problem with the way the country’s system handles foreign talent? Isn’t this a despicable misuse of human potential that countries like the US, Canada or the UK cannot afford? I think these are very important questions that can ultimately shape this country’s future in one way or the other. This is the subject of my next entry.

 

Jar…., Rastafarai. One love

Epic picture by Anders Finsland

Someone took me to a photo gallery here in Svolvær. Anders Finsland the owner of the gallery was so nice. The guy is probably the best photographer in this town. I don’t think anyone has captured Svolvær and Lofoten so beautifully quite like him. But then again, I also don’t know many photographers here. Photography is a big thing here given that this place is oozing with beauty. Anders is one awesome guy too. After seeing his amazing photos, he offered to shoot me just before I left. For a moment, I felt like I was being shot for a spread in GQ (seriously?) One shot in particular stood out. I just love the aesthetic of it. It’s so good I’m about to frame it and send it to my Mother.