stealing africa essay

Ethics Under Scrutiny: “Stealing Africa” Documentary Essay

Introduction.

The documentary “Stealing Africa | Why Poverty” explains how the West keeps Africa impoverished. From the video, several ethical and moral lapse points emerge. Watching this documentary made me question humanity and how far people are willing to go because of greed. The video illustrates the self-centered decision-making approach taken by the West, where it only considers its interests, even at the expense of human lives.

One lapse in morality is demonstrated by the inequality experienced in Zambia. Zambia is a country with the largest copper reserves in Africa, yet it is ranked among the poorest twenty countries in the world (The Why Foundation, 2013, 04:31- 04:41). Copper is an essential mineral in the world economy and is controlled by multinational cooperations that obtain more than twenty-nine billion dollars a decade from its extraction (The Why Foundation, 2013, 04:24). Many individuals think that western countries are too generous to developing countries, such as Zambia. In reality, poor countries can generate ten times more money than they receive in foreign aid.

Insider trading is yet another ethical lapse observed in the documentary. Despite the price boom of copper, Zambia remains poor because the multinational corporations owning the copper mines have subsidiaries worldwide to trade with each other. In this process, the subsidiaries manipulate the prices for accounting purposes, thereby creating a huge, untaxable profit since it is off the books (The Why Foundation, 2013, 09:21- 09:35). People in power also commit fraud and corruption to enrich themselves through copper trade. The perfect example is Mark Rich, who laundered close to $100 million, sent it to offshore accounts, and traded it with Iranian enemies. Mark Rich and his lawyer proffered a one-time payment to call off the case. Former Zambian President Chiluba was another culprit of corruption and misappropriation of funds. He was in a scheme to steal from the republic and breached a fiduciary duty.

Most of these moral and ethical lapses are inappropriate and unethical. When copper prices hit rock bottom and Zambia desperately needed investors, the leaders decided to privatize Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) (The Why Foundation, 2013, 23:37- 23:51). This was not an advisable or fair move because the foreigners put Zambia in a desperate situation to rescue itself and please investors. Consequently, Zambia needed international investment to create more jobs after privatization. By privatizing the ZCCM, Zambians’ freedom of choice was violated because the nationals were not given time to calculate the cost of their national assets. However, companies also have rights, one of them being the right to buy or sell property.

As a business leader, I would update antibribery and anticorruption policies and conduct due diligence to ensure all parties meet these standards. Additionally, I would ensure that the culprits are punished in a way that they serve as an example to the rest. I would also require frequent checks and inspections of financial statements by local and international auditors to ensure that the prices recorded in the books are accurate. In general, African business and political leaders have a part to play in protecting the continent from the predatory practices of the West.

The Why Foundation. (2013). Stealing Africa ⎜ Why poverty? ⎜ (Documentary) [Video] . YouTube. Web.

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Stealing Africa: How Rich Companies Benefit from the Developing Countries

Stealing Africa is the documentary movie directed by C. Guldbrandsen, and filmed in 2012. It shows how Glencore, the Swiss company, operates with Zambian copper mining and manipulates its taxes, which are the primary way of getting revenue from copper for Zambia. The movie’s thesis is that multinational companies like Glencore are stealing from African countries and damaging countries’ economics and the environment.

The documentary sheds light on the significant reason for Zambia’s poverty – its copper mining and abroad selling. Glencore, the Swiss company, has its copper minings in Zambia, and, although it is good for the developing country to have jobs from the multinational partner, the damage from mining is not worth the revenue. The movie shows Glencore’s illegal actions from the past with the suspicious audit and taxing facts of the present. The story also includes Zambian vice president G.Scott who fights with the consequences of mining and reviews the problems Zambia discovers, such as unemployment, pollution, and poverty. Zambia loses out from its copper mining because $3B worth copper produced gives only $50M tax revenue for Zambia while it paid $150M to provide the extraction with electricity.

The intended audience of Stealing Africa might be people who work for non-profit organizations related to African issues, or international business people who might find Glencorp’s actions a bad business example. The purpose of the movie is, undoubtedly, to draw attention to Zambia’s poverty problems as the country suffers because of the external influence of the foreign company. C. Guldbrandsen states that rich countries such as Switzerland keep developing countries like Zambia dependent by setting transfer and resource pricing.

The director did vast research about the Zambian economic situation as well as Glencore’s operations of the last fifty years; he interviewed politics, business people, journalists, and Zambian citizens to create a clear view of the situation. C. Guldbrandsen highlights that copper mining of Glencore called Mopani causes air and water pollution, and the number of citizens affected by it is a hundredfold more than allowed by World’s Health Organization (WHO). The reason why Zambia is in such a situation is also provided in the movie: in the 2000s, the country was too poor to even get a loan from anywhere, and selling Zambian minings was the only way of getting money. The privatization sounded good, but now Zambia has to spend money on cleaning the water, healthcare, and other consequences of the pollution. G.Scott claims that this money could be spent on education and jobs creating instead.

Glencore has tricky ways of transferring the copper so that it lowers the taxes, which are Zambia’s revenue. Moreover, there are transfer pricing manipulations with the copper: “Zambian copper bought by Swiss traders is never shipped to Switzerland; much of it is sold in transit, often from bonded warehouses.” (Dobler, Kesselring, 2019, p. 227). In 2008, Zambia set its fixed taxes, and many companies refused to keep working with the country. Glencore stayed, yet it illegally set the prices for copper, and Zambia couldn’t afford fighting it.

Stealing Africa is a bright example of the relationship between the rich company and the developing African country. Zambia’s desperate economic situation made the country depend on Glencore, although the company promised the country’s jobs and growth. Such companies as Glencore are stealing African countries’ wealth and damaging countries’ environment affecting the citizens. People of Africa have to survive instead of improving their lives, and the foreign companies’ impact on it must be reduced.

Dobler, G., Kesselring, R. (2019). Swiss extractivism: Switzerland’s role in Zambia’s copper sector . The Journal of Modern African Studies , 57(2), 223-245. Web.

Guldbrandsen C. (2012) Stealing Africa [Film]. Guldbrandsen Film.

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Stealing Africa

Stealing Africa asks the question: Are multinational corporations bleeding Africa dry?

Christoffer Guldbrandsen

Christoffer Guldbrandsen is based in Denmark and is well known for his controversial and widely debated films. Amongst these are Fogh Behind The Façade (The Road to Europe) (2003) for which he was nominated for the prestigious Cavling Prize by the Danish Union of Journalists, and The President (2011).

Henrik Veileborg

Henrik Veileborg was born in Copenhagen in 1964 and studied production at the National Filmschool of Denmark. From 1995 until 2002 he worked as a producer and production manager at Magic Hour Films in Copenhagen. From 2002 to 2006, he was the head of development for the Danish Film Institute, which he left to take up the reigns as CEO and Producer at Upfront … Show more Films (formerly known as Cosmo Doc). Show less

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In an age of global trade, multinational corporations motivated by maximizing profit often end up working against the interests of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Stealing Africa investigates reports of widespread criminality by well-known multinational companies operating in Africa. Featuring interviews with heads of state, corporate insiders, and officials from the major global financial institutions, the nature and extent of the problem begins to emerge.

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Why poverty stealing africa.

Guldbrandsen, Christoffer. Why Poverty? Stealing Africa. Denmark: Guldbrandsen Film, 2012. HD, 58 min. https://youtu.be/WNYemuiAOfU.

Stealing Africa describes the tax system employed by multinational companies in Africa. The film looks at Rüschlikon, a village in Switzerland with a very low tax rate and very wealthy residents. But it receives more tax revenue than it can use. This is largely thanks to one resident - Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, whose copper mines in Zambia are not generating a large bounty tax revenue for the Zambians. Zambia has the third largest copper reserves in the world, but 60% of the population lives on less than $1 a day and 80% are unemployed. Based on original research into public documents, the film tells the story of global trade where money and natural resources only flow one way.  (Source: Steps International )

The series Why Poverty? was initiated and produced by Steps International, a non-profit organization that combines documentaries, new media, old media and outreach to get millions of people talking about big issues.

© 2012 Steps International. Film used with permission.

This film is available at the  Rachel Carson Center  Library (RCC, 4th floor, Leopoldstrasse 11a, 80802 Munich) for on-site viewing only. For more information, please contact [email protected].

About the Environmental Film Profiles collection

• Froberg, Kristina, and Attiya Waris. Bringing the Billions Back: How Africa and Europe Can End Illicit Capital Flight . Stockholm: Forum Syd Forlag, 2011.
• Zucman, Gabriel. The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens. University of Chicago Press, 2015.
• Rupert Neate. "Ivan Glasenberg's neighbours rest uneasily with Glencore tax windfall" (The Guardian)
• Siji Jabbar. "How the Swiss get rich at Zambia’s expense." (This is Africa)
• Frantz Fanon. "How Mining Companies Steal Africa's Wealth." (Blog Post)
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Stealing Africa

Stealing Africa focuses on the issue of corruption throughout Africa and finds out who actually benefits from this corruption.

Spanning many months and many countries, this film follows an investigation that exposes the scale of corruption throughout Africa. As evidence is gathered, we will come to understand that it is the rising East and the established West that are the real beneficiaries of corruption. The film will follow the trail of money to show who benefits from the plundering of Africa's resources. The investigation also looks at initiatives which aim to redefine accepted corruption indexes which currently lay the blame squarely at the source of corruption and not the beneficiary. Instead, Stealing Africa will look at attempts to produce a new index � the Financial Integrity Index � which will list the countries whose governments house the corporations that most benefit from corruption.

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Show More Stealing Africa - Why Poverty, Directed by Christoffer Guldbrandsen. 2012. The documentary, “Stealing Africa: why poverty,” is directed by Christopher Guldbrandsen who reveals the investigations about the Glencore Mining Corporation and its operations and mechanism of copper mining in Zambia. According to filmmaker, the Glencore is making billions of profit from copper mines while the country Africa remains one of the poorest in the world as compared to other countries. Though, Zambia is rich in copper resources, having mining industry as economic backbone but the poverty rate remains to be very high since these resources are not generating much profit wealth for Zambians. There are several arguments in this documentary which answer the following question: how is it possible for Africa to be so rich in copper resources and yet remain so poor in generating wealth for African citizens? The documentary explains this irony as a result of Multinational Corporations that are avoiding tax payments that gave rise to …show more content… It is possible that other than mining industries that are working in Zambia also have a negative impact on environmental and health concerns in Zambia. Since, Glencore Corporation challenged the allegations placed by the ZEMA, Zambia Environmental Management Agency, for the negative effects of Mining Corporation for increasing pollution in Zambia, then it is also possible to inspect other industries and MNCs in Zambia. In my opinion, the documentary overall explains the fact of why Africa is considered to be one of the poorest country in world, despite having rich natural resources. All this is due to the Multinational Corporations like Glencore, operating copper mining business in Zambia and avoiding tax payments that would increase the poverty rate in Zambia. Therefore, the filmmaker enlightens this irony in

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The documentary A Great and Mighty Walk, by John Henrik Clarke, articulates the story of African peoples’ throughout history, beginning with his own personal history and interpretations, following by the ancient African civilizations’ and American narration. Clarke recognizes African people have been misrepresented throughout history because it has been written throughout the Eurocentric perception. The distorted taught history and colonialism have been embedded in our educational system and religious belief. Clarke story of searching for the authentic history of African people begun when he was told, “Black people had no history.” Clarke exploration of his own heritage to understand where he came from; lead to the discovery of misrepresentation in American history.…

The Pursuit Of Wealth

All the ugliness in the world can be attributed to people’s attachment to money, and the power it comes with. The unequal distribution of the world’s wealth and the drive to acquire all the world’s natural resources and money, plus the lust for power has led to a world of wars, paranoia, distrust and so forth. When we look at the things happening around the world today, we can see the effect of the relentless pursuit of wealth around the world. Corruption and embezzlement are the order of the day in most African countries. Not long ago, some African countries were under dictatorship who were in charge of the country’s economy.…

Colonialism In How Europe Underdeveloped Africa By Walter Rodney

• 3 Works Cited

Marxist theory states that “capitalists enjoy profits due to surplus value” (Aviles). Rodney argues that this so called ‘surplus’ was African labor and raw materials: “colonies should exist for the metropoles by producing raw materials and buying manufactured goods, the underlying theory was to introduce an international division of labour” (177). This point was demonstrated through examples such as the slave trade, wage labour, technological advancement, and politico-military advances. These examples show Africa being used for everything from military research and development to labor exploitation in the mining industry. In the case of the technological stagnation of Africa; Rodney portrays this in such a way that Europe acted as the gatekeeper determining what technology Africa would be permitted and what would be withheld.…

Poverty As A Social Problem

As well as wealthy individuals benefiting from poverty, wealthy countries and big corporations also benefit from people and countries with less financial power. For example, the price of oil around the world is largely based on whether a country is more of a consumer or a producer of oil (Do, 2015). Countries where the gas prices are lower, such as the U.S, consume a great deal more oil than is produced. This means that these countries need to import and purchase a great deal of oil from other countries, and do not export early as much. 80 percent of the world’s population shares just 6 percent of the world’s wealth (Do, 2015).…

Poverty is the worse form of violence” ( Mahatma Gandhi). Poverty affects many people but one thing is certain, it can be fixed. Poverty is a worldwide problem and there are many different reasons people are in poverty. It affects a lot of people, but if we all work together it can be fixed. Poverty, the general scarcity, death, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money.…

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• United States
• International trade
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• Views on Stealing Africa

Views on Stealing Africa - Essay Example

• Subject: Business
• Type: Essay
• Level: Undergraduate
• Pages: 2 (500 words)
• Downloads: 16
• Author: claudmante

Extract of sample "Views on Stealing Africa"

Views on Stealing Africa This is a video or documentary on how multinationals conduct their businesses in the African continent. It shows that despite the many and profitable resources Africa has, it is still wallowing in poverty, poverty imposed by the multinational through underhanded tactics. The video tries to give an insight as to why Africa is rich in resources yet so poor.Specifically this refers to the nation of Zambia which has the third largest copper supply in the world and the related copper mining industry therein.

The mine is known as Mopani Copper Mine. The mine is owned by Glencore International Plc, a public company listed in London and Hongkong, registered in Jersey and head quartered in Switzerland (Stealing Africa).The company has consistently evaded corporate tax in Zambia by claiming losses in business. This has been through artificial inflation of operational costs and even under valuing the mined copper. The copper is sold to Switzerland at below market price. Therefore, the company has managed to pay minimal taxes while reaping huge benefits.

Despite Zambia having a third of the world’s copper supply, she is still among the poorest countries in the world. Between 60-70% of Zambians live on less than $1 a day and the unemployment rate is staggering 80%. The money from copper bypasses the needy Zambians and only helps Switzerland, home of the company. The situation obtaining here can only be described as catastrophic and dire. The organizations that are mentioned here are the ‘World Bank’ (WB) and the ‘International Monetary Fund’ (IMF).

It was as because of the recommendations of the structural adjustment programme that the Zambian government embarked on privatization lending to sale of the mine to Glencore (Stealing Africa). What they did was simply a disservice to Zambian. Privatization opened the door for flow of cash out from Zambia. This being a private company its bottom line is profit and making money.Politics and business are intertwined hence frequent interactions. The government is responsible for the economic policies that will guide how trade and business is conducted.

Business cannot thrive in a vacuum where there is no regulation or order (Stealing Africa). In the Zambian situation, the policy of privatization did not at all help the citizens. There is still abject poverty since unemployment rate is unbelievable. Why all this? It is because the fund for empowering the citizens is whisked away to the mother country. Even the tax paid is not low one since the product has been undervalued. The issues in this video basically down to the question as to way Africa is blessed with resources yet remain poor.

This scenario obtaining here has been played all over the continent of Africa and can be said to be the law. Many have blamed the Africans themselves, but this is wrong as the video shows (Stealing Africa).One of the most important things that can be done is to sensitize the international financial organizations to the unique needs of African countries. The financial measures i.e. structural adjustments should be tailored for the specific needs of a specific country and not where one size fits all.

The international community should monitor the operations of multinational companies in Africa (Stealing Africa). The way they do their business must be interrogated since the African governments might not have the capacity to do this. The situation in the video is wrong morally or otherwise and should not continue.Work CitedStealing Africa. Web. April 1st, 2013. Available at

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Should stolen African art be returned?

Institutions in the UK and France return artefacts to Nigeria and Benin following years-long campaigns.

European institutions, like the British Museum and the Louvre, are home to some of the world’s finest art.

But some of the treasures on display were stolen during colonial times.

Keep reading

Us returns 250 antiquities to india after probe into stolen art, stealing africa: how britain looted the continent’s art, dutch court awards crimean gold artefacts to ukraine.

Experts believe up to 90 percent of African cultural artefacts were taken from the continent.

This week, three European institutions gave back items stolen more than a century ago from Nigeria and Benin.

Campaigners who have fought for years to return those objects hope it is just the start.

But others believe the artefacts should remain in Europe.

So who is right?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Sonita Alleyne – Master of Jesus College, Cambridge University

Chika Okeke-Agulu – Professor of African and African diaspora art history, Princeton University

Ed Cross – Curator, gallerist and owner of Ed Cross Fine Art

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

'We want our riches back' – the African activist taking treasures from Europe's museums

Mwazulu Diyabanza has been fined and jailed for entering museums and forcibly removing ‘pillaged’ African artefacts. He tells our writer why the British Museum is now in his sights

M wazulu Diyabanza makes no secret of why he is in France . If coronavirus had not closed most of Europe’s museums, the Congolese activist would probably be inside one right now, wresting African objects from their displays to highlight what he sees as the mass pillaging of the continent by European colonialists.

And it’s not just the mighty museums. Diyabanza and his supporters also plan to include smaller galleries, private collections and auction houses in their campaign. “Wherever the riches of our heritage and culture have been stolen,” says the 42-year-old, “we will intervene.” As the leader of a pan-African movement called Yanka Nku (Unity, Dignity and Courage), Diyabanza is on a mission is to recover all works of art and culture taken from Africa to Europe. He calls his method “active diplomacy”.

Last June, in between French lockdowns, Diyabanza and several others entered the Quai Branly museum in Paris, which has around 70,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa . Shouting “We’re taking it home!”, they wrenched from its setting a 19th-century African funeral post that belonged to the Bari people of Chad. Police recovered the object and held Diyabanza in custody for three days. A judge fined him €1,000 for “attempted theft”.

A month later, in Marseille, Diyabanza attempted to remove an ivory spear from the Museum of African, Oceanian and Native American Art. He was let off in court. Then, come autumn, he was in the Netherlands attempting to remove a Congolese statue from the Afrika Museum at Berg en Dal. He was given a two-month suspended sentence and a €250 fine.

“The prosecutor had wanted me convicted to discourage others,” says Diyabanza over the phone. “But the judge recognised that I was not guilty of ‘theft’ but of a political act. He opened the door to discussions with the museum authorities. So I’m going back to the Netherlands with the idea of discussing this.”

Although further actions were planned this month in Brussels, they have been thwarted by Covid-19 closures. But more are in the diary. “We will be looking at Spain, Germany, Portugal, the Vatican and – yes – the UK,” he says. “We will be visiting the British Museum once it reopens. It contains some chef d’oeuvres that are very symbolic.”

On its website , the British Museum admits that some objects in its Africa collections have “difficult histories, including the contested means by which some collections have been acquired, such as through military action”. It adds: “The British Museum is actively engaged in re-examining the acquisition histories of such collections and caring for them with appropriate respect, in close dialogue with African partners.”

The 900 objects from the Kingdom of Benin , now southern Nigeria, are particularly problematic. They include exhibits that were looted from Benin City by a British military force in 1897, most famous among them the mesmerising Benin bronzes , created from the 16th century onwards by specialist guilds. “ The Royal Palace was burned and destroyed,” the museum’s website explains. “Its shrines and associated compounds were looted by British forces, and thousands of objects of ceremonial and ritual value were taken to the UK as official ‘spoils of war’, or distributed among members of the expedition according to their rank.”

Diyabanza, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and now spends his time in France and Togo, says talk is fine – but action is needed. He estimates that in France alone there are 116,000 African objects that should be returned. In November 2017, during a speech in Mauritania, French president Emmanuel Macron promised to return African works housed in French national museums. Since then, only 27 restitutions have been announced and only one object repatriated: a sword that had belonged to Omar Saidou Tall, a West African political leader, Islamic scholar and warlord.

Diyabanza has now widened his campaign with the creation of the FMAS , the Front Multiculturel Anti Spoliation, or the Multicultural Front against Pillaging. This aims to reunite people across the globe with what he calls their robbed heritage. These include artefacts belonging to Native American tribes, aborigines and indigenous peoples of the Philippines, Indonesia, Peru and elsewhere.

“We have to give a voice to these people,” he says, “and push them to join our action so we can pressure western governments to return everything. This restitution must be immediate and unconditional and carried out with dignity and respect – and it must happen everywhere in Europe. The museums and institutions of these countries must understand that we are determined.

“For the moment, we are concentrating on museums. We are optimistic governments will eventually cooperate. Then we will ask people who have objects in private collections to act with goodwill and return the things that have been stolen from us. But, eventually, it’s not just our artefacts but our land and our riches: the minerals, diamonds and gold; the animals, flora and fauna. And reparations – but that is another campaign.”

Diyabanza is not concerned if his movement leaves many European museums practically empty. He has described the removal of art and cultural objects from Africa between 1880 and 1960 as a “vast operation of theft and pillaging that came just after Africa suffered one of the greatest crimes against humanity: slavery”. He is not opposed to African and other objects being displayed in Europe. But he wants to see them returned first and then they can be lent on their owners’ terms.

“These museums are guilty of receiving stolen goods,” he says. “Perhaps they can be decolonised and give birth to something new.The current health restrictions mean our popular actions are restricted. But we have to continue so we can rebuild our own cultural heritage. These are our objects and we want them back.”

• Colonialism
• Indigenous peoples

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Ethiopian government tries to stop UK auction of looted Maqdala shield

Westminster Abbey agrees ‘in principle’ to return sacred tablet to Ethiopia

France should return much more looted African art, film-maker says

British Museum and V&A to lend Ghana looted gold and silver

France and Germany to research provenance of African objects in national museums

French couple lose court case over rare African mask worth millions

French couple take dealer to court for share of African mask’s €4.2m sale price

Totem pole begins ‘rematriation’ from Edinburgh to Nisga’a nation in Canada

Netherlands to return treasures looted from Indonesia and Sri Lanka in colonial era

Germany’s return of sacred Kogi masks to Colombia may have health risks

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STEALING AFRICA: Why is Africa so rich in resources yet so poor?

How is it that Africa is so rich in resources and yet so poor?

The question is often asked as much by Africans interested in altering the continent’s fortunes as by those intent on blaming Africans alone for the paradox. We write about this from time to time, either directly or indirectly—our most recent article on the subject appeared just a week ago—and many others do the same, but it’s easier for people to blame it all on Africans because that absolves everyone else of any responsibility.

The question of how Africa can be so rich in resources yet so poor—relative to the other continents—is also central to the impressive 55 minute documentary Stealing Africa by Danish filmmaker Christoffer Guldbrandsen.

In the documentary, Christoffer Guldbrandsen reveals how one Swiss company, Glencore, is making billions from copper mining in Zambia while the country remains one of the poorest in the world. You won’t be surprised to learn that the IMF and World Bank were involved in the sale of the mines that led to this situation. When are African nations going to stop taking advice from these organizations? The neoliberal policies they “recommend” have been disastrous for Africa and for developing nations around the world, resulting in the continuous transfer of wealth from the south to the north. You can read more about this here Impoverishing a Continent , here How the IMF, World Bank and Structural Adjustment Program destroyed Africa , and here Globalization 101: Why is the IMF controversial ? The IMF has even tried pushing its policies on China.

Glencore makes so much money from copper mining in Zambia that the mayor of the village in which the company is registered can’t spend all the money the company contributes to the public coffers. Meanwhile 70 percent of Zambia’s population live on less than $2.00 a day and 80 percent are unemployed.

When Glencore went public, the windfall tax earned by the Swiss village of Ruschlikon was so large that the mayor proposed a lowering of the tax rate by seven percent. But one local resident had a different idea. He suggested the tax rate be reduced by five percent, and that the difference between the two rates of tax reduction should go to the African communities affected by Glencore’s operations. A public meeting was called, but the village’s residents voted against handing anything back to Africa. They wanted to keep all the money for themselves.

This is far from an isolated case; wherever you are from in Africa, you can be sure that some of that country’s resources are making less for the country than for the western multinationals involved in extracting those resources. The popular perception is that Africa receives so much money in aid and it just wastes the money, and that western countries are very generous in providing any aid in the first place. But as the documentary points out, the amount of money flowing out of Africa is ten times the amount of aid the continent receives.

Even those familiar with some of the ways in which Africa continues to be sucked dry by these multinationals will despair by what they will learn from Stealing Africa .

The next time someone tries to blame it all on Africa or complains about how much aid the continent receives, send then a link to Stealing Africa . Watch the documentary now.

[su_note note_color=”#f2f2f2″ text_color=”#000000″ radius=”0″]

by Siji Jabbar from This Is Africa

Image:  Close-up of ore deposits (gold, coal & bauxite) and an old map of Afric a via Shutterstock

The statistic that 10 Billion flowed out of Zambia in copper exports yet the company managed to pay only 50 million in taxes blew me away. Not really surprised, but whoa! This documentary really pinpoints some of the big issues affecting Africa through the lens of the one country and they do a fine job telling the story.

I think African’s have got to be strong.They should learn to manage their own resources and increase in richness and greatness,not to be played around with their resources because they Africans do not manage their resources.Africans should stop being blind!

For life is certainly Spiritual. Thi has been a Moses curse. A continent where our ancestors worshiped ancestors and idols but this is the chosen generation and I am their chosen sister who will deliver them from all bondage. I start at HIV cure which the Holy Spirit gave me and that is the seed of the pomegranate.

Now we welcome those who have had good intentions towards us throughout the years. We hope our enemies repent and that we forgive them HOWEVER, many systems are to change. How are we going to do this? We have no weapon but the power of prayer. Know that USA with Girish Kotwal the virology that was working in University of Cape Town conspired when they ought to introduce the pomegranate as an “viral load reducer” according to the psychopath Girish. But they did not even introduce it at all, South Africans don’t even know of the effective anti HIV pomegranate which has antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxident, antibacteria, antifungal and unmentioned agents. This is not known to my people not even as an immune booster. Rather they have died at the evil of the Big pharma in the Western World. All this I am to change. Surely I tell you I am the devils enemy no. 1 Jesus delivered us many years ago but the devil has been covering the continent with ignorance and your “World” organizations have ruined our continent. UN is just a front, they control World Bank, World Health Organization which are aimed to kill steal and destroy and I speak this as a prophet, meaning PERIOD.

This is a must watch for ALL Africans…Too many Africans are clueless of what these MNC are stealing from Africa. Since Glencore wont play fair, maybe Zambian govt needs to put in place laws that either force them yo comply or to move out…How about cutting off the electricity supply flowing to the mines?

I forgot to say…the comment is about the video, ‘Stealing Africa’

It’s not like the government will fund local industries if foreign ones go away, a dime with shame is better than a penny with honor, for most.

Very interesting point of view.

Why can’t you guys kick these people out of Africa ! You are rich but yet you are consider the poorest because you let them steal what God has blessed you with. Stand up and take back what is yours and trade it

i love the article .The problem is that African s don’t love themselves if love comes africa we change to a great nation if not Africa will never change .Please you can help me . i love my country but i don’t know how to help my country .i would love to learn on how Africa can be develop .Please am serious !i would love to learn how things can get better !the steps

Maybe professional stars or ball player in America could give you knowledge on how to stop the thieves from stealing from Africa!

GOVERNMENT SHOULD SHOULD INVEST MORE IN THE TECHNICAL SCHOOLS SO THAT THEY CAN GET ACCESS AND MANAGE TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

The problem is the corrupt politicians .the same problem is there in india .the corrupt politicians dont have love for their country .they sell mountains full of minerals to the pvt companies just for a fat bank account .lakhs of people are unemployed as a result of this .all the resources and money goes out of the country .they sell the entire country .the people suffer in poverty and there is unemployment .a courageous ,honest and a patriotic leader is the solution for africa and other countries who are suffering from blood sucking multinationals .you have to pull out the foreign people from your resources .they belong to the country and the people .not to some selfish company to wants to fill its own pockets .just correct the system .the eastern countries have the natural resources. then the poverty will be eradicated .

I watched this and was blown away. Iam an African from Kenya and did not know how bad this situation was. I agree that our African leaders are selling us. Everyone hates an African including our own leaders. We have to wake up and ask for more accountability from our leaders.

I am so sorry I hate that all governments are so Cold and greedy I am from the UK I’m to just a citizen like you deeply saddened by the poverty and other things Africa face please be aware that just like me there are millions of civilians world wide who care about African cilivians x

I wonder if there is an organization one could support that has as its mission to fight corruption and unfairness as depicted in this video? Maybe something like a financial Greenpeace that provides financial and legal assistance to communities and countries to combat legalized plundering.

looks everybody is missing the point these people can not govern themselves they are either to corrupt or to stupid they spend all they time effort and money in killing each other they are like the people in central america south america take look of mexico rich in oil rich silver gold great coast but people live on less than $5 a day only a few get all the goodies and we all know the communist is not the alternative .. and how about the land redistribution in south Africa i remember the Zimbabwe was a very good producer of crops after the land deal went true Zimbabwe stop exporting crops i remember listening to NPR one day about Zimbabwe problems they wore talking to a people from a village because they wore oppose to the taking of the last white land owner because they knew that was the end to their jobs their food source their likelihood that’s why they are poor and they will remain poor until they get colonize again and mexico will remain poor until the US takes over the country

Dear Ricardo, Perhaps you could be more explicit and say who are ‘these people’ who cannot govern themselves, who are too corrupt or stupid and spend all their time and money killing each other. If you actually followed world events with a more open awareness, you would understand that ‘these people’ you mention ARE the USA, or UK, or the Canadians, the French, Germans and any other, for that matter. ‘These people’ are you, and me. ‘These people’ are the very people you are asking to ‘takes over the country’. We are ‘these people’ as we are anyone else. To quote Alan Watts, ?You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.?

Europeans stole Africa and you still blaming Africans… Its African’s fault. They welcome you with open hands, and fed you and your ancestors for million years and this is how you repay them back.

Well said, LL.

poor country like philippines

LIKE PHILIPPINES

I think there should be the awareness of the poor condition of Africa at every facet of life. It should be taught in schools, churches must incorporate it in their sermons, the local markets, hospitals, villages and offices. Once people grasp the depth of the situation, the begin to question existing norms, as well as think about what to do to improve the situation.

Innovation is very necessary. Africans must be innovative with the challenges they encounter. We can use local materials to develop the tools we need for our jobs and as time goes by improve upon them. We must be proud of our local products.

African leaders are not strong and they are fearful of the West, specially the US. If they don’t follow what the west is telling them to do, they will get punished, their country will be put under sanction or the leaders will be recommended to ICC (International Criminal Court)( which is only applied to African leaders) by the unknown politically motivated people of COI (Commission Of Inquiry). That is one of the most reason why the African leaders prefer to be the puppets of the West and become corrupt.

The only so Independent Country in Africa is a country called Eritrea, located in East Africa. Eritrea is going through hell now by the west conspiracy. Eritrea refuses to accept foreign aid, so far the first African country who have done that. Eritrea refused to obey the West policy toward Africa and it is getting punished for it. Ethiopia on the other hand the neighbor to Eritrea, one of the West’s puppet is unleashed by the West to go to war with Eritrea. Eritrean People are now under sanction and and their leaders are called criminal and recommended by the COI to ICC. Youngsters are fleeing their country, because young Eritreans are given special privilege to be granted asylum in the US or Europe. That is what the West can do to once country in Africa, that is if they don’t follow orders . The wast don’t like this small country with the population of 4 million peoples’ mind.

African leaders are just fighting for their stomach .Look what is happening in South Sudan,Yet the populace is suffering,The Big goverment ministers and rich people are living in posh neighbour hoods in kenya yet their countrymen and women are sufering,Their children also going to posh schools,We see them moving in our capitol Nairobi with fuel guzzlers which we cant afford to drive,This are the people who are destroying africa and making it poor,The oil which could have helped Sudan is not helping them ,Instead plane loads of aid is arriving to help the flleing population,Sudan will become another Syria,God help them

This is still colonialism of the highest order though they changed the tactic that they use our own fellow pollical leader to play the game

What Africa gets in the glare of cameras through “aid” is taken tenfold in darkness through unfair trade policies and skewed development loans and harsh Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) that trap the population in a cyclic abject poverty. For most African countries, aid is viewed as a solution to Africa’s problems. However, there is a new crop of African leaders like our very own Uhuru and Nana of Ghana who believe that Africa’s future is in trade (within African and outside it) and proper governance structures&institutions to ensure Africa’s resources are used to benefit the common man and not looted through corruption. There’s yet a future for Africa.

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Haiti as a rich history, filled with many peoples’ blood and countless hopes of freedom. With such a rich history, the country has yet to become financially stable because of their past. From the beginning of the French settlement where slaves were brought over from Africa to harvest crops, to the dictatorship of the Duvalier family. Haiti has yet to see a time when they are not in need of help. After the racial caste systems were set in place, many people would not see a truly independent country. When France finally gave independence to Haiti, they did it for a price. After they paid that price, the US occupied them because of their location and many resources. Every year in Haiti’s history as a nation and before has effects on the world today. These effects are not hidden in fine print, but blatantly found within Haiti and those who have been involved with Haiti.

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Throughout the twentieth century, Rhodesia from 1960’s to the late 1970’s have always been in a struggle to fight for their independence. They had to deal with the British colonist that settled into their land and had taken over control of the country for the past couple of years. Due to the decolonisation of African countries after the second world war it gave many influences and reasons for Rhodesia to search to become an independent country. That all changed when they fully receive their independence in 1980 and during that time they fought for the control of their country, Rhodesia. The name was later changed to Zimbabwe due to a revolutionary struggle they had in their country. The battle to govern Rhodesia and also by the agreement of the Internal Settlement between the fighting forces to find and create peace

African Diaspora Essay

When considering what the African diaspora is, there is one period of time that people commonly refer to. This period of time is the Atlantic Slave Trade. While not the only diaspora of the African people in history, the Atlantic Slave Trade is most commonly thought of due to the scale at which Africans were being emigrated, with around 10-15 million Africans being brought over to the Americas, as well as the effect it has on us today. When looking at the experiences of Africans, they greatly differed dependent on where they landed. These experiences affected later generations of Africans, forcing them to adopt their own culture based on their surroundings and what they were accustomed to from Africa.

African Empire Dbq Essay

The African empires, kingdoms, and cities had many achievements before the arrival of the Europeans. Some of these achievements had influences many other places in the world. Three major achievements were the trading systems, their military forces and strengths of its people, and the wealth and success.

Scramble For Africa Dbq Essay

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century many of the European nations began their scramble for Africa which caused Many Africans to suffer from violence like wars, slavery and inequality. Although the Europeans felt power as though they were doing a great cause in the African continent during the Scramble for Africa; Africans had many reactions and actions including factors as rebellion for freedom, against the white settlers and violent resistance.

Analysis Of Tom Burgis's 'The Looting Machine'

It is thought-provoking, in the sense that Africa’s need for foreign created a race to the bottom, much like what Pietra Rivoli described in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Due to some African states’ reliance on foreign aid in order to mine and profit on their resources, they allow business standards to be lowered and for Chinese firms to tip the contracts moresoever in the favor of Chinese firms. This lowers the potential earnings of African states by lowering royalty rates, for example. Additionally, Burgis’ research was thorough and transparent. When he did not receive a response or if his questions were dodged, he made it obvious to the readers. Sure, some could view this book as too anecdotal to be used as a credible source of Africa’s situation. However, this is due to the nature of the system Burgis is writing about; after all, they are shadow states for a reason. Some readers will be saddened by this text, others angry, most curious to learn more, but above all, everyone will be intellectually stimulated and

Analysis Of Taking Root

The contents in this document are a critique of the documentary Taking Root. This Paper takes a systematic and analytical approach to the video and uses class and chapter concepts from CPO 3204 Contemporary African Politics.

When the country Haiti is said, one does not think of a nice, relaxing, vacation destination. Thoughts like ‘poverty’ and ‘earthquake’ pop into mind. Haiti has been struggling its whole existance trying to overcome poverty, crime, and natural disasters. Throughout all of this, Haiti’s people and culture has remained as exciting and energetic as it naturally is. From the mountains to the coastal lowlands, Haiti’s culture and struggles make it the interesting tropical island it is today.

Ghana Essay

“Ghana, a land full of gold. Africa, a land full of resources.” Where is Ghana and what is it known for? In my paper, we will learn the location, population, how they citizens received their known name, and many more interesting facts.

African And European Relations Essay

(a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Horn of Africa. Aside from religious relations, Africans and Europeans also had economic and political relations as a result of European colonization and conquest of the African regions. Economic relations were a result of Europeans coming into Africa and taking natural resources to benefit from in the production of goods and trade. Another specific example of economic relations between Europeans and Africans is the practice of mercantilism, in which European nations were the mother countries and countries of Africa were the colonies. As the mother country, Europeans, would take natural resources from the colony, African regions, to produce goods, which would then be sold back to the colony. This also attributed to the political relations between Africans and Europeans because the economic desires of the Europeans often led to them controlling the Africans to maximize profit and their own personal benefits; which is directly related to slavery, one of the biggest relations between Africans and Europeans. Slavery and the slave trade in turn created social relations because slaves were considered to be a class of their own. Another social relation that resulted from slavery was the creation a “new race” known as the...

Apartheid Essay

Apartheid is a word that means ‘separation’ in Afrikaans which is a spoken language in southern Africa. Apartheid was used in the twentieth century for racial segregation and political and economic discrimination in the late 1940’s . This is the separation between the blacks, coloured, and white South Africans. The apartheid in South Africa displays racial inequalities by having the twenty percent of whites rule over the majority of blacks and coloured. All whites wanted the blacks to have a whole other separate society. The African National Congress (ANC) which began as a nonviolent civil rights group tried to get rid of apartheid which was not successful until Nelson Mendela became the president and restored the South Africans natural rights.

Summary Of Africa My Africa By David Diop

Africa My Africa by David Diop is an excellent example of a post-colonialism piece of work. After researching the author of the poem, I thoroughly understood and enjoyed the text more than just reading it over, without knowing his personal biographical information. David Diop is an African poet, who was born in France. His parents are of the West African descent (Poets.org). Diop emphasizes the problems of Africa that were brought about by colonialism, and shares a message to Africans to bring about change and freedom through his poem, Africa My Africa. Colonialism is the political, social, economic, and cultural domination of a territory and its people by a foreign power.

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