La Chine, c’est chique – the WTO column

Brussels - I have been following with mixed feelings the announced action on July 2 by rock musician Bob Geldof and fellow artist to rally against the G8, the meeting of eight richest countries, bound to meet in Scotland a few days later, in an in itself honorable effort to wipe out poverty in Africa.
While there is more to say about it, there are two main arguments against the action. First, it associates the whole of Africa with poverty, while the very diverse continent has its fair share of problems, it ignores the fact that much in Africa is also going very well.
The local subway here is plastered with posters of Brussels Airline promoting its flights to Africa. “L’Afrique - c’est chique”, it reads, or “Africa – now that is fashionable” in a poor translation.
What I like about the slogan it that it goes against the musical struggle that has been announced by Mr. Geldof.
Also, the association between globalization and poverty seems to be less straight forward than demonstrators on Edinburough might hope for. In my youth the church I then belonged to was still collecting silver paper to relieve the poverty in China, but those days seem to be over and I believe not because of the large amount of chocolate I ate for this good cause. But nobody is praising China and organizing a worldwide concert to celebrate the way this country pulled hundreds of millions of its citizens out of poverty. Focusing on the positive side of the globalization does not bring demonstrators together, let alone famous artists to perform.

Africa is tolerated like beggars are tolerated in the world’s largest cities, because it makes the well-off feel good as they can drop an occasional euro or US dollar into their hats. But what happens when those beggars become better-off themselves? Nothing is more devastating for sympathy towards the poor as making them rich. The former Chinese beggars are now seen as people who are stealing our jobs in a sneaky way. In dumping their jumpers and TV-sets on our markets and destroying our valuable industries. Trade wars and political pressure they get in stead of praise in desperate efforts to safeguard our own interests. That is not the kind of beggars we like. Beggars should know their place.

I know it is easy to denounce initiatives like that of Mr. Geldof, but it just makes me feel so cheap to focus on the misfortune of parts of Africa only. Why can we only appreciate other countries as long as they are prepared to act like subdue beggars, waiting for another euro or dollar in aid?

Fons Tuinstra