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ANOTHER AFRICA IS POSSIBLE

“Another Africa is possible, Africa reconciled with itself, that fully has its faculty to think the future and to give him sense” . This is the end of the book of Aminata Traoré, "The imaginary violated", considered as Naomi Klein for western countries, she is ex Minister of the Culture of the Mali (ex Sudan), this 55 year-old woman has done her life the struggle against new economy order that its continent is suffocating.

She has been one of the organizers of the last Social Forum of Porto Alegre and her book cost her leaving from the political world of the Mali for the open reports against the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization that to her opinion they have prevented the African continent to have a really changment.

The African executives to get financings have to bend themselves to the logic of the market, to undergo to the "recipes” of the International Monetary Fund that asks for privatizations, investments opening foreigners and reduction of the public expense.
According to Aminata the political Africans are perpetually found before to an alternative, on one side the applications of the population, to reduce the public expense to pay the affairs on the debts toward the countries creditors.
The diktats of the international financial institutions prevent from reaching a true democracy in Mali; the country is not free to complete its own choices and to answer only to its own citizens. An example: the principal source of wealth for Mali is the cotton. When the price of the fiber fell on the world market, the State of the Mali, that managed the sector, definite to intervene with special funds to guarantee to the farmers a least price of purchase for the cotton seeds. The WTO didn't delay to make this affirming that the interference of the State would have distorted the values of market that it was not free to fluctuate. So not only the subsidies were forbidden to the farmers, but the international institutions pretended the privatization of the whole sector. "Yet", remember Aminata, "in Usa every year the farmers receive subsidies from their government! Reality is another, west needs Africa without Africans."
Aminata Traoré never surrendered and she has given the best of herself to change this state of things. In 1997 she accepted the charge of Minister of the Culture and Tourism offered by the Prime Minister Keita. Aminata saw in that opportunity the possibility to bring her ideas in breast to the government.
She immediately put all of her enthusiasm in to realize cultural projects as the raising of the local cinema or to try to develop a program for the cultural tourism in Bad. Unfortunately the obstacles introduced immediately her since, the projects of Aminata they didn't guarantee immediate monetary return, they considered only speculative plans. The funds of its Office were cut and she was accused of "abuse of social goods" for which has suffered a trial from where she has gone out acquits of it.
Despite the surrender adversities she tried to convince her own government to change attitude towards the World Bank that furnished projects "keys in hand". The people in this way was marginalized by the national and international bureaucracy, they were not involved in the projects
to develop Mali.
The idea of Aminata was simple, on the style of the "democracy participative" that from years it is realized in Port Alegre. Tarsus Genro, mayor of Porto Alegre from 1989, has introduced the "budget participative" or the possibility for the inhabitants to define the use of the town funds, to follow the work and the run of the investments, all to the light of the sun. Mrs Traoré wanted to effect really this in a country as the Mali where the corruption reigns sovereign and people need to feel themselves motivated.
Aminata had estranged from the government, that fell after few on international pressures, but she kept on collaborating to initiatives for Africa. She participated in the organization of the 1° Forum “Panafricano” in Bamako in 2001. The objective was to create unity among the African countries to get greater weight in the elaborations of the rules of the world commerce.
The African economy is destined to be cyclical if it will keep on based only themselves on the cost of gold, coffee or cotton. Also that occasion was wasted because after three days of negotiations they didn't succeed in finding a common position.
Aminata was sorry for the result of the forum because once more the Africans they showed not to be able to make to be worth her own identity not to see the priorities under their eyes.
Africa keeps on paying hight interests rate on the debt, they continue to die of Aids because the brevets on the medicines make their purchase inaccessible from the citizens. In Mali peole die for lack of food and 64% of the population is employed in the agriculture!! As this paradox it is possible? Jean Ziegler, chairman Onu and teacher of sociology to the university in Geneva, affirm that big part of the responsibility is to attribute to the "colonial pact."
Europe during the expansion new-colonialist in Africa, used the black continent to produce that good required by the European market. This way Ghana was used for the production of cocoa, Rwandafor tea and Mali for cotton. Economy of these countries is based only on one sector (gold or cotton and so on.. and prices depend on world market. So they must purchase agricultural products that could produce by themselves!!. Who has tried to escape this "slavery" it is dead as has happened to Sankara in 1987 in Burkina Faso, run political to the guide of the country. In his project there was, in fact, the idea to create a Burkina Faso really "free."

The premises are not good, but in Africa people as Aminatas Traoré exist that they firmly believe in different Africa because, another Africa is possible indeed starting with the decolonizzazione of the mind. This is the primary condition because can be participated in the order of the world on different bases from the subordination and from the imitation.

Federico Bastiani

Aminata Traoré