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>> THIS IS DEMOCRACY NOW!,
DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG, THE WAR AND
PEACE REPORT.
I'M AMY GOODMAN WITH JUAN
GONZALEZ.
WE TURN NOW TO PRESIDENT
OBAMA'S THREE NATION TOUR OF
AFRICA.
HE ARRIVED TODAY IN SOUTH
AFRICA AFTER VISITING SENEGAL,
WHERE HE STOPPED AT GOREE
ISLAND, THE PORT FROM WHERE
AFRICAN SLAVES WERE FORCIBLY
SENT TO THE UNITED STATES.
OBAMA REFLECTED ON THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE VISIT HIM
AND HIS FAMILY.
>> OBVIOUSLY, IT IS A VERY
POWERFUL MOMENT WHENEVER I CAN
TRAVEL WITH MY FAMILY, BUT
ESPECIALLY FOR MICHELE AND MY
CHILDREN, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW TO BE
ABLE TO COME HERE AND FULLY
APPRECIATE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE
SLAVE TRADE, TO GET A SENSE IN A
VERY INTIMATE WAY OF THE
INCREDIBLE INHUMANITY AND
HARDSHIP THAT PEOPLE FACED
BEFORE THEY MADE THE PASSAGE,
CROSSING.
HE HAS CALLED NELSON MANDELA
A HERO FOR THE WORLD IN A
LIFELONG INSPIRATION.
FOR MORE WE'RE JOINED BY
PROFESSOR HORACE CAMPBELL FROM
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY.
HIS NEW BOOK IS CALLED, "GLOBAL
NATO AND THE CATASTROPHIC
FAILURE IN LIBYA."
HORACE CAMPBELL HE RECENTLY
WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR
COUNTERPUNCH CALLED, "THE
IMPERIAL TOUR: MILITARISM AND
PLUNDER."
CONTEXT FORGIVE
OBAMA'S TRIP TO AFRICA.
FOR FASTER, WELCOME BACK TO
DEMOCRACY NOW!
TALK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE.
IT IS PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SECOND
TRIP SINCE BECOMING PRESIDENT.
>> THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO
SPEAK ABOUT THIS MOMENT WHEN WE
ARE ALL PRAYING FOR THE HEALTH
AND WELL-BEING OF PRESIDENT
MANDELA.
THIS TOUR BY BARACK OBAMA COMES
AS THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENT
FOR THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA BECAUSE
THIS IS DIVERTING ATTENTION AT
THE MOMENT WHEN WE WANTED TO
FOCUS OUR ENERGIES ON
SUPPORTING THE HEALTH AND WELL-
BEING OF MANDELA.
SECONDLY, THE OBAMA TRIP TO
AFRICA DOES NOT BRING ANYTHING
TO THE AFRICAN PEOPLE.
IN YOUR SEGMENT IN DISCUSSING
THE IMMIGRATION IN THIS COUNTRY,
WE HEARD FROM OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS ABOUT THE MILITARIZATION
OF THE BORDER REEDIT OBAMA HAS
GONE TO AFRICA WITH THOSE
PUBLICLY DENOUNCING THE
MILITARIZATION OF AFRICA
ATTENDED BY THE UNITED STATES
AFRICA COMMAND.
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, OBAMA HAS
SOUGHT TO RETREAT FROM THE
COMMAND BY NOT MENTIONING THE
U.S. AFRICA COMMAND AND SAYING
THEY WANT A PARADIGM SHIFT IN
TERMS OF MOVING TOWARD
INVESTMENT AND TRADE.
BUT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
IS IN THE MIDST OF A MASSIVE
FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC CRISIS,
AND THEY DO NOT HAVE INVESTMENT
AND TRADE OFFER AFRICA.
THEY CANNOT COMPETE WITH THE
RISING POWERS OF THE WORLD --
WAS ILL, INDIA, AND CHINA.
ESPECIALLY CHINA READ WHEN THE
CHINESE PRESIDENT CAME TO
AFRICA, AND OBAMA IS VISITING
TWO COUNTRIES HE VISITED, THEY
OFFER $20 BILLION IN NEW
INVESTMENT IN AFRICA AND IN
TANZANIA ALONE, THEY OFFER $10
MILLION IN INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT.
CHINESE TRADE WITH AFRICA HAS
MULTIPLIED 20 TIMES IN THE PAST
10 YEARS FROM $10 BILLION TO
$198 BILLION.
SO THE U.S. IN THE MIDST OF A
FINANCIAL CRISIS, IN THE MIDST
OF SEQUESTRATION, HAS NOTHING TO
OFFER.
MUST IMPORTANTLY, THE
OBAMA GOING TO
GOREE ISLAND YESTERDAY, THIS WAS
A MOMENT WHEN BARACK OBAMA COULD
HAVE MADE A STATEMENT TO THE
REPARATIONS MOVEMENT OF THE
WORLD WHEN HE STOOD AT THE DOOR
WITH THISRN, OBAMA
LITTLE BACKGROUND BY HUMAN
RIGHTS, SPOKE ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS
AT GOREE ISLAND WHEN HE SHOULD
BE SPEAKING ABOUT HUMAN LIFE.
BECAUSE THE ENSLAVEMENT OF THE
AFRICAN PERSONS WAS ABOUT THE
DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN LIFE.
IT WAS ABOUT THE DEVALUATION OF
AFRICANS AS HUMAN BEINGS.
SAYOBAMA COULD ONLY
PHRASES ABOUT THIS REMINDED HIM
ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS.
THE REPARATIONS MOVEMENT IS
SAYING TO THE WORLD, THE
TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
REPRESENTED A CRIME AGAINST
HUMANITY AND THAT PEACE
MOVEMENT, THE DEMILITARIZATION
MOVEMENT, REPARATIONS MOVEMENT,
HAS TO SEE THIS MOMENT AS A:
NATION OF THE CONTRADICTIONS OF
THE UNITED STATES ON POLICIES
TOWARD AFRICA.
>> WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MINUTES
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AID
CHINA HAS BEEN GIVING IN TERMS
OF AND FOR STRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT VERSUS THE
INVESTMENT OF AMERICAN
COMPANIES AND EXTRACTIVE
INDUSTRIES IN AFRICA?
>> THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED IN AFRICA AS PART OF
THE GLOBAL EXPANSION.
IN FACT, ONE HAS TO SEE THE
RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND
AFRICA IN TERMS OF CHINA'S
REACH INTO EUROPE, ASIA, LATIN
AMERICA AND IN AFRICA, AND IN
THIS REACH THE CHINESE ARE WAY
AHEAD IN TERMS OF THEIR PLANNING
FOR ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION.
WHICH WE MUST REMIND THE
AUDIENCE, WAS BASED ON
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIALIST
PLANNING.
THERE IS A STRUGGLE GOING
INSIDE OF CHINA BETWEEN THE
DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE
COMMUNIST PARTY, BUT ONE SHOULD
REMIND THE AUDIENCE THAT THE
RULING PARTY IN CHINA IS A
COMMUNIST PARTY.
IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, THE
CHINESE HAVE SIGNED
INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESOURCES
DEALS THAT 20 AFRICAN COUNTRIES.
THESE DEALS MEAN THAT A COUNTRY
SUCH AS ANGOLA WAS ABLE TO GET
AROUND THE BULLYING TACTICS OF
THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
AND THE WORLD BANK.
SO THIS FOR STRUCTURE PROJECTS
OF THE CHINESE AND AFRICA HAS
CHANGED AFRICA TO THE POINT
WHERE THE AFRICAN ECONOMIES ARE
NO -- KNOWN AS A LEADING EDGE
OF TRANSFORMATION.
AND WHAT ONE NEEDS IN AFRICA IS
TO PROMOTE THE REVOLUTIONARY
PROCESSES THAT STARTED IN EGYPT
SO THAT ONE CAN REMOVE THOSE
GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA THAT ARE
AN OBSTACLE TO THE ECONOMIC AND
POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN
AFRICA.
AS THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF TUNISIA
AND EGYPT SAID, IT IS TIME TO
CHANGE THE POLITICAL SYSTEM.
AND ALL OVER THE WORLD, YOUNG
PEOPLE OF BRAZIL, TURKEY, ARE ON
THE STREETS ON FOR PEOPLE IN THE
POLITICAL SYSTEM.
SO ALTHOUGH THE CHINESE HAVE
INVESTED IN INFRASTRUCTURE
INFRASTRUCTURE, IN AFRICA, THERE
IS A PROBLEM IN THAT POLITICAL
LEADERSHIP.
THERE'S BEEN AN OBSTACLE TO THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF AFRICAN
SOCIETIES TO MAKE IT MORE
RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF
AFRICA SO THAT THOSE RESOURCES
THAT ARE IN AFRICA CAN SERVE THE
NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU TO STAY
AFTER THE SHOW WHERE WE WILL DO
A POST-SHOW INTERVIEW AND POST
ONLINE AT DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG.
DEMOCRACY NOW! IS LOOKING FOR
FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WHO
APPRECIATE THE CLOSED
CAPTIONING.
E-MAIL YOUR COMMENTS TO
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