africa: Africans in The Forefront in Cancun

FROM: Third World Network Africa
http://www.twnafrica.org

Africa peoples’ impact at the WTO Ministerial in Cancun was out of all proportion to the numbers present. While we were lacking in numbers of activists who could get to Mexico, the African Peoples Caucus made up for this with our political convictions about our needs and aims, our political experience in mass actions, our strategic sense and tactical skills, and the dynamism of our political expression.

This was the widespread opinion amongst the other organisations from all over the world also present in Cancun. In fact our impact was so dramatic that many were amazed to learn that we were only about a dozen in the core group, although there were other Africans ‘on the inside’
(accredited NGOs monitoring the positions of African governments in the WTO processes) who joined us at strategic points and in our strategic planning meetings.

On the one hand, we made powerful presentations in our meeting on ‘Globalisation as Recolonisation’, and testimonies from African activists ‘Defending Our Services and Our Rights’ as the core of our ‘Voices From Africa’ programme in the famous Hotel Margaritas in the heart of downtown Cancun which was a focus of many of the NGO
activities ‘on the outside’.

We also contributed to meetings set up by other organisations from around the world, such as the very big meeting hosted by the international network ‘Our world Is Not for Sale’. This exposed on the many bilateral free trade agreements being pursued by the big powers, even as they are engaged in so-called multilateral negotiations
within the WTO framework. In this regard, already evident for us in Africa is Washington’s so-called African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) and the EU’s proposed regional free trade agreements in Africa through Cotonou. And in Southern Africa we are now faced with the US-SACU (South African) free trade negotiations already underway. Our
counter-struggle is already on in this regard !!

We also created our own dramatic demonstration under our banner declaring ‘African Peoples - Resisting the WTO’, wearing our distinctive and much admired black and green T-shirts proclaiming ‘Africa is Not For Sale ‘ Africa no es a la Venta’. We carried our dozens of hand-made placards declaring ‘People not Profits! ‘‘. ‘Government! Companies! ‘ We say Our Services are Not for Sale!’ ‘. ‘Free Trade Destroys our Livelihoods!’. ‘Land and Food Security for
All ‘ Down with the WTO!’ ‘.’Fishers and Landless People Say No to the WTO!’’. ’No to free Trade ‘No to GMOs!’ and many more.

This march up to the infamous barricade cutting us off from the WTO area, attracted the attention of media from all over the world and got full reporting and visual coverage in many newspapers and on international television reports. We will share these images when we get back home.

More importantly, our African demonstration received support from other organisations from around the world and everyone wanted to wear our wonderful black and green T-shirts. We made such an impact that when it came to the massive march ‘Against Globalisations and Militarisation’, on Saturday 13th, the common call was for ‘the Africans’ to go to the front.

In fact it was our African women who were at the very face of the ten foot steel and concrete barricade blocking us off from the conference centre ten kilometers away. And it was our African women who wielded the huge bolt cutters to cut though the wire fence, backed up by ranks of other women from around the world. And behind them were the
well-organised Koreans with strong ropes which were pushed through the breaks in the fence to pull it down. And as that symbolic act was achieved and a roar of triumph swelled up from the huge crowd, the first people through the fence were African women shouting ‘Down with the WTO! Africa is not for Sale!’

Once that the symbolic victory had been achieved the politically experienced and well-organised forces leading the march, especially the peasant and indigenas organisations from Mexico and around the world, did not seek or provoke confrontations with the ranks of Mexican
police on the other side. They encouraged all the people present to sit down, send out our political messages, and block off the entire area to prevent agents provocateurs from giving the impression that it was violence that was being aimed at.

The march was a powerful expression not only of excellent organsation and planning but of our ability to build unity in action, and the political wisdom and skills that have been built up in the global peoples movement during many experiences all over the world in recent years.

And we are immensely proud that our African peoples organisations played a central role in the events in Cancun. Together with our welcome of the defeat of the plans of the powerful countries in the WTO meeting, we also note that African governments held firm to their positions. Some of them, including the South African government, even
remarked with pride that ‘their’ peoples organisations had played such a dynamic role on the outside.

Let us hold our governments to this recognition of our peoples organisations and achievements. Let us ensure that they engage with us and listen to our demands and advice when we all get back home ! Let us ensure that we build on the victory in Cancun in the days ahead. As we always say ‘A Luta Continua!!’

ISSUED BY: AFRICAN PEOPLEs CAUCUS
MEXICO, CANCUN