Issue No.589
International
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6 - 12 June 2002 Issue No.589 International |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Turning to Africa again
The Arab-African relations conference, held in Cairo last week, warned against disunity, reports Gamal Nkrumah
The delicate subject of relations was tackled with academic precision, at a three-day conference on Arab-African relations organised jointly by the Damascus-based Arab Centre for Strategic Studies and the World Centre for Research and Studies of the Green Book in Tripoli, Libya. The seminar was held at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo. Several distinguished Arab and African academics as well as political and social activists took part. The papers presented covered the broader aspects of African-Arab cooperation and the specific dimensions of African-Arab relations.
Egypt's Presidential Advisor for Political Affairs, Dr Osama El-Baz, officially opened the conference. He stressed the importance of Arab- African cooperation at this particular historical juncture, noting that the Arab and African regions overlapped geographically and culturally and shared a common experience of colonialism and underdevelopment. In this age of globalisation, it was imperative that Arabs and Africans pooled their resources for the common good in the face of the new demands imposed by globalisation. He said African and Arab people faced similar challenges and had almost identical aspirations.
Discussions were spread over seven thematic sessions. Firstly, the delegates discussed the historical and general contexts which form the basis of African-Arab cooperation. Secondly, they focused on the political aspects of African-Arab cooperation. Various speakers emphasised the importance of human rights, democracy and the need for participation by the people in the decision-making process. They said that Africa's unique character, which is a product of its cultural, social and political realities, must be taken into account.
Thirdly, the delegates presented papers on the institutional cooperation between Arab and African countries. An assessment was made of past and present links. They said the goals and principles of African-Arab cooperation needed to be reassessed because relations were weak, especially at the non-governmental level. At the official level, Arabs, especially those representing the governments of the North African countries which are fully-fledged members of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), regularly meet their counterparts from sub-Saharan Africa. Relations are noticeably weaker at the media, cultural and academic levels. African relations with Arab countries in Asia are weaker still. Saudi Arabia is the exception because it houses the holiest shrines of Islam. It therefore has considerable religious and cultural influence in the African continent.
The African Union and its ramifications in relation to African-Arab cooperation was a focus of the discussions. The nine Arab League member countries which are geographically located in Africa have signed and ratified the African Union. They will be active participants in every aspect of the new continental union. There will be an African Parliament and a common currency. New institutions will be set up to supervise Africa's political and economic integration.
Fourthly, discussions covered African-Arab economic cooperation. They concentrated on the economic problems facing numerous African countries and the challenge posed by the external economic forces of globalisation. Several speakers talked of the cultural aspects of African-Arab cooperation, taking into account the ethnic, linguistic, racial and religious diversity of Africa. A session, which examined the strategic nature of African-Arab relations, touched on a number of vital issues such as conflict resolution in Africa and African-Arab security cooperation.
The last session was devoted to the Palestinian question and to the difference in the Arab and African perception of this prickly subject. While it was generally accepted that African governments and peoples sympathised with the Palestinian cause, economic and security cooperation between Israel and some African countries raised grave concerns.
Zionist penetration of Africa is an issue that touches a raw nerve in the Arab world. Cairo University's Houriya Megahid warned against the role of certain Christian churches in Africa which are Zionist in orientation and are keen on cementing ties between Israel and Africans.
Professor Lansana Kaba of Guinea, who now lives and teaches in the US, spoke of how Israel was now perceived as a Western power. Kaba explained that, in the past, some African leaders showed an interest in the Israeli "socialist- oriented" development model, but that in 1967, Israel showed its true colours as a militaristic, colonial state. In African eyes, Israel was no longer a small benign state, but a Western tool for penetrating and dominating the Middle East and North Africa.
Cairo University's Hamdi Abdel-Rahman noted that even when diplomatic ties were severed in the mid-1970s between African countries and Israel, important trade relations and technical cooperation were maintained by Israel and a number of African states. This was especially true of the sensitive domains of defence, security, agro-business and mining. Israel's technical superiority gave it the edge and lent it enormous leverage in the continent. Arab petro-dollars were incapable of making up for the lack of technical expertise in areas of utmost importance to many regimes and ruling cliques in Africa.
A distinguished Egyptian Africanist, Hamdi Abdel-Rahman warned that Arabs were not keeping abreast of socio-economic and political developments in Africa. He conceded that, "We, as Arabs, do not provide Africa with a viable alternative to what Israel has to offer."
He cited examples of Israel's medical relief operations in Africa South of the Sahara and its contribution to agricultural development, land management and reclamation projects.
There was a time when certain African leaders, most notably Mobutu Sese Seku, one of Africa's closest collaborators with Israel, called for the creation of a League of Black African States to counterbalance the Arab League. Many Africans in the diaspora favoured the establishment of such an organisation. There were heightened African sensitivities regarding the issue of the Arab slave trade in Africa. Over time African misgivings over the issue have not eased, but have become a particularly contentious topic in African American and other African diaspora circles, especially in relation to Sudan and Mauritania. There are calls for Arabs to pay reparations for the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trade.
There are persistent claims that Arabs are out of touch with African realities and that Africans South of the Sahara are not tuned in to the social, political and economic conditions North of the Sahara. It remains to be seen if either side will be brave enough to spell out a radical agenda for political reform vis-à-vis the other.
Representatives of 31 independent African states, including seven member states of the Arab League, signed the Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in May 1963. It was a historic choice as much for the Arab North African countries as for African countries South of the Sahara. There was a broad understanding that the resources of Africa could be used to the best advantage and maximum benefit within the framework of continentally-planned development. From its inception, Arab Africa was part of the African Union project.
There are few signs of new thinking on the Arab-African agenda. Arab states are as determined as their sub-Saharan counterparts to be part of African development and economic and political union. It is in this context that Arab states, such as Algeria and Egypt, have been instrumental in formulating the New Programme for Africa's Development (NEPAD) -- and Libya has emerged as one of the most resolute champions of the African Union, which seeks to narrow the emotional gulf between Africa north and south of the Sahara.
With the Palestinian crisis emerging as the single most consuming political passion in the Arab world, most Arab countries are treading somewhat softly when it comes to African Union -- with the possible exception of Libya. But in the Libyan case, even though the top echelons, especially Muammar Gaddafi, are keen on African unity, enthusiasm for the African Union does not filter down to the population at large. Indeed, anti-African immigrant riots broke out in the country two years ago.
All the delegates agreed that Arab-African dialogue was sorely in need of revival. It was crucial to political and economic survival in the international arena. United, the Africans and Arabs stand, divided, they fall.
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