Legacy of Colonialism

Sun Mar 18 16:26:08 GMT 2001

Legacy of Colonialism

'a discussion forum & long-term campaign.'

The forum's official line is as follows: "...to share information regarding the economic fraud of global institutions and the debt-based money system, raising the issue of whether debt cancellation can be married to the moral imperative of reparation for the crimes of slavery & colonialism and it's legacy - neoliberal imperialism, providing compensation for self-determination on the widest possible scale and gearing trade policy in favour of local needs".

This newly-launched forum seeks to explore: 

- How Multinational corporations are modern slave traders and globalisation is their colonialism, 
- How world agricultural trade policy needs to be changed to so that food security and ecological sustainability are the guiding principles, rather than economic growth and comparative advantage, and 
- Demanding compensation and debt cancellation from banks and former slave trading capitalist enterprises who looted human and natural resources during colonialism, hand-in-hand with the abolition of the debt-based money system,
- The best strategies for investing in local communities which include equitable programmes for land distribution and examples of the most successful local institutions working in the interests of local communities.

'The Land Is Ours' networking this campaign-idea :
The Land Is Ours (based in the UK) have been attempting to canvass feedback from indigenous groups around the world, as well as groups in the UK. In short, the idea is to form a network between activists, researchers & grassroots development workers.

The e-mail discussion group (LegacyofColonialism at yahoogroups.com) is now up & running, on which subscribers from around the world are sharing information and perspectives. 
If you would like to subscribe to this group:
1. visit
http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe/LegacyofColonialism
-OR-
2. send email to LegacyofColonialism-subscribe at yahoogroups.com

The web-site reference for this forum is:  http://www.oneworld.org/tlio/issues/legacy.html
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A latest development is that a link has been made with another campaign that has just been launched in London by the AFRICAN LIBERATION SUPPORT CAMPAIGN entitled "IMF & World Bank: Wanted for Fraud Campaign!", expressing the idea that debt is no more than a measurement of the banking system's magical generation of money. Contact: (ALISC), PO Box 21266, London W9-3YR 
e-mail: nkexplo at yahoo.co.uk 

IMF & World Bank! 
Wanted for fraud! 
Campaign 
"Between 1503 and 1660, 185,000 kilos of gold and 16m kilos of silver were shipped from Latin America to Europe. The Native American leader Guaicaipuro Cuautemoc argues that his people should see this transfer not as a war crime, but as the 'first of several friendly loans, granted by America for Europe's development'. Were they to charge compound interest on this loan, levied at the modest rate of 10%, Europe would owe the indigenous people of Latin America a stack of gold and silver which exceeded the weight of the planet ...3rd world debt is a fraud ...The 'debt' is no more than a measurement of the banking system's magical generation of money". 
George Monbiot (UK author, journalist & activist). 

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TLIO anticipate that ALISC share many of the same motivations within trying to grasp a solution to what would appear to be at first-hand an insurmountable problem, whose root lies in a corrupt money system. What is required alongside debt cancellation is global monetary reform: a debt-based, dollar investment regime is counter-productive (see James Robertson's Creating New Money, New Economics Foundation, and Michael Rowbotham's book, 'Goodbye America').  There need to be UN negotiations on Financing for Development; UN negotiations on a 'new financial architecture'; and a major overhaul of the World Bank, IMF and Bank of International Settlements.

Why The Land Is Ours?
The Land Is Ours is an Environmental direct action and information campaign for comprehensive access to land in the UK for homes, livelihoods and recreation. We assert international solidarity in our aims and recognition of the historical crimes committed against the developing nations by the UK and other developed nations. Powerful Land Rights movements in other parts of the world such as in Australia, Brazil, get little or no recognition in the developed world. In launching the LEGACY OF COLONIALISM FORUM, the Land Is Ours hopes to link widely separated global 
campaigns.

While we are not so arrogant to suggest that we are the best people to be taking a lead on these issues, our key motivation is one of communication and engaging with as many groups from as many backgrounds as possible. To look at previous messages 
which have been sent out on the list, visit : http://www.egroups.com/group/LegacyofColonialism

Previous messages include, the article by Thomas Munjoma (Dept. of Land Economy at University of Aberdeen) entitled, "This Land of Africa" (posted 26/10/00), which explores the historical legacy of the colonisation of Rhodesia - namely Zimbabwe's unequal land distribution and massive human wastage - as well as examining solutions to this now (solutions he proposes which stimulated debate regarding the policy to export he advocates). Complimenting this is the Interview with Peter Rosset from the California based Institute for Food and Development Policy - better known as Food First - a piece entitled, "The Case for Small Farms" (posted on 15/11/00)- which is an interview with Multinational Monitor [July/August 2000], exploring how small farms are more productive than large farms, as well as being a greater contributor to food security. This article also relates this analysis to the global situation of how the World Trade Organisation is proposing to enshrine in trade policy the illegality of any country to pursue protection of their trading environment 
to ensure domestic food security. 
Ref: http://www.foodfirst.org/media/interviews/2000/mm8-00.html

For more on the WTO and the effect on food security, please refer to the report entitled "Trade and Hunger" - an overview of case studies on 'the impact of trade 
liberalisation on food security' by John Madeley [Published in 2000] - Ref: http://www.forumsyd.se/globala.htm.  What would agricultural trade policy need to look like if food security and ecological sustainability were the guiding principles for its design, rather than economic growth and comparative advantage? A number of individuals and organisations in the global NGO community have grappled with that question for the past few years. They have produced a sizeable body of analysis and ideas which is beginning to form a coherent alternative to conventional wisdom, as expressed mainly in the present WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA).  The paper does not purport to be a general analysis of agricultural trade or even of WTO influence on agricultural trade. The paper, commissioned by the Swedish NGOs Forum Syd, Church of Sweden Aid and The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, is written by Peter Einarsson. 

In terms of the argument for legal redress which genuinely represents the rights of people (for which TLIO advocate compensation to be channelled through such people-administered institutions), there are two excellent articles from Issue 11 of Corporate Watch (Summer2000), the first about prominent legal precedents regarding regulation of multinationals. The second, "When the people judge: The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal" takes a slight contrary perspective and draws attention to the limits of international & domestic legal channels which are raised in the first article, by pointing to the corporate appropriation of law and legal processes and calling for 'the voices and experiences of people themselves to serve as the primary source of law'. It cites the Bertrand Russell War Crimes Tribunal and the anti-imperialist movement which produced the Algiers Declaration on the rights of peoples, 1976. [posted 17/01/01]  Ref : http://www.corporatewatch.org/magazine/issue11/cw11tl1.html &
http://www.corporatewatch.org/magazine/issue11/cw11tl2.html

One legacy  -  the re-colonisation of Africa
The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, signed into law by President Clinton on May 18th 2000, brought the full power of the U.S. government behind expanding corporate domination in Africa. The biggest companies, including Texaco, Mobil, Amoco, Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, General Electric, Enron and Caterpillar spent some $200 million lobbying for this legislation.

Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Susan Rice described Africa as "a huge market insufficiently exploited of 700 million people" in calling for passage of the act. The vision being pushed by both Democrats and Republicans is that only U.S. intervention can bring development and prosperity to Africa.

But politically conscious Africans are calling it the "Recolonisation of Africa" act, and warn that it will only increase the plunder of this rich continent by corporate pirates.

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LAND IS THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT
Without it we are slaves to totalitarian corporations and global capitalism
If you are interested in joining this campaigning please contact :
Legacy of Colonialism, The Land Is Ours, 16b Cherwell Street, Oxford, OX4
1BG.
Email legacyofcolonialism at tlio.demon.co.uk

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