The Challenge for Africa: A Conversation With Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai, Founder, Green Belt Movement; Recipient, Nobel Peace Prize (2004)
“Almost every conflict in Africa you can point at has something to do with competition over resources in an environment which has bad governance,” said Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and recipient of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, at an April 13, 2009, event co-sponsored by the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Africa Program and the International Gateway at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center. Maathai discussed her new book, The Challenge for Africa, with Environmental Change and Security Program Director Geoff Dabelko.

“This is why I wrote this book: Because I really was challenging us as Africans to think outside the box and to begin to see why when we seem to move forward, we make two steps forward, and we make one step backward, and so we look like we are not moving,” said Maathai. “Some of these issues are complex, they are difficult—but they have a lot to do with the way we have decided to manage our resources and to manage our politics and economics.”
The Three Legs of Stability

Maathai used the traditional African three-legged stool as a metaphor for what she views as the three essential components of a stable society: sustainable environmental management, democratic governance, and a culture of peace. “Those legs are chiseled by a craftsman…[who] chisels all the three legs at the same time, in order to create a balance,” she said. “If we don’t have these three legs, no matter who comes, and with whatever [loans or aid], we shall never develop.”

Land, Politics, and Ethnicity: An Explosive Combination
Maathai explained that in the absence of democratic governance and sustainable environmental management, natural resources have repeatedly ignited conflict in her native Kenya. For instance, the advent of private land ownership during colonialism pitted Maasai herders, who need large tracts of land to graze their cattle, against Kikuyu farmers, who for the first time obtained deeds to their land and began to erect fences to mark the boundaries.
In addition, Maathai noted that politicians often use Kenya’s ethnic divisions and land scarcity to whip up animosity toward internal migrants and bolster their own re-election prospects. “If you don’t, then, therefore, ensure that the resources within the country are equitably distributed, and you encourage these prejudgments that communities have against each other, you’re going to have conflict,” she said.

Holistic Approach Is Key to Successful Development
The Green Belt Movement began as a small, grassroots project that envisioned tree-planting as a way to address rural women’s needs, including firewood, food, clean water, and soil erosion. “Even though that’s how we started, it very quickly became clear to me that these are symptoms, and therefore we needed to get to the causes. And it is in search of the causes that eventually led me into understanding how interconnected these issues were,” said Maathai, who urged governments, development agencies, and nonprofits to adopt an integrated approach to development.

“Unless you deal with the cause, you are wasting your time. You can use all the money you want for all the years you want; you will not solve the problem, because you are dealing with a symptom. So we need to go outside that box and deal with development in a holistic way.”
“I can’t say, ‘Let us deal with governance this time, and don’t worry about the resources.’ Or, ‘Don’t worry about peace today, or conflicts that are going on; let us worry about management of resources.’ I saw that it was very, very important to use the tree-planting as an entry point,” explained Maathai.

“Even though it is the women who provide the drive for planting trees—partly because it is they who suffer when the environment is destroyed, it is also they who work in the field—once we are in the community, we will have to deal with the women, deal with the men, deal with the children, deal with the livestock, deal with everything,” said Maathai.
Climate Change, Forests, and Environmental Justice

According to Maathai, 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation and forest degradation—more than the percentage due to transportation. She is working with Avoided Deforestation Partners to make avoiding deforestation part of the Copenhagen agreements—a step that would not only slow global climate change, but also help those who are directly dependent on natural resources like forests for their livelihoods, and therefore most vulnerable to climate change. “This is the one issue which really comes to tell us that indeed, the planet is a small village, and all of us are in this little village together.”

By Rachel Weisshaar

WE NEED DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES

The two Camroonian Presidents - Ahijo former (left) and Paul Biya the present

Cameroon like some other African countries gained independence in 1960 but Cameroon still has much to reckon with as far as developmental progress is concern. Even some of the relics left behind by our colonial masters can be seen today usually in a pathetic dilapidated state.

Unlike other countries like our neighbours Nigeria who has had fourteen leaders, Cameroon has had just two Presidents to rule since its independence. Ahmadou Ahidjo became a dominant figure in independence, unified Cameroon. He was elected five times from 1960 and 1980, and he maintained political and economic stability in Cameroon for twenty-two years. The price of stability, however, was government censorship of newspapers and curtailment of free speech.

In November 1982, Ahijo resigned in the middle of his fifth presidential term and chose his Prime Minister Paul Biya to succeed him. After completing his predecessor’s term Mr Biya was elected to a full term as President in January 1984, and he decided to change the country’s name from the United Republic of Cameroon to the Republic of Cameroon. He equally changed from Ahijo’s policies and installed several new cabinets. Before we used to study the names of the different Ministers in primary schools but today due to the constant cabinet reshuffle, it is no longer worth while.

Ahijo’s regime was greatly criticised by English- Speaking Cameroonians who due to their minority status felt they were disadvantage within the United States and suffered from marginalisation, oppression and suppression from La Republic Du Cameroon. Many hoped for a change with President Biya coming in to the scene with his slogan of rigour and moralization and as a Christian Southerner after being ruled by a Northerner and Muslim.

Opposition is still strong till date, particularly from The Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC) a secessionist organization that seeks to restore Anglophones sovereignty and independence. It is a non-violent organisation, and its motto is "The force of argument, not the argument of force.

As they say, it is better to compare two things. Some hold President Ahijo was eating using a fork, so some remnants can be enjoyed by citizens down there, but now President Paul Biya uses a spoon to eat, so the people have no access to remnants, thus making livelihood more difficult.
Apparently, some Veterans say, life in those days in Cameroon was blooming and glossy. Today, the economic crisis is having a great impact on the society. Formally, those who attended Public Professional schools and graduated were offered jobs. Students who excelled in general exams like the Advance Level, General Certificate Exam (GCE A’Ls) were granted scholarships to study abroad, all these positive actions are no longer applicable.

Cameroon had ten provinces, the President once again on November 12, 2008 decided to make a change by signing a Presidential decree creating ten regions from the ten provinces. What is the essence? This has again stirred many negative comments. Some think it is the most stupid decision he has ever made and attribute it to the fact that the President is either going nuts, confuse or age is playing a trick on him.

Some question the decision of regions if there are still ten same like the provinces, suggesting it would have been a better idea to combine the three Northern Provinces and call it the Northern region, the South, East and Center Provinces as South- East Region, and the Littoral, West and South West Provinces as West, concluding he ought to be ashamed for using a new name ‘Region’ for his segregation policies rendering the country helpless.

The change of statues should come with development. But how can we attain development when there are constant reports of Directors and Ministers being accused and charged for embezzling gross sums of money from the national coffers.From my point of view, there are inherent aspects that has hindered or deprived developmental growth and changes in Cameroon.

Economically we have a regressive taxing system. As a result of high taxes levied, many economic activities or plans had been foiled thus ignoring the fact that setting up a business requires physical resources, and it also create employment opportunities, therefore the business operator needs to be given some time to kick off before the government can start taxing. If this can be adhered to, it would pave the way for economic stability and growth.

Even the small and medium size entrepreneurships are not encouraged because of numerous tax demands from different services and most of all the different tax collectors have fraudulent means to extort money from them, made possible due to the fact that there is no specific or adequately defined taxing system.

Bribery and corruption is the chief aspect. Funds budgeted or allocated for certain projects are either not carried out or it is misappropriated, because part of the money has been siphoned and the difference is not enough to carryout the project accurately. Civil Servants make demands to render their services.

Usually there is always a call for tender when there is a contract to be carried out. As I have noted, most Directors or Service Heads own their own businesses hence, many other business concerns would apply and bribe their way through just to win the contract at the end, the Director would accord the contract to his personal business enterprise usually registered in a family member’s name or to someone he has negotiated to have a considerable amount as the Directors own cut of the deal.

Nepotism is also an issue. When people are appointed to high positions, they turn to employ mostly their family members, tribesmen or close friends, even if they are not qualified for the post. Under Ahijo’s reign it is observed he maintained control through shrewd political appointments by appointing people from many areas of the country and from many different ethnic groups to serve as governmental officials, even political opponents were given prestigious jobs but then, this system of political job placement also created a large, inefficient, and often corrupt bureaucracy.

Paul Biya on his part appoints mostly Officials who are loyal to him to important government post, especially after the April 1984 attempt to overthrow Biya’s government by members of the Presidential guard mostly disgruntled Northerners. In 1990 he introduced a policy of legalized new political parties.

Amidst all these discrepancies, the talkative and social watchdogs known as the press and media are hushed and persecuted, for those who try to uphold their media law and ethics to provide substantial and objective reports and in effect expose these malpractices. This has spurred Human Rights abuses and violations.

The peak of oppositions provoked a nation wide riot. Prof. Calson Anyangwe, President of British Cameroon on exile referred to the last nationwide riot as the ‘February 2008 Massacre of Anglophones in Cameroon by the Biya regime’. Even so, The International Media Monitoring groups have accused the government of Cameroon of censoring the media and beating and intimidating journalist as well as confiscating their equipments.

A report by Harry Yemti Ndienla on MyNews.in of October 11, 2008 stated that “One unmistaken way in which you know how concern a leader is about the welfare of his people is how he reacts to a national emergency. Even on relatively minor but important matters good leaders do have the good taste of solidarity with their people. But President Biya seems far from this. He has been faulted by many Cameroonians for having lost interest in his job and also for not willing to do it well”.

In my candid opinion, if all these complexity and variances are not addressed, whether we change from Province to Region or States, the socio-economic crisis and situation we face shall worsen as the years go by. Salaries are low while some experience payments delay.

Unemployment is alarming, while the prices of basic commodities increase by the day. From 1982 till date, how long are we to wait or expect changes? With the President now getting frail considering his age, what new developmental strategies, policies or transformation can he achieve now that he had not derived for all these years? Why can’t some of our leaders strive to rule and bring about progress and developmental growth in their honour, will that not be awesome?