the civilised era of democratisation . These were developing countries . Moreover , the relationship would no longer be that of donor and recipient . It would be that of development partners , signalling mutual respect and a shared goal . These were some of their performances . However , last December , the Europe-Africa High-Level Group of Personalities met for the 5th time and , once again , the issue of respect was at the centre . It seems Africans are tired of cosmetic respect . They want substance .
“ Let ’ s not ask what can be done for Africa ,” President Kagame told Europeans , suggesting that the quest for mutual respect should replace that question with another : “ What can Europe and Africa do together for mutual benefit , which neither can accomplish alone ?”
Kagame is of the view that if Europe is being sincere about their desire to overcome a dubious past with Africa , then they must confront this question as a means of a new relationship of “ clarity ” and “ mutual respect and accountability .”
Exploitation in the guise of charity
However , clarity doesn ’ t seem very attractive to the West . For one thing , clarity would expose the truth about charity : that it is a veil of exploitation . For another , it would remove the deception around who is helping who .
Consider this . “ African countries received around $ 19 billion in aid but over three times that much
($ 68 billion ) was taken out in capital flight , mainly by multinational companies deliberately misreporting the value of their imports or exports to recuse tax ,” according to a recent report the UK-based Global Justice Report titled “ How the World Profits from Africa ’ s Wealth .” The report shows that “ African governments received $ 32.8 billion in loans but paid $ 18 billion in debt interest and principal payments , with the overall level of debt rising rapidly ,” and that “ an estimated $ 29 billion a year was stolen from Africa in illegal logging , fishing and the trade in wildlife and plants .”
France ’ s colonial pacts with many African countries still stand to this day . Consider the fact that 14 African countries deposit half of their foreign reserves in France ’ s central bank , an amount that is “ larger than the GDPs of all except two ,” as Warah pointed out in “ What is AU doing to liberate the former French colonies ?”
These “ Francophone ” West African countries cannot access the money they deposit in France ’ s central bank ; they can ’ t withdraw more than 15 % of their money in any given year ; otherwise , they would be penalised . “ If they need more ,” Warah reveals , “ they have to ‘ borrow ’ it at commercial rates .”
But there ’ s more .
“ The pact further ensures that France or French companies receive priority when it comes to buying or investing in the natural resources of these countries . France also has the exclusive right to supply these countries with military equipment and to militarily intervene in them — this explains why French troops are always the first on the ground when a Francophone African country experiences conflict ,” she writes .
Adult supervision
To give up charity is to give up exploitation and the prerogative for “ an attitude of adult supervision ,” which sits side by side with Europe ’ s claim that it seeks a relationship with Africans based on mutual respect .
“ There cannot be a mutually respectful partnership premised on the unspoken assumption that one party lacks values , or has defective values , while the other party is a fully-formed moral agent ,” Kagame had told the gathering of the Europe-Africa summit last year .
In other words , Europeans have not just been asking themselves what to do for Africa ; they are also answering . By answering , they dictate to Africans how they should manage their affairs , which Macron , during his visit to Kigali , insisted has not been happening during his time in office .
Charity , therefore , remains a stumbling block in the quest for a mutually respectful relationship between Europe and Africa . Africa says Europe cannot usurp its agency that demands mutual respect through trade and investment . Europe , however , insists on charity . “ He who does not feed you can demand nothing from you ,” goes the oft-quoted statement by Thomas Sankara . Both parties know that the giving and
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