"_________ is one of the poorest and hungriest places in the world, racked [sic] by tribal violence, with rates of child malnutrition and maternal mortality that rank among the worst on the planet."
That's a quote from a recent Globe and Mail article by Geoffrey York. What country do you suppose Mr. York is talking about? Hint: over 90% of the inhabitants are black. Could it be Somalia? Burkina Faso? Eritrea? Maybe Haiti? There are lots of candidates, chiefly African. But the winner [loser, surely. ed.] is... wait for it... South Sudan.
Wait a minute, I hear you pedants exclaim. South Sudan isn't a country yet. No, not yet. But wait about seven months. A referendum on independence -- make that separation from the Arab-dominated northern part of Sudan -- is due to be held in January. The black, more-or-less Christian southern part of the country is expected to succeed in seceding.
Ah yes, the birth of a nation. Call D.W. Griffith. Another member for the farcical talking shop which calls itself "the United Nations". And another large begging bowl to be held out to "the West" or "the North" or "the G8" or whatever the rich countries are collectively called today. Cue Bono and Boob Geldof to tell us it's all our fault that the new baby nation has an excellent chance of being stillborn.
Gerald Caplan, Canada's master handwringer, told Mr. York "Arbitrary boundaries carried the seeds of much subsequent destruction, notably the terrible national/ethnic wars that have plagued Africa.... This will be a frail new state indeed. The south is left with deep ethnic divisions and divisive borders that are a recipe for big future trouble."
Or course. It's our fault that most of the $7,000,000,000 Southern Sudan has received in oil revenue since 2005 has been siphoned off by corruption. It's our fault that its government has given the largest part of its budget to its military and security forces. How could we have failed them so badly?! Two more paragraphs from the article:
"In the capital, Juba, there is no electricity grid, no industry, and scarcely any water treatment. Most people live in mud huts, shacks, tents or other temporary dwellings. Families must pay up to $4 for a barrel of...tainted water [from the White Nile]. International agencies such as Unicef have been obliged to provide emergency water supplies to prevent more cholera outbreaks.
"The independence of southern Sudan...won’t end the illiteracy, malnutrition, maternal deaths, or disease outbreaks. If the impoverished people of southern Sudan don’t see improvement in their lives, the peace pledges could be jeopardized and the tribal violence could escalate."
What's the solution? How can we imperialists make good all the wrongs we've done to these poor people? [Errr... the colonial era ended over fifty years ago! ed.] Throw money at them! That's the ticket!
Don't wait for Bono and Geldof to ask. Get out your chequebook now! Send your donation c/o Walt. And be sure to write on the corner of the envelope: "I'm a guilt-wracked white liberal and I want to help!"
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