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Building a "sand dam" to find water in Kenya Africa Consultations
NAIROBI, Kenya — How is globalization affecting Africa? And — just as important — what does Africa have to offer to the global community? These questions were explored at a March 23-25 consultation on "Globalization: Africa as a Global Centre" in Machakos, Kenya. Co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Churches and Christian Councils in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) and MCC, the event was one of a series of consultations on globalization that MCC is organizing around the world. Twenty-nine participants came together from countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Eritrea. They represented a range of local and continental (African) church-related agencies, regional advocacy groups and national development organizations as well as MCC personnel from both North America and Africa. The event was framed as an "invitation to reflection" on two approaches to globalization. On the one hand, participants shared their perceptions of globalization as evident in the international media and in the realms of technology, trade and economic practices and consumer goods. On the other hand, participants were invited to consider the "global significance" of three African initiatives: a Kenya-based micro-finance bank with regional and continental reach; a continental African ecumenical agency (the All Africa Conference of Churches); and a complex of low-tech, community-based "sand dams" located in the Kenyan district of Kitui. One day of the seminar was devoted to a visit to the sand dams and discussion with local residents. Many participants spoke of the devastation that globalization has brought to traditional African cultures. They described how the flood of Western imports damages local trade networks, and how multinational corporations can devastate time-tested agricultural practices. For example, seed companies have pressured small farmers to use genetically modified seeds, which farmers must buy every year from the company, rather than following the traditional practice of saving seeds from the plants best suited to the local climate and conditions. Participants described how they are resisting this imposed form of globalization, which they perceive as primarily benefitting corporations and the wealthy. This portion of the consultation included a first-hand account of advocacy work carried out by African activists during the recent deliberations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Cancun, Mexico. At the same time, many participants expressed support for a different vision of globalization, a "bottom-up" approach in which people around the world benefit from learning from each other. To this type of globalization, Africa has much to offer. "Africa has its own heritage, spirit, values, and ideas," said Martin Shupack of the MCC U.S. Washington Office as he summed up some of the ideas he heard expressed at the consultation. "As Africans reclaim and assert their identity, they can resist an imposed globalization and make a profound contribution to the global community." The sand dams project, initiated by local organization SASOL, seemed to embody the potential for traditional African values — such as community involvement, simplicity, collective self-help and relying on the wisdom of elders — to improve economic conditions. Communities work together to build rock and cement dams across small rivers. These structures dam up the sand and water. In the dry season, water remains pooled in the sand, providing water for drinking and for gardens, nurseries and livestock. "The focused attention given by African activists to the WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico, must also be given in support of notable African initiatives such as the ones considered during this seminar," said Cyrus Mutiso, SASOL chairman. |
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