{"id":832,"date":"2011-03-04T06:30:57","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T06:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2011\/03\/04\/nita-chicooree-32\/"},"modified":"2020-04-12T22:16:53","modified_gmt":"2020-04-12T18:16:53","slug":"nita-chicooree-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/nita-chicooree-32\/","title":{"rendered":"Arab Revolts Tainted by Western Imperialism"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nita Chicooree-Mercier<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hardly have oppressed people in North Africa and the Middle East begun to take to the streets to ask for political, freedom, dignity and justice in a world context of economic crisis and rising food prices when the ugly head of imperialism pops up from the petrol-obsessed think tanks of the decision-makers in the US government and their allies in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

People in the developing world and emerging economies are genuinely exhilarated to witness the course of world history being steered by an educated Arab middle class who are determined to have a say in the running of political and economic affairs of their countries. Lately, Libyan protesters asked foreign countries to condemn Muammar Gaddafi’s unleashing of the military, private militia and allegedly hired thugs on civilians. Nobody asked the West to intervene militarily. European countries are tacitly supporting the US government’s decision to intervene in Iraq. Not too long ago, Gaddafi was welcomed in France and England for obvious new trade deals. It tells a lot about western hypocrisy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, how refreshing has it been to hear Tunisian and Egyptian intellectuals, educated young men and women on TV saying that they know what they want, they know the whole story about western self-centredness, the populism and opportunism of religious extremists, and secular leaders remote-controlled by big powers. Arabs have seen it all. To every question of journalists in France and Britain, fitting replies rolled off their tongues without any hesitation. Samples of Arab answers: ‘The road to freedom has not been easy in Europe either.’ ‘No, we know that Europeans are not interested in us, they are only interested in oil.’ They have waited too long. No revolution happens without loss of lives and economic disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

The game is over, Arab protesters warn their leaders. But what game are the US and Europe up to? The most undesirable scenario is likely to be enacted. So much are they used to the idea of passive people ruled by oriental despots, western powers are destabilized by the emergence of a vocal Arab middle-class which is determined to break the shackles of tyranny, of Arabs who want to create their own model and define the role of Islam on their own terms. ‘Islam Pride’ is a book that has just come out. In their fear of losing control on oil in other parts of the region, the West is likely to create another Afghanistan and Iraq in Libya and enthrone Libyan dissidents abroad as puppets who will be pro-West in their policy of oil exploitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Noam Chomsky, the American intellectual, always reminds us that in the aftermath of decolonization, imperialist powers saw to it the natural resources in Africa and elsewhere did not benefit the local populations but are exploited for the enrichment of former colonial powers. The neocolonialist mindset does not disappear overnight. They never forgave Saddam Hussein for overthrowing the pro-west king in 1972 and chasing away Britain, France and America from its oil wells.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saddam Hussein used Iraq’s oil resources for the benefit of his people. He turned Iraq into the most prosperous country in the Middle East where women could achieve the highest academic standards and become professors, doctors and engineers. Roads, bridges and universities were built. The western powers never forgive those who denounce their predator mindset and self-centredness publicly. In the so-called democratic international media, Saddam Hussein was not allowed to give his side of the story; the world heard only one discourse, the western point of view. He could have disclosed information that might have undermined the reputation of some western leaders. Even today, western journalists sound liberal at home but adopt a conservative and imperialist stance in their analysis of situations in non-western countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaddafi has never been forgiven for his anti-imperialist stance, for toppling the puppet king in Libya and supporting fights against neocolonialism in many countries. He has been admired in the Muslim world for defying the US though he imposed a dictatorial rule as a revolutionary leader at home. Do Libyans need US inteference in their country? Is the West interested in promoting human rights? Sounds like a race for black gold. No one wants the West to hijack Libyan revolt for its own interests and to satisfy its thirst for revenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with rising food prices across the world, the less mediatized silent global threat of water shortage may lead to unexpected conflicts in many places. Blue gold is becoming a rare commodity especially in the arid lands of the Middle East and as a vital resource for survival, scarcity of water is causing deep concerns among the populations.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are hoping to see the Middle East join in to shape the new world order with the emerging countries in a few years; hopefully, the great people of Israel will make peace with their Palestinian brothers, that Israel will seize the opportunity to build up a dynamic and constructive economic relations with politically emancipated Arab countries. Not western imperialism but peace is what the Arab world will need most in the near future to redefine its political and economic structure and to face the serious challenges of food prices and water scarcity in the current difficult economic context.<\/span><\/p>\n

*\u00a0 *\u00a0 *\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Le ‘moi’ originaire d’Afrique<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Le mois de f\u00e9vrier consacr\u00e9 \u00e0 l’histoire des personnes d’origine africaine est d\u00e9j\u00e0 derri\u00e8re nous avant que les uns et les autres aient le temps de consacrer toute l’attention que cet \u00e9v\u00e9nement m\u00e9rite. L’\u00e9lection d’Obama \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la plus grande puissance d’un pays occidental a une valeur symbolique pour des peuples issus du continent africain et a certainement contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 donner un nouvel \u00e9lan \u00e0 une affirmation identitaire longtemps refoul\u00e9e chez les principaux concern\u00e9s et ignor\u00e9e dans une certaine mesure par ceux qui se sentent responsables du d\u00e9placement des peuples dans le pass\u00e9.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ces jours-ci, les uns et les autres risquent d’\u00eatre accus\u00e9s de paternalisme s’ils s’int\u00e9ressent de trop pr\u00e8s \u00e0 des consid\u00e9rations culturelles et ethniques de leurs voisins ou alors\u2026 d’indiff\u00e9rence si, en apparence, ils manifestent peu d’int\u00e9r\u00eat pour ce qui ne provient pas de leur plate-bande. En fin de compte, ce qui prime, c’est la possibilit\u00e9 de nous exprimer en toute libert\u00e9 et en toute honn\u00eatet\u00e9 sur les sujets qui touchent nos compatriotes dans un pays libre. Cette libert\u00e9 existe \u00e0 Maurice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elle ne va pas de soi dans les contr\u00e9es qui sont cens\u00e9es b\u00e9n\u00e9ficier de la libert\u00e9 d’expression, telles que La R\u00e9union o\u00f9 la moindre tentative d’affirmer une origine africaine d’un groupuscule de Cr\u00e9oles cafres fait sourire et suscite m\u00eame le m\u00e9pris de l’establishment fran\u00e7ais et cr\u00e9ole francis\u00e9. Il faut dire que La R\u00e9union est le mod\u00e8le m\u00eame d’une colonisation r\u00e9ussie o\u00f9 la farce de la d\u00e9partementalisation a r\u00e9ussi son projet d’assimiler et de blanchir la race noire pour l’affaiblir et r\u00e9duire sa r\u00e9sistance \u00e0 un mod\u00e8le qui est celui du pays colonisateur. Les Cr\u00e9oles blanchis n’ont cure de l’origine africaine des autres et pour des raisons li\u00e9es \u00e0 l’histoire, les Cr\u00e9oles ‘noirs’ ont \u00e9t\u00e9 amen\u00e9s \u00e0 tourner le dos \u00e0 leurs origines. Mais si petite soit-elle, une poche de r\u00e9sistance existe et s’affirme de plus en plus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quant au m\u00e9tis \u00e0 Maurice et ailleurs, concentre-t-il en lui \u00e0 la fois la d\u00e9testation du Blanc et celle du Noir si on en croit l’auteur franco-antillais du ‘M\u00e9tis Maudit’? L’auteur souligne l’absence de statut du m\u00e9tis, un mot qui n’a pas le privil\u00e8ge de s’\u00e9crire avec une lettre majuscule.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Le Black History Month<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Probablement initi\u00e9e aux Etats-Unis, l’appellation m\u00eame de ‘Black History’ est empreinte du regard du Blanc occidental sur l’Afrique. Les Africains ne se sont jamais d\u00e9finis comme ‘Noirs’; ils sont des peuples divers: Peuls, Masais, Zoulous, Tutsis, Hutus, etc., mais pas ‘Noirs’. C’est un vocable des ex-colonisateurs qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 adopt\u00e9 par ceux \u00e0 qui ils ont accol\u00e9 une nouvelle identit\u00e9 fond\u00e9e sur la couleur de la peau. C’est quand m\u00eame malheureux d’adopter l’appellation ‘Black History’! Il n’y a pas de continent ‘noir’ ni de ‘l’Afrique noire’. Ce sont des inventions dont il faut se d\u00e9barrasser. Tout comme il n’y a pas d’Indiens am\u00e9ricains qui sont Sioux, Cheyenne, etc., sauf Indiens; de m\u00eame en Inde o\u00f9 le vrai nom a \u00e9t\u00e9 rel\u00e9gu\u00e9 au second plan. D’ailleurs, les \u00e9lites africaines anglophones reprochaient \u00e0 Senghor son concept de ‘n\u00e9gritude’ qui \u00e9quivaut \u00e0 accepter et \u00e0 int\u00e9grer une vision \u00e9trang\u00e8re fond\u00e9e sur la couleur de la peau exprim\u00e9e dans une langue \u00e9trang\u00e8re\u00a0: ces \u00e9lites refusent ‘negra’ ou ‘n\u00e8gre’, et elles ont raison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Les mots ont un sens. Traditionnellement, on donne deux pr\u00e9noms aux enfants en Afrique, un pour l’identit\u00e9 civile et sociale et l’autre qui reste prot\u00e9g\u00e9 dans la sph\u00e8re familiale et affective.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Le contexte mauricien<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Les diff\u00e9rentes composantes du pays jouissent d’une libert\u00e9 de s’exprimer sur leur v\u00e9cu, leur sentiment de vivre ensemble r\u00e9el, suppos\u00e9 ou insuffisant, leur positionnement et \u00e9volution au sein de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9. Cette libert\u00e9 ne va pas de soi ou elle est tol\u00e9r\u00e9e dans les cercles restreints dans d’autres soci\u00e9t\u00e9s qui ont la m\u00eame configuration ethnique que la n\u00f4tre. Ailleurs, il serait impensable de c\u00e9l\u00e9brer le voyage partant de St Malo jusqu’au port d’arriv\u00e9e des ex-colonies. Ici, on laisse s’exprimer et s’\u00e9panouir toutes les sensibilit\u00e9s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cet esprit de libert\u00e9 n’est pas seulement d\u00fb \u00e0 la colonisation anglaise qui est cens\u00e9e favoriser les droits des uns et des autres. C’est d\u00fb en grande partie \u00e0 la pr\u00e9dominance de l’esprit indien et plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment de l’esprit hindou qui, gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 des mill\u00e9naires d’exp\u00e9rience et de sagesse, s’est construit sur des connaissances solides du monde et de l’\u00eatre humain. D’o\u00f9 cette facilit\u00e9 d’acceptation des diff\u00e9rents mod\u00e8les sans vouloir recr\u00e9er les autres \u00e0 leur image. C’est dans ce contexte que chacun peut se d\u00e9finir, se red\u00e9finir et \u00e9voluer selon leur intelligence.<\/span><\/p>\n

En outre, comme aux Seychelles et dans les \u00eeles des Cara\u00efbes, l’\u00e9mancipation politique rend les peuples plus forts psychologiquement en d\u00e9pit des passages \u00e9conomiques difficiles et des tensions sociales au cours de leur histoire. Cependant, lorsqu’il s’agit du parrainage de l’ambassade am\u00e9ricaine ou d’autres nationalit\u00e9s occidentales dans les revendications culturelles ou autres dans les soci\u00e9t\u00e9s multiethniques, la m\u00e9fiance s’installe \u00e0 juste titre. De par l’exp\u00e9rience indienne, les Hindous savent que, sous couvert diplomatique, ces instances ont une propension \u00e0 importer leur mod\u00e8le religieux et faciliter la venue des illumin\u00e9s \u00e9vang\u00e9listes dans le milieu hindou dans le but de d\u00e9truire une culture, une religion et une civilisation qui est diff\u00e9rente de la leur. En Inde et ici, les Hindous sont bien d\u00e9termin\u00e9s \u00e0 r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 leur mani\u00e8re et selon leur propre concept de libert\u00e9 \u00e0 toute agression culturelle et religieuse car ils en ont subi pendant des si\u00e8cles et des si\u00e8cles.<\/span><\/p>\n

En mati\u00e8re de reconnaissance et de recherches, ce d\u00e9but de mouvement vers une plus grande compr\u00e9hension et une r\u00e9flexion approfondie de l’histoire de la diaspora issue des d\u00e9placements des peuples d’Afrique est un \u00e9l\u00e9ment lib\u00e9rateur dans la construction identitaire et, par cons\u00e9quent, d’un mieux-\u00eatre.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

* Published in print edition on 3 March 2011<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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