One World have nominated Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as one of the finalists for their “People of the Year”. The write up on the Gates and other super rich “The Philanthropreneurs” is nauseating and seems to have been written by a sycophant who doesnt even attempt to look beyond the superficialness of this philanthropy. I am suggesting and hoping that as many people as possible will write in to One World on why the Gates Foundation should not win and to call upon One World to demand full social responsibility from the Foundation and all the other “philanthropreneurs”.

The Gates foundation is worth some $31.9 billion out of which $750 million has gone into the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. One group of children who are benefiting from the immunization (measles and polio) programme are those living in the Niger Delta. While the Gates foundation is busy giving away huge sums of money to “good causes” like the immunization programme, the foundation is also benefiting from the returns on investments in Shell, Chevron and the other oil companies operating in the region.

The Gates Foundation has poured $218 million into polio and measles immunization and research worldwide, including in the Niger Delta. At the same time that the foundation is funding inoculations to protect health, The Times found, it has invested $423 million in Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Total of France — the companies responsible for most of the flares blanketing the delta with pollution, beyond anything permitted in the United States or Europe.

With the right hand the children of the Niger Delta are being saved from getting polio and measles and with the left hand they are suffering from bronchitis, asthma, eczema, boils and other skin problems as well as cancer due to the continued flaring of gas(1 billion cubic feet of gas per day) in the region by the oil companies and the pollution of drinking and fishing waters from oil spills and old rotten pipelines that leak oil – both at the expense of the Gates Foundation…………

Oil companies are not the only socially irresponsible organisations associated with the Gates Foundation. Other companies that rank high as polluters as well as the very pharmaceutical companies that produce anti-retroviral drugs that are unaffordable to the majority world. Ironic when one of the Foundation’s major donations goes to HIV/AIDS. An investigation by the Los Angeles Times reports

the Gates Foundation has holdings in many companies that have failed tests of social responsibility because of environmental lapses, employment discrimination, disregard for worker rights, or unethical practices.

Whilst the Gates hold themselves up to the world as numero uno philanthropists they are receiving huge tax breaks, investing in unethical companies that contribute to the illness and misery of the very people they donate money too. If this sounds familiar then yes you got it - its a scam, the perfect 419!

Like Kameelah writes “dead black bodies” all over the place being killed off. In this instance under the pretence of being saved by the likes of Bill Gates and others like him around the world. Kameelah asks “at what point does our silence and inaction become a betrayal?” Ah those dirty little secrets.. I think we all know the answer!

Tags: Bill Gates Foundation; Niger Delta; Shell + Chevron;

Since 1998 over 2500 people have died and thousands more injured from oil pipeline fires. That is the official figure. The real numbers of deaths and injured will never be known as they happen in and around small villages in the Niger Delta on a regular basis. The latest has so far claimed between 300 and 500 lives and who knows how many injured. Given the state of the hospitals and the fact that those injured are the poorest members of the community it is hard to be convinced that they will receive anything like adequate health care or compensation from the government.

The official story is the pipe lines were damaged by oil thieves who took what they wanted then left the leaking pipeline. As has happened before, local residents fled to the scene to try to collect as much oil as possible and then the explosions. It is easy for the government to blame the explosion and deaths on oil thieves but one needs to look below the surface to find the real causes none of which are new to Nigerians. The problem of petrol scarcity and rising prices of petroleum products on the one hand and on the other 40 years of corruption and mismanagement of the petroleum industry by the government and the oil companies.

Democracy Now has an excellent interview with Sandy Cioffi, the director of the film “Sweet Crude,” who has just returned from the Niger Delta region and discusses oil, the multinationals and militancy in the region.

Tags: Nigeria; Oil

I finally made it to an event in London after missing so many over the past 4 years. For me personally, attending the 11th memorial to the executed Ogoni 9 was special as it was an opportunity to meet with old friends and comrades some who I haven’t seen since the last one I attended in 1999.

The Nigerian bus sculptured out of steel by Sokari Douglas Camp is amazing and if you are in London over the next few weeks I suggest you make an effort to see it. I believe it will be at Goldsmiths College in Lewisham for a while and then will tour the country. One has to imagine Saro Wiwa riding the bus which is full of barrels of oil and spreading his message to the people, the Nigerian government and the oil companies. The message is:

I accuse the oil companies of practising genocide against the Ogoni people”

Art as activism, as a tool for transformation, as community is something that I have come across more and more over the past few months particularly whilst in South Africa. Sculpture, portraits, photography, art from “rubbish” speak to a different audience and have meaning beyond merely the aesthetic. In this instance, the bus through its visual and written message communicates to the people of Britian and consumers of oil who are then able to see the direct connection between their consumption and the consequence it has on the oil producing communities such as the Ogoni and others ethnic people in the Niger Delta and throughout the world.

One dissapointing aspect of the event was the speech by Ken Wiwa (Saro-Wiwa’s son) who in his words has “crossed the line” and moved to the other side and is now working for the Nigerian government promoting culture and art. His justification is that by working from the inside he will be able to bring about change. I do not agree and I know there are many in Ogoniland who also do not agree and cannot understand the choice he has made. I challenged him personally to explain to me how his work would in any way lead to the attainment of the aspirations and human rights sought by Ken Saro Wiwa and all the people of the Niger Delta. He could not answer and dismissed me by saying he had to talk to other people.

I say to him and anyone else who thinks they can effect change in this way by quoting the words of Audre Lorde

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”

Niger Delta Nigeria

Pambazuka has two articles on the role of small arms in wars and conflict in Africa and the work of activists who risk their lives to bring about change.

The role of Small Arms in African Civil Wars by Baffour Dokyi Amoa

In Africa the issue of small arms is important. It is a matter of life and death. It is not an exaggeration to say that small arms have contributed to the political disintegration of many African countries. The effects of the proliferation of small arms are felt by many Africans. In many African countries, there are no people to till arable lands, and generations waste their lives by engaging in pointless wars. Children are denied their childhood and are forced to become adults before puberty.

Inspite of this the largest exhibition of weapons in Africa is taking place this weekend in South Africa.
In Merchants of Death Mandisi Majavu asks why this is happening. Many of these companies are “responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians across Africa and the Middle East”; are involved “allegedly involved in dealing weapons through third party front companies with extremely poor human rights records, like America, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Angola, Eritrea, Sudan and Nigeria.“.

The reality is war is big business and Africa is a prime market - sell the weapons, destroy and then rebuild, then sell some more and so on - recycling war.

Tags: Arms Sales Africa