Blogging Africa

The right to stay put: Resisting evictions and deportation

Sokari Ekine

2009-10-08, Issue 451

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/59314

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The 5 October marked the UN World Habitat Day idea to reflect on our towns and cities and the right of all to adequate shelter. The fact that 2009 has seen an increase in the number of informal settlements, street traders and beggars removed from the city makes a mockery of this day, which no state appears to take seriously.

'New, violent actions on a massive scale, which amplify the disastrous effects of neoliberal responses to the global crisis, have characterized the past twelve months: tens of millions evicted for no guilt and with nowhere to go, unable to face the costs of rising rents; victims of neoliberal competition favouring profitable cities, of megaprojects, of wars which shred the fabric of society and ruin the environment, of racial or sexist prejudices, of real estate corruption and speculation, of natural disasters.'

In Nigeria beggars have been deported from Lagos to their home states and in Kaduna beggars were deported from the city to their villages. In South Africa the Abahlali baseMjondolo shackdwellers movement has been under attack by thugs for the past week, with thousands having to flee the Kennedy Road settlement in Durban. Both the elected president and vice-president remain in hiding – criminalised and displaced in their own home town, state and country for being poor.

InternAfrica points to a 'critical communique' by the International Alliance of Inhabitants launching the World Zero Eviction Days to support the resistance of those facing evictions from across the world.

'At its heart: the demand for a world-wide moratorium to evictions; and funding for housing and habitat in a "New Green Deal" for at least a billion people. This funding would be based, among others, on the investment of an important part of developmental aid as well as on the annulment of external debt, transformed into a Popular Fund for land and housing. This is the concrete enactment of the agreements made by all international networks for housing and city rights at the WSF [World Social Forum] 2009, the next step in the unifying process of building the World Assembly of Inhabitants on 2011.'

Following the attack on the Kennedy Road settlement on 26 September, Abahlali baseMjondolo have issued a statement – 'We are under attack' – in which they name the local ANC (African National Congress) as being responsible for the attacks with the compliance of the police, who failed to respond to their calls for help until the following morning. In the statement they assert their right to exist and to live in the city.

'Our movement was formed to struggle for development. We struggle for development everyday. But development is not a neutral thing. Some kinds of development are in the interests of the rich and against the interests of the poor. Therefore our movement is specifically committed to struggling for development that is in the interests of the poor. This means that we will oppose a forced removal from a well located shack close to schools, work, health care and so on to a "transit camp" (which is really just a government shack) in the middle of nowhere. This does not make us unique. Poor people’s organisations across South Africa, like the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign in Cape Town and the Landless People’s Movement in Johannesburg take exactly the same position. Poor people’s movements around the world take the same position. Academics and NGOs around the world take the same position. Our achievements in the struggle for pro poor development are a matter of record.'

Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign publish an article by Andile Mngxitama in the Sowetan in which he describes the attacks against Abahlali as an attack against democracy in South Africa.

'Clearly, the AbM has become a nuisance. It questions, it exposes and it’s cheeky. In the last elections they even had the gall to say: "No land, no houses, no water – no vote!"

'The politicians are not going to rest until they have destroyed the voices of the poor who speak up and speak back.

'Real democracy is under attack and we seem to be sleeping through it all. We can already see the heavy-handed responses of the police against service delivery protests.

'It’s as if our beloved Msholozi is giving his children rubber bullets instead of the promised land of milk and honey.'

In neighbouring Zimbabwe activists have begun a campaign against Nestlé’s purchasing of milk from farms belonging to Robert Mugabe. This is Zimbabwe reports that the multinational has now decided to stop purchasing Mugabe’s milk but will purchase from the 'Dairy Board of Zimbabwe'. Sokwanele ask, 'Is it ever ethical to do something very unethical for ostensibly ethical reasons? - Nestlé seem to think so.' As one of the commentators points out, this does not mean Nestlé will no longer purchase Mugabe’s milk, rather, they will continue to buy it indirectly:

'I think that what it means is that Dairy Board will resume buying from Grace Mugabe (previously they weren’t), and Nestle will buy from Dairy Board again instead of directly from the farms. In other words, Nestle are not buying from Grace Mugabe and the press release is factual. ( meaningless because they are still indirectly supporting the woman by buying from Dairy Board). If this is the case then Grace Mugabe is not being ‘punished’ for stealing the farms.

'But what do you do…? Ask all Zimbabweans to stop drinking milk to boycott Dairy Board? The horrible woman has a monopoly and she knows it.'

Finally, a couple of stories from Nigeria. The first refers to the deal made by Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi with Italy to patrol the Mediterranean Sea for African immigrants trying to cross to Europe. All those caught are sent to prisons in the Libyan desert. Gaddafi, who likes to see himself as some sort of father of the continent fighting the evils of the West, has on the contrary made deals with them to the detriment of the very Africans he purports to be 'saving'. In this report, Nigeria, World View comments on the executions of Nigerians held on death row in Libya. Various reports claim there are hundreds of Nigerians held in prisons in the country, with some 200 awaiting the death sentence for offences such as murder, drugs, robbery and immigration (how immigration becomes an illegal offence, let alone one that carries the death sentence, is unbelievable – immigrants are trying to get to Europe not Libya, and even if they were, how can they be killed for it?) whilst the Nigerian government appears to have abandoned them.

'It is now time for the Nigerian government to show responsibility by immediately ensuring the safety and well-being of the Nigerians on death row in Libya, and facilitating their safe return back home. The continuing silence and inaction of the Nigerian government on this matter is a failure of leadership and simply unacceptable,' Falana said.

The feisty lawyer asked President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to rise up to the occasion in defending the rights of Nigerians across the world. According to him, the Libya case is proof that the rights of Nigerians outside the country could be protected when and if their government takes action.

It is important for the government to discharge its 'constitutional and international responsibility' towards Nigerians he added. Falana commended the chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and SERAP (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) for fighting for the rights of the condemned persons.

The last post is from Akin's blog, which I have followed over the years, along more recently with his humorous comments on Twitter. Akin is diarising his encounter with cancer. In this recent posts he talks about his first chemotherapy treatment, which he describes as 'A life of cytostatic ostracism':

'The needle for the intravenous feeding of the drug was inserted in my left arm near the wrist and close to wear [sic] I was once irritated and a bag of saline solution attached.

'HIGHLY PROTECTED

'My drug could be passed through in 45 minutes but the nurse set it for an hour, it was wrapped in aluminium foil a clear reddish fluid that I saw drip down through the tubes into me for nigh on 60 minutes till it all became clear and colour in the tubes.

'They had even arranged for my afternoon snack to be placed at my new place, talk about efficiency.

'PEOPLE IN PROTECTIVE SUITS

'I was not prepared however for the welcome I received when I returned, I notice was placed above my bed with extra precautions about handling me.

'Now, I had been given all information about the medical consequences of my chemotherapy but no one bothered to offer something about the psychological effects of being handled with the utmost care and treated like a contagion.

'So, I was confused, as nurses are supposed to wear protective clothing to now when even changing my bedding, this is understandable because my medication breaks down cell structure, affects the immune system amongst other things – my beef is that I should have been told about the life beyond chemotherapy.'

I think it is brave he has chosen to speak openly about this cancer and the humiliations of the treatment. So often we are silent on issues of health and our bodies as if illness is somehow a shameful process in which we should hide ourselves in the narrow confines of the hospital bed or some corner of our homes. I wish him all the best and thankful he maintains his humour!

As for Black Looks, I have been silent this week for the most part. However, I started a guest spot at FlipFlopping Joy which is authored by a chicana American sister friend, BrownFemiPower, from way back. You can read my post there. Also, I have been blogging at New Internationalist for the past 6 months.



BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Sokari Ekine blogs at Black Looks.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at Pambazuka News.

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