From the Slave Trade to ’Free’ Trade: How Trade Undermines Democracy and Justice in Africa

Patrick Burnett is the news and information coordinator for Fahamu and the coeditor of Pambazuka News. He has a background in journalism and is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Firoze Manji is the founder and executive director of Fahamu and the editor of Pambazuka News. He is the former program director for the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and the former CEO for the Aga Khan Foundation UK.

Can trade in the era of globalisation be fair or just? Drawing on lessons from the slave trade and studies of the international finance institutions, these essays provide insights into how free trade policies have a profoundly negative impact on the rights of communities, environmental sustainability, and the development of democracy in Africa. Whether it is the absence of womens voices at global trade negotiations, the decimation of a countrys health system as a result of World Bank policies, or the sacrificing of community rights in the interests of multinational corporations, it is clear that free trade policies impose a profit first and people last regime on Africa.

Introduction Firoze Manji and Patrick Burnett About the contributors TRADE, INVESTMENT AND THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Plugging the leaks - the role of debt, aid and trade Charles Abugre For life or profit? GATS and the externalisation of Africa's resources Oduor Ongwen Preserving disorder - IMF policies and Kenya's healthcare crisis Soren Ambrose The new scramble for Africa's resources Henning Melber China in Africa Stephen Marks South Africa's Coega complex - cheap energy for industry Patrick Bond LESSONS FROM THE SLAVE TRADE A story of the Atlantic slave trade Manu Herbstein Slavery ain't dead, it's manufactured in Lideria's rubber Robtel Neajai Pailey Trade, justice and the case for reparations M.P. Giyose WOMEN AND TRADE What do women want? Pambazuka News World trade liberalisation in Africa - why women are most affected by poverty Cheikh Tidiane Dieye Trade, gender and the search for alternatives - trade liberalisation and social development Jennifer Chiriga Women and globalisation - the impact on their health Mouhamadou Tidiane Kasse What do women stand to gain from trade? - women in business and commerce Salma Maoulidi Street vendors and informal trading - the struggle for the right to trade Winnie Mitullah Friend or foe - the EPAs unmasked Liepollo Lebohang Pheko TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE Trade and human rights in the Niger Delta Nnimmo Bassey Community rights and foreign direct investment in Kenya's Yala Swamp Patrick Ochieng Trading food rights and GM crops Interview with Mariam Mayet International trade (in)justice or the survival of the fattest - the effects of agricultural subsidies Tope Akinwande Sacrificing the right to food on the altar of free trade Jagjit Plahe Europe - the 'promised land' for Africa's unemployed Tope Akinwande