Friday, 1st June 2007 ALTE FEUERWACHE Axel-Springer Str. 40/41, 10969 Berlin

12 - noon
Anti Black Racism and its consequences on Africans. Presented by: Yonas Endrias
from Eritrea, Germany N.N: Platform for Reflection and Action against Anti-
Black Racism, Switzerland

2.15 - 4 p.m
Continues exploitation and Plundering of Africa by G8 Countries. Presented by:
Barounga Abdel Kader, Cameroon, Germany; Carole Crawford, Paris

4.15 - 6 p.m
Apologies and Reparation for the Enslavement of Africans and colonial Crimes. -
Dispropptional sufferings of Africans. Presented by: Mawete Yo Teka Sala,
Angola, Britain; Njeri Yebiemen, Jamaica , Britain

6.15 - 8 p.m
African Migration to the G8 countries and its deadly Consequences. Presented by:
Theophilus Osezua Emiowele, Nigeria, Germany; Secretary of European Refugee
Advocacy Organisation, Wayne Farah, London

For over 500 years the relationship between the western powers and Africa has
been the continues plundering and denigration of the African continent and its
people by the westerners. A crucial aspect of labour, made the Europeans to
storm Africa in search for labour force for the production of products like
tobacco, sugar, cotton, coffee and gold. This was realised through the inhuman
enslavement of Africans, the very first and indelible inhuman crime committed
against the African people by the Europeans and Americans.
During this era, Africans were brutally caught, abducted and transported by
Europeans under critical conditions that let to the lost of lives of millions.
Those who successfully arrived Europe and America were forced to work in
plantations and other life destroying sectors of the economy for very long
hours without rest. This unforgettable human brutality led to the production of
the above mentioned goods that were sold in Europe and America and the profits
enormously contributed to the riches of these continents.
Another crime against the African people and their continent took place in 1884,
in this event, the Europeans made the second strong waves of movement into
Africa. These strong waves was branded colonisation. Europeans like priests,
traders, farmers and administrators saw Africa as a spring board of charge to
escape from the abject poverty churning Europe at the time in search of a
better life. The decision to make these moves was reached in Germany in a
conference known as The Berlin conference 1884.

The then German chancellor Otto von Bismarck invited his other European and
American counterparts on the 15 of November 1884 to this conference where the
inhuman, racist and patriarchal decision was taken to partition Africa like a
piece of cake. This decision facilitated the scramble for Africa by Europeans.
This scramble for Africa and the inhuman enslavement of Africans have
destabilised Africa politically, economically, culturally and have instituted
endless wars and pains that have taken away lives of millions of Africans. The
original African civilisation has lost its course and Africa is torn between
two worlds. In the first world, despite all its natural resources, Africa is
portrayed as the poorest continent of the world, disease stricken,
"underdeveloped" and needs endless help from Europe and America. In the second
world, Europe and America are the saviours of Africa in resolving their
conflicts, borrowing money to the continent, spreading their "civilisation" and
determining how the economy and politics must function. As this destructive and
patriarchal dynamics of destruction and denigration continues, Europe and
America realised their old strategies were becoming obsolete, they now embarked
on a new satanic strategy to plunge the last nail on the head of Africa and its
people with a sledge hammer. This is the so called Globalisation. This
Globalisation has taken Africa in hostage and reinforced the global control of
Africa economy by the Britton Wood Institutions like International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and World Bank. These institutions have imposed the so called
economic recovery projects (Africans call it Economy Regressive Projects).
Example is the so called Economic Structural Adjustment Programme, (Africans
call it Economic Suffering Added Project) (ESAP), which do not tandem with the
cultural, political and economic realities of the continent.
This project generated political and economic crises and states collapsed.

These exploitative, patriarchal and racist strategies of the western world has
largely contributed to the surge in forced movement of the African people en
mass in search of protection. A protection they cannot get in these inhuman
western countries. On the contrary the African people are greeted with high
sentiment of racism and hostilities, seen as second class citizens, killed,
burnt and brutalised by western politicians, police officers and the civil
society. In recent days, the Europeans have instituted a policy which prevent
Africans from entering into Europe but to be held in European sponsored camps
bordering Europe found in the North of Africa, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and
Tunisia. Meanwhile, on the contrary, the Europeans can enter and leave Africa
as they want. We, that is Africans in Germany, Europe; Africa and America and
other parts of the world see this process as a racist, destructive,
exploitative and inhuman. That is why we have to come together to protest
against and to make our non negotiable demands known to all.

Our Demands

1. Stop Imposing Western Documents/ Ideas on Africa

Many documents for Africans are originating from the west with a western
perspective. African academics, politicians and policy makers are completely
absent. This strategy portrays the racist and dominant attitude as evident that
research is not being carried out in Africa. These documents coming from the
west have contributed in facilitating Africa's dependency on the West. This can
be seen on two instances. The western educational programme forced by the World
Bank on Africa although some African professional institutes like Educational
Research Network of Southern and Eastern Africa (ERNESA) which members have
already professionally discussed appropriate programmes for Africa. The other
Example is the New Partnership for the Development of Africa (NEPAD).
This is known in Africa as New Partnership for the further Destruction of
Africa. This is a concept developed by Europeans to work with some of their
puppet governments in Africa to continuously under develop and divide and rule
Africa.

2. Payment of Reparation

In support of ITRAP, Africans around the world are demanding apology from Europe
and America and the payment of reparation for the different crimes like slavery
and colonisation perpetrated in Africa. The brutality exercised during the era
of slavery where many Africans were made slaves and transferred in critical
situation, forced to work under inhuman situation and the dead of millions are
considered as crimes against humanity. This was followed by colonial crimes in
which the Europeans and America forced Africans in the continent to work like
slaves, conducted wars that led to genocide like in Namibia where the Hereros
were almost wiped out by the German colonial troops. During the colonial and
slavery eras, enormous amount of raw materials were stolen from Africa. Due to
these, we are calling on Europe and America to assume their responsibility and
ask for pardon from Africans and pay for crimes during slavery and colonisation
as reparation. All these crimes are seen as crimes against humanity.

3. Debt Relief

There should be a relief to all the so called debts. A creditor cannot be owing
a debtor. Europe and America are owing Africa. We are calling on all the
European governments to transfer back to Africa stolen money found in their
banks. So many western puppets have stolen money from Africa and hidden in
Banks in Europe which does help in boosting the European economy. All this
money should be transferred back to Africa.

4. Stop the Sponsorship of Conflicts in Africa

The wars in Africa are still perpetrated by the signatories of the Berlin
Conference in order to exploit raw materials. Many European companies are
involved in this war business to plunder the African continent. In order to
succeed, they export weapons to war lords to set Africa in confusion while the
extract these mineral resources without any body realising. This can be seen in
the wars of Republic of Congo, Sierra-Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Angola etc.
These wars have destroyed the social life, culture, made many people to migrate
to unwelcoming areas. The loss of life is countless and the development of
diseases. Stop the initiation and sponsorship of conflicts in Africa! We call
for a complete and immediate withdrawal of western troops from Africa. Allow
Africa to develop its conflict resolution mechanisms! No exporting of weapons !

5. No to the German Chancellor's Proposal for Africa

The German chancellor Angela Merkel so called vision for Africa in which
European states should select African states as partners for development is
greatly challenge by Africans. This strategy is leading to the repeat of
history of the Mandatory territories. After the second world war, European
countries divided African states into territories to assist for independence
and "development". It is rather unfortunate that all the European countries
implemented hard principles and structures that made Africa to stay permanently
dependent on west.
We are calling on Europe to allow Africa to forge its own development in
relation to its politics, economy, culture and people. Africa needs real
independence to choose its partners and not partners chosen only by Europeans.

Organizer: Flüchtligsinitiative Brandenburg and Africans' Perspective in
Cooperation with: Bildungswerk der Heinrich Böll Stiftung