The 6th region of Africa Mundus. An extra-continental geostrategic asset?
This article is taken from the Mauritian newspaper ( www.lemauricien.com/Emmanuelargo )
Recent presidential elections in Costa Rica and Colombia elected two Afro-descendant female vice-presidents. In the Caribbean and North America, the choice of people of African descent is therefore no longer surprising. However, in the rest of the world, even if these choices were celebrated, they nevertheless surprise.
Epsy Campbell Barr and Francia Marquez have in common that they come from the historical descendant diaspora of slaves from Africa. Their country is part of what the African Union has designated as the "sixth region". Since this recognition, the five continental regions, plus the sixth, constitute what citizens of civil society and non-governmental diplomacy circles call the Africa Mundus. This sphere allows a geostrategic vision aimed at facilitating any initiative of general economic interest to its nationals and collaterals spread across the four corners of the planet.
The election of Mrs. Epsy Campbell Barr and Mrs. Francia Marquez confirms the proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024 voted by the United Nations Organization. If the UN recognizes more than 350 million ultra-visible citizens among other populations of the planet, the French State, for its part, has so far not been in a hurry to bring to life on its metropolitan and ultra-marine territories, initiatives to publicize such a universal decision, which is due to expire in two years.
Our specificities of Africa are still widely caricatured in the world and the election of these elected representatives already mentioned, makes it possible to recognize not only the black communities of these two countries, but also of all Latin America in its singularity and those African islands in the Indian Ocean already integrated into the Southern African Development Community. These elections highlight the importance of our common contributions from historical Afro-descendants and other nationals of the Africa Mundus sphere.
Considered as a dispute between families of the former USSR/Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the majority of countries in the Africa Mundus sphere, which feel little concerned by the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, want to remain neutral . However, they are concerned when they notice the difficulties in transporting cereals. The European Union, the United States of America and other NATO countries that have sided with Ukraine would like to unite the peoples of the entire earth in an attempt to isolate Russia. By remaining neutral, most of the countries of Africa Mundus implicitly remind us of a painful colonial past, the heavy price paid during the last two world wars of the twentieth century and the monopolization of the mineral resources of its soil. Descendants of conscripted skirmishers and often conscripted, say familiarly that they have already given.
Since March 2022, alerted by the exorbitant increase in the selling price of wheat semolina and that of flour intended for daily food, but unable to travel personally to Moscow for family reasons, in agreement with diasporas residing in Russia, I took the initiative to propose the creation of multimodal corridors for food supply (wheat, corn, seeds, fertilizers, etc.) intended for Africa but also in countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the Guiana Shield where populations of the 6th region live. It is a question of preventing popular riots, like those which provoked the so-called Arab springs of 2008, and of pointing out the negative effects of a globalization which shows its limits and paradoxes. The food autonomy of each country on the planet and the COP 21 resolutions are more than ever a crucial global issue.
The opening of food supply corridors from Ukraine and Russia is essential for maintaining and stabilizing civil peace. There is no need to add other conflicts to the one between the two Eastern European countries, the outcome of which seems uncertain. Supported by a number of associations, this initiative highlights the leverage effect of the realistic and pragmatic principle of NegroEvolution in the context of a conflict with global repercussions.
The meeting of the presidents of the African Union and the Russian Federation that followed, attests to the results of initiatives and advocacy by diasporas from African civil society.
At the annual summit of the G7 countries meeting in Germany on June 26, which included the challenges of food security, transition and energy sovereignty, were specially invited: the African Union, India and the South Africa, the latter being a member of the BRICS, in addition to its status as a natural member of the AU. All this demonstrates once again the importance of Africa in new global geostrategic, economic and diplomatic approaches. But let's not be naive: the populations of Africa Mundus will not be the only beneficiaries of the opening of the corridors because, along the way, the war profiteers and other hoarders, the intermediary companies involved in the global export of agricultural products and agribusiness, mostly Westerners, will be able to play their part.
For his re-election as a member of the French National Assembly, the current French Minister of Agriculture, distributed leaflets to shoppers in a local market. I took the opportunity to tell him about my initiative with Russia. In addition, I officially communicated this information to the municipal council of the municipality where I am elected without political affiliation.
The recent opening of corridors via Turkey for the transport of cereals produced in Ukraine and Russia satisfies all those who, with me, have taken this initiative. I thank them very sincerely. However, this raises another question.
With a demographic prospect of nearly 2 billion people on the African continent, it is necessary to promote local production. A few trading companies listed on the largest stock exchanges and financial markets in the world export a substitute food there: Wheat, potatoes, etc. far from traditional food habits: cassava, millet, sorghum, rice, bananas, sweet potatoes , yams, breadfruit, etc. Today, the controlled production and processing of these products must be strongly encouraged within the framework of social responsibility involving producers, consumers and public authorities. Arable land is available but it is currently made available to private Asian, European and other companies, which use it to meet needs that do not always concern local populations. This is why the Africas must no longer be in constant search of subsidies, but establish equitable partnership relations in order to facilitate social cohesion and to meet the needs of the populations with dignity. This new form of independence takes place in the choice of new extra-colonial economic and technological partners. Thus, the Africa Mundus network proposes the creation of a Consortium of economic and social associations and organizations of civil society including in particular chiefs and leaders of chiefdoms and traditional communities who will be responsible for proposing to the public authorities to set, at the borders , basic prices for grain imports destined for the poorest and most disadvantaged regions.
Emmanuel_Argo is the author of the concept of La NégroÉvolution
He is a member of the Africa Mundus network: www.africamundus.org
Source: www.lemauricien.com/