Seeking
answers
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Date: September, 2002
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Andrew Bradstock
and Bourema Dembelé. Photo:
Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib |
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"Our
meeting with Jubilee 2000 Mali showed that as campaigners in the UK, we are partners
with powerful and passionate campaigners here too"
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As
our visit came to an end, we returned to Bamako for as many meetings as we could
pack in. We had plenty of questions to ask: we’d heard about the potential
impact of privatisation of the cotton industry, but what was really happening
and why? Was the government able to do anything to support the cotton farmers?
And why, when Mali grows so much cotton, was it so difficult to buy cotton cloth
made in Mali?
As we met representatives of business, commerce and
civil servants, as well as religious leaders and journalists, some disturbing
answers began to emerge. While many people acknowledged that change is definitely
needed in the cotton industry, therewas a lot of concern about the way in which
privatisation is being forced onto the country. In the words of one senior official,
‘The main problem is that because privatisation is being pushed through by
the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, there aren’t sufficient
measures in place to make it work well.’ He went on to say that he believes
there is a real danger that privatisation could result in the end of cotton production
in Mali. This would devastate this poverty-stricken country.
The commercial
director of Comatex, the sole Malian textile company, told us about the desperate
situation of the textile industry in Mali. The country is flooded with cheap textiles
imported from Asia, and the government is powerless to stop this. Later, we found
out that under pressure from the IMF and World Bank, Mali passed a law in 1990
which makes it illegal to distinguish between imported goods and those made in
Mali. This means that the Malian government isn’t able to give special help
to its own industries – something almost all developing countries have done
in the past and still do.
As we prepared to leave Mali, it’s tempting
to give in to despair. But there are some signs of hope – at an evening reception
we met journalists and members of the National Assembly. The independence of the
press is a really positive feature of Mali today, and means that issues like privatisation
are the subject of lively discussion. Our meetings with religious leaders gave
us an insight into the freedom and respect accorded to Christians in this predominantly
Muslim society. And our meeting with Jubilee 2000 Mali showed that as campaigners
in the UK, we are partners with powerful and passionate campaigners here too.
That is a real sign of hope for the future.
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