As if the President Filipe Nyusi´s incompetent government performance, member of the Mozambique Liberation Front – FRELIMO, was not ominous, natural disasters continue to destroy Mozambique.
By: Américo Gomes
People had not recovered from cyclone Idai, when the country was hit by the strongest storm ever recorded in its History: cyclone Kennetha, with continuous winds of 225 kilometers per hour and gusts of 270 kilometers per hour. Kennetha caused at least one more official dead, in the city of Pemba, in the north of the country.
The ravages are high: destroyed houses, carried by the wind, and families to the relent in the archipelago of the Quirimbas, on the island of Ibo (with families left without food or shelter), districts of the continent of Quissanga, Mucojo , along the coast, and Macomia, a little further inland, where 80% of homes were destroyed or partially destroyed, and where more than 90,000 people live, according to Unicef.
Meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who worked for many years in East Africa, says that “Around the world, the rains are getting more intense”, and they are caused by climate change.
“It’s not just the immediate effects of someone losing their home, it’s also the long-term effects of rising food prices and the lack of a harvest for farmers,” said Mattew Carter of the Red Cross. “What are these people going to eat in the next three to six months?” Mozambique had to borrow US $ 118 million from the International Monetary Fund only because of the ravages of the Idai. An outrageous demonstration of how imperialism works. After centuries of exploitation and colonialism in Africa, instead of sending “emergency donations” their bankers guarantee loans.
Drawing a parallel, in less than 24 hours France raised 2 billion in donations for the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, the same France that since 1957 (ie, after independence), collects millions of their reserves from their former colonies and bank deposits to administer the CFA franc and sell millions in military weapons. The same Emmanuel Macron´s France that violently represses the Yellow Vests and does not satisfy their demands.
This is how imperialism works: for “their people”, charitable donations. For workers, repression, and, for Africa, loans, debts, hunger and misery.
We have to help our brothers in Africa with donations and solidarity, but also fighting against their corrupt governments and the imperialist governments that are still their oppressors.
Translated by Dolores
