IMC-South Africa, on Durban: Whitewash and the UN Conference Against Rac

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Whitewash and the UN Conference Against Racism 
                       by Deborah Waters & Ishka August 31 2001, Fri, 1:55pm 
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                       debbie@eyfa.org 

                                  “Some people say that compared to during
Apartheid, the enemy is now difficult to identify,” says
                                  president Mbeki, at the opening session
of the NGO forum Against Racism. Yet this is not true,
                                  the enemy is very clear - poverty and
economic injustice caused by neo-liberal global capitalism.
                                  The Great UN Whitewash conference may
fool many here, but it does not fool us. 

                       In travelling to South Africa to attend the UN World
Conference Against Racism and Xenophobia we expected to be
                       angered by the UN conference ­ after all, the US
didn’t want to talk about reparations, the EU didn’t want to think about
                       colonialism, the Indians didn’t want to talk about
caste, and everyone ran in fear when the word Zionism was mentioned ­
                       so all these issues were dropped from the UN agenda.

                       The UN, global capitalists and national governments,
including the ANC, are all happy to have us gather here in Durban
                       to discuss racism because it allows them to deflect
attention from the real issue. The problem of South Africa today is
                       not racism it is poverty; poverty which for some is
becoming even more extreme as the government introduces the
                       Millenium Africa Recovery Plan (MARP), something
akin to an IMF Structural Adjustment Programme which is privatising
                       many services, including water provision. But it
suits those in power very well to have us believe that the problem is
                       racism on an individual level. I hate him because he
is black and I am white; he hates me because white means
                       oppressor and thief; I hate him because black means
violent criminal, thief or drug addict. And for as long as we believe
                       the problem is racism we are too scared to talk to
one another, too scared to cross neighbourhood boundaries and
                       realize we do not hate as individuals. Divide and rule.

                       Those in power blame us and set up conference to
publicly declare “well, this racism of yours it is a terrible thing, but we
                       are doing our best to solve the problem, so bear
with us a little longer,” and we are supposed to accept this whitewash
                       and be grateful. 
                       No. This conference serves the interests only of the
rich and the powerful who can blame racism and us, rather than
                       confront the real issue ­ economic disparity caused
by the capitalist economic system. Because the last thing they
                       actually want to do is redistribute the wealth, the
only real solution to our problems.

                       Yet recognition of this issue is low, even in the
fringe conferences and pre-conferences. Take for example the Youth and
                       NGO forums, which seem to be characterized by the
stage spectacle before me right now ­ lots of young black South
                       African children leaping joyously singing “Lets get
together and feel alright.”

                       The forums are confronting some of the touchy issues
the UN would rather not hear, but amongst all the attendees we
                       have spoken to, no one is asking pertinent questions
about racism ­ what it is, whether it is real, and if so whether it is
                       the disease or simply the symptom. They have
gathered to feel that they are doing something worthwhile, yet there is a
                       lack of critical thinking in their actions.

                       At the NGO Forum we see the perpetual problem of
NGOs. They believe the whitewash, they believe in the system and
                       they have faith that if they can just get their
issues onto the UN agenda and ask in the right way all nation States will
                       suddenly decide to help and solve a problem that,
presumably, they were just too busy to notice before. The NGOs
                       cannot accept that the UN is a forum for discussion,
but when it comes down to tackling real problems and making real
                       changes, the delegates return home to national
governments which are far too busy defending their own interests and
                       those of global capitalism to want to change anything.

                       The NGOs both won’t and can’t look at the true
issues, for they benefit from the whole structure of the conference
                       themselves. They are able to feel important and to
legitimise their work by having powerful speakers such as president
                       Mbeki at their functions. They are able to justify
the vast quantities of money they receive, without solving any of the
                       problems. 

                       Yet they are isolated. NGOs were never granted the
right to participate in the plenary session of the UN Conference
                       Against Racism, but now there right to observe is
being severely restricted. Only a few of the thousands of NGO
                       representatives in town will be able to sit in on
the UN meetings, those who have received a special accreditations, and
                       a few more who queue early enough to get in on a
first-come-first-served basis. Clearly, the UN does not prize their
                       presence as much as they would wish.

                       But NGOs are also not connecting to local groups ­
the fee to attend the NGO conference is 100 US dollars, a price far
                       too high for small NGOs, indigenous peoples, or
local community activists. The radical voice is excluded, as ever, by the
                       cash dollar. Furthermore, they have locked
themselves inside a cricket stadium, where not even a curious passerby can
                       see their actions and ask a question or two. Or
indeed, who they could ask what a Durbanite thinks about racism, the
                       conference, the real issues or possible solutions.

                       Many of these pitfalls were successfully avoided by
a fringe pre-conference we attended. The Environmental Justice
                       weekend organised by Groundwork, did not expect
governments to solve the problems, but was a meeting space for
                       community activists from across the globe. It was
not a forum closed to the local community, for it was organised by local
                       activists. Here, we thought, we would meet people
who were speaking the same language as us. And, to be fair, we did.
                       There were many people gathered to discuss
Environmental Racism, share their personal community struggles with one
                       another and gain strength from solidarity. 15
different countries were represented, from the USA to Nigeria, from
                       Ecuador to the Netherlands, from Australia to
Pakistan and there were radical voices in the room who linked their
                       personal community battle to a wider network of
community struggles against corporate dominance, social injustice, and
                       global financial institutions such as the IMF and
World Bank.

                       But, disappointingly and frustratingly, there were
others who had not made the link. It is hard to explain what we
                       experienced without sounding as though we are merely
exorcising a personal gripe, but we shall try. The language of the
                       conference was all “we are black brothers and
sisters”, “we are people of colour and we suffer”, “it is all about racism.”
                       Yet we are not black, we are white Europeans and we
attended the conference because environmental justice is a
                       campaign we encountered which linked our work
against economic globalisation, our work in climate protection and the
                       multitude of stories we hear of the Ogonis or U’wa
and seemed like a light shining and making another connection in our
                       heads. Of course, poor, exploited and black, they go
together. But we refuse to believe the whitewash, that racism is the
                       root cause, and we see it as the tool of the
oppressors of us all ­ the capitalists ­ to make us blame skin colour. We
                       thought others would feel the same and there were
those that did, yet for some, it seemed, skin colour was the ultimate
                       answer. And, as a result, they subtly and
consistently refused to allow us a voice at the conference. We suffered the
                       “great white guilt” and we felt we had no right to
speak, that it was their time and their campaign and their moment.

                       But then we began to rail against our exclusion.
Black Power is a concept that makes sense in America where the
                       history of race repression left a community with
little understanding of its own culture, history or power, which needed to
                       reclaim some pride. But it was an uncomfortable
export, which saw power in the power of skin colour not in a common
                       goal, and it did not only exclude us. Other ethnic
representatives were also sidelined by the vocal domination of a large
                       group that saw race as the UN would love us to see
it, as a purely black and white issue. There was little space for
                       people of colour or mixed race, for the Indian
communities, for the indigenous communities or the Aboriginals.

                       The tragedy of this all was that it divided us in
the conference as well. Because connections hadn’t been made between
                       environmental racism and neo-liberal economics, for
many the issues was still a simple question of black and white. As
                       such, it made those who believed the whitewash
reluctant to talk to, or be curious, about us. We, after all, wore the skin of
                       the oppressor.

                       It is minefields like this that make attending an
Anti-Racism conference a difficult experience. People of all shades and
                       colours have been systematically oppressed through
colonialism because they provided cheap or free labour. And
                       racism was a concept which justified the colonialist
actions ­ Africans, Asians, South Americans, you name it, they were
                       too stupid or backwards to look after themselves, so
it was far better for a master to decide their future, even if it was a
                       short, deprived one of hard-labour and early death.

                       But racism is still a false concept which allows the
oppressors ­ colonialists then, neo-liberalists now - to divide the poor
                       of all communities, of all skin colours and keep us
subjugated under their rule, so it was a disappointment to see these
                       division creep between us all at the Environmental
Justice conference. Divided, we will remain ruled, as we failed to
                       network and build our support for one another’s
struggles as much as we would have liked to do.

                       Day two of the conference was even more revealing.
Groundwork organized an excellent “Toxic Tour,” which took us out
                       to visit the townships of South Durban where people
are living side by side with the largest port in Africa, oil refineries,
                       paper mills, toxic waste dumps, chemicals spills and
environmental pollution that truly is an abuse of human rights. 

                       The tour was revelatory. In coming to South Africa
we expected that to walk into a black, poverty-stricken community and
                       start asking questions, that people would be
suspicious, distant and very careful with what they said. The reality was the
                       opposite. Everyone we spoke to was instantly open
and very honest. They showed us their communities, freely gave their
                       opinions, invited us inside their homes, answered
our questions and asked many of their own. And they even thanked us
                       for coming, for not many whites or tourists visit
the townships, and they are pleased to break through the lies and show
                       people what life for them really is and who they
really are.

                       Unfortunately, not everyone on the tour was
listening. Some of us talked to the people of Wentworth and Umlazi, but most
                       remained near the bus, listened to speeches about
what the community had suffered and fought against, took some
                       photos, and left. The failure to listen from people
who share the same problems of pollution and poverty in their home
                       communities was most intriguing and confusing. So
many of the people on the tour returned to the busses apparently
                       untouched by the communities they had visited, and
continued to talk of their own problems. It seemed the tour confirmed
                       for many that the issues they experience at home
also happen in South Africa, but they viewed it as further proof that the
                       issue is black and white. They saw the similarities
as proof that they are being treated as Blacks - as ignorant third
                       worlders - in their countries, and they failed to
ask the local community if they agreed.

                       What may surprise them is that, on the whole, the
South Africans do not. As we said, the residents of Wentworth and
                       Umlazi were open and honest with us; mothers even
joked they did not mind we were white, we could marry their sons
                       and have beautiful coloured babies. There was no
pre-judgment based on skin colour and no fear to joke or “cross the
                       lines.” It was not a simple black and white issue.

                       Across the board, our trip to South Africa has
surprised us by the lack of “racism” as the whitewashing giants proclaim it.
                       This is a country where black, white, Indian,
coloured, etc. are aware of their divisions and problems but no longer view it
                       as a black versus white issue. The people are
politically aware and opinionated. They have seen that a change of
                       government from Apartheid to the first black
presidency did not solve the problems; some are even poorer now than
                       before. They no longer believe the whitewash of the
racism argument. They do not all have the answers, but many now
                       recognize that economics lie behind the divisions.
Some are wary of South African plans to liberalise trade across the
                       African continent with a NAFTA style agreement and
others even more critical. The new IMC (IndyMedia Centre) here in
                       Durban and the work of the Durban Social Forum is
trying to consolidate this anti-globalist concept and engage more in
                       the fight against neo-liberalism and economic
globalisation. They call for wealth and land distribution and a return of
                       power to the people where it should reside.
                       So they, and we, and others will remain in Durban to
expose the whitewash sham of the UN Conference Against Racism
                       and try to build links across all our communities.
And maybe, next time, the anti-racism conferences will have more
                       thought behind them, and won’t be so blind to the
issues that they can happily site themselves in a cricket ground
                       sponsored by Shell and surrounded by Shell
advertising. Maybe the next speech about racism will recognise the links to
                       economic globalisation and the dollar imperative
that drives Shell and other corporations to murder and exploit ethnic
                       minorities and indigenous peoples all across the
world not just because of skin colour but because the disposed,
                       voiceless poor are easy victims. The racism argument
is a convenient cover for the real motivation ­ cheap or free
                       labour, materials and resources to profit the very
few ­ which keeps all our poor communities from uniting to end their
                       dominance.


                       ishka@eyfa.org and 
                       debbie@eyfa.org 

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