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Media bias on the Zimbabwe Crisis
Posted: Sunday, August 18, 2002
by Ayinde, Trinicenter Staff
The BBC, Guardian UK, Independent UK, Daily Telegraph UK and most news feeds are all misinforming the public about the Zimbabwe land affair. They choose to feature or highlight articles that sympathize with the White farmers that are crammed with lies.
They all claim that the shortage of food in Zimbabwe is due to the farm seizures, however this is not the entire story. Many regions in Africa are presently experiencing a drought and that is responsible for low food production. Most of the White farmers in Zimbabwe grew tobacco while peasant farmers grow about 70% of the maize used in Zimbabwe. ( Famine in southern Africa Guardian UK )
The shortage of food is directly related to the drought and trade restrictions imposed by Briton and the U.S.
It should be noted that these farms are being seized and turned over in time to get the new farmers ready for the next crop season.
Another fact usually left out is that most of the farm workers were from Malawi or Mozambique and they received an average of about US$25 a month, furthermore living conditions on the farms were awfully poor.
These Malawian and Mozambican laborers were heavily dependent on their White employers, relying on them for 'free' or heavily subsidized housing and 'health care', as well as 'education' for their children. This is the modern day slavery that these White farmers wickedly benefited from.
Most of the food problems in Africa are directly related to the colonial policy of seizing the most fertile lands in Africa to produce food for Europe. Africans were to supply cheap labour. In many cases indigenous Africans who usually grew their own food were forced unto the worst lands and as such they became dependant of food imports.
Whether we like Mugabe or not has nothing to do with the fact that the frontline media reports fail to give the readers the true picture.
Here are three other articles that give a better picture of the situation:
Zimbabwe Under Siege - by Gregory Elich
For a case study on the politics and economics behind 'sustainability,' one needs look no further than Zimbabwe. Gregory Elich presents an excellent and comprehensive review of the history of Zimbabwe and its ongoing land reform struggles in the face of drought, starvation and economic disaster perpetuated by Western intervention and demands.
Elich's work is particularly timely as Great Britain and the U.S. are considering making the sanctions against Zimbabwe more severe and will be working very hard at the Earth Summit to force African states to also impose sanctions. MORE...
Farm workers caught in the middle -BBC
(Not featured on BBC's front pages)
Zimbabwe: War on the Peasantry by George Monbiot
Race and History Zimbabwe Watch
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