Email this page

John Bomba

John Bomba speaks at Friends Center,
PhiladelphiaWell there are a number of things that are effecting Zimbabwe today; the Disaster of Neo-liberal economics, HIV/ AIDS pandemic, debt and unequal exchange in trade are the largest but they can not be understood with also lookgin at the problems of inequity and the "democratic deficit."

The Disaster of Neo-liberal economics. The biggest disaster to have hit Zimbabwe is the IMF/WORLD BANK sponsored structural adjustment program critically implemented at the beginning of 1990. This was at a time when the country was suffocating from the Debts partly accrued by the smith regime to repress the liberation struggle and some accrued after independence. The above mentioned financial institutions had leverage as is the situation with most developing countries to compel countries to implement structural adjustment on the discredited pretext that it's the way to economic develop. With the SAPs public services were hit hard. Expenditure on medical staff and drugs was cut significantly. Education budgets were slashed. Exorbitant fees were introduced for all secondary schools and colleges which were previously free. This whole new dispensation brought the greatest disadvantage to the most vulnerable. States subsidies on food and price controls were removed and people started starving. The country sank deeper and deeper into debt as the structural adjustment program depended on huge borrowings. By 97 the country was now spending 7 times more on debt servicing than on education and health.

HIV/ AIDS. Zimbabwe today is gripped by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with 25% of the population estimated to be HIV positive. The whole pandemic has been made worse by the fact that the health delivery system is in total shambles following structural adjustments. Only 1% of those in need of life prolonging drugs have access.

Debt. The debt burden has been at the centre of the collapse of Zimbabwe's economy. The country still owes billions of dollars to institutions like the IMF/ WORLD BANK , western countries and former eastern bloc countries for AID given during the liberation struggle. This debt burden acutely compromises the country's ability to meet expenses for social services.

Unequal Exchange in Trade. Like many other developing countries, Zimbabwe's economy is mainly based on primary products: agricultural products, minerals, raw materials and such other products. The country sales these products to developed countries at cheap prices and import processed goods at sometimes as high as ten times as much. So in each transaction there is an unequal exchange with the overall effect of siphoning out resources to more developed centres of the world. This is a very big problem because genuine sustainable development is not possible if this unequal exchange between the developing world and the developed world continues

Inequity. Zimbabwe is rated today among the top five unequal societies of the world. Structural adjustment had the effect of widening the gap between the rich and the poor by making the rich richer and the poor poorer. The top five percent of the population consumes 70% of the nation's income

Democratic Deficit. Following the disastrous effects of SAPs life became harsh and the population rose up against the government which they accused of having implemented policies that brought so much poverty and suffering. The government responded to this threat by mining the political landscape with a plethora of draconian legislations. This had the effect of leaving the country with a huge democratic deficit.

What are young people doing to try and offer solutions to effect change regarding these issues?

Young people are taking a four pronged approach to effecting change:

1. INFORMED PARTICIPATION
Young people are usually marginalized in both the political and economic discourse of the country. The first thing is to build capacity for young people to engage and participate from an informed point of view. Young people must unite, have a common voice and become a motive force for change.

2. AWARENESS AND MOBILISATION
Young people must be in the forefront of leading their nations to move towards resolving all these problems. Young people usually have energy and time and need to lead the campaigns to raise awareness on the common problems faced and to mobilize communities into action.

3. DEBT CANCELLATION
The young people must be in the lead of actions to cut the noose of debt hanging around our necks. The message must be very clear. We don't owe. We won't pay. Infact we are owed. Not just money. We are owed our lives, our future. We are the ones who were robbed and continue to be robbed.

4. HUMAN CENTRED ALTERNATIVES TO NEO-LIBERAL CAPITALISM
The young people must be in the forefront of calling for the rejection of neo-liberal capitalism and the call for the construction of human centered alternatives. People first before profit: this should be the message. Capitalism has failed and caused so much suffering and bloodshed from the many wars we are seeing resulting from capitalist competition for markets and resources.

Action is the most important thing that is needed and the young must stand together with the older generations and resolutely forge another Zimbabwe, another Africa indeed another world. For another Zimbabwe, another Africa another, another world is possible.

^ Top of page