Lobbyist says apartheid continues

Bloomington residents concerned about the welfare of African people listened to a speech Wednesday from Salih Booker, the executive director of Africa Action, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group for justice in Africa, asking them to pledge solidarity with Africans in their fight against AIDS and poverty.\nDuring the speech titled "Ending Global Apartheid: Africa and the United States," Booker said the U.S. government's priorities are misplaced with the "War on Terrorism."\n"AIDS is a greater threat to human security than terrorism," he said.\nAmerica ignores the problems of Africa, he said, because of an enduring double standard he called "Global Apartheid" caused by a history of racism and slavery.\nBooker said that discussions like the one Wednesday help educate the public about the \nassumptions Americans make when it comes to Africa. \nSteven Arnold, an activist for RESULTS, a lobbying group trying to end hunger, said he was amazed that America still ignores African concerns.\n"It seems to me that if everyone in (the rich countries) understood what you said ... it would make a huge difference in the world," he said.\nBut Booker said it is not only the ignorance of the American public, but the government's policies that exacerbate the distress of African countries.\nThe system of "global apartheid" is perpetuated by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other institutions controlled by the richest countries, he said.\n"They operate like colonial governors, keeping the rabble of the world in order," he said.\nThis system set up by the rich countries "relies on the assumption that it is natural for different groups of people to have different expectations in life."\nBooker suggests this is one reason AIDS, poverty and genocide are allowed to continue in Africa while they would never in other parts of the world. \nBooker also underscored that while Americans think the government is generous, in fact, it is the least generous of all the wealthy countries of the world, he said. According to his statistics, America only gives 0.15 percent of its Gross Domestic Product in foreign assistance, most of which goes to Egypt or Israel.\nBooker summed up his remarks by adding that he believed America actually has an obligation to Africa for the years of exploitation at its hands. \nLauren Morris MacLean, an IU graduate student who teaches African Politics, said on the first day of her class, she dispels the myths many people have about Africa.\nMacLean felt the most important thing Booker discussed Wednesday evening was "the fact that poverty is not new in Africa and is the product of racism"