Vita per Africa

Mayhap  it's too predictable to discuss the desperate need for international action across Africa, but in this case the dire consequences of not doing so are all but totally compromising. For years after its ravaging by the colonialists the cluster of diverse nations has suffered from poorly drawn boundaries which incite ethnic uprisings and governments with little intent but to better themselves financially while the population suffers. Throughout the strife, possibly the worst factor is that those who might reach and positively influence the outcome to be better often fall silent when given opportunity, as if they can do nothing more but authorize the check necessary for funds to the region.

At the core of Africa's struggle is the lack of water supplies available to the populace in many regions, and therein lies the point at which the West can make a meaningful impact to save lives and defeat the dreaded history of anarchic policy throughout the continent's provinces. While much of south-central Africa is vegetated and ideal for growing crops, the northern tier is smothered with a blanket of deserts which make development of agriculture difficult beyond passive attempts at pastoral habits with few yearly gains. Families in this region who are not supported by a small business or government employment often end up staggering to last in the harsh wastelands of the Saharan plain due to skimpy natural resources.

To the northeast, the Nile provides sustainment for the civilizations about it, yet the western side of the continent still reeks under the hot sun and loses much of its potential as the weather acts adversely alongside elected officials to prevent progress. So the Western powers of the 21st Century must unite to construct a river through western Africa for the good of its people and long-term security. The channel would most logically run from the Western Saharan straight through northern Mauritania, the northern part of Niger, and Algeria, thus allowing for more cultivation of earth through irrigation techniques.

This "river of life" would work because unlike general aid projects, it might actually institute security for the future that no allied power can begin to comprehend. Even the occasional check from America or Europe can  hardly begin to change things in Africa, yet a body of water changing the scope and conditions of the problem would certainly turn tables on those who prefer the continent remain sunken in the past.

Like anything else, the river would need to serve the West's purposes in order for its to realistically gain support, yet the reasons for its benefits are immediately apparent. In Italy, the government has maintained a long struggle to prevent excessive immigration from North Africa, but this river project would reverse the need for so many refugees to live. After all, a land where a man can farm and stand by himself is more likely to be attractive than a ravaged and restricted province.

Difficult as it might be for the West to fathom, its reach is not unbeatable or everlasting. Eventually new leaders will rise up, yet it should be in the interest of those today to establish the basis for fundamental transformation in the places which today still lag behind. Africa should not have to--and likely will not remain stagnated, but it is up to those who act in the name of democracy to assist with that movement as much as possible.



Michael Veramendi

National Alliance Vice President for Foreign Issues