28.03.2011
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Guests: 
Samir Amin (Third World Forum, Cairo/Dakar)
Michel Chossudovsky (Author of "Globalization of Poverty", Research Centre on Globalization, Canada)
Mamdouh Habashi (International Forum for Alternatives, Cairo)
Nnimmo Bassey (Chair of Friends of the Earth International, Nigeria, and Right Livelihood Award laureate)
Wangui Mbatia (People's Parliament, Nairobi)
Eric Toussaint (Commitee for the Cancellation of Third World Debts, CADTM, Belgium)
Immanuel Wallerstein (Yale University, USA)
Evelyn Bahn (Inkota Network)
Ibrahim Coulibaly (La Via Campesina / Coordination Nationale des Organisations Paysannes du Mail)
Nicola Bullard (Focus on the Global South, Bangkok)

In the public debate, the economic root causes for the impoverishment  of North African countries and for the resulting revolts are barely discussed. We talked to the Canadian economist Michel Chossudovsky, head of the Centre for Research on Globalization, Samir Amin of the Third World Forum und Mamdouh Habashi of the International Forum for Alternatives about the role of the International Monetary Fund, the demands of the protest movements and the influence of the U.S. We also asked M. Chossudovsky about the possible motives behind the military intervention in Libya.

How the former colonial powers and the International Monetary Fund have undermined the economic autonomy of Africa - and thus destroyed the health care systems, chances for education and food souvereignity of millions of people: We talked with Nnimmo Bassey, chair of Friends of the Earth International und awardee of the Right Livelihood Award, Nigeria, Wangui Mbatia, People’s Parliament, Kenya, Eric Toussaint, Committee for the Cancellation of Third World Debts and Immanuel Wallerstein, World System Theorist, Yale University, USA.

Since the food and financial crisis in 2008, a race for arable land has started worldwide. States, corporations, banks and funds of rich countries buy up large chunks of land to produce agrofuels and grow crops for food - or just to speculate. The consequence: Food prices are going up sharply, hunger increases. E 10 agrofuel also contributes to the food crisis, says Evelyn Bahn of the Inkota Network, our guest at the Berlin studio of Kontext TV. Also in the programme: Environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey from Nigeria, Wangui Mbatia from Kenya und Ibrahim Coulibaly of La Via Campesina. They talk about the concrete impacts of Land Grabbing on Africa.

The appropriation of resources is one part of Europe’s relations to Africa, another part is the opening up of markets to European goods. We talked with Wangui Mbatia from Kenya, Kwame Banson from Fair Trade Africa and Nicola Bullard from Focus on the Global South about the impacts of EU trade policies and the so callled „Economic Partnership Agreements“ on Africa.