Billionaires and Mega-Corporations Behind Immense Land Grab in Africa

what's the difference between corporations and corporals? there isn't corporations wage "wars" physical or financial in the name of good business and their "employees" fight for them. see: (haliburton, blackwater, etc.)it's a classic strategy: if you can't convince them, confuse them; if you can't beat 'em join 'em; divide and conquer, etc.

Dont most of us know individuals who are wrapped up in the cloth of altruism and dont give a damn about the people around them? As I have mentioned before, it is a trait associated with idealist intellectuals. A great book on it is "Intelectuals" by Paul Johnson

Observing this altruism/ratbag dissonance is one of the factors that lead me to the fundamental position I have often expressed on these forums: that concern for the well-being of abstract "others" ( eg, environmentalism ) is always at the cost of real people in ones immediate community. That "morality" tends to foster the former over the latter and that the only humanly valid ethics is to concentrate squarely upon the needs of ones own community, family, self...ones own "tribe".

A skewed moral superiority is the conscience behind much criminal psychology. I think this may be why socialism is always corrupt.

The whole green movement has come about due to the mysterious need for human beings to have a feeling of moral superiority.

In the western world where traditional religious values and morals have been completely jettisoned a new moral superiority system has been invented.

How else would all our celebrities be able to claim a moral high ground in their conspicuous world of sex drugs and excess consumption.

Through lip service to green issues and so called human rights issues of the moment.

Unfortuntaely most of them are as hpocritical as their earlier ancestors who would moralise from the pullpits when in fact they themselves were leading completely immoral lives.

Many of the contemporary movers and shakers in this movement who aren't celebrities have all so often trodden the same path of student marxist activities in their youth shrilling at others on how they should live their lives and how and what they should think to a comfotable and privileged middle age of shrilling about green issues.

However I am also fully aware that the green movement is simply a bunch of privileged people who have no genuine intention of actually making sacrifices themselves and will just expect people in the third world to bear the brunt of all the sacrifices they deem necessary.

Observation of such types in the field, as it were, quickly shows such people to be visceral haters of their own society. This gives them the right to be immoral thieves.

After reading this I am finding myself more understanding of Robert Mugabe's actions towards foreign firms. Mugabe is using his power to enrich himself and his cronies by demanding 51% ownership in foreign owned companies operating in Zimbabwe, of course you have to be well connected to benefit and that is the downside but at least Mugabe is getting tough with these foreign corporations who are only out to rape and pillage their way through Africa's resources.

No right or wrong? The countries are willing to sell the land. They will profit from the deal. I hope that the leaders will share the profits with their people. I hope that the land will allow the local population to work in some form. I hope that the corporations do not treat the lands as toxic landfills that will hurt the people. No regulations, we just have to trust a corporation that is concerned about the bottom line (i.e. profits).

The genetic engineering of rice and crops is what bothers me most. Where the crops can only be harvested once and the country has to purchase the staple year after year. The G-8 and globalization, is it good or bad?

I find it wrong on so many levels. In the next 20-30 years water will be what wars are fought over in the Southern Hemisphere.

http://current.com/items/92315215_how-food-and-water-are-driving-a-21st-century-...

Colonialism is slavery. Biofuels and animal feed are what this is going for while then also feeding a fossil fuel intensive industrial agriculture industry that is stripping our soil of carbon and nutrients. The clearing of land to grow BTcorn and GM soy monocultures for feed and fuels are STARVING people in developing countries. It is also not as much a problem of lack of food, it is ACCESS to food. Multinationals are land grabbing in Africa and forcing farmers to grow luxury crops instead of having food sovereignty to grow food to feed themselves which is what they want to do. Local sustainable agriculture will not only feed the planet but balance our climate as well.

everything in everybody's life from head to toe are given to you by corporations..

chances are you work for a corporation..you ride a car made by a corporation..your computer is made by a corporation..your internet is a corporation..

shit even the coffin you would be buried in is made by some corporation..

something to think about...

here comes the bleeding hearts..well why dont we see what africa is NOW...i mean i seen several religious and liberal orgnizations and charities .WELL THESE POOR AFRICANS ARE IN WORSE SHAPE..

sorry you guys had your chance........

Not even a little bit surprised....I'm more curious as to what will become of the natives and the land.

sell outs

not all that different from what happened in america with manifest destiny... too bad it's not overrun by only to men (rockefeller and carnegee)... but in africa it's monsanto and who knows what others.

First they take all the resources and minerals, and now they want to take everything else thats left of the beautiful continent. Shame!

Suprised a story so political damaging has this made it onto currents top ranked, but this makes me happy to know i can read about REAL stories on here still!
The irony and tragedy of the fact that this country can produce enough food to feed it's millions upon millions of starving (and feed them well) instead chooses to send it off in exchange for money that average africans will never see.
Bob Geldof can organise a million concerts, but he'll never save Africa and he knows it.

Oh so now they wanna grab up whats left of Africa , fuck it up till it becomes a WASTELAND !

Okay...I'm ambivalent. On the one hand, it makes me sick to know that these rich wastes of oxygen are buying the fertle land right out from underneath the people who have lived there for practically ever. On the other hand, I'm sure most African nations could use the income. Honestly, I don't think it will benefit them in the long run. Okay, no longer ambivalent. I'm just vomitty (I modify words as I please) .

Hasn't this always been the case, land grabs are like taking a kid to a candy store.

How can an entire continent be "helped", when their leaders, civil servants, police, and every other dickwad with a small degree of power, conspires to extort bribes from anyone attempting to relieve the suffering of the poor. The major problem in Africa is Africans!

Explotation of Africa is nothing new, it has gone on for the last several centuries.
The world bank is complicit in the legal stealing of resources by making world bank loans contingent on mineral resource rights or oil rights which they control and are ultimatly sold for a fraction of their real worth and bingo the mega companies get really rich on deals like these. Vile and disgusting, and people wonder why civil war goes on in African countries like football games on sunday.
Rebel leaders find an easy following when their countries get ripped off, then those same companies profit from the very wars they cause. Worse than vile and disgusting, really too bad the CEO's of these megaliths couldn't be on the other end of a bullet.

BTW Bush gave more aid to Africa than any othe US president. Africans love him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/popular-in-africa-bush-has-given-...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000941....

This post expresses an absolute and callous contempt for the welfare of the African people. It is in a subtle, cynical and pernicious way, quite racist. Voted down.

A land that will be cultivated to manufacture grains and rice in fields or other crops will lessened the hunger in many countries.

Even the food regulatory board for Africa will experience change and they will said that they will be richer in feeding many people.

Various crops can be planted too.

Sounds like a good development to me. It might bring those shitholes out of the dark ages and primitivism into the light of the modern world, prosperity and progress.

It is all true, and disgusting. Corrupt politicians in these countries should should be prosecuted in the courts for these land deals, but they wont, because it has become acceptable. Next time you eat Mange Tout or Baby Corn in winter have a think whose land was stolen and sold to feed you, and where the family that used to farm the land might be now.

In other news... Billionaires behind every other grab as well not limited to but including: education grab, health grab, government grab and general male grab-ass...

I can only guess that they also have their eyes on the possibilities of slavery. OH, I forgot, for the most part, that is illegal now. Africa helped to build America so why not do their part now in helping the rest of the world.

Even if many are being compensated for their removal, it doesn't establish a future for them and their families not to mention the violation of their wills and desires.

If these wealthy countries and/or individuals would help the country of Africa and it's people get on their feet and become self-sufficient this could be a win win situation if it were done right. It appears; however, that it is only business as usual.