风萧萧_Frank
以文会友
She is a public speaker, educator, diplomat, founder of medical clinics, and an entrepreneur. She moved to the United States after living many years in Zimbabwe. She is the CEO and founder of Bell Family Medical Centers in the United States, and served as the African Union representative to the US from 2017 to 2019.
Why is Africa turning away from the United States?
15 Dec 2022
Former African Union diplomat Arikana Chihombori-Quao doesn’t see much hope for this week's US-Africa Leaders Summit.
Officials in the United States look upon Africans as people "in need of help" or people who "need to be told what to do", and this is destroying relations between Africa and Washington, according to the former African Union representative to the US, Arikana Chihombori-Quao.
"The US needs to call a timeout and treat Africans with respect," she told host Steve Clemons, adding that the US-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House this week "will fail unless Americans see Africans as equals".
Chihombori-Quao argues that pan-African unity is the only path for the continent to be less dependent on outside powers.
YouTube: Why is Africa turning away from the United States? | The Bottom Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLxnIqi4Uc
Al Jazeera English
1,458,093次观看 2022年12月15日
Officials in the United States look upon Africans as people “in need of help” or people who “need to be told what to do”, and this is destroying relations between Africa and Washington, according to the former African Union representative to the US, Arikana Chihombori-Quao.
“The US needs to call a timeout and treat Africans with respect,” Chihombori told host Steve Clemons, adding that the US-Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House this week “will fail unless Americans see Africans as equals".
Arikana Chihombori-Quao
She is a medical doctor and activist. She is a public speaker, educator, diplomat, founder of medical clinics, and an entrepreneur. She moved to the United States after living many years in Zimbabwe. She is the CEO and founder of Bell Family Medical Centers in the United States, and served as the African Union representative to the US from 2017 to 2019.[1] She holds a bachelor's degree in General Chemistry, a master's degree in organic chemistry, and a Doctor of Medicine degree.[2][3] Chihombori was a family medicine specialist in Tennessee. She practiced medicine for 29 years in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[4][5]
Chihombori is outspoken about the implications of the Berlin Conference that took place in Berlin, Germany, in 1885. She lectures about the outcome of the divisions on the continent of Africa that were made. She sees these divisions as a cause of some of Africa's problems that are still in effect today. She seeks to reunite African states,[clarification needed] and the African diaspora.[5]
Chihombori-Quao argues that pan-African unity is the only path for the continent to be less dependent on outside powers.
解说词
hi I'm Steve Clemons and I have a
question can President Biden convince
African leaders that America is a better
partner than China let's get to the
bottom line
[Music]
this week the White House hosts leaders
from 49 African countries to try and
convince them that their continent is a
real priority for America it's going to
be a hard sell since many Africans feel
that Washington has treated them with a
lot of benign neglect more of a problem
than an opportunity a place that's full
of Precious Minerals that we want like
lithium and Cobalt which America needs
for its electric cars but also a place
loaded with security concerns and
humanitarian crises and Corruption
meanwhile Russia's kind of zoomed to the
top as Africa's number one weapons
dealer and China's trade with African
countries has reached a record 261
billion dollars last year that's about
five times more than the U.S an African
youth survey by ichikovitz Family
Foundation found that 77 percent of
Youth across the continent identified
China as the most important Nation for
Africa's future not the United States
plus China deals with whatever
government is in place no questions
asked while the U.S Cherry picks its
allies and offers lectures about
democracy so can the U.S Africa leader
Summit here in Washington D.C turn
things around and what can America offer
that Africa really wants today we're
talking with arikana chihombori CUO the
former ambassador of the African Union
to the United States she's also the
founder of the Africa diaspora
development initiative which aims to
link Africans abroad back to the
continent Ambassador it's such a
pleasure to talk with you today this big
Summit is going on right now in
Washington D.C you're in Zimbabwe I
guess I want to start by asking you what
do the leaders of Africa and President
Biden have to get right after this week
that you think needs is essential
thank you for having me uh this is a
very important Summit it's a
conversation between the continent and
the United States a conversation that is
desperately needed particularly at this
time in our history and in our life the
United States LED Mr advice thing it is
the it Still Remains the most preferred
trading partner for the African nations
however like I used to tell the state
department and any engagements that
we've had with the United States I felt
during my tenure that the United States
was slowly losing ground and they were
risking losing their position as
Africans preferred trading partner so
this is a very important meeting that I
hope that if the United States like I
used to tell uh my colleagues I felt
that United States if this was a
basketball game the United States needed
to call for time out for U.S needed to
realize that this is a new game and it
required new rules of engagement
therefore a need for the United States
to re-strategize
I'm hoping that for a change this
meeting the United States can begin to
realize it's no longer business as usual
it's no longer a case of the United
States saying we make policy and we tell
the Africans that has got to change it
is a recipe for disaster it is a recipe
for the United States seeing itself
losing its place as Africa's preferred
trading partner this that's what makes
this meeting very important and I'm
hoping that the U.S can call for time
out and understand that engaging Africa
at this time it is a new game that is
calling for new rules of engagement and
therefore it is time to restrategize and
treat the Africans fairly to the
Africans respectfully and treat the
Africans as equal partners
you know Ambassador I think one of the
things that I'm uh trying to be
sensitive to is that we often over in
the United States as you know and you
were the ambassador of the African Union
tend to talk about a continent as
opposed to individual countries and
nations of which they're 54 they're 49
uh heads of state here in Washington
this week and are we making a mistake
are we are we is our ignorance on our
side from your impression of our
ignorance you know Amplified by us
talking about Africa so much as as
opposed to talking about Rwanda Zimbabwe
Ghana should we be our you know is our
illiterate illiteracy in this level so
obvious that that it's a it's a real
problem and do these kinds of summits
that bring everyone together do a
disservice to that kind of getting to
know each country more distinctly
I think for the United States and I'll
repeat it and I used to repeat it uh all
the time during my tenure what really is
behind the failure of effective
engagement with Africa is the disrespect
of the Africans that's where the problem
begins if we cannot accept if the United
States cannot accept Africans as equal
Partners if the United States for
example let's look at this particular uh
meeting this particular Summit there was
no defined agenda there has never been
defined agendas whenever they meet with
African countries as individual
countries it's always the United States
setting the agenda the United States
setting the policies and the United
States telling Africans about the
policies that is no way to have any
meaningful engagement if you take for
example the pocket meeting that was held
between China and African heads of state
way in advance the issues were clearly
defined the agenda was going to focus on
trade it was going to focus on Aid it
was going to forget focus on investments
the African heads of states were engaged
in the discussion in the planning the
outcomes where are clearly defined with
a way forward in terms of follow-up it
was a fruitful meeting that addresses
the issues that needed to be addressed
between not only African countries
individually with China but also
Africans collectively with China there
is no published agenda there is there
are no issues that have been presented
to the African heads of States Africans
have been have not been asked to engage
in terms of creating the agenda and
making sure that when the African heads
of States come to Washington the
outcomes the issues to be discussed are
going to be meaningful uh outcomes
outcomes with follow-up and deliverables
that are going to be beneficial to both
it remains a one-sided conversation with
the United States telling Africans the
agendas and the policies the Africans
are not on the table to discuss issues
pertaining to us wherein lies the
problem and the reason that continues to
be the case what underscores that is the
disrespect for the Africans I repeated
it I I complained about it repeatedly it
is a serious problem the United States
must understand that Africans are not
going to take it anymore if you don't
treat the Africans fairly
United States is going to see itself
slowly losing ground to China to Russia
to all other nations because without
respecting the Africans without treating
the Africans as equal without
understanding that exploitation and
abuse of Africa simply cannot continue
this this meeting this Summit is going
to be yet another gathering with no
outcomes no deliverables until the next
Summit I'm sorry but the disrespect of
the Africans is at the bottom of it all
our agenda for this meeting should have
been set out in advance Africa should
have been involved without the
involvement of the Africans in these
discussions this is a useless I'm sorry
but that is the fact no I I am very
grateful for your candor and it sounds
to me I mean I think there was a lot of
criticism of the last Summit like this
under President Obama that there was
like no follow-through and you know it's
one of the big questions I'm asking is
how do you make a big bang Summit where
everyone one comes over it's like
checking off the box and say okay we've
done Africa now we can move on to other
things how do we how do you make that
something that's a more sustainable uh
and a more continuous engagement of the
United States with Africa and what I'm
hearing from you is frankly a lot of
disappointment and
um you know a lot of pessimism about
what may come out of this Summit
well the the point of the matter is
already you know
nothing is going to come out of it
because it is a one-sided conversation
right where is the agenda the agenda
should have been published where in
advance the African leaders should have
been given opportunity to also stand
their position so they can come up with
an African position that can then be
discussed alongside the American
position so the fact that it is a
one-sided conversation that is yet going
to be another useless meeting with no
outcomes but again I'm going to keep
emphasizing the reason this is happening
is because there is a disrespect for the
Africans there is a general feeling that
we don't need to hear from the Africans
their opinions do not matter
that we realize the problem why were the
Africans not consulted why would
Africans not part of an agenda why was
there not even an agenda like what
happened during the forecast meeting
with China
those are some basic issues no head of
state President Biden would not pick up
and go to meet with any other leader in
the world without an agenda that simply
doesn't happen right so what makes the
U.S think that they can engage African
leaders without an agenda come to
Washington let me tell you what I want
to do for you come to Washington let me
tell you what you need to do in your
countries that game is is an old game
right it's not gonna work anymore to be
honest with you if I'm to speak the
truth I hope a lot of friends don't cut
because it is an insult
it is an abuse of the African leaders
it's a disrespect of the African leaders
where is the agenda please respect the
African leaders do unto them what you
would want done unto you so it's really
a simple ask let me ask you a question
you mentioned China and how China
approaches this I'm interested in what
China gets so right and but is there a
blind spot there are there problems in
the China Africa relationship from your
perspective
let me also let me just uh hit the nail
in the head and deal with 10 000 with
the ten thousand pound gorilla in the
room yeah racism as well that is a very
important part the disrespect of the
Africans also goes back to a lot of the
people who work in the U.S government
not all of them but there's a
significant of them who automatically
assume that Africans do not know what
they're doing Africans need help
Africans need to be told what to do and
racism is also at the bottom of it all
we need to address the individuals who
are going to be visiting Africa engaging
Africa they must understand that
Africans are equal to them
but when one goes to Africa with a sense
of superiority
we realize the problem because you are
not going to engage those leaders who
are going to come to the table as equals
you go in feeling Superior you come back
feeling Superior that is not an issue
with the Chinese the Chinese are coming
in the Chinese yes if you don't
negotiate with them and uh they win the
game then that's your fault but they
don't come in feeling Superior they
understand that Africa has something
they need so they will come to the
Africa they will come and make sure that
they let the Africans know that you
matter to us that our relationship with
you does matter that you don't get that
feeling with the United States you get
this feeling that there's this sense of
superiority that you Africans you ought
to be glad that we are engaging you you
have to be glad that we're inviting you
to come to Washington that sense of
security it has to change whether it
calls for the United States to retrain
their people as they engage Africa but
it is that which really goes to the body
them of why the engagements are not
going to be as effective they must take
a page out of what Africa is doing let
me say this Chinese people didn't used
to be that way but they quickly changed
their strategy when they realized that
the game they were playing was not gonna
work in Africa they changed their
strategy and that's why like I said I
said it during my tenure I'll continue
to say it again if this was a basketball
game the United States need to call for
timeout this is a new game and it
requires new rules of engagement the
United States must first and foremost
make sure that racism is out of the
picture Africans are just as smart as
anybody else Africans are equal and
until we engage as equals all these
meetings all these conversations are
always going to be useless and it goes
back to the individuals who are going to
be at the table with the Africans so the
U.S also need to address the issue of
racism and make sure that the people
engaged in Africa their minds are clear
and they accept that Africans are equal
tell us about pan-africanism tell us
about what Africa the states in Africa
are doing to trade to connect to move
their agenda forward proactively no
matter what the rest of the world is
thinking about it
absolutely I have to say uh if you were
to go back to 1963 when open African
fathers came together in the hopes of
creating an Africa that spoke with one
voice an Africa that had one military an
Africa that had one Central Bank One
monetary fund uh one one uh one uh Stock
Exchange and in Africa with one Customs
Union we failed at that over the years
but finally uh two years ago uh they
approved the AFC FTA the African
Continental Free Trade Agreement which
is a a policy that saw Africa coming
together in one particular area that we
are now speaking with one voice when it
comes to trade yes its implementation is
a monster yes its implementation is work
in progress but you can say of the
issues that our pan-african fathers met
to discuss in 1963 finally over 50 years
later we are able to account published
the first one which is being an Africa
that's going to the World As One Customs
Union the spirit of pan-africanism it
has taken us a long time to really begin
to come together to dismantle the Berlin
Conference which of course for those who
think oh Berlin Conference is a thing of
the past of the past think again as long
as we have a country called Togo as long
as we have a country called Congo
brazzaville it's watini Malawi those
small countries even Nigeria or the big
ones Kenya Egypt Morocco they cannot
survive on their own as long as we're
talking about the little bitty
individual African countries we are
never going to realize the dream of a
United Africa that speaks with one voice
and until we've dismantled some of those
borders until we begin to work ourselves
up as a people until we begin to realize
that the the colonizers and the rule of
dividing hunger left us sealing inferior
yeah Supremacy white supremacy was
introduced from the very onset when the
colonizers came to Africa we were taught
to believe that everything African was
bad everything European was better and
we still continue to suffer from that
mentality so yes while we demand that
the west and those who don't look like
us Africans treat us equally realize
that we are human beings just like they
are we too as Africans we have a lot of
work to do on a personal level where we
must also believe truly believe that we
are equal to everybody else on Earth and
that we are capable
that also is a disease that we need to
realize as Africans let's wake up and
realize that white people are not
Superior to us Chinese are not Superior
to us we are just exclusive as anybody
else that is a serious challenge because
we still have people even when you look
at uh issues that we could stand up as a
people and push back you see ministers
from the Western world are going to uh
to Africa and then basically can have
seen them say some of the most
ridiculous things to the Africans and
instance of the Africans pushing back
and saying hey hold it this is not going
to fly instead the Africans are afraid
just inherently fear of the white person
without any for no good reason
whatsoever except that we have been
programmed to feel inferior so on an
individual basis we continue to speak
the Gospel of Truth we continue to share
the light as to the brainwashing that is
that the African has been put through
wherein lies the problem when you look
at what is being done at the World Bank
for example the Britain women's
institutions the the frivolous loans
countries that have never defaulted on
their on their loan repayments and yet
they're still given large interest rates
why countries like the United States
that don't need any help right they get
into loans at zero interest rates you
look at the issue I'm glad President
Biden I hear he's going to be talking
about having the Au as the 51st member
of the G20 well let's also take it to
the next level let's go to the United
Nations let's have Africa 1.5 billion
people they need to come to the table
let's African Union be the sixth member
of the five member U.N security Council
you can't just totally disregard 1.4
billion people because you've gotten
away with it for centuries well guess
what game is over Africans are waking up
Africans are beginning to realize and
understand the game that have been
played unfortunately we don't have that
critical mass of people who are
continuously going to speak truth to
power right the good thing with the
after the story of Africa is I was
coming from a position of righteousness
right a position of Truth a position of
facts right those are constants they
don't change let's continue to give the
world an overdose of our truth but at
the same time while we are doing so and
demanding a world that is fair that is
just and free of racism bigotry and hate
we must also work on our own development
and our own Awakening as a people talk
to me a little bit about how Africa can
take advantage of its of its
intellectual connection and assets to
entrepreneurs who have left but may want
to help um Africa back because this is
one of your major initiatives
absolutely the brain drain that started
over 400 years ago when the best and the
brightest and the fittest were taken out
of Africa forcibly and that that is when
the brain drained started I want to make
sure that it's very clear and when we
talk about African diaspora we're
talking about all people of African
descent living outside of Africa let's
be very clear African-Americans they are
Africans who have forcibly taken out of
Africa plus the continued brain drain
those who are later immigrants who left
Africa running away from farming from
Wars in search of greener pastures the
end result is as we speak Africa has a
serious deficit of expertise however the
the good news for Africa is that we have
a very young intelligent vibrant
population that needs opportunities so
when we can marry the age group of young
intelligent Africans with the expertise
coming from the diaspora we can see in
Africa that can propel itself to take a
stressful place on the world stage like
it once was so yes the diaspora are an
important component of Africa's
development make no mistake about that
all the African leaders are fully aware
of that all the African leaders are in
full support of coming up with programs
to make it easier for the diaspora to
move back we want to look at diaspora we
can come to Africa not just focus on a
country that you were born born in but
if you are a person of African descent
Africa should matter to you Africa
should be your problem you must own
Africa's problems understand it and
participate in the development of Africa
for when we have a stable Africa It
ultimately
it now also correlates with an
African-American who is anchored it
correlates with an afro-caribbean who is
anchored it correlates with an
afro-latino who is angered apparently
descendants of the formerly enslaved
they are like a ship uh without an anger
you the wind blows that way here they go
until they are anchored by being
accepted by Africa until they are
anchored by participating in the
development of Africa the Jews do it the
Chinese do it the Indians do it the
Irish do it African Americans together
with the African Continental Africans we
must make sure that we work together to
participate in the development of Africa
because the development and the building
of the Africa we want it is our
responsibility first and foremost and I
was alone right I was others are welcome
to come join us others are welcome to
help us others are welcome to engage us
as equal Partners but we must own the
building of the Africa that we want is a
United Friends of the African diaspora
well I want to make a deal with you
Ambassador I want this to be a start of
a conversation with you that we have
many other times I think it's a very
important conversation and I'm grateful
to you Ambassador arikana chihombori
former African Union Diplomat and
founder of the Africa diaspora
development initiative thanks for your
candor and thank you so much for being
with us today
thank you for having me and keep up the
good work these are messages
we must continue to put out because the
average American is not aware the
average European citizen is not aware of
what the various Western governments are
doing the atrocities have been going on
for far too long they must come to an
end and your program is doing a great
job in getting these messages out we
must inform and educate our citizens
thank you Ambassador thank you so much
thank you so much
so what's the bottom line the smart
monies on Africa that's where the most
interesting Global action is going to be
demographically the West and much of
Asia are aging while Africa has the
youngest crowd on the planet within a
few decades much of the world's Global
middle class is going to come from
Africa and Africa is going to become a
stickier place for its brilliant
innovators to stay rather than racing
off the Europe or the United States sure
China and the U.S will both remain
engaged in Africa but less and less on
their terms and more and more on the
terms of African nations as they rise
and become more powerful in their own
right that's the story of Unstoppable
Africa Rising not because of what
nations outside the continent are doing
for it but what it's doing to chart its
own course and that's the bottom line
foreign
[Music]
