Micah Morphosis

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Second-hand Clothes and World Debt

February 12, 2007

PIcture yourself, trodding down a dusty road. The trees are full and green, the dust is thick and coats your sandals as you kick it into the atmosohere. You’re in the middle of southern africa, Zambia. Some children skip by on their way to the well to fill up their jugs of water. But wait, is that little girl sporting a dirty Simba night gown? It just doesn’t seem to fit in with the scenery.
The story begins in a copper mine in Zambia. For 75 years Zambia had been under British colonial rule. The economy heavily relied on copper, cobalt and zinc mining which employed almost half the workforce and accounted for 80 percent of Zambia’s export earnings. The story takes a shift in 1964 as Zambia is declared independant. The president nationalizes the mines and all the earnings from the copper mines begins to get redirected back into their own country and the possibilities seem endless. The president begins to develop the country; jobs are created, free hospitals are built in every province and all the Zambian children are in classrooms. But things heated up as oil prices climbed and the copper market plumitted leaving them high and dry. Furthur development was going to be pricey. Weighing their options, the goverment of Zambia looked towards the IMF/World Bank to take out a loan. They took the bait. But here’s the hook: high interest and many years of struggle to keep their head above ground, the government finds themsleves digging a pit of debt. So the World Bank (aka the richest countries in the world…aka US of A) drops them some hints to help them get out of debt (based on research completely irrelevant to african economy) that they like to call “structural adjustment lending”. This included implementing “user fees” for health and education, eliminating government subsities to farmers and cutting tarrifs on imports, thus opening up a free market. All of the sudden second-hand clothes from the US came pouring into the country, completely obliterating the Zambian textile industry. They couldn’t compete with cheap imports being sold in local markets by africans who once had aspirations of getting into business. I don’t think they had this kind of business in mind. Think about it: 95% of the clothes we give to good will get sold to african importers and they sell it to local sellers at 300-400% above cost. First of all, I didn’t really think this was part of the deal when i gave clothes to good will. Second of all, how did they think these requirements for reducing debt would actually help anybody, except them.
This really makes me re-think the emphasis we should be putting on debt-cancellation. It’s impossible for Africans to get on their feet when every extra cent they get is going towards paying back the IMF/World Bank instead of making sure their people get education and medicine and food. What we get is a whole generation of african people unable to step up and lead their country because they haven’t been given the same opportunities to learn how.
We’ve managed to overcome political colonization but what about economic colonialism? We’re dumping our garbage in Africa for profit and exploiting Africans in the worst way possible: depriving them of basic needs: food, healthcare (which they need the most right now with HIV/AIDS on the rise), a decent education and an opportunity to hold on to their dignity.
My plan of action: Urge my government to cancel debt (one of many things they can do to step up to the plate: go to www.globalcitizensforchange.ca), make every effort to only buy second-hand clothing (if 95% of it is being exported, there must be some sort of consumer excess in textiles), give as many people as possible the opportunity to watch “T-Shirt Travels”, the documentary from which i gathered the info for this article. Check out http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html to find out more about African debt and second-hand clothes. Remember that information=obligation. Start to become more aware of where your waste eventually ends up (it doesn’t just go to the dump in the sky). That new tank top from GAP could end up on a little girl running down a dirt road in Africa. Trends are okay but this is not one i would like to support. Ignorance, in a shopping mall full of colorful, fresh pressed threads, is bliss.

Posted by Marygrace on February 12, 2007 12:40 PM