Discarding the Debt in South Africa

At the Polycentric World Social Forum in Bamako, Mali, Jubilee South Africa Campaign Coordinator Makoma Lekalakala makes a call for southern countries to scrap the debt and claim retribution. Colonialism, celebrities, live 8 and imperialism

The issue of debt in Africa hit the media during the G8 summit earlier this year, where politicians and celebrities alike made a call for debt relief for the world’s poorest countries. In a move applauded by many, the G8 and other international financial institutions announced debt relief programs and claimed that Southern countries were on the way to economic recovery. But analysts are quick to point out that the debt relief packages are dubious, and many of those who are living the impacts of the debt and resulting policies are in the same precarious situation as before the Live 8 Concert. At the Polycentric World Social Forum in Bamako, Mali, Jubilee South Africa Campaign Coordinator Makoma Lekalakala makes a call for southern countries to scrap the debt and claim retribution.