Looting Machine Book Review
INTRODUCTION
The African continent is blessed with immense natural resources than any other continent in the world, it is the repository of 15% of the world’s crude oil reserves, with 80% of its platinum and 40% of its gold, however it one of the most underdeveloped continents in the world (world Bank, 2012).The recent published world renowned book called the looting machine: Warlords, Tycoons, Smugglers and the Systematic Theft of Africa’s Wealth, by Tom Burgis, a former Financial Times investigations correspondent in Africa, covering conflict, corruption and politics since 2008. The author examines the lengthy deliberated subject of resource curse in which extractive industry such as oil and mining dominate in African countries. On his
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Tom Burgis exposes the corrupt ruling party: the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) led by Angolan president, José Eduardo dos Santos. After defeating the Unita leader Jonas Savimbi, MPLA turned the oil-fired machines previously used for war into crony capitalism (de Oliveira, 2007). The looting machine book conveys how the president of Angola, has masterminded the course of stealing Angolan natural resources with the tenacity of self-enrichment and enrichment of close collective elites particularly MPLA …show more content…
Burgis exposes that the BEE since its inception it has self-enriched few political connected elites of the African National Congress (ANC) yet leaving many of black majority in extreme poverty with nothing but labour to offer for survival. These economic imbalances led to demonstrations for better wages and better housing in the Lonmin mines in Marikana that accounted the death of 35 miners at the hands of the national
Analyzing H's Chapter Of Homegoing By Yaa Gyasi
753 Words | 4 PagesFor killin’ a man, they give you the same, We ain’t cons like you” (172). When H had started speaking out at the meetings, he had questioned why the white bosses would bother to listen to them or acknowledge their demands. One of the white workers had insisted that they had to listen to their demands. H had scoffed, and asked the worker when a white man had ever listened to the demands of a black man (172). He knew black men were being unjustly imprisoned and forced to work the mines; though slavery had been abolished and H was free, as many of the
Summary Of Rolling Hammers By Erik Larson
141 Words | 1 PagesThis simile helps Erik Larson describe how rambunctious the streets were at night by painting clear imagery into his reader’s minds of the busy streets . Larson compares the noise of the city to “rolling hammers” that “produced a constant thunder,” this allows the readers to understand exactly how rambunctious the streets were. He goes on to say how the open-window summer nights were unbearable this tells the readers that the noise was so loud that it was difficult to fall asleep to. The sentence is long and seems to drag on and describes how the loud noises would last until midnight, this is clearly purposeful to help emphasize how the noise never seemed to come to an end. By comparing these noises with “rolling hammers,” Larson creates a
How Were The Empires Of Mali And Ghana Similar
168 Words | 1 PagesThe land’s abundance of resources allowed Ghana to engage in years of prosperous trading. After the decline of Ghana, Mali followed in its predecessor’s (Ghana) footsteps. Mali had gained control of the trade of gold and salt that had previously been monopolized by Ghana.
Honey Chapter Summaries
1514 Words | 7 PagesHoney’s book is important in helping us understand the dynamics of the working class life and struggles of the African American community during the Civil Rights era. It also offers some insight into the development of the labor movement in Memphis, TN. In the 1930s and 40s, African American workers began organizing under the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The CIO was important for the African American workers because it addressed issues of race discrimination in the workplace and in the labor movement. They also challenged the administration of E.H. Crump, a political machine that was responsible for the unfair treatment and degradation of the African American community.
Summary Of Gang Leader For A Day
1160 Words | 5 PagesThis memoir enables the reader to experience the work gangs put in to sell their product. By following and occasionally participating in Black King’s jobs, most directly with its leader J.T., Venkatesh searches for answers at the Robert Taylor Homes
King Leopold's Life In The Congo
1358 Words | 6 PagesThe Congo is located in the heart of Africa. This land is huge and it has many commodities that could be used to profit the land and the people. Commodities such as; ivory, rubber, uranium, diamonds, timber, gold, and many more could be found. Due to the accessibility of these profitable substances many people were beaten, whipped, starved, and even died. Life in the Congo was never pleasant for the natives.
The Book Thief By Markus Zusak
705 Words | 3 PagesHow the setting of Nazi Germany affected The Book Thief Imagine being in a world where you can’t read or write because it’s illegal and punishment could be imprisonment or even death. The Book Thief is a book about a girl during World War II in Nazi Germany. Her foster parents hide a Jewish man, but this man is forced to leave once attention is drawn to the family. Ultimately the girls' town is bombed, and her foster parents and best friend are killed. The Book Thief employs a vivid and meticulously crafted setting during Nazi Germany, which becomes a character itself, shaping the narrative, emphasizing the power of words, and underscoring the resilience of the human spirit.
Similarities Between 'Beekeeper And The Lost Queen'
1445 Words | 6 PagesJordan Dean Cherise Ragoonath English 1110 17 March 2023 Otto and Queen Puabi’s Inability to Determine Their Own Fate “The Beekeeper” by Nola Poirier and “The Lost Queen” by Natalie Minaker are captivating and tragic short stories, both first published in 2022. In Poirier's short story the narrator, Otto is the heir to his family beekeeping business, however, he desires to pursue the culinary arts as opposed to becoming the successor to the family business, which literally entails becoming the hive itself. In Minaker's short story the character, Queen Puabi, is an ancient ruler who sought to abolish enslavement within her dominion that was built upon the backs of the very slaves she wanted to set free. Unfortunately, both are unsuccessful in
Robber Barons Book Report
1282 Words | 6 PagesThe industrial revolution brought many great inventions and innovations into the world, especially to America, the new world. The United States had many resources available and more importantly for Americans could utilize them for the nations gain. Many businessmen took advantage of this opportunity by building up their businesses and wealth to a standard that many people still look to as a standard of greatness. Many historians have their take on how the men of the industrial revolution changed not only America, but the rest of the world as well. Authors, Charles Morris, Matthew Josephson, and James Nuechterlein point out to historians that the world is full of many different angles and ideas that one can view regarding the Robber Barons or the successful men of the industrial revolution.
Lockdown Book Report
453 Words | 2 PagesLockdown by Walter Dean Myers is a novel that will keep you on your toes. Inspiration, courageousness, nervousness, and depression are all the emotions you feel while reading Lockdown. A topic based around someone making a mistake and ending up in jail isn’t easy to digest, but when the prisoner is only fourteen it’s unbelievable. While reading this book it was quite obvious Walter Dean Myers arranged a lot of research for this novel, it was written very well and full of facts. Hearing stories of gang violence, drug abuse, and shootings is a big wake up call for anyone who interprets this novel it reallys make you realize how grateful you should be for what you have.
European Imperialism Dbq
208 Words | 1 PagesIn the race of European imperialism, European countries dominated innocent African colonies. The driving force behind this? Africa’s bountiful resources. Before Africa’s colonization, the European presence in Africa was extremely limited, mainly due to lack of exploration and diseases (Background Essay). However, this changed as European prominence became largely influential through the discovery of Africa’s resource rich lands.
Innovative Inuits
1287 Words | 6 PagesHowever, not all new opportunities are positive and not all gifts are beneficial; in some cases contributing to the exploitation and corruption of fragile societies. A recently televised documentary explored
Summary Of Basil Davidson's The Legacy
784 Words | 4 PagesDavidson makes reference to Idi Amin of Uganda as well as Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic, who both are examples of leaders who mirrored the actions of their colonial predecessors. Their rule was similar to that of European colonizers in that they thrived off of the inequality of Africans and took part in lavish celebrations while the majority of their country remained poor. While some believe this corruption is due to some innate greed possessed solely by Africans, a look into history tells you that modern day African rulers have simply just inherited and embraced the lifestyle of the European rules before them, which unfortunately included the massive hoarding of wealth. This hoarding of wealth did not come without any opposition however, which brings about the next theme of dictatorship and how rulers such as Bokassa and Amin maintained their positions of power through the crushing of dissent. The suppression of protests was done through the torture and murder of anyone who criticized, which is exactly how the European colonizers ruled out any opposition and another example of the brutal legacies of
The Effects Of Colonialism In Africa
1019 Words | 5 PagesColonialism integrated Africa into international labor division. Colonialism is when a country or state overpower a particular state by a use of propaganda for them to agree with their terms without the targeted state or country saying anything to the above-mentioned terms (Ocheni & Basil, 2012). Colonialism in Africa refers to the incident which took place during the 1800-1960s where European states came into Africa and exploit resources. This essay will validate the effects of colonialism in Africa and how it affected the economy of Africa states which led them to be in the current economic state, furthermore, it will outline how colonizers used their colonial methods to get Africans to change their indigenous ways of doing things.
Poverty Rhetorical Analysis
1426 Words | 6 PagesAs Americans, we may already believe that some products are too high, especially technology, but if paying a small percentage more means improving the living standards of Africans we should accept this if such a change were to happen. Although, the American people didn’t directly make decisions that would have such a catastrophic effect on several African countries economy or elect corrupt officials into office, it has been the tolerance of leaders like Mobutu, arranging assassinations against leaders that want to be self-reliant like Thomas Sankara, and exploiting the labor and resources of the continent by our government that makes American citizens responsible. For centuries, the cost burden of products has been places on the backs of the African people, rather than Western consumers. It is time that the Western world start bearing some of that burden to help alleviate the poverty in African
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