Current Concerns
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2 May 2017 No 10 ISSN 1664-7963 Current Concerns PO Box CH-8044 Zurich Current Concerns Switzerland The international journal for independent thought, ethical standards, moral responsibility, Phone: +41 44 350 65 50 Fax: +41 44 350 65 51 and for the promotion and respect of public international law, human rights and humanitarian law E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.currentconcerns.ch English Edition of Zeit-Fragen Colonial, postcolonial, neocolonial? Germany’s economic and educational strategy for Africa by Armin Hofmann At the end of the 19th century, Germany was late entering the scramble for Africa “States lead not only military wars […] they also lead cultural wars in competition with France, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Belgium. With- and educational wars to achieve their economic and power policy in just two decades almost all areas of the goals. The influence with the means of foreign cultural, linguistic and African continent had been occupied by European powers. The governments sent educational policy belongs to the so-called ‘soft power’.” missionaries, explorers and adventurers, the ones in order to christianise the Af- rican tribes and peoples – whereby their ethos often had a mitigating effect –, the The German Development Minister has the past. The Europeans should in the first others to explore the remaining “white now presented his new strategy for Africa. place listen to what Africans wanted. spots” on the map. Ever new areas were With his so-called “Marshall Plan for Af- The measures taken by the German captured, in order to exploit raw materials rica”, which, at short notice, he renamed government to gain access to the African and “human resources”, to expand trade or “Marshall Plan with Africa” he wants to continent include state funding, private in- to make use of strategically favourable ge- eliminate trade barriers and promote in- vestment and measures of “foreign cultur- ographic locations. vestment. The approximately 30-page al and educational policy”. Almost simul- It was only in the 1960s, that around paper outlines a whole bundle of meas- taneously with the “Marshall Plan with fifty of the former colonies had achieved ures in areas such as economic develop- Africa”, the German Federal Ministry of their independence, after long and some- ment, trade, science and education. Trade Education and Research (BMBF) present- times bloody uprisings. The postcoloni- barriers are to be abolished and African ed its strategy for the “Internationalisation al period had arrived. Nevertheless: Civil products are to have better access to Eu- of Education, Science and Research” in wars, some of which had been instigated ropean markets. The aim is to tie various which Africa is a focal point. by the Western powers in order to main- African countries economically and polit- tain their influence, AIDS and other epi- ically to Europe by means of a free-trade To form new elites demic plagues, as well as famine, kept zone. The private sector is required to be- The reason for the large-scale scientific Africa down. Till far in the 1980s, Afri- come more active in Africa. “In order to and educational policy offensive in Africa ca was the ”forgotten continent”. This has achieve our goals, it is necessary to trig- was the “increasing global competition for changed. – The scramble for Africa has re- ger and implement private financing in a knowledge and markets”. Germany wants commenced. new dimension,” says Müller. Public funds to intervene on a large scale. The strate- should act as a catalyst mobilising addi- gic framework for this intervention is the A “Marshall Plan for Africa” tional private investment. “Marshall Plan with Africa” launched by The German Development Minister Gerd Such plans are not appreciated every- the Federal Government as well as the Müller warns that the German economy where, and especially not in Africa. Why “Strategy for the Internationalisation of Ed- is missing out on a market. Business with do others always believe they have to think ucation, Science and Research”. In addition the Africans has been initiated by others, for Africans, asks Burundian Nimubo to German universities and technical col- with the Chinese leading the way. They na Christian. Are these great ideas real- leges, this involves research institutes such are involved in gigantic projects such as ly needed to promote the development of as the German Research Foundation, the the construction of a railway line between Africa? He does not believe that the like Fraunhofer Society, the Max Planck Socie Kenya’s most important seaport Momba- plans are missing on the continent. In her ty, the so-called intermediary organisations sa and its capital Nairobi, which is to lead book “Dead Aid,” former Zambian World of the “Foreign Cultural and Educational as far afield as to the neighbouring coun- Bank economist Dambisa Moyo express- Policy”, the German Academic Exchange try Uganda. The funding for this project es her apprehension that such investments Service (DAAD), the Goethe Institutes, amounts to 14 billion euros; the total in- will only create new dependencies. The the Humboldt Foundation and many oth- vestments are exceeded by a multiple. Af- “Marshall Plan’s” one-sided focus on Ger- ers. Even the dual vocational training sys- rica is becoming more and more interest- man interests is being criticised. However, tem is to be exported so that German com- ing as a trade partner for countries such as according to the Afro-Barometer, the eco- panies will be able to find the necessary China and India. For Africa offers enor- nomic cooperation with China is well re- infrastructure and skilled workers on site. mous opportunities. The continent’s com- ceived by many Africans. Japheth Omo The main focus here is on gifted young mon gross domestic product has quin- juwa says that these are partnerships on people who are are to be involved in Ger- tupled since 1990, there are still huge the same level. That China understands to mineral resources, and the population is deal with Africa in a different way from growing. that which the Western countries used in continued on page 2 No 10 2 May 2017 Current Concerns Page 2 ”Colonial, postcolonial, neocolonial?” continued from page 1 “The main focus here is on gifted young people who are man structures and “networked with Ger- are to be involved in German structures and ‘networked many at an early stage”. Measures designed for the “foreign cul- with Germany at an early stage’.” tural and educational policy” – language courses for German, cultural events, educa- instruction, teaching and learning accord- eral Secretary of the DAAD, the German tion and study programmes – are said to be ing to European competency standards. Fi- approach is based on “partnership”. But, “a particularly suitable tool for the genera- nally, certain contents or topics are linked however, keen the attempts at making the tion of new talent”. By these means, “gift- to Germany, such as the environment, cars, German approach appear “partnership- ed applicants for further studies in Germany knowledge of engineering, so that foreign based” may be, and, however, strongly or suitable specialists for German employers students from poorer countries begin to ad- the importance of considering the needs can be identified and recruited locally”. The mire and align themselves with the stand- of the local partners may be emphasised, it aim is to train the most talented young peo- ard of living in Germany and the lifestyle of is clear that here the “partners” are sitting ple as specialists for German business enter- the Western world. – This is also the reason around the conference table on chairs of prises in Africa or to invite them to Germany why countries such as Brazil and South Af- different height. Finally, curriculum devel- for further studies. This is intended on the rica are intensifying their criticism of West- opment, further training of local teaching one hand to gain the “best minds” for top re- ern-dominated educational globalisation. staff and, above all, the “standard setting” search in Germany or for the German econ- for quality assurance will remain largely omy (“brain drain”) , and on the other hand, Transnational Education in German hands. if they return to their homeland, in order to The focus is on the training of future elites In order to develop quality standards, form the future elites according to German through “Transnational Education (TNE)” the German Academic Exchange Ser- and/or European competence standards and (see box, p. 2). TNE covers universities, vice (DAAD) has commissioned a com- to bind them permanently to Germany. study courses and individual study mod- parative study together with the British By means of learning the German lan- ules offered abroad for students from anoth- Council, which has accumulated decades guage, attending cultural events in Goethe- er country. This also includes the recently of experience with the spread of English Institutes, through studies in Germany and agreed-upon establishment of a university in language and culture in the former colo- contacts with fellow students, which often Kenya based on the model of German tech- nies. The purpose of this is to make com- lead to friendships, the ties to Germany will nical colleges, as well as the centres of ex- parable TNE offers in different coun- be built up. Lecturers at universities, often pertise on elite promotion in Congo, Ghana, tries with different educational traditions. recognised as authorities by foreign stu- Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa. Based on this, cross-country competence dents, will intensify their focus on the Ger- Unlike the Anglo-Saxon TNE ap- man mentality, on the way of thinking, of proach, says Ulrich Grothus, Deputy Gen- continued on page 3 Transnational Education ah.