Gold and guns ... David LaChapelle's The Rape of Africa.
Photograph courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations (The Observer)
"The economic landscape of Africa has changed dramatically since the mid-1990s, as stagnation has given way to dynamism in a broad swath of African countries."
Thats the introduction to a Civil Society policy forum at the World Bank today which is encouragingly entitled "Yes Africa Can: Success Stories From a Dynamic Continent".
Its undoubtedly true that the African economy is on the march. From Mozambique's impressive growth rate (averaging 8% p.a. for more than a decade) to Mali's success in exporting mangoes and from M-PESA's mobile phone-based cash transfers to Rwanda's gorilla-based tourism, Africa is seeing a dramatic transformation.
This favorable trend is spurred by, among other things, stronger leadership, better governance, an improving business climate, innovation, market-based solutions, a more involved citizenry, and an increasing reliance on home-grown solutions. But there's a darker side of the story thats being eclipsed in all the excitement of the new "Scramble for Africa."
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Because of the way big organisations like the World bank view the world, the political context can be ignored.
Sometimes it takes an artist to cut through the clutter and help us see things more clearly. In this case its photographer David LaChapelle, the ultimate artistic cheerleader for the celebrity culture. Chapelle has suddenly emerged as a changed man as this week he opens his London show, 'The Rape of Africa' reveals
"I feel that we are living in a very precarious time, with environmental devastation, economic instability, religious wars and excessive consumption amid extreme poverty," said LaChapelle, "I have always used photography as a means to try to understand the world and the paradox that is my life."
The 47-year-old photographer who made his name with music videos, fashion shoots and surreal portraits of stars such as Britney Spears, has said he feels "we are living at a precipice" and hopes his images will make people more aware of the dangers around them.
Back at the World Bank the session on Africa is being moderated by Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geo-economic Studies and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations.
I will report back later on the discussion, but can confidently predict that several issues will be taking a back seat at today's talks:
- Freedom of Expression (censorship is rife across Africa where many countries has so called 'insult' or defamation laws that make it a crime to criticise a public official
- Human rights, not issues the World Bank and IFC have direct mandates for, but surely of vital importance if all the economic opportunity is going to lead to stable, peaceful, democratic civil society as opposed to war mongering by autocratic resource rich countries. But war is what we can expect to see, whether in Sudan as Southern Sudan pushes to secede on the back of a plebisite later this year or in Dr Congo where ill trained (and UN supported) government soldiers have gone on the rampage against civilians in the name of fighting rebels..
- Environmental protection. Despite the focus on climate change mitigation - by the World Bank and IFC - on the ground there are great difficulties in implementing standards and codes. As parts of Africa (Republic of Congo, Liberia) race to become major producers of palm oil, for example, forests will be cleared, the habitat of wildlife destroyed, CO2 emissions will spike and there will be widespread downstream pollution in the absence of incentives and controls.
For those interested in the Art:
David LaChapelle
The Rape of Africa
Robilant & Voena,London
Until 25 May
Details:
0207 409 1540
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