Eritrea is a country that is very rich in mineral resources. Located in the Northeast coast of the continent of Africa, Eritrea has one of the highest grade of gold, copper and zinc deposits in the world.
Canada established its first relationship with Eritrea and neocolonial president Issayas Afwerki in 1993.
Since 2003, Canada gold mining company Nevsun Resources have been present in Eritrea.
Since its gold production started in 2011, through the ”Bisha Project,” it is estimated that Nevsun Resources has extracted approximately $700 million USD worth of ore.
The Chinese, however, through the “Koka Gold Mining Project” and other projects, been exploiting mineral resources since 2013, collaborating with Australian so-called “investors” in Eritrea.
The Canadian company Nevsun Resources in Bisha is the biggest gold mine in the country. Nevsun Resources owns 60 percent of the Bisha mine, while the Eritrean State only has a stake of 40 percent.
Canada is a part of the white oppressor nation
Canada has many times been compared to countries like Sweden due to its “great” welfare system. Canada, however, has benefited from the exploitation of Eritrea and the rest of Africa, causing the country to be one of the wealthies in the world.
More than half of the world’s mining companies are Canadian, operating in countries like Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Congo and more.
In the year of 2012 alone, the profit from the Canadian owned gold mining companies was around $12.9 billion USD.
This shows clearly that the wealth we see in Canada and elsewhere in the white world has a direct relationship to the misery and exploitation of Africa’s human and material resources.
This is the parasitic capitalist relationship the white world has had with Africans and other colonized peoples for over 600 years. Eritrea is no exception to this fact.
China’s presence in Africa is parasitic
Even though China does not have the same history as Europe, China’s so-called “investments” in Eritrea and elsewhere in Africa is also parasitic.
Many Africans see China’s exploitation as something different to that of the white nations and talks about “free trade” with China. However, when we have an oppressor vs oppressed type of relationship, there is no such thing as “free trade” because the slave master will do whatever s/he wants to do regardless.
Today we see Chinas economy growing at a rapid pace. China, however, needs more resources to be able to fuel its economy in order to uphold their position in the imperialist world economy.
According to one source, “Mining investments account for nearly one-third of China’s total foreign direct investment, or FDI, in African nations. By working to secure a solid base of critical raw materials, China strengthens its economy for decades to come.”
This is why we see an emerge of Chinese markets in Africa today, which puts China in direct competition in terms of influence with the United States.
Issayas Afwerki is a neocolonialist
Many Eritreans have a belief that Eritrea is better of than other countries in Africa due to Eritrea’s president Afwerki.
But there is no difference between President Afwerki, Jacob Zuma in Occupied Aznia (South Africa), Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, etc.
The so-called leadership we see in Africa represents a compromise with imperialist white power.
Afwerki represents the petty bourgeoisie and will do whatever is necessary to defend the oppressive neocolonial State at the expense of the African working class.
Had he not agreed with white power, this would have put Eritrea in a difficult situation as Eritrea is surrounded by countries that are dominated by the Unites States.
Neocolonial president of Eritrea, Issayas Afwerki is a representation of white power in black face
This is why so many working class Africans in Eritrea have no other options but to flee the country in search of “a better way of life,” when in reality we are only chasing our own resources that were stolen from us by white power.
African Socialist International is the only solution!
The mission of the African Socialist International (ASI) has always been to liberate Africa and her people from the misery and exploitation we have experienced for the last 600 years at the hands of imperialism white power and neocolonial sellout leaders.
Since the 60s Africans have been organizing in a worldwide movement under the ideology of African Internationalism, which is the theory developed by Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party.
We will only get free as one united African people. We must understand that in order to get free we have to get rid of what stands between us and freedom, which is imperialism white power and neocolonial leaders.
The African working class must come to this conclusion and assume the responsibility to free Africa in our lifetime and not leave the misery on to the next generation!
Izwe Lethu I Afrika!
Africa is Our Land!
For more articles, subscribe to The Burning Spear newpaper!
