Dear Editor,
The article by Riaz Tayob of the Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (Seatini) in South Africa is very education and informative. One wonders whether some of the African leaders spare time to read this kind of literature. It would should help them become exposed and understand on how to deal with their counterpart leaders from the North. Institutions like World Bank and IMF have literally taken over the roles and responsibilities of the states in Africa through pushing through the throat of high indebted countries in Africa with a bitter pill aimed at underdeveloping them. Like Riaz says, this is done through imposed free trade and liberation policies. Which from the countries in the North, who appear to have the control in these IFIs, did not in their time when they were developing dared not to follow. My observation is that this type of information, that Riaz is sharing, must reach out to more people in Africa. Especially the poor. The challenge remains how to do this in the context of the prevailing underdeveloped information communication systems. Even the language used, is of the oppressor, which very few urban based intellectuals can access. Who may use it for themselves and not even widely share this knowledge to empower the African populace. This is one big weakness with our 'educated' Africans. How then do you think Pambazuka could assist to popularise such information and widely communicate it to reach out to the grassroots. This I believe can be one way towards liberalisation of Africa from both social and economic bondage. If the people of Africa are empowered with information, knowledge and their anger evoked, they would control their destiny with or without the elite, whose interests appear to compromise with the oppressor as 'consultants' opportunists at the expense of the poor and Africa as a whole.

Editor's response: Like you, we think it is important that articles such as this should be widely circulated both at grassroots level as well as to parliamentarians. We would like your help in sending copies of Pambazuka News as widely as possible, and encourage everyone to write to their members of parliament with a copy of the article.

I would like to express my view on the Comment and Analysis column (Pambazuka News 165). The idea of facilitating the ECOSOCC process is great. More so that the AU has recognised the need for putting in place mechanisms that evoke peoples’ participation. This is best done through involvement of Civil Society Organisation (CSO) structures to engage with the AU. History has shown that Africa has been driven from a top-down approach in processes of decision-making. Experience shows that little consultation, or adequate information, reaches out to the people on whom decisions are made by their leaders. So this time around the involvement of the CSOs, as watchdogs, would go a long way in promoting development in a true democratic fashion.

However, the effectiveness of this engagement can only be realised if CSO’s are aware about this engagement and the parameters guiding the need for their involvement. The responsibility of creating this awareness still lies at the door of the AU to instruct its membership (member countries) to publicise this information and take steps to meet CSOs to demystify the ECOSOCC process.

Civil Society need to be oriented and information widely made available not only to the elite, but also made accessible to communities in their major country languages so that people's participation can be genuine and driven from a well informed position from the grassroots to CSOs and the table at the AU summit. Only then can the AU structure be more effective in a participatory process. Then the people of Africa can begin to determine their destiny. Member countries should make resources available for CSO orientation and empowerment to assume this critical role in the leadership of our continent. The AU secretariat should put a timeframe to this. As of now it should be immediate as CSOs are still groping in the dark on their role in this important democratic governance issue.