odious debt

Tomorrow, Nigeria will pay off $6.4 billion of debt to the Paris Club of 19 industrialized lender nations. It will still owe $5 billion to the International Monetary Fund and other private lenders. One of the world's largest producers of oil, Nigeria is also one of the world's poorest nations.

The other day, I was discussing Africa's AIDS pandemic with my housemate, and the criminal failure of the US to respond appropriately. He said: "Is it America's job to help every poor country fix their problems?"

No. And America doesn't. Nor does Europe. Nothing makes me angrier than the common belief, fuelled by Western celebrity "ambassadors" to disaster zones of Africa, that the West is "helping" Africa. On an annual basis, Africa transfers billions of dollars to the global North in debt repayment, interest, and late penalties. Much of this debt was incurred by colonial regimes, and inherited by newly independent African nations. South Africa is now burdened with colossal debt incurred by the apartheid regime. None of the funds borrowed contributed in any way to the welfare of the South African people.

Imagine someone came into your home, evicted you at gunpoint, occupied your property, and then mortgaged it 3 times over. To banks who knew they had stolen your property, were occupying it illegally, and were using the loans to buy more weapons. When you finally regain what's rightfully yours, are you responsible for the repayment of that debt? With penalties, late charges, and a punishing fixed rate of 14% interest?

From:
G-8 Summit 2004; Iraq’s Odious Debt: Rhetoric to Reality, Jubilee USA, 2003

Odious debt is an established legal principle. Legally, odious debt is debt that resulted from loans to an illegitimate or dictatorial government that used the money to oppress the people or for personal purposes. Moreover, in cases where borrowed money was used in ways contrary to the people’s interest, with the knowledge of the creditors, the creditors may be said to have committed a hostile act against the people. They cannot legitimately expect repayment of such debts.

juicy joints

said the Pilates teacher this morning, as we warmed up knee and hip sockets. Feel the full weight of your thigh bone.

There are 4 domes in the body. The arch of the foot. The pelvic floor muscles. The diaphragm. The roof of the mouth. To stand well on one leg, you contract each of those domes, reach up through their apexes (apices?). I love the image I have as I do it – a column of energy surging up a pyramid of small – large – large – small domes.

I always get the giggles when my muscles give out. Don’t ask me why. Working any set of muscles to failure - abdominals, rotators, biceps - induces a giddy euphoria in me.

oh the sheer joy

of getting back into gear after a week of being totally stuck in apathy, overwhelm, don't-know-where-to-start-and-my-dsl-is-down-so-I'll-just-give-up slughood.

I'm not sure what turned, because my dsl is still down. There's still a bewilderment of projects and deadlines on my To-Do list. But today, I feel I can begin. Maybe it was hanging out this weekend with people who inspired me with their commitment to daily physical and spiritual practice. Maybe it's just gut-level terror that the longer I put things off the more impossible they'll get. Maybe it was guilt and frustration at all the fun I missed, all the friends I cancelled on, all the meetings I blew last week, just by being so disorganized. But here I am, up at 4am, in my local internet cafe at 6am, 3 tasks crossed off my list by 6.30am, while the sky turned luminous over the hills.

My reward, in an hour and a half, is a Pilates class. It always feels like an extravagance to pay for a class when I could do my own practice at home. But the pleasure of surrendering to a teacher's direction, getting skilful adjustments, not having to think at all for an hour, is so acute, it recharges my own practice for days - sometimes weeks.