The popular image of Africa as being a backward, poverty-stricken continent does not apply to the fabulously wealthy owning class of that continent."Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa. He dwarfs diamond kings, telecom giants and oil magnates, and his estimated $11.2-billion net worth is four times that of Oprah Winfrey's. His only rival on Forbes' global list of black billionaires is a Saudi of Yemeni-Ethiopian parentage who recently nudged Dangote from the top spot, thanks to a decline in Nigeria's stock exchange." (Los Angels Times, 25 April) With Europe in crisis and America's recovery sluggish, Africa is an economic bright spot. Nigeria's economy has grown about 7% a year in recent years, just behind Ethiopia, Angola and Ghana. Capitalism is an international system and its class divisions between the immensely rich and the working class are world-wide too. RD
The Glasgow & Edinburgh Branches Blog. Towards a better understanding of the world, in order to change it.
Some eat cake, others crumbs:
ReplyDeleteSouth African government ministers have been banned from eating cake in front of their supporters. The country’s ruling party has decided its senior members should enjoy the sweet treat only in private amid fears it could appear elitist. The move follows controversy after thousands of ANC supporters were forced to watch in frustration in January as the party’s leaders ostentatiously tucked into a huge cake during celebrations for the organisation’s centenary:
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