The heads of the World Bank and IMF reportedly came to Africa „to listen.‰  Aha, listen to whom?

  A peaceful demonstration was organised by local activist NGOs at the meeting site of the heads of the IMF and the World Bank and the presidents of ten Eastern and Southern African countries on Friday, February 23, 2001.  The activists were moved to hold a demonstration because of the exclusion of civil society organisations in the talks, and the desire to express their views in as public a manner as possible. Their main focus was on the need for total debt cancellation and a different approach to development. [see earlier press release at www.tgnp.co.tz] Some of the placards read: „Why do IMF and World Bank rob the poor to pay the rich?‰; „End debt slavery‰;  „Charges for education and health can only be paid by James Wolfensohn and Horst Kohler‰; and  „We want total debt cancellation‰

  The police used force to stop the demonstration. Three activists were arrested on the spot, including a staff member of Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), Daudi Kweba, and two leaders of the National Youth Forum (Gwandumi Mwakatobe and Lito Kabwe), and bundled into police cars. A journalist from a major daily newspaper, Mtanzania, Jackton Manyerere, was severely beaten by police when he tried to pick up some of the fallen placards. The chairperson of TGNP, Demere Kitunga, was beaten at Central Police Station when she arrived to bail out the others, and later arrested, along with three other members of TGNP. A total of seven activists were held and interrogated for six hours, and only released at nightfall after the intervention of five top human rights lawyers.

  On Saturday, February 24, 2001, the heads of IMF and the World Bank held a briefing session with the press, the private sector, donors and civil society organisations, under the chair of the President of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa. The way in which this meeting was organised illustrated the illusory nature of democracy within the International Financial Institutions, and the dependent governments they support, especially in the light of the previous day‚s police repression. First of all, the meeting was by invitation only, with many organisations excluded. The Presidents of the IMF, the World Bank and Tanzania each spoke briefly. [The general consensus among activists was that there was nothing new!] Questions were restricted to the press. The meeting was cut short after about 30 minutes of questions and answer, just as activist NGOs were about to raise questions. Hence, we were duped into attending a glorified press conference as mere passive spectators, along with ambassadors from donor countries, United Nations development agencies, representatives of  „the private sector‰ as well as activist NGOs.

  The explanation for the change in timetable? The visitors had to be rushed to Ngorongoro Crater Area by air where they would hold discussions with Ministry of Finance officials! [Ngorongoro Crater Area is a good example of the growth of tourist/wildlife industry at the expense of the rights and welfare of local communities.] However, before their departure, there was enough time for a cocktail party, with ample alcoholic beverages and scrumptious bites for a select few to meet informally with the visiting imperial Heads of the IMF and World Bank, their local representatives and top government officials.

  During the meeting, one sympathetic member of the press asked the IFI heads whether they enjoyed the arrest and brutal handling of the demonstrators on the previous day.  The head of World Bank cynically replied that given his experiences elsewhere, „yesterday was a holiday‰. So much for commitment to „broadbased consultative processes‰!  On the other hand, President Mkapa replied that the police had erred, that the protesters were serving the interests of the country, and concluded, „I assure you that they have a right to express an opinion.‰ Whether this was merely a public relations gesture will reveal itself later. So far, those arrested are out on bail, but remain charged with illegal assembly.

  The whole exercise calls into question the meaning of participation and consultation from the perspectives of the IFIs and their client governments. It reinforces doubts about prospects of reform from within these institutions, and the urgent need to build a broad social movement for change. The arrogance portrayed today by leaders of institutions and nations is symptomatic of the gap between them and the people they rule.