http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12852

‘Keith Harmon Snow is an independent journalist, war correspondent, human rights investigator, photographer, lecturer, and three-time Project Censored award winner.

He’s worked in 17 African countries with Survivors Rights International, Genocide Watch, and the UN in documenting and exposing genocide and crimes against humanity in Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and elsewhere on the continent.

Current African conflicts will be discussed and America’s role in them.’

The programme is archived if you cannot listen live but there is a subscription charge now.

Lovely communication from you, thank you.

Who is your professor and where is the school? I give a multimedia presentation about Rwanda (Im doing one tomorrow in Springfield MASS and one in Washington on April 4) that makes it very hard to deny any longer what really happened.

So please send me the details and lets see if we can get me invited to your school. Be careful — you must know that Kagame has agents working in the USA with immigration — arresting anyone who speaks out about the corrupt terrorist regime in Rwanda.

blessings
keith

http://www.swans.com/library/art14/barker04.html

I made an error — for some reason I thought your post was on a different story than the post that followed by Dan in Sacramento.

In any case, thank you for your sincerity.

I also know a lot of people who work for corporations, for example, and they are generally fine people. However/and/but/also — corporations are the problem.

You wrote “I strongly believe that one can be white and still devote their entire life to understanding the situations of others in order to try in some small way to improve their living conditions or at least educate others about their living conditions so that hopefully something can be done to create change. I don’t think true compassion knows skin color.”

Right. I hear you. I don’t disagree. Unfortunately, I feel that most of the “good intentions” and “goodness” and “charity” etc. etc. are both misplaced and destructive. How could things be so bad after so many decades of “humanitarian” work?

Have you read THE WHITENESS OF POWER or RACE AND EPISTEMOLOGIES OF IGNORANCE?

>>>Personally, rather than trying to convince the world that some organizations are trying to do bad, I would rather spend my time giving attention to those that in my humble and unique opinion are trying to do good.

I appreciate that and struggle with what is the ‘right’ thing to do or the right way to be in teh world. However, when an organization like Jane Goodall Institute has all the power (in a region like Walikale, Congo) and everyone worships JAne Goodall, and she is furthering the exploiutation, one is compelled to speak out about it. There is, equally, a moral imperative about speaking out about the genocide against Hutu people — and this involves corporations, NGOs, Hollywood actorvists… one cannot be silent and only work with or applaud the “good” organizations — can you name one “good” organization working in Rwanda?

>>>It will always be subjective and depend on a person’s background which ones they see as “good” or “bad” but I’d suggest that this IS NOT where energy needs to be spent.

I make my argument above. If all you or one or me does is goes around complianing without offering solutions then i would agree with you: they/we/you/I should shut up or put up.

>>> I don’t believe that all NGOs are inherently perfect, but I will also never believe that they would purposely try to kill the people that they have to beg for donations for in order to help. I do not see how they would benefit from that.

Maybe there are some readers out there who will name a few organzaitions for which this has occurred….?

Seriously, you aren’t that naive are you? We are talking about money, profits and big business, not about “caring” about people, and you are telling me that people don’t kill people for money?

I mean, how is it any different than GW Bush talking about democracy and human rights … and bombing Afghanistan? Or Bill Clinton’s philanthropies given his direct responsibility for genocide in Central Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, Sudan)?

blessings
keith

Actually, I’ve just had a major story published on DV — not sure why you dont know about it or how you missed it. Its titled MERCHANT’s OF DEATH.
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/author/KeithHarmonSnow/

I’m pretty sure there have been at least two stories since the Dan Gertler story, but maybe my Rwanda story was not published there.

See:
THE US SPONSORED RWANDA GENOCIDE AND ITS AFTERMATH
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8657

I did have a very busy spring and summer which kept me from writing, and then i spent two months in Mongolia, whch I have to write about still.

However, if you want to keep an eye on my work check out my web site too.
http://www.allthingspass.com

Also, check out my speaking/presentations schedule here:
http://www.allthingspass.com/journalism.php?catid=34

Some engagements in California coming up…

My reading of James Petras so far is only one story, and I thought it was excellent. Otherwise, I dont right now have any informed comment on your inquiry.

blessings
keith

Wow its been almost a year now since your last piece appeared on DV. I had expected to read much more by you. Well, just to let you know I’m intensively interested in your coverage, and in the African predicament in general. Re the mideast, Gaza etc the “mainstream media” at least offers some lies; but re Africa all we get is a resounding silence. Like the continent doesn’t exist.

I’m trying to figure how the Israel Lobby & what Petras calls the “ZPC” relate/combine with petroleum and other major capitalist interests in determining US foreign policy. I’d be interested to read anything you have to say regarding such a topic –?

Best,

Dan in Sacramento

Thank you for responding to my questions about the IRC. I appreciate you taking the time to recommend books for me and will look definitely into them. I am already a fan of Chomsky and Paul Farmer.

I’m sorry that you took the wording of my initial post so literally. I didn’t agonize over which words to choose and perhaps I should have chosen better ones. Of course I don’t think all CEO and “well-respected” people are perfect people with perfect intentions. However, the ones I had in mind are people I know personally, who have a great deal of my definition of integrity and care very deeply and sincerely for people who are suffering around the globe.

I strongly believe that one can be white and still devote their entire life to understanding the situations of others in order to try in some small way to improve their living conditions or at least educate others about their living conditions so that hopefully something can be done to create change. I don’t think true compassion knows skin color.

Personally, rather than trying to convince the world that some organizations are trying to do bad, I would rather spend my time giving attention to those that in my humble and unique opinion are trying to do good. It will always be subjective and depend on a person’s background which ones they see as “good” or “bad” but I’d suggest that this IS NOT where energy needs to be spent. I don’t believe that all NGOs are inherently perfect, but I will also never believe that they would purposely try to kill the people that they have to beg for donations for in order to help. I do not see how they would benefit from that.

I do applaud you for devoting your time to doing what you believe to be right and I think that is the most important thing we can each do. Not despite the fact that we see things differently, but BECAUSE we see things differently. For me, it’s part of the complex poetry of life (if you will) that people such as you and I will not always see eye to eye.

Thank you for sharing your views with me.

Warm Regards,

Kate

>>>>>Why do you write if you don’t want people to read it?

What? I write it how I see it. I write it because no one else is writing it. I write becuase theres some massive injustice taking place before everyone’s eyes and people dont want to see it or hear it or talk about it.

How am I supposed to interpret the above sentence? It makes no sense in the context of expressing the need to be supported.

I began by expressing how often people ask me to jump through some hoop, recognizing how much I produce, and simultaneously delineating the reality of being unsupported financially (through donations or payment).

No, you aren’t supposed to know any of this, I suppose. No fault of yours.

How would one know that you hadn’t been paid for your articles?

Why do you write if you don’t want people to read it?

Man cannot live on outrage alone.

Its amazing how many people tap into my unique, radical, critical, experiential analyses etc., and read my reports, etc., but don’t seem to accept any responsibility in helping to support a truly independent source.

man cannot live on outrage alone.

blessings
keith

I will be saying a lot about MSF when I can finally produce the report I have researched. In brief, MSF is another powerful white interest that is based on profits and incomes and salaries and structural violence. They don’t necessarily do what is best for Congo, or for people, and in Congo they — MSF Belgium, to be precise —
[1] worked in Basankusu — western Congo — for over a decade (even before the war started in 1996)
[2] worked right next to a Blattner plantation where the conditions are total slavery and deracination and paramilitary repression
[3] don’t say anything about Blattner exports of cocoa and coffee to Belgium
[4] Dont say anything about the slavery
[5] doctors hang out with plantation slave drivers (Whites)
[6] they treated a preponderance of Congolese villagers who came from plantation villages and were sick but didnt address the causes of the extra sickness on plantations versus non plantation areas
[7] got paid far far more than Congolese doctors no matte the superior expertise and miserably awful conditions faced by Congolese doctors and nurses
[8] destroyed local skills (e.g. malaria testing) and institutionalized dependency on pharmaceutical malaria test kits which were no longer available ater MSF pulled out
[9] produced a major report about conditions that showed that this region of congo was beyond epidemic — an extreme emergency
[10] pulled out of the region anyways — in favor of the high profile east where they can get their doctors and logos in photographs to generate incomes for white doctors — whom you always see in these misery industry photos — thus completing the cycle of exploitation : from consumer (of images, chocolate, coffee) to producer (of slavery, exploitation and misery) and back (with consumers donations to “charity”).

This is managed inequality. It’s white supremacy. See Paulette Goudge: The Whiteness of Power (book) and Michael Maren: THE ROAD TO HELL….

is paved with good intentions, and blood.

blessings
keith

Please say more about MSF. (Doctors Without Borders)

I apologize for not responding — i was not, as far as I can see, notified of your query, and just happened by the article yesterday as I was searching for what I had written about Albert-Henri Buisine, who surfaced in the Bryan Mealer fiction that was published (a non-fiction) in Harpers.

Regarding your query about the International Rescue Committee, it seems I provided quite a bit of commentary about the IRC in the story above. Since that is unbelievable and/or incredible to you, I’ll try to penetrate to the root of the issue.

I think it’s whiteness.

You write: “I have heard very good things about the organization, not from idiots but CEOs and well-respected and well-travelled professors.”

To begin with, are you sure these are separable: a.k.a. “idiots” versus CEO’s and well-respected and well-travelled professors? One of two definitions of “idiot” is “a foolish or stupid person.”

You could argue that I am an “idiot” by beginning my reply in that way, but if you examine the nature of the multinational corporations, run by “CEO’s”, its impossible, if one is honest, to come to any conclusion other than that these are pathalogical entities destroying life, liberty, environment and the pursuit of happiness. Sounds like most CEOs must be idiots, as they prioritize profits over people and the earth.

As far as “well-respected” — its subjective. And well-traveled — well, I am well-traveled too: doesn’t my counter commentary have any value? The problem with all of us “well-traveled” people is that we are a heavily skewed population: white Westerners of privilege, or at least Westerners of privilege.

So you base your assessment of the IRC on people whom you respect, people in positions of authority and power, and these are the very people who — quite generally and not absolutely or, as Noam Chomky might say, not monolithically — are benefiting from a system of structural violence. The IRC is very much a part of this system.

If you don’t understand structural violence, you must do so. Manufacturing Consent or The Political Economy of Human Rights — two books by Chomsky and Edward S. Herman are critical reading, but Paul Farmer’s PATHOLOGIES OF POWER does a good job as well.

I mentioned above the book: SECRET WARRIORS or something like that — about the IRC. Have you looked at it?

What school do you attend? What program? Most colleges and universities service predatory capitalism, they don’t challenge it.

Amongst the best books you might consider reading are:
Michael Maren: THE ROAD TO HELL
Paulette Goudge: THE WHITENESS OF POWER

Wayne Madsen — GENOCIDE AND COVERT OPERATIONS IN AFRICA, 1993-1999 — wrote (1999):

“Humanitarian organizations operating among the Hutu refugees in eastern Zaire and Belgian newspapers accused some U.S. refugee non-governmental organizations, especially the [IRC] of being covers for CIA operations in support of Kabila’s rebels. Two Belgian newspapers, ANTWERP GAZETTE and DE STANDAARD, reported that the IRC was actually engaged in ‘military operations and military support operations’ in support of Kabila’s rebels in eastern Zaire.”

Finally, I spoke to many people who have confirmed in my mind that NGOs — especially IRC and Norweigan People’s AID — have been involved in military operations and military support operations. When a high level UN investigator told me this — what I have written above about shelling teh refugee camps — I was not, by that time, anymore surprised.

You will note that the NATION magazine does not publish any articles that criticize the IRC or investigate it. This is reportedly due to the editors family ties and their connections to the IRC. William Van Den Heuvel and Henry Kissinger are reportedly very close. Seems that a little research confirms some specious overlap.

According to your post you are soon leaving academia and entering — the real world. I would hope that you take these challenges into account when you decide who you will “work” for and what “good intentions” lie behind your choices to work for the NGO sector — just anoother industry, another profit based western corporate enterpirse — the misery industry.

Finally, as soon as you can, try to see the new documentary by Dutch filmaker Renzo Martens: ENJOY POVERTY. This film brings out the darker side of Doctor’s Without Borders — something I will also one day soon attempt to do.

If you’d like to really challenge your self an your fellow students — have me invited to share a multimedia presentation at your college. If it is an institution and department honestly interested in “higher learning” then one would think they would eat up an alternative, critical perspective. (Critical here means applying one’s reasoning faculties to come to some greater consciousness).

blessings
keith

So my reply comes in the form of a question to you:

I would be really interested in your reply.

Thanks,

Kate