While the world watched and celebrated the rescue of 33 Chilean miners on Wednesday, 11 Zambian miners were shot and wounded by Chinese managers on Friday when they were presenting their grievences about poor working conditions. This same mine was shut down in January of this year because of a cholera outbreak due to poor sanitary conditions.
The intense media attention to the Chilean mine rescue is understandable, just as the little or no attention to the Zambian mine shootings. As we celebrate with the families of the miners in Chile, let’s also share in the anger of the families of the Zambian miners. Read here.
afrospear.wordpress.com 
Thank you for this! I’m not surprised Africans are being ignored.
well, so much for the nest superpower…wonder if we should reciprocate the same treatment when we give them contracts to till on our soil!?!?
just a thought
What is Zambia ministry of mine or its equivalent doing? Not much it seems. He lets China loots the mineral while he probably gets his 20% kickback. China is definitely not a star regarding human rights.
Corrupt governments and human rights abusers are not a winning combination for the people they sit on.
I wonder where humanity has gone. Being black and poor has become a license to be marginalized out of the human race.
There is no one to be blamed here but the authorities in Zambia.
What they have done is privatized their mines and given the Chinese carte blanche to run things like it is their own country.
We know very well that too many African leaders are corrupt , greedy and do not put the interest of their country and people first.
Something like this should not have happened on Zambian soil. Period.
Where else do we see such blatant level of injustice and disrespect?
Is anyone in Zambia or even all over Africa forcing foreign companies to respect the rule of law?
When are Africans going to to wake up out of their stupor, take themselves seriously and see that many of their leaders are simply no darn good?
Just imagine, while there is turmoil in the DRC, its precious diamonds are enriching so many non-Africans and even funding a criminal organization like Al Qaeda.
It is 2010 and every body is still getting a piece of Africa and Africans are suffering.
I have to give it to the Chilean President and authorities for working hard to help bring the miners back to their families. They even asked for outside help.
There we saw a tremendous effort of teamwork.
This is what I define as responsible leadership.
Leaders have to care and feel that their citizens deserve the best of them.
Sadly, I do not see this kind of leadership across Africa.
It’s a shame the Zambian government would allow outsiders to feel so comfortable as to feel free to fire weapons on their citizens.
We see that our governments are not about governing the people. They are in business to exploit themselves, their resources and their people to anyone–for a little money by any means necessary. They seem to be unwilling to develop their own resources, just let someone else do it and sell themselves very cheaply to gain quick money in spite of themselves.
It appears that its time for the people to organize en mass and rise up against these governments.
The other day Tanzania’s former ruler Benjamin Mkapa, shamelessly, told the citizenry that privatization is the only way of developing the country. Believe me. The guy left the country in limbo economically. Investors-turned-takers-and grabbers stole big amounts of minerals as they left holes and gross environmental abuses behind.
In Tanzania, just like Zambia, investors are but gods. They are always in bed with thievish rulers. This photo represents the reality of what is going on in Africa. What pains the teachers of democracy and Human Rights-the west do not see this simply because they are the beneficiary of this conspiracy.
The chinees manager’s that did the shooting were arested and are being held until their trial, let’s hope they don’t get out by buying themselves out.
Why does’nt africa ever harvest it’s own resources? they would be soo rich as a county and as a nation.
The Chinese managers were released, and returned to China! Not even Americans get away with murder in Africa with an official wink and nod from the government. China has helped Africa develop very much and it is only natural that Chinese get special privileges and resources. China can help Africa develop infrastructure Africans have failed to develop themselves, while harvesting African resources as payment. Then these resources can be turned to manufactured goods in China, and sold back to African consumers. This is the future of Sino-African relations!