About asabagna
I go by the name of Asabagna Alatentou, "Asa" for short. I took this name as my African/Spiritual name when I went on a pilgrimage to West Africa in 1997. I visited Senegal, The Gambia and Ghana. "Asabagna" means "hunter" and I received that name during a naming ceremony when I visited a village in northern Ghana. "Alatentou" is Mandingo for "God is gracious" and I received that name from a village Griot in Senegal. I was born in England and my parents are of Jamaican heritage. I spent most of my formative years in Jamaica, but grew up primarily in Toronto Canada. I currently live in Ottawa, the national capital of Canada. I am professionally employed, married, 2 wonderful kids and regularly attend a Pentecostal church. I am a born-again Christian. I do not consider myself conservative or liberal, right-wing or left-wing, centrist etc., or any of the multiple categories that society likes to confine and define people by. However, I do have strong views, beliefs and opinions but I also consider myself open to listening and contemplating other viewpoints. I am a firm believer that "if you don't believe in something, you will fall for anything".
afrospear.wordpress.com 
Each African country owns their natural resources. However, like most countries, including the U.S., have entered into concessions contracts with multi-national corporations These concessions give rights similar to a long term lease and they can profit from them. Sadly, most people in most countries have no awareness concerning concessions contracts, how they work and what they entail and how they affect the citizens of a particular country. The profits largely benefit the corporations and fatten the pocket of the politicians that agree to them. The last rung are the crumbs of money touted as “creating Jobs” for the “wage earner.” And the presidents and prime ministers all receive accolades for creating jobs in there nations. Yet, most jobs are minimum wage (if there is one in that country) or just above what most people are making. (I guess we could say some money is better than no money)
This case exists here in the U.S. with the freeways/toll roads. Dunns River Falls in Jamaica has just been concessioned out to the DeLoitte company. We are in a time that is smothering the people, yet we bicker over racism/sexism/homosexual rights issues all the while, the corporations/governments are stealing whatever rights left we may have had. We all have great opinions about racism/sexism/homosexism, but have very little to say about how concessions are killing us all. I would venture to say most citizens of most nations have little consciousness of concessions contracts and what they are doing to them.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Dunn-s-River-Falls-won-t-be-divested—minister
Peace!
Hey Amenta, I had never heard of concession contracts although I am not surprised that this is going on with multi-national corporations and conspiring local politicians. I know Dunns River Falls very well. Climbed it and swam at the beach there many times growing up in Jamaica.
I will search for more info to learn more about what these concession contracts are all about. if you can forward any sources of information I would appreciate it.
Peace!
Wow! Thanks!
Brotha Asa, These concessions contracts are a way for countries to make or save funds. I know it may seem strange that a black man would concern about such things, yet I feel these are the things that will impact us on such a deeper level than the killing of Trayvon Martin or the countless black men and women killed by other black men and women.
These concessions contracts often act as a gift in providing low waged jobs, and yet take it right back in the forms of toll or fees of some kind on that very same population. The language is ofen cloaked as a benefit for the population when it is only a boon for corporations and politicians. These concessions contracts could be the reason for such corruption in our governments, West Indian and African governmental leaders. And this corruption trickles down into the general population in various forms, including how the murder of citizens are handled. Think of the Keystone Pipeline, which is a concession form of contract.
I began to study about concessions when I heard a group of white folk speaking against Agenda 21 a few months ago. They stated that these toll roads were being financed by European coporations in Texas. Soon after, here in the Atlanta area, construction on a main freeway here, I 85, was being re-constructed into “HOT lanes.” There would be a charge as high as $3.55 per mile if you drove in the lanes with less than 3 people in the vehicle. When I looked into it, and it was very very difficult to find the information, some website out of Alaska had the info about this Atlanta freeway noting it was being funded by a corporation from Spain. The amount of the toll would be going to pay (as profit) to that corporation. Some politicians here has sold devices to the Spanish company to monitor when cars went in and out of the lanes and would fine those with 3 or less occupants. The spanish company will gain a lot of money, the Atlanta politicians got big money because they still hold the patent, and the population loses.
A short time after that, the Dunns River Falls issue came up and the people were upset because word got out that the Falls would be sold. They wondered how could the Jamaican government sell a natural land feature. The DNC in JA, stated that the Falls would not be sold, just “divested.” Yes, they had entered into a concessions contract with Deloitte-Tohmatsu, a British/Japanese corporation. Deloitte will have control of roads, water/sewage pipelines, and all surroumding land around Dunns River Falls. The people were happy to know their Falls would not be sold, having no idea the real impact it will have. Here are some links:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20111111/news/news3.html
http://www.ajc.com/news/public-private-toll-project-939801.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-15-u.s.-highways_x.htm
one more; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concession_(contract)
Contracts or no contracts…it seems that Africa is being exploited for a lot of oil and other commodities that make others very wealthy. We have to ask why there is so much poverty in “black nations”???? And worse than this…burning so much oil is killing our environment. The numerous oil spills in Africa alone have been much worse than what we saw in the BP mess in the Gulf of Mexico. It all smacks of ‘vulture capitalism.’