Boot airline companies out of africa (voir traduction francais)
BAISSEZ VOS TARIFS OU SORTEZ DE L'AFRIQUE
(titre en francais sur notre site)
BRING DOWN YOUR AIRFARES OR GET OUT OF AFRICA
By Jacques Sotero Agboton
Author of Philosophy of Engagement (An ideological
basis for the liberation of African people)
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN AIRLINES ARE BILKING AFRICAN
PASSENGERS
There are no reasons for airlines to charge African
passengers 4 to 5 times higher airfares than
passengers of Europe, Asia and the Middle-East for the
same duration of flights.
It is apparent that the prohibitive airfares are to
limit African passengers from crossing frontiers where
they can explore personally environments so far denied
them by white racists and their institutions under
so-called immigration laws.
Also, beneath the veneer of the language of public
relation used by these airlines which has fitted in
very well with the sordid hypocrisy practiced by
whites or their corporations since their incursions
into Africa, no one should wonder now that free
circulation of persons, free trade and globalisation
are but meaningless statements shown to be false not
in some but in all respects.
It is not only the racism of whites we should condemn
but the unbridled greed of directors behind their
corporations left to operate on our soil and defraud
our people.
DELTA AIRLINES, NORTH AMERICAN AIRWAYS, AIR FRANCE,
IBERIA, LUFTANSA, SN BRUSSELS AIRLINES, TAP of
Portugal and BRITISH AIRWAYS are charging African
passengers for cross-Atlantic flights between 1200 to
2200 Dollars for economy passengers while these fares
would have been First Class between North America and
Europe. Fares between North America and Europe can be
as low as 200 Dollars.
It will be spurious for anyone to talk about market
forces since as many as 30 cities in Africa and to
name a few: Dakar, Banjul, Freetown, Monrovia, Accra,
Lagos, Abuja, Douala, Bamako, Libreville, Addis Ababa,
Kampala, Nairobi, Mombassa, Harare, Luanda, Maputo,
Johannesburg serve as gateways to as much as 200
million potential customers. That is, only if they
were not Africans or rather, except they were Blacks.
It seems that more than 10 years later, the legacies
of Apartheid have yet to vanish since the notorious
South African Airlines, carrier of these renegade
racists who are still important shareholders; SAA
cannot adjust its fares in spite of having a CEO who
is Black and Black managers posted in but symbolic
positions. Illogically, the fare New York to Dakar is
the same as the fare New York to Johannesburg. You
will be amused of the reasons Ghost SAA experts give
in the computation these fares. Alas, some combatants
of the liberation struggle in the hierarchy have
forgotten the sacrifices in lives of entire
generations so as to be cosy with their oppressors for
crumbs of a pay check, a bonus…and sometimes bribes.
That is not to say, the hand that gives in not as
corrupt as the hand that takes. But, the betrayal is
painful, and costly.
Beside that, we have in every metropolis in Africa,
the embassies of these whites expropriating entire
roads or avenues under their schizophrenia that some
dialysis-ridden Bin Laden will terrorize them while
our people queue before their consulates to suffer
indignities of rejection and the extortion of their
money for some cracked-up application fee. Meanwhile
hordes of these Europeans and white north Americans do
not pay for visas when entering African countries.
Instead of whining or complaining, it is time for
Africans on the continent as well as in the Diaspora
to begin targeted boycotts, airline by airline, until
their fares are reasonably lowered or until these
corporations leave our continent. For once, let there
be a generation of men and women who will not allow
that more than 500 years of brutal exploitation and
inhumane slavery continues in Africa.
Firstly, a global campaign has began with advice to
the management of these airlines they are being
monitored and advised to lower their air fares.
Secondly, public protesting will begin before their
local and regional offices as well as the homes of
their senior staff until their total operation ceases
or fares are lowered.
Conscious African Brothers and Sisters are called to
adhere strictly to the boycotts which are to be
announced and to use every media possible to spread
the word.
Send a copy of this campaign to the following:
- Travel agencies
- Churches/Mosques/
- Local organization
- Friends and relatives
- Black Radio Hosts
- Local Newspapers
- Broadcast on webcam/internet sites
- University bulletin boards
- Internet forums
- Conference/Seminar/
meet.
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