Blog Post #4

        By Rachel Brunts        

Part I:

1. Find a ‘cheetah’ in your assigned country (person or organization) and show his/her/its work that helps the country move towards protection of human rights, free speech, systems of accountability, reducing poverty, etc.

Beginning in the early 1990s to present day, the Ntsiloulou rebel group, or the Ninjas, have been fighting back their political/military leader, Denis Sassou Nguesso, led by their respected leader, Frédéric Bintsamou, or Pastor Ntumi.

  IRINN article, ‘Congo-Brazzaville’s hidden war’, comments on the level of Ninja knowledge stating, “Very little is known about how they are structured and operate, and how much real control Ntumi exerts at the local level. Bereft of information, the international community has termed them, “armed elements”. To the government, they are simply “terrorists”.

The Ninjas have been fighting back their government mostly by resisting government policy, refusing to participate in pre-rigged elections, and rallying community to peacefully challenge their government officials.

After many years of back and forth conflict in December of 2017, BBC News stated, “The government and the rebel group known as the Ninjas sign a ceasefire deal.” Allowing for a more peaceful environment for trading and overall life.

• Chapter 3 of Radelet’s Emerging Africa talks extensively about democracy building as well as discusses how one defines democracy, what is elemental and how are democracies ranked and judged. How does your country rank? Explore the following sites and answer the questions

Chapter 3 of Radelet’s Emerging Africa, explains that Radelet believes there is no universally accepted definition of democracy but defines democracies as any country that meets the Freedom House and Polity IV standards. Also, he ranks and judges each democracy by their Freedom House civil liberty score (scale 1 to 7, 1 is the best), political rights score, and average Polity IV score (scale -10 to 10, 10 is the best) Pg. 62.

According to the Think Tank Freedom House, the Republic of Congo’s 2017 freedom statue is as labeled, “not free”, ranking #27 in world freedom, on a scale of 100 being most free.  More specifically, the Congo’s freedom in the world as, “Freedom Rating 6/7, Political Rights 7/7, Civil Liberties 5/7,” 1= most free and 7= least free.

1. What are the dangers that global democracies are facing?

After reading The Washington Post article, I’ve learned that the dangers global democracies are facing are not only occurring in sub-Saharan Africa but right here at home in the United States. As the article says, “the retreat of the United States from global leadership, coupled with the Trump administration’s weak and ambiguous commitment to democratic values at home, raises serious concerns about the near future. As democracy is undermined, the world inevitably becomes a more dangerous place.”

• Is YALI active in your country?

Positively, YALI is active in the Republic of the Congo! A YALI member, Jean Ndongui, founded LEB CONGO, described as, “a nonprofit organization that works to “break the cycle of unemployment among young people in the Republic of the Congo by training them in leadership, entrepreneurship, and business and funding youth projects.”

• What are current news in your country?

The most recent news I found in an AllAfrica article was a soccer game on February 19^th of this year. The Republic of the Congo played a game between Zimbabwe, fighting to make the finals. The article discusses how their star player, Mario Balotelli, is most likely going to miss out on the finals due to a serious injury. While this most recent news story may not be that politically meaningful or a life-changing fact, but I am happy I found this news. This story reminds me that the Republic of the Congo is not just a poverty-stricken dictatorship, but the country just like any other. Given, their freedom may not be equal as my own; they still continue their lives in the same manner as the rest of the world, and I believe this article has provided me with a better understanding of my prior perception of the Congo.

Part II:  

1. What are the major obstacles in raising developing countries out of poverty?

In Poor Economics by Banerjee & Duflo Ch. 6, the major obstacles in raising developing countries out of poverty is, The African ICT Explosion, fueling entrepreneurship and commerce, expanding access to finance, and strengthening health services, democracy, and governance. Thankfully to help within all of these categories this book describes how mobile phones and the internet have transcended poverty-stricken countries toward a better tomorrow. Quoting pg. 122, “These technologies are helping everyday Africans overcome some of the daunting constraints that have inhibited economic growth and poverty reduction in the past, including geographic isolation, weak infrastructure, poor information, and inefficient markets.”