...I would get rid of racial stereotypes

Today I went to see the talk by Mbenga Sesan on technology in Nigeria and after his rushed 15 minute talk (he had to catch a plane), I decided to stay and listen to the next speaker, who gave an incredibly inspiring talk on black identity. Being white, you probably wouldn’t think I’d find it all that interesting, but I found myself on the edge of my seat.

She started off her talk with a question to the (mostly black) audience: “When did you realize you were black?” And the answers really surprised me. Anybody who was an immigrant said they realized when they came to Canada, where being black stands out. The speaker said in Canada, people describe others using hair colours or freckles, whereas in Africa, these differences don’t exist. She also described an event where she felt stereotyped based on her race, when a cashier made sure to count her money twice to make sure she wasn’t ripping them off. She transitioned her talk into a call to action: “You can redefine the black stereotype”. Although I couldn’t relate to her challenges, I left the room feeling empowered.

But her question also really got me thinking. When did I realize I was white? Personally, I cannot think of a defining moment and I’m not sure I’ve ever had one. But I’d like to ask you that question. When did you first realize race existed and you were categorized in one group or another based on your skin colour? And what do you think should be done to reverse negative racial stereotypes?

...I would make gender equality global

Happy International Women’s Day!

As a woman, I feel so fortunate to have grown up in Canada, where I feel I have all the same options as a man. Rarely have I ever felt that I’m not able to do something because I’m a female. One complaint in Canada is that males still receive higher pay (the average 2008 hourly wage of Canadian workers was $25.92 for males and $22.00 for females) and receive more management positions. I feel this is changing with females comprising 57% of Canadian University enrollment and entering the workforce. However, I’m not sure if there will ever be total equality due to the biological fact that women give birth. As well, I think women often tend towards careers that happen to be lower paying. Many women prefer to be teachers or social workers than engineers and architects. In International Development, our program is very female-dominated, yet we’re going into one of the lowest paying fields there is. Clearly high wages aren’t necessarily a motivating factor for many women.

In my family, my Mom chose to be a stay-at-home mom while my Dad had the income. To me, I don’t feel this made the gender dynamic unequal; yet to many, this is a sign of gender inequality.

Despite some gender differences in Canada, I feel pretty comfortable with my status as a woman.

To me, International Women’s Day is now more about the women in countries where there’s still substantial inequality. There are lots of facts on women’s global inequality:

•  603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not illegal
•  In Saudi Arabia, women do not have the right to vote or drive
• Sex selective abortion is used to prevent an estimated 100 million female births globally, particularly in India and China
• Each day, 39 000 girls under age 18 are married
• There are approximately 1.36 million women working as sex slaves globally 

These are just some statistics but there are real women behind each of them and we need to change the stats for them. To me, International Women’s Day is a day to highlight these girls and women who don't have the opportunities I do. What does International Women's Day mean to you?

To finish on a more positive note, here's a song UN Women has created for International Women's Day:

...I would not exploit natural resources at the expense of others

This past summer, I visited Madagascar for 7 weeks in a region in the southeast of the country. While I was there, I got talking to a local man about the economy in the area and he talked about how Rio Tinto had started working in the area and all the negative effects that had occurred as a result. Near the end of the trip, tensions were high in Fort Dauphin (the main city in the south) due to rising prices and inequality. Apparently, things have only escalated since and last month, there were protests in Fort Dauphin. Hundreds of locals, armed with slingshots and spears were protesting against Rio Tinto, and the negative impacts the mining operations in the area have caused for local people. The protesters trapped 200 of the mine’s workers in buildings for days until the protests were broken up by the Malagasy military, who sprayed tear gas into the crowd.

Mining Operations in Fort Dauphin

Rio Tinto first started exploring the mining potential of Fort Dauphin in the 1980s. The area around Fort Dauphin is rich in ilmenite, which is used for titanium dioxide production. Titanium dioxide is used in several common products such as toothpaste, sunscreen, or white paint. QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) was created and is 80% owned by QIT- a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, based out of Quebec and 20% owned by the Government of Madagascar. The minerals mined in Madagascar are shipped to the company in Quebec where they are processed. The mine was constructed in January 2006, but seven years later, the local people are not seeing the benefits they were promised.

When the mine first started constructing, thousands of subsistence farmers in the area were relocated to the city. The company purchased 400 hectares of land, which was sold for between 100 and 6000 Malagasy ariary (CAN $0.05- $2.82) per square kilometer. Since 92% of people in the Fort Dauphin area live on less than $1/day, this seemed like quite a bit of money at the time. However, now the money has run out and those displaced cannot afford the rising prices of goods and services in Fort Dauphin. Many protesters who were displaced are now demanding more money, with a minimum price of 3000 ariary per square meter.

A number of environmental impacts have occurred from the mine. In the area where the mine works is the littoral forest, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. 90% of the species in the area are endemic to Madagascar and QMM has cut down a vast amount of forest in the area. Fishermen also complain that chemicals released by the mining operations are killing fish off the coast, and they are now struggling to maintain their livelihoods.

Check out this video about impacts of mining in Fort Dauphin:

Beautiful Saint Luce

Part of the protesting was regarding the lack of locals employed at the mine. Although Rio Tinto says 70% of the workers are locals, Zatinandro Perle Fourquet, who led the protest, says that only 10% of the workers are actually locals.

QMM also talks of possibly starting a new mine in St. Luce, an oceanfront community slightly northeast of Fort Dauphin. I visited this village and building a mine would have huge impacts in this area. Much of the forest there is still untouched and the main income for the area is fishing. I feel that this project would have a similar impact to what has happened in Fort Dauphin.

So who should be responsible for the negative aspects of the mining project? Should Canada take responsibility for the part QIT plays in the mining production, or should it be up to Madagascar to set up regulations for mining production in their country? What is clear though is that people are not happy with how things are happening now and something will need to be changed.

...I would support gay rights

So this morning I woke up to a friend’s Facebook status that really upset me so I feel the need to talk about it. Here’s what he posted:

Tonight I got harassed and then beat up for being gay in uptown waterloo. My female friend also got punched and thrown to the ground for being with me. This sh-t happens, so don't be complacent and don't put up with people saying things like "faggot" and "that's gay" because this is where that sh-t leads. I've never been gay bashed before, and it feels like sh-t, so smarten the f--- up society because this is bullsh--. Welcome to my reality and my worst fears came true tonight. Goodnight, sorry this status is aggressive but I'm so pissed.

I am so angry after hearing about this. We all hear a lot about all kinds of hate in the world but it has never really hit home before until it was my friend that was harassed. Canada is supposed to be known for how accepting people are, being one of only 11 countries that have fully legalized gay marriage (Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South, Africa, Spain, and Sweden being the others).

If Canada is supposed to be one of the more tolerant countries, what happens in other countries around the world? In some countries, such as Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Mauritania, the death penalty is used for those who practice homosexuality. Many countries (e.g. Swaziland, Lesotho, & Zimbabwe) actually differentiate between males and females with sexual acts between females being legal while it’s illegal between males. I find it absolutely ludicrous that gay rights are protested! Why do people care so much about other people’s private business? It is not affecting them at all!!!

A lot of people use religion as an excuse for bashing homosexuals but I know a lot of people who practice religion who are able to support gay rights and love everybody while maintaining a strong relationship with their God. Using religion to spread hate only makes that religion look ignorant and hypocritical. You can’t just pick and choose rules to fit your own agenda.

Hate, like the kind my friend experienced last night, will not stop until we, as a global community, are able to accept each other for who we are and respect each other and ourselves. Don’t refer to something negative with “That’s so gay!” or “That’s retarded!” We’re only making our world a more hateful place to live in. 

...I would make all agriculture fair and sustainable

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has been a hot topic in the news lately. Globally, news articles boasted frightening headlines: “The more you eat quinoa, the more you hurt Peruvians and Bolivians” (Globe and Mail) or “Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa?” (The Guardian). So how am I hurting people by eating my quinoa salad?

Well, the newspapers argue that with the huge rise in the price of quinoa, the grain is now too precious for farmers to eat themselves. Instead they opt for less nutritious options such as imported pasta or rice. Historically, quinoa has been a staple in the diet of people in the Andes area, eaten by the Incas. It has high nutritional content, a source of protein, fiber, calcium, and minerals and known to prevent a number of diseases. In the past decade, the health benefits of quinoa have spread to Western cultures and quinoa has been deemed a “miracle food.” The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has even labeled 2013 the “International Year of Quinoa.” This growing popularity has caused the price of quinoa to rise three-fold since 2006.

Since the huge price increase, a couple issues have arisen. First, subsistence farmers that have grown food in the same area for centuries are now scrambling to get new land and maximize production through intensification. Time magazine reports:

Traditionally, quinoa fields covered 10% of this fragile ecosystem, llamas grazed on the rest. Now, llamas are being sold to make room for crops, provoking a soil crisis since the cameloid's guano is the undisputed best fertilizer for maintaining and restoring quinoa fields. (Other options like sheep poop appear to encourage pests.)

 

The change to intensified farming is unsustainable and will be damaging to the farmers in the long-term. Without input into the soils, the soil will not be able to support a sustained level of growth for more than a few years and will rapidly decline, causing a risk of a boom and bust for the farmers.

 As well, the high prices for quinoa mean many farmers are no longer eating quinoa, as it is much too valuable to keep. Rather, they eat imported food such as rice, pasta, and luxury items like Coca Cola and candies. Although they are now able to get more variety of imported foods, many people are already experiencing health concerns from a switch to a high-sugar, low-nutrient diet.

So what should we do about it? Well that’s where the controversy lies. Some people argue we should stop eating it because it’s taking away from the well being of the Andes’ people. Well, that doesn’t really seem like a solution to me.  Stop importing quinoa so that the local people can go back to eating it since they have no other options? The rise in quinoa popularity can be a great opportunity for the farmers if a sustainable approach is taken.

There is also additional risk because with quinoa on the rise, farmers in other countries, including Canada, have begun to grow quinoa. This creates a competitive market, that will likely drive the price back down and farmers in the Andes will have to build an advantage to stay in the market.

I’m not entirely sure what the answer is, but not eating quinoa for the sake of farmers definitely doesn’t make sense at all. What do you think should be done?