Trade no aid - The Chinese in Zambia | VPRO Documentary

In Zambia, many years of Dutch development aid have delivered very little, says Bram Vermeulen. Do the Chinese do better now, under the motto 'trade, not aid'?
Mongu, een gebied in het uiterste westen van Zambia, werd wel de dertiende provincie van ons land genoemd. Vanaf de jaren zeventig van de vorige eeuw wemelde het er van de Nederlandse ontwikkelingswerkers die de beschaving wilden brengen naar dit natte, platte gebied. Bijvoorbeeld door een kanaal uit te baggeren, een klus ter waarde van tientallen miljoenen euro’s. Dat zou scheepvaart mogelijk maken en zo de hele economie een boost geven.
Met voormalig ontwikkelingswerker René Lourens kijkt Bram Vermeulen wat daarvan terecht is gekomen. Niet veel, blijkt al snel. Boten van Nederlandse scheepswerven liggen te roesten langs de kant van het al weer dichtgeslibde kanaal. Ze bespreken wat er misging, en waarom het falende project steeds weer verlengd werd. Dat is nu voorbij. De hulp is opgedroogd en in plaats van een ambassade met 45 man heeft Nederland alleen nog een klein consulaatje met drie medewerkers in Zambia.
In Mongu betreuren de mensen het einde van de Nederlandse hulp. Maar de ontwikkeling is er juist in een stroomversnelling gekomen. Chinezen bouwen een indrukwekkende brug, iets wat Nederlandse ingenieurs onmogelijk leek. Waarom kunnen die Chinezen dat wel, en wat zijn hun drijfveren eigenlijk? Hoewel een opzichter van de bouwactiviteiten vooral de vriendschap tussen China en Zambia wil benadrukken, schemert het echte antwoord er wel doorheen: handel.
The motto 'trade not aid', ie trade instead of aid, is on the rise. Also in Zambia. Bram speaks about this with Vice President Guy Scott. He agrees that a lot of development aid has been in vain, and that trade often makes more of a difference. But that does not apply in all areas, he says: the AIDS epidemic should never be brought under control with trade alone.
Former Dutch development workers, who came to Zambia as volunteers, now also see more benefit in trade for themselves. René Lourens is a consultant in animal husbandry and his friend Arie breeds beef cows. They are good farmers, and that is also better for Zambia, they say. 'I have created permanent employment as an entrepreneur.'
The question, of course, is why Zambians do not set up such a company themselves. They know the local culture better, so you might think that all sorts of thresholds are lower for them. Arie: 'What is lacking in this country is the capacity to plan. Thinking ahead, thinking about tomorrow. People are very busy with the day. That is a handicap. "That sounds a bit colonial, says Bram. Well, says Arie. 'As an entrepreneur, I do it better. That's just obvious. "
Zambian stores are thinly sown
Also in the shopping centers of the capital Lusaka shows that foreign companies the local entrepreneurs checking. Why are there almost no Zambian stores, Bram wants to know from a saleswoman in a clothing store that belongs to that rare category. Even though there are no products from our own soil on the shelves.
Trade may work better than help, but who is the most helped? The Zambians, or rather the foreign investors?
Episode 9. The hole of Mongu
Bram Vermeulen discovers that years of Dutch development aid have had little result in Zambia. Are the Chinese doing better with their motto of ‘trade, not aid’?
Director: Doke Romeijn and Stefanie de Brouwer
© VPRO October 2014
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