Colonialism and the North/South Divide in the Modern Day

The Issue with Colonialism and the Modern Day Environmental Movement

One of the biggest issues with current North/South divide is the lingering idea of colonialism and how that affects the modern day environmental politics. One of the biggest issues in the modern day is getting the Southern or third world and developing countries to take the assistance of the "Northern" states and actors. While these countries may need or want the assistance of more developing countries, the way it is gone about is not working. Many of these developing countries, particularly in Africa, have many similarities to colonialism in the past. The idea of "becoming civilized" was prominent in colonialism and seems eerily similar to the idea of "helping" the Massai tribe with their land rights and preservation. Whether you refer to the countries as North or developed or southern and developing, the modern day process seems entirely too similar. Barging into these countries and telling them to change their way of life that they have had for thousands of years is just like colonialism from the past. Even though more developed countries may sugarcoat it and try to make it look different, they are still forcing countries to change a system that isn't broken.

Examples of Modern Day Colonialism in the Environmental Movement

One of the most common and blatant examples of Modern Day Colonialism is how the Massai tribe is currently being treated. I all started when the British were colonizing in the early 10--'s and first manipulated the Massai through a treaty in 1904. The British focused on negotiations with a few select chiefs and got the Massai to give up land on two more occasions while eventually getting them to leave the Serengeti for less valuable and livable land. This was the start of colonialism and how the Massai began their distrust of developed countries or outside influence. As soon as Kenya got independence they began with an idea of saving wildlife and the environment, but really it was for the economic opportunities. Just recently, the idea of land privatization became prominent among some Massai, and their land is being bought up and they are once again being told what to do with it. The real reason for this is economic opportunity and it's eerily similar to colonialism of the past. The process of contacting the tribe, pretending to benefit, economizing their private assets, changing their way of life, and having false motives is prevalent in both colonialism of the past and the modern day privatization or exploitation of Massai resources. The Massai are properly concerned with this trend since they were so taken advantage of by the British and now the same thing seems to be happening, with a different Northern actor.

How to solve the North/South Divide In Environmental Politics

With the memories of colonialism still lingering in many countries, the Northern states and actors have to be careful when they actually want to help these Southern or developing states. Even if the intentions were pure from these Northern countries and they actually wanted to help and not economize or take advantage of these people, the way they go about it is completely wrong. First off, maybe it is best to leave these people alone. Many of these cultures and tribes have been around for hundred or thousands of years, they know what they're doing.  They live off the land the the resources it provides, pushing through every drought and lack of animals or resources that came about. These cultures have shown repeatedly that they care about the environment and preserving it for future use, and have the ability to fix many issues on their own. 

On the other hand, if there is an issue that Southern actors or tribes like the Massai can't fix on their own, storming in or trying to take advantage of them is not the way to go. Using eco-toursim, changing land rights, or just blatantly lying are not good ways to build a relationship, When intervening in these countries and tribes, the North needs to offer help and try to work with these people. If the North really wanted to help these countries and people they would not try to turn them from their ways and economize their way of life. By offering help with things like dought, disease, lack of resources or any number of other factors, the North can build a better relationship. By taking advantage of these Southern actors and their plights and not being honest with their intentions, the North is destroying any future of relationships. If these people need help they will ask for it or it can be offered, it should not be pushed down their throats or try to change their way of life which has obviously been working. By forcing their way in and changing the way of life, these Northern actors are essentially bringing back a new form of colonialism and opening old wounds. There is a sharp North and South divide in global environmental politics and part of that is because of colonialism and its origins. If Northern actors don't start working better with these Southern actors and countries, they will reopen the old wounds of colonialism and permanently damage relationships with these people.

Possibly the best example of colonialism and the modern day environmental movement is the Massai tribe of East Africa. 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-new-colonialism-foreign-investors-snap-up-african-farmland-a-639224.html

http://www.umich.edu/~snre492/Jones/maasai.htm