Living Luxuriously Well
It's among the tiniest of African nations. A country that has ample natural resources. And if the country were ruled by anyone other than the usual African dictator it might be assured that a good proportion of the population might be able to live with some degree of comfort. But such is not the case in Equatorial Guinea. It is an impoverished nation of 680,000 people, 70% of whom live in utter want and deprivation.
A large percentage of the country has no access to electricity, no access to potable water, according to the African Development Bank. But it does have natural resources such as oil, gas and timber. And the wealth that does accrue to the country through the exploitation of those resources has been put to what the U.S. Justice Department feels is the enrichment of its dictator, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea. And his family and cronies.
There is that about Africa and its many countries; far too few are governed fairly and in due consideration of the peoples' needs. Of the 52 countries in that continent there is constant unrest due to tribal and clan unrest, the depredations upon the public of too many of those countries by their rulers, dictators, tyrants, through civil war and inter-country wars, challenges for natural resources and graft and corruption lining the pockets of the rulers.
Contrast the dire poverty of that 70% of the population with the entitled, grandiloquent manner in which the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea lives. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue set off to the United States in 1991 at 23 years of age to study English in Malibu, California at Pepperdine University. He dropped out of college after 5 months but remained in California.
And there he availed himself of pricey real estate. Living like a potentate, the scion of a grasping tyrant whose people languish, their needs ignored. But he was appointed minister of forestry and agriculture in his father's government. And latterly appointed to represent his country at UNESCO. He has spent an estimated $100-million on a Malibu mansion, Michael Jackson memorabilia, a private jet and a stable of high-end cars and speed-boats.
Mr. Obiang latterly moved his luxury sports cars and motorcycles (valued at $400,000) to France, from Los Angeles. His private jet is parked somewhere in Equatorial Guinea. The "mega Yacht" he ordered designed for him by a German company worth $380-million represented three times what Equatorial Guinea spends on health and education annually.
These, of course, are the impoverished African countries quick to claim their humanitarian due from the United Nations funded by the wealthy countries of the world. Financial assistance from the West that goes directly into the pockets of corrupt, sociopathic dictators.
A large percentage of the country has no access to electricity, no access to potable water, according to the African Development Bank. But it does have natural resources such as oil, gas and timber. And the wealth that does accrue to the country through the exploitation of those resources has been put to what the U.S. Justice Department feels is the enrichment of its dictator, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of Equatorial Guinea. And his family and cronies.
There is that about Africa and its many countries; far too few are governed fairly and in due consideration of the peoples' needs. Of the 52 countries in that continent there is constant unrest due to tribal and clan unrest, the depredations upon the public of too many of those countries by their rulers, dictators, tyrants, through civil war and inter-country wars, challenges for natural resources and graft and corruption lining the pockets of the rulers.
Contrast the dire poverty of that 70% of the population with the entitled, grandiloquent manner in which the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea lives. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue set off to the United States in 1991 at 23 years of age to study English in Malibu, California at Pepperdine University. He dropped out of college after 5 months but remained in California.
And there he availed himself of pricey real estate. Living like a potentate, the scion of a grasping tyrant whose people languish, their needs ignored. But he was appointed minister of forestry and agriculture in his father's government. And latterly appointed to represent his country at UNESCO. He has spent an estimated $100-million on a Malibu mansion, Michael Jackson memorabilia, a private jet and a stable of high-end cars and speed-boats.
Mr. Obiang latterly moved his luxury sports cars and motorcycles (valued at $400,000) to France, from Los Angeles. His private jet is parked somewhere in Equatorial Guinea. The "mega Yacht" he ordered designed for him by a German company worth $380-million represented three times what Equatorial Guinea spends on health and education annually.
These, of course, are the impoverished African countries quick to claim their humanitarian due from the United Nations funded by the wealthy countries of the world. Financial assistance from the West that goes directly into the pockets of corrupt, sociopathic dictators.
Labels: Africa, Human Relations, societal failures
posted by Pieface @ 6:53 PM
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