State of Concessions

Logs are strewn across a barren field like bones in an elephant graveyard. These trees, recently part of a virgin rainforest, were cut down by a logging company under a dubious contract. In the past months further details have arisen of fraudulent deeds (Private Use Permits – PUPS) used across Liberia to grant logging contracts to foreign companies. The PUP scandal has only fueled the discussion over how the country’s resources are being tapped.

Today, Liberia has one of the highest rates of land concession in Africa. Various reports estimate that anywhere between 45 and 65 % of the country’s total land area has already been granted or promised to foreign investors. This reality stems, in part, from the ideological orientation of the State, which sees land and natural resources as a commodity to be leveraged in order to fuel the country’s growth. The belief is that not only will capital be generated through such projects, but jobs will also be created in the process.

Following this ideology, Liberia’s immense natural wealth – including her land – is steadily being granted to foreign companies through logging, mining, and agricultural plantation contracts.  In recent years around 661,000 hectares were given to two foreign corporations for oil palm production. The same language of foreign investment and economic prosperity that was used in the 1920's to bring Firestone to Liberia (which has faced decades of accusations of violating workers' rights) is being repeated today to justify large-scale agricultural plantation.  

In agrarian societies land is the most important facet of daily life for most people. Threats to rural people’s land tenure bring along the dangers of displacement, dispossession and division.  While many across the world struggle for basic social services awaiting the trickle-down, perhaps it is time to re-examine the prescribed path towards progress.

As vast tracts of land are allocated for concessions, serious questions are being raised about this strategy towards development. What say do local communities have in the allocation of their customary land? How are benefits from these projects being distributed amongst affected communities? And, what will the long-term impacts be of increased competition for land between communities, companies, and government? The deeper you go in the forest, the more blurry the view becomes.

There are those who insist that selling off the country’s resources won’t be an effective way to achieve inclusive development. They claim that no country has successfully risen out of poverty by simply allowing multinational corporations to take over the land. There are also concerns about the impact of large-scale monoculture plantation when it comes to food security and local agricultural improvement. 

It is worth noting that the argument isn’t one for or against investment. It makes sense for a country as naturally wealthy as Liberia to use her resources towards her own progress. However, those who seek to reduce the debate to a binary one – either you are for foreign investment or anti-development – are myopic in their assessment. The issue is how that process of investment takes place.

Instead of ceding large land areas for decades at a time, the goal should be to empower communities to reimagine themselves as the owners of the development process instead of simply the eventual beneficiaries. Just as Gandhi imagined self-sufficient village republics, the modern manifestation of such an idea may be worth exploring. By building the capacity of grassroots governance structures and protecting customary land rights, over time a more equitable and sustainable path forward may be found.

Even the World Bank, historically a driver of policies that prioritize the market, recently released a report which states that when communities manage their lands, resources are protected and a higher rate of economic growth exists.

With the reigns in their hands, local communities can directly manage some of the most important aspects of their lives, from water conservation to irrigation to the shared use of forests. Additionally, they could have more say about which benefits of modernity they adapt, while protecting the important parts of their culture, practices, and tradition. The assistance of the State, and other institutions, in establishing a collective vision would be useful in places where capacities are low. However, the ability of localized decision-making to achieve success and prosperity is already being found in villages and towns, globally. 

Such a vision may be worth considering alongside the current state of concessions. After all, these decisions are not unique to Liberia. They remain relevant for developing societies across the world. Which path countries take will have profound reverberations on the lives of millions for generations to come.  

At Gandhiji's Ashram - 2009

At Gandhiji’s Ashram in the middle of eastern Maharasthra I filter through it all to try and reach brief moments of clarity, understanding, and salience. I find myself so wrapped up in my own immediate desires, feelings and ego. I am cornered in by my own mind and find it hard to go beyond “I”, “me”. Maybe I am not at peace with everything unresolved inside (Maybe? More like definitely). But there are too many uncontrolled thoughts of myself…

What does it mean to be here? Decades removed from Gandhi one must go beyond the surface of philosophy and the legend of a man who is still worshiped. In the peace, the quiet, and the beauty of dawn glimpses come of what it was all about. Simplicity. Mindfulness. An unbelievable sense of purpose and self. These were the grounds where his experiments with truth were tested. Here is where people gathered to plan and organize, to officially declare that the colonial oppressors of the past few hundred years had to leave, a declaration on the behalf of several hundred million people. It was at Sevagram in July 1942 that the “Quit India” movement was drawn up. Standing in this place invokes a wave of sharp emotion and solidarity. It’s pretty incredible to think about.

There is often the continuous question posed of what is the relevance of Gandhi today. There is plenty we can extract from this man’s message, but at times I struggle with trying to understand this relevance practically, in trying to go beyond the aesthetics of it. At Sevagram one sees the “simple living” philosophy of Gandhiji, embodied in certain action. There is an intentionality of each day focused towards reflection and self-sustainability. Each day includes a few hours of shramdaan, which literally translates to “gift of labor.” As Vinodji one of the acharyas at the ashram explains, Sevagram is meant to be a diya to light the flame within others. It is a good example of a significant part of Gandhiji’s message. And one would like to imagine that maybe one day it could play some role in introducing a modern day application of the idea of swaraj.

Swaraj was Gandhiji’s idea of decentralized, non-hierarchical governance by communities. It is an idea of direct democracy, which encompasses the individual and community levels that emphasizes self-reliance and self-governance. I don’t know what the contemporary adaptation of swaraj is to build self-sustainable, balanced communities, but there is value in thinking about these things in a way that goes beyond simply spinning khadi.

While being here there have been certain questions raised about the role of the ashram. If whether the ashram is really more of a museum? Is it looking backwards too much, without having a clear and active vision for the present? One thought I cannot shake however is that a significant part of Gandhi’s message feels like it is missing in regards to today’s India. What happened we know, but what about now? Gandhiji’s beliefs were certainly of simple living, sustainability, and inner meditation and mindfulness, but it also asked us to go beyond ourselves. Gandhiji believed that your life is your message, and that message includes engaging in our communities, and the larger communities of village, country, and world. When he was killed his vision for India was not realized. The country had just been partitioned, with mass violence ensuing, up to a million killed and over 12 million displaced.

Gandhiji’s vision was of a country that had collectively gone past caste discrimination and oppression, a society that had overcome communalism, and a nation that was clearly addressing issues of poverty, health, and education. Today we can still see the divisive nature of caste through the country, we see ugly displays of religious nationalism and fundamentalism while the state stands impotent, and while we consume magazine articles and 24-hour news channel specials on the development of India, many within the country still struggle with access to the basics.

And at Sevagram the words of Gandhi are posted, “I strive for such a country wherein the poorest of the poor feel that this is his country in building which his voice has its due importance. I strive for such an India wherein there are no differences of high and low and people of all castes live in harmony with one another. In such a country, there will be no place for the evils of untouchability and of alcoholic and intoxicating drinks. Women will have equal rights with men. We shall have peaceful and brotherly relations with the whole world. This is the India of my dreams.”

It seems that if we strive to understand the holistic approach Gandhi took it requires, at the very least, to in some way be prepared to address not only our personal weaknesses, but our societal ones, as well. It’s not about always being “activists”, but actively acknowledging the very same challenges that continue to face this country, just as they did back in Gandhi’s time. And it doesn’t mean simply following Gandhiji’s ideas, or mine, or anyone else’s for that matter, but genuinely engaging in a process that seeks out our own questions and journeys. I suppose I just feel that it’s not simply about looking at Gandhi from the lens of the 1930s and 1940s, but from 2009, and beyond.

I certainly do not doubt the inspiration that places like Sevagram can provide, even while it may not always be easy to translate that inspiration into today’s many proverbial languages. Sevagram is only one diya to draw light from. Spending some time at Anandwan and Somnath, two projects of the Maharogi Sewa Samiti displayed the incredible potential of people working together, reminiscent of many of Gandhiji’s ideas, under the motto of “Work Builds, Charity Destroys.” People who are shunned by society proudly living, with dignity, alternatives to the status quo. Visiting Vinoba Bhave’s ashram (a contemporary of Gandhi and active in the swaraj movement) also shed some light on collectives living alternatives to the status quo.

Amongst other things Vinoba Bhave is known for his leadership in the ­bhudaan movement, a campaign of voluntary land reform that aimed to redistribute land from zamindar (landlords) to landless farmers. And there are so many others I have encountered over this year in communities and organizations all over this country that are working for change, against what many would say unfavorable odds. Where the passion doesn’t overtly strike claim to your heart, it’s quite clear it’s right there beneath the surface being kindled. And that list of those who are also sparking the flames of social change includes my fellow fellows at Indicorps.

When intimately engaging with India it’s possible to easily get discouraged and depressed with being faced with the massive contradictions, stratifications, and inequalities in Indian society. But at the same time it’s exciting and uplifting to see what so many dedicated people are doing. From providing livelihoods to women’s groups, to working with youth towards empowerment, to struggling towards a more peaceful, secular and democratic society there are many fascinating activities being undertaken by amazing people committed to a better tomorrow. And I feel like in a lot of ways, wherever we are, it’s a question of how we choose to engage with what is around us.

The idea of Gandhiji’s teachings, this idea of “living with purpose,” it’s about not only what we do, but how we go about doing it. Which are the paths we will have courage to take? How strong are our own limitations, the ones we place upon ourselves within our minds? How will we react in the face of distraction? The sunlit sky creeping golden, overhead blue. The peepul trees are huge, magnificent. The huts remain, and retain peace. If there are images to try and capture these are them. Green and stillness. A disturbed mind colliding with what it cannot fully grasp and digest at Gandhiji’s Ashram.