Dialogue forum with Odile Tendeng (Gorée Institute, Dakar): “Mali’s resource curse?! – another conflict over uranium?”, Tuesday 9 October 2012, 7pm, August Bebel Institut

Within the framework of the project “Paradoxes of Sustainability – How socially equitable are ‘green’ technologies really?” AfricAvenir invites you to a dialogue forum on 9 October 2012 at 7 pm with the Senegalese expert on peace and conflict studies Odile Tendeng on the topic “Mali’s resource curse?! – another conflict over uranium?”nSince March 2012 the conflict in Mali has made headlines in the media with a military coup, secession of the northern region Azawad and human rights violations. Contrary to the one-sided news coverage in Germany, Odile Tendeng will analyse this conflict and the interests involved critically and from a decidedly African perspective: What is the connection between the constant energy requirement of the Global North even after the “Energetic Turn” and conflicts such as in the north of Mali? Which economic and political interests really play a crucial role? Tendeng will discuss the heterogeneous reasons for the conflict and also the role and responsibility of the international community, the African Union and regional economic communities in West Africa.nDespite the introduced “energetic turn” in Germany and the worldwide trend towards renewable energies the global renunciation of nuclear energy is still far from being realised. Except Germany most countries still run nuclear power stations or have increased access to nuclear power. For this reason uranium remains an important resource for energy production.nAfricAvenir will investigate the connection between the current conflict in Mali and the constantly increasing energy requirement in Europe. Tendeng will address the role uranium deposit in particular plays in Mali. Uranium is used for energy production in nuclear power stations, for manufacturing nuclear weapons and other uranium munitions – this is anything but sustainable and even less so the mining conditions on location. But whose interests play a role in the mineral resource exploitation in Mali? And what is the correlation between increasing demand for resources and regional conflicts in countries like Mali?nThe dialogue forum will deal with the complex political and economical reasons for the tensions in Mali on a regional and international level. At first glance the conflict is about the possibility of a secession between a secular south and a north occupied by Islamic fundamentalists and political power interests, but how do the circumstances look after on further analysis? Which other motivations play a role? What are the interests of the neighbouring countries? What role does the intervention in Libya play?nOdile Tendeng is an expert on peace and conflict studies and Programme Manager of the Alliance for Peace Initiatives at the renowned Gorée Institute in Dakar (Senegal). This pan-African civil society organisation stands for peaceful, independent and open societies in Africa. Networking with democratic and transparent institutions all over the world plays an important role in its work. Odile Tendeng ranks as a great campaigner against colonialism and constantly promotes social change.nThe dialogue forum takes place in cooperation with the August Bebel Institut (ABI) and will be held in German.nThe project “Paradoxes of Sustainability“ takes place with financial support from BMZ and Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (LEZ).nTuesday 9 October 2012, 7 pm
August-Bebel-Institut
Müllerstraße 163
13353 Berlin
U6 | S Wedding