Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized!

Friends of the Earth Africa and various NGOs issued an open letter to Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt to denounce the views of Minister for Development Cooperation Christian Friis Bach. The signatories argue that the Minister's approach to development is obsolete and risks the economic recolonization of Africa. They advocate for food sovereignty, the protection of seed and cultural diversity, and a development path that respects African sovereignty and avoids the destructive production and consumption models of developed nations.

• The signatories reject the development models of developed countries, arguing that these models are based on the over-exploitation of nature and humans through destructive diets and excess energy consumption, and should not be imposed on Africa.
• The document asserts that Africa possesses the capacity to sustain its population through sustainable, multi-dimensional agricultural approaches that minimize the use of imported pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers.
• The authors call for the protection of staple crops and seed diversity against the introduction of genetically modified (GM) or biotech engineered varieties, which they claim are unnecessary.
• The signatories demand a development path based on food sovereignty, which they define as the right of peoples to control farming practices, maintain local knowledge, and save and use their own seeds.

APA

admin (2013). Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized! Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-africa-africa-is-sovereign-and-will-not-be-re-colonized/

Chicago

admin. Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized! Friends of the Earth International, 2013. https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-africa-africa-is-sovereign-and-will-not-be-re-colonized/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized! |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=22 August 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-africa-africa-is-sovereign-and-will-not-be-re-colonized/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2013africa, author = {admin}, title = {{Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized!}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-africa-africa-is-sovereign-and-will-not-be-re-colonized/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }