“Come all you young sailormen, and listen to me!” a voice booms, “I’ll sing you a song of the fish in the sea!” (Ubisoft). The images that enter one’s head from this song is probably what people would think of when they hear the word “pirates”. The term “African pirates” brings a different connotation than just “pirates”. The Tom Hanks and the 2013 movie “Captain Phillips” comes to mind instead of old timey pirates sailing the seven seas.
Yet as cheerful as the previous sea shanty may be, West African pirates are quite the opposite. In the past, most of Africa’s piracy stemmed from Somalia due to the cargo being exported. In 2011 alone, piracy in Somalia accounted for more than half of the attacks and hijackings worldwide (WSC).
After the government had put in place measures and actions to reduce piracy (SA), the pirate attacks and hijackings had declined. But, the pirates didn’t simply leave Africa, they have shifted towards West Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea. The reason for this appeared to be due to the lack of cargo going through Somalia, and the oil going out of West Africa (IPD). With 100 billion dollars worth of crude oil stolen out of West Africa since 1960 (UNNC), what will the African governments do to combat this emerging form of piracy?
Possible short-term solutions have been proposed and are in practice. They range from outfitting ships with pirate deterrents (SA), to military action from foreign nations (BBC).
Long-term solutions would come from government action, as most countries have agreed (ANS). Piracy originates from the unstable economy created by the country’s corruption. To permanently rid West Africa of all piracy, the government must work on an economic reform. Piracy fuels the existing corruption and creates more crime and instability (Economist). However, West African government is not alone in this fight. The all of five members of the UN Security council have sent forces in aid, the first time since World War Two (GALE).
Though some of the short-term solutions may seem a little extreme for cargo and oil rigs, they do present a practical solution that would work nearly immediately (SA). The agreed long-term solution is significant change in government to completely remove corruption from the country (Economist). As the sea shanty says: “Up jumps the whale, the largest of all. If you want any wind, well, I'll blow ye a squall!” (Ubisoft).
Works Cited
"Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Soundtrack - Fish in the Sea." YouTube. YouTube, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"Danger Zone: Chasing West Africa's Pirates - BBC News." BBC News. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"How East African Piracy Ended, and Lessons West Africa Can Learn to End Crime on Its Waters." Somali Agenda. 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
"Piracy in West Africa | Africa Renewal Online." UN News Center. UN. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
"Piracy in West Africa Targets the Region's Oil Industry." International Policy Digest. 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
"UN Authorises Naval Forces to Fight Piracy in East Africa." Africa News Service 18 Nov. 2015. Global Issues In Context. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
"The Ungoverned Seas." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 29 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Piracy." World Shipping Council. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
1) My favorite aspect of the piece was how you connected the term "pirates" to the reader's stereotypes, and later explained what it truly meant to Africans.
ReplyDelete2) My main take away was that there is a huge black market of corruption in Africa that pirates are fueling and needs to be stopped.
3) How did pirates first come to Africa, and what made them want to do their business there?