The latest video of US President Joe Biden falling asleep during a summit – in Africa, this time – has been branded yet another ‘embarrassment’ for the outgoing US leader.
However, the incident is also emblematic of a deeper issue – namely, how the US and wider West merely feign interest in establishing genuine partnerships built on mutual benefit and respect. In reality, the African continent continues to be viewed primarily as a resource-extraction hub, fuelling the development of Western infrastructure. Its people, including impoverished Africans whose labour actually extracts these resources, are left to bear the social, economic and environmental costs, while the benefits are reaped mostly by those ensuring the poverty persists.
Biden’s summit-snooze happened in Angola. It was his first visit to Africa as US President – and he was there for talks with heads of state and investors regarding the US-funded Lobito Corridor. This is a rail road that’s set to link African mines to ports, thus providing greater convenience for modern-day European plunderers when it comes to getting our minerals out of the continent and onto Western markets.
Doubts over Biden’s mental fitness at 82 to govern saw him drop out of the presidential race – and his dropping off at the Lobito summit was no doubt due in part to his frailty. But he may as well have been telling his audience: “Just give us the minerals already, I’m tired of these formalities and having to pretend I care about Africa!”
Video credit: @FoxNews (on X)
Sources:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14157877/sleepy-joe-biden-africa-trains.html