Translation: my solutions

No room for the world’s poorest in Merkel’s plan

The G20 only discusses/addresses Africa when troubles arise. Now Africa’s most successful countries are being considered for economic aid. It’s a plan that disregards those who would most need it.

There has to be a real problem for Africa to be a topic at the G20 summit.

At the beginning of this decade, there was danger of the world’s richest countries not reaching their modest UN targets for combating poverty. And so there was talk of help for Africa in Toronto in 2010.

In 2014, the world’s most powerful countries feared a global outbreak of Ebola, of which at least 11,000 people fell victim in West Africa. Subsequently an official summit statement was given in Brisbane.

And in 2017? The German G20 presidency’s announcement of the summit topic, delivered by the German Chancellery, initially sounds extremely positive: with the cooperation of African nations, a better climate for investment will be established. (It's) a new deal for Africa’s wealth and prosperity, so to speak.

But question arises: why now? Ugly images immediately call to mind: Central and Northern Europe predominantly walled themselves off to African refugees last year. And thousands drown in the Mediterranean every year when their non-seaworthy vessels sink.

Those who have perished remind us that, among the over 50 countries that make up the African continent, only South Africa belongs to the G20. And that tens of thousands – driven out by war, poverty, and a lack of opportunities – wish to emigrate. For this reason, the unspoken/unuttered motto with regard to policies about Africa has been to border people in and prevent their mobility.

Since Africa is a topic for the summit, it is also now the stage for the usually low-profile German minister for economic cooperation and development Gerd Müller, whose proposal is entitled the Marshall Plan with Africa. According to Müller, economic growth is Africa’s key to prosperity, progress that is in Germany’s interest. Investors will bring in lucrative business, causing fewer people make the precarious journey to Europe.

Data from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development show how hesitant German investors have been to date: German investment and trading volume with sub-Saharan countries is negligible. Fewer than 1% of all global direct investments from Germany are made there.  

The fantastic four

Nobody expected a musical revelation, but 4:44, Jay-Z’s newest album, is a resounding success all the same. He even makes a profound apology for his infidelity towards wife Beyoncé.

Let’s talk about money. Raw quantity thereof is the reason why Jay-Z’s newest album has been greatly anticipated by media outlets that could not be more removed from the world of hip hop since the announcement of its release several weeks ago.

And now he’s released it –first exclusively on his own streaming service Tidal, of course. It’s called 4:44, which according to Jay-Z was the time when the song washed over him in his sleep. He claims it’s his career best, which began 20 years ago with the release of Reasonable Doubt.

In 4:44, the 47-year-old is coming from a decidedly mature place when he apologizes to wife Beyoncé for his affair, which she had already hinted at/alluded to on her outstanding latest album Lemonade and for which her sister Solange also famously slapped him. And while Jay-Z is now portraying himself as family man and responsible spouse, one hardly misses the second layer, perhaps the meta-level, when one types in the album’s title while pressing the shift key and three dollar signs appear.

There isn’t a rapper alive who doesn’t claim to be the richest and the best, Jay-Z included. But in his case, it just happens to be true. So many of his albums successfully defend this superlative in addition to his 21 Grammies, particularly those early ones from 2003 when he took some time off to become CEO of the storied Def Jam Records. Financially speaking, he lives up to the namesake of his company Roc-a-Fella, which, in addition to producing music, sells clothing and champagne and manages athletes.

A rapper in the billionaires’ circle

Shawn Carter, Jay-Z’s given name, will soon be rubbing shoulders with Scrooge McDuck and Donald Trump in the  billionaires’ club. But don’t expect him to warm up to the latter: the Carters are known for being friends with the Obamas and for having supported Hillary Clinton. Jay-Z comes from a disadvantaged inner-city background and places much importance on where he came from in his 13^th album.

At least topically-speaking, he’s raised the stakes this time and appears to be trying to match the critical and enraged tone of Beyoncé. But in fact his artistic shift in focusing on black inner city life to addressing his African heritage has been underway for some time now. In his last album Magna Carta, he invoked Africa in the song “Ocean” and in “Picasso, Baby”, he accused haters from the rap elite of being tone-deaf when he bragged about purchasing high art à la Leonardo, Warhol and Basquiat, all whilst proclaiming himself the new Picasso. He was in the right place when he rapped tracks from his album for six hours straight in MoMA visitors’ faces (including performance artist Marina Abramovic’s).