Can you imagine being born 50 years ago with poison in your system; assured that the only remedy is death? That was the fate of about three million Vietnamese who were sprayed herbicides called Agent Orange, specially manufactured by the United States (US) to ensure the victims were not only exterminated but also that their offspring would continue to die for decades.
The American plan followed the same logic of deliberately spraying a farm with toxic herbicide to control or kill weeds. The Americans were conscious of the long-term effects of spraying the chemical on human beings.
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Wednesday, 30 April as the fiftieth commemoration of the end of the US war on the Vietnamese was being commemorated, millions of Vietnamese people are still suffering or dying from the effects of the 11.22 million gallons of the Agent Orange chemical sprayed on them across 20 million acres, from August 1965 to 1971. The victims and their offspring as a result, suffer, amongst other things, from miscarriages, severe birth defects, B-cell leukemia, bladder cancer, lung cancer, Type-2 diabetes and Parkinson disease.
The unintended victims included the invading US troops as 300,000 US veterans also died from exposure to Agent Orange.
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The US Cleveland Clinic established in 1921, explains why the chemical was so devastating: “Agent Orange contains a chemical called dioxin. Dioxin is a compound made from burning chlorine with carbon and hydrogen. The molecules of these chemicals are toxic to plants, animals and humans. When dioxin enters your body, it can damage or destroy vital organs, cells, your immune system and your hormones. Dioxin is a carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer. Agent Orange was extremely deadly because the US sprayed 20 times more than the manufacturer recommended in the environment.”
Despite being subjected to such agony with effects as devastating as the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnamese refused to surrender, until they achieved victory over the Americans. To them: “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.”
The victory came after 30 years of resistance from 1945: first against inhuman French colonialism, then criminal American imperialism. In the war against France, over 200,000 Vietnamese lost their lives, while France and its European and American allies lost over 70,000 soldiers with 65,000 injured and 40,000 taken prisoner. In the one against the US in which the Americans also used other chemicals, including Agent White, Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent Pink and Agent Green, about two million Vietnamese were killed while US lost 58,202 soldiers with 75,000 severely disabled.
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On the significance of the Vietnamese victory half a century ago, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam wrote this week that: “It left a powerful mark on the international stage, giving strong momentum to national liberation movements across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It encouraged nations to rise up against neo-colonialism and reclaim their right to freedom and independence. It was a triumph of justice over tyranny, an affirmation to the international community that even a small nation, armed with a just cause, unity, and unyielding will, and with the wholehearted support of international friends, progressive forces, and peace-loving people around the world, can defeat powers many times stronger.”
As for the future, Lam said: “We cannot rewrite history, but we can shape up our future. The past is to remember, to be grateful for, and to learn lessons from. The future is for building, creating, and developing together. That is the honourable promise of today’s generation to those who laid down their lives, as well as the common aspiration of a nation that has endured great suffering, yet has never been defeated.”
Just as Vietnam is looking forward to the future, so are Mexico and Nigeria who are unsure how the Trump administration might impact on them. This is more so in an era of unreasonable tariffs.
Therefore, on 29 April in Abuja, they inaugurated and commissioned the Nigeria-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, hoping to build on the modest beginnings already achieved. The Chambers says, for instance, the dried hibiscus flowers from Nigeria, locally called Zobo, “has successfully entered the Mexican market—generating over $3 billion in annual sales.”
It is a crop that grows widely in Northern Nigeria and the health benefits from the drink include reduced blood pressure, cells protection against damage (antioxidants) and improved heart health.
The President of the new Chamber, Ms Arim Topete, grew up in Mexico and has lived and worked in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry in the last 15 years. She posited that: “Mexico is an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse with the capacity to support Nigeria’s infrastructure development and growing consumer market.” Topete said, simultaneously: “Nigeria’s vast agricultural and natural resources could provide essential inputs for Mexico’s industries.”
In situating the growing Nigeria-Mexico co-operation within the socio-economic global politics, Topete said: “This Chamber is more than a business platform; it is part of a growing global movement showing that countries in the Global South are ready to lead, work together and shape trade and business opportunities in our own terms. For too long, our regions have engaged with each other primarily through third parties or out-dated paradigms. We are now entering a new era—one where cooperation between us is direct, equal, and driven by our shared goals.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukthar Maiha, held that Nigeria with its huge livestock has a lot to learn from Mexico. He said although the civil war in Sudan is unfortunate, it has left a huge gap in livestock supply which Nigeria can fill. He said Nigeria itself is a huge market, remarking that if 47 million school children are provided milk, that is already a big market.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who spoke through Ambassador Anderson Madubuike, said Nigeria needs to build its local resources and, on the basis of this, reach out to other economies, adding that: “You must use two hands to wash your hands.”
Mexican Ambassador Alfredo Miranda provided statistics on what Mexico has to offer Nigeria. This includes its being the 12th largest economy in the world, with a Gross Domestic Product of $1.8 trillion. A significant reduction of government borrowing needs from 1.99 trillion Mexican pesos to 1.43 trillion Mexican pesos. An inflation under control and forecast decline to 3.8 per cent by 2025. A global export leader with over $1 trillion with 83 per cent of exports to the US being non-oil and automotive products alone accounting for over 35 per cent of manufacturing exports.
He lamented that trade between Nigeria and Mexico is paltry, hence the need for the Chambers which can move their joint trade up from the paper weight category.
Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
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