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Global competition among growers has rendered most legal cash crop cultivation unprofitable, causing in Angola and Colombia a sharp decline in the production of these commodities. This has led to rural poverty and unemployment, as well as a loss of dynamism in legal rural business activity. Urban entrepreneurial centres have also suffered as a result of this. In Colombia, for example, increased international competition and quota restrictions have damaged the textile and sugar industries in MedellJ1n and Cali to such an extent that they now serve as centres of cocaine trafficking (Castells 1998:198). Furthermore, agricultural sector decline and collapse has led to food shortages, necessitating increased grain imports at high prices (given the USD-local currency exchange rate crisis). In both Angola and Colombia the price of staple foods has risen more rapidly than the already low wage (Keen 1996:557). Theoretically, Angola and Colombia should have the advantage of lower labour costs, but, apart from the acute civil strife and serious deficiencies in the institutional and physical infrastructure (in Angola's case), shortages of capital, entrepreneurial, technological and educational workforce, as well as a small domestic market for industrial output, have scared non-energy sector foreign investors away. In turn, inadequate investment has reduced capacity utilization in industry. As a late industrializer, Colombia has been less able to compete with the technologically advanced industrialized states, which dominate global trade with their ability to produce high quality products at much lower cost. A notable example is the negative impact that synthetic fibres have had on Colombia's traditional textile industry. Its industrial sector has a limited supply capacity that can meet exacting standards of cost, quality, reliability and delivery schedules. Angola's failure in this regard is almost complete. Both countries' economic failure is not a consequence of failure to take trade liberalization measures, but rather a failure to expand industrial commodity production for which there is a global demand. Worsening the domestic situation, Angola's population continues to grow faster than per capita income (Table 2 refers). In 1995, GNP per capita was a mere US$ 410, compared to Colombia's US$ 1910 for the same year (Castells 1998:91±92). Both are highly indebted states, with external debt of US$ 11 billion (Angola), and US$ 18 billion (Colombia) (1998 figures). A poor repayment record, particularly in the case of Angola, has largely cut off access to favourable, low-interest loans. A persistent inflationary environment (16,7% for Colombia, and 90% for Angola (1998), has caused local currency- US$ exchange rates to collapse. The exchange rates now run into the thousands: Angolan kwanza (NKz) 350 000 per US$ 1, and Colombian peso (Col$) 1562 per US$ 1 (February 1999). It is therefore clear that Angola, and to a lesser extent, Colombia, are locked into a cycle of poverty and underdevelopment from which there is no obvious escape. Unemployment is at an all-time apex of 19,8 per cent of the Colombian workforce, while the construction sector, the major employer of unskilled labour, is at a standstill. More than half of the workforce in Angola is unemployed. Subsequent application of socio-economic data and figures aims to `visualize' both states' level of current socio-economic failure (Mail and Guardian 1 July 1999:1±3; National Security 15 January 2000:1±2; Central Intelligence Agency 1999; Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe 1999). The World Bank's `Development diamond' (Figure 2), portrays four selected socio-economic indicators: (1) gross primary enrolment, (2) access to safe water, (3) GNP per capita, and (4) life expectancy. Comparing the corresponding averages for the income group to which Angola and Colombia belong (low and middle income developing states respectively), clearly indicates that, in the case of Angola, its position is remarkably below the group average. Colombia, on the other hand, fares much better in this regard. Table 1 indicates UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) figures for certain Third World developing countries, including Colombia and Angola. The same indicators are used, excluding access to safe water, calculated for each country on a range between 0 (lowest) and 1 (highest) value. The figures are for 1997. TABLE 1 Comparing Third World countries' HDI figures Country Human Development Index Sierra Leone 0,254 Angola 0,398 South Africa 0,695 Brazil 0,739 Colombia 0,768 Source: UNDP Human Development Report 1999:135± 137. From the above table it is evident that Colombia's performance is much better than that of Angola, even surpassing relatively strong and stable developing countries such as South Africa and Brazil. Table 2 reflects a compilation of certain key demographic pressure (population, health and education) indicators of Angola and Colombia compared to the corresponding averages for (low-income) developing states (where available). These indicators clearly reflect the magnitude of state failure in terms of physical well-being and socio-economic develop- 22 ISSN 0256±6060±Unisa Lat. Am. Rep. 16(2) 2000
FIGURE 2 Development diamond Source: World Bank: Angola and Colombia at a glance 1998. TABLE 2 Demographic pressures Indicator Angola Colombia Low-Income Average Population growth rate (2000 est.) 3,0% 1,3% 1,7% (1998 est.) Population distribution urban (1995) 32,2% 72,7% 38,4 (1997) Age distribution: age 15±64 (1998) 52% 62% 0 Life expectancy in years (2000 est.) 52,8 71,8 63 (1999 est.) Infant mortality (per 1 000 live births) 129,19 (1999 est.) 95 (2000 est.) 69 (1998 est.) Access to safe water (% of population) (1998 est.) 32 75 74 Access to health care (% of population) 24 (1996) 87 est. 0 Doctors per 10 000 people 1 (1997) 9 (1993) Adult literacy rate (% of population) (1997) 45 90,9 50,7 State expenditure by function as % of total expenditure: health education social security 1994 3,4%; 2,6% ; 1,4% 1993 5,4%; 19,0%; 7,8% *14,8 (1993±96 average) * data not available Source: World Bank: Angola and Colombia at a glance, 1998; Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe Country Profile Angola and Colombia, 1999, http://web.lexis-nexis.com; UNDP Development Report 1999:173±175, 179. ISSN 0256±6060±Unisa Lat. Am. Rep. 16(2) 2000 23
Page 1 and 2: VOLUME 16 NO 2 2000 UNISA CENTRE FO
Page 3 and 4: UNISA CENTRE FOR LATIN AMERICAN STU
Page 5 and 6: Editorial The wide range of interes
Page 7 and 8: ABSTRACT In an attempt to identify
Page 9 and 10: final military liberation in 1819)
Page 11 and 12: enrichment. Solving the resource ca
Page 13 and 14: ample resources in many sectors, en
Page 15 and 16: Spanish rule in Nuevo Reino de Gran
Page 17 and 18: syndicates exploit to the maximum t
Page 19 and 20: then, seriously considered compromi
Page 21 and 22: and Colombia with a reason to bypas
Page 23: war has made state and nation build
Page 27 and 28: particularly in the case of Colombi
Page 29 and 30: survival by capturing, controlling
Page 31 and 32: `capture', control and financial ex
Page 33 and 34: mercenary `security' companies and
Page 35 and 36: Mail and Guardian, (1999). `Angola'
Page 37 and 38: The cultural formation of Brazil an
Page 39 and 40: The following is an effort to provi
Page 41 and 42: the twentieth century many ruptures
Page 43 and 44: NOTES 1 For an excellent history of
Page 45 and 46: ABSTRACT Undertaking a research pro
Page 47 and 48: shaman's way of life, coupled with
Page 49 and 50: sclerops) and the otter (Ptenorura
Page 51 and 52: (which are strictly shamanic in cha
Page 53 and 54: others (Wolf 1991:58; Sharon 1978:3
Page 55 and 56: apprenticeship from evil spirits an
Page 57 and 58: explore both this world and other p
Page 59 and 60: spiritual support. Although the hea
Page 61 and 62: Academic freedom in Brazil by Pedro
Page 63 and 64: during military rule against schola
Page 65 and 66: President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Page 67 and 68: Guyana Guyana dedicated a cover sto
Page 69 and 70: The current YanomamoÈ scandal: Nee
Page 71 and 72: UCLAS Reports Cultural studies high
Page 73 and 74: The similarities between South Afri
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International donors meet in Teguci
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Soccer meets economics * PeleÂ and
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UCLAS news in brief LATIN AMERICA A
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PIANO PERFORMANCE AT UNIVERSITY OF
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In order to receive Unisa Latin Ame
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