Overview
My dissertation addresses two main concerns on the fraught intertwining of development and human rights in the United Nations: the omission of the main theorist and practitioner of “right to development”, Kéba Mbaye; and, avoiding events from the Global South, such as the Nigerian-Biafran War. Together, these problems produce straightforward arguments of a radical Third World idea being co-opted through the 1970s. Instead, my project proposes us to consider the evolution of “right to development” as bound with both actors working at the highest levels of the UN, as well as UN bureaucrats working on the ground and local people.
Kéba Mbaye and Right to Development
Kéba Mbaye was born in Kaloack, Senegal on 5 Aug 1924 to a tirailleur and a seamstress. From this modest childhood, he would serve as President of Senegal’s Supreme Court, Chairman of United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and Vice-President of International Olympic Committee. He is most known for his work in re-integrating post-Apartheid South Africa into the IOC. However, he also envisioned a hopeful anti-imperialist future. He believed “each person has a right to live and to live better,” but not at the expense of their own humanity.
Nigeria-Biafran War (1967-1970): Famine or Reconstruction?
In the 1960s, Nigeria received ample technical assistance support in developing several sectors of its economy, namely the oil industry in Rivers State. With the outbreak of war in 1967 between Federal Nigeria and Biafra, the Federal government used food as a weapon and starved Biafrans into surrender. The two above pictures exemplify the dilemma UN and NGO bureaucrats found themselves in. On the left, do they fund and build a road from the oil producing areas inland? Or, do they feed the starving families on the right? In short, this war highlights the direct and practical consequences of the choices of UN and NGO bureaucrats, as well as the impetus for the evolution of “right to development” as an idea and praxis in the early-1970s.
Summary: Striving for Equality in an Unequal World
My project brings together the story of Kéba Mbaye as a Third Wordlist scholar and practitioner with the stories of the Nigerian-Biafran War. As UN and NGO bureaucrats struggled with war and famine, Kéba envisioned a future without such a binary. A future in which all people could have “better lives” without surrendering their rights. Right to development was that future — why it never came to fruition is another story.
Check out my work and presentations for more information. As always, feel free to contact me about my project!
Archives and Sources
UNARMS, New York City
UNARMS in New York City was one of my first stops. Here, I dived into the remaining records of UNDP missions and projects in Federal Nigeria. With the help of the archivists, I found communications of U Thant regarding his political stance on the war. (Hint: He was not a fan of Biafra) Records of UN bureaucrats working in the field and unofficial communiques are an essential foundation to my project.
UNOG, Geneva
UNOG was my final stop in Geneva. After a long declassification and clearance process, I looked at internal memorandums and meeting minutes on right to development. I also examined communications between UN Geneva and UN NYC on famine relief during the Nigerian-Biafran War. Unlike UNARMS, many of these documents came from human rights actors and bodies.
ICRC, Geneva
ICRC was my second stop in Geneva where I examined communications between ICRC teams working on famine relief in Biafra and HQ in Geneva. After some help receiving clearances from the archivists, I read firsthand accounts of aid workers and Biafrans struggling during the famine. These people do more than bring a name to the story. They are fundamental to understanding the effects of choices made in NYC and Geneva.
ILO, Geneva
ILO Archives was my first stop in my trip to Geneva. In Nigeria, ILO and UNDP worked closely together. Here, I examined technical assistance documents and communications between field offices and HQ in Geneva. Thanks to the archivists, I accessed recently declassified folders on ILO and reconstruction of Southeast Nigeria.
Federal Nigerian Archives, Ibadan
The Federal Nigerian Archives was my last stop in my archival journey. Thank you to Dr. Felix Ajiola, Dr. Olutayo Adesina, and the archives staff for supporting my trip. During my stay, I looked at internal reports and memorandums from Ministry of Economic Development on reconstruction. I also researched reports from the Nigerian-Biafran War and testimonies from survivors. Working in Ibadan — and the Global South at large — must become a requirement to write about the region. Their sources and ideas are important to correcting our Global Northern gaze.
If you would like to work in the Federal Nigerian Archive in Ibadan, please contact me and I will help as best as I can.