Just a kiss? / Oh Africa!

This week the column focuses on two current international situations which, though far away from our shores, have implications for all of us. I begin with the unfortunate situation which has developed in Spain following that country’s victory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup of football.

JUST A KISS?

That situation was the reprehensible action of the President of the Spanish Football Federation in grabbing the head of one of the Spanish players, Jenni Hermoso, and planting a full-blooded kiss on her mouth, apparently as a means of congratulation. A weird interpretation, I must say. Immediately there was negative worldwide reaction, understandably so. It is one thing to kiss a person on the cheek as is accepted in many countries, but all and sundry could see the action on television, and it must stretch the imagination to call this a congratulatory smack.

But that was only the first ripple of the storm for following the global criticism, there was a senseless reaction by both the offending official, Luis Robiales, and the Spanish Federation. They rubbished the criticism and gave support to Robiales’ claim that the kiss was “consensual”, and in fact put pressure on the senorita to say words to that effect. Now why would she agree to a public consensual kiss in front of the view of the world? And why would the President want to do such a thing?

Buoyed by this apparent show of support, Robiales aggressively addressed his membership in the face of calls for his resignation, defiantly refusing to do so and even being applauded by some members of his Federation. But that is when things began to go awry. The offended player made it plain that it was not a “consensual kiss” and that she was sexually assaulted as seemed obvious from the live coverage.

In addition, she received the backing of not only the Spanish team but a wider cross-section of leading players who declared that they would not play for Spain if no action was taken. The Spanish World Cup coaches, bar one, the Head Coach, who had been backed by Robiales in a pre-World Cup dispute, also resigned. Much more was to follow.

The sexual assault and dismissal of it as “just a kiss” came in the wake of widespread allegations of racism in Spanish football. Now racism and sexism are social bedfellows but increasingly unacceptable in the modern world, including sport. It came to the attention of Spain, its government and football authorities, that their joint bid with Portugal and Morocco to stage the 2030 FIFA World Cup was in jeopardy if Spanish football was tainted with these twin stains.

So, there came a sudden about-turn with the Spanish authorities calling for Robiales’ resignation and even prosecution. Spanish interests were now in jeopardy and Robiales and his “kiss’ were to be jettisoned.

But the whole matter is bigger than all of this. It relates to the age-old apparent privilege of people in positions of power to abuse women and get away with it. “What happen why you are getting on so, is only a kiss?”, some would say, or a mere “touch on the breast”, or buttock. It is an assault on the rights of women and must be ended. Women of SVG are physically far from the scene but they know the scenario. Speak out now so that all those here who contemplate or practise such behaviour must be brought to heel.

“Just a kiss”, they say. Tell them where to kiss…

OH AFRICA!

The Caribbean, with countries like St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados leading the charge, is quite correctly pursuing its destiny in forging closer relations with Africa. Trade and economic relations, cultural cooperation and global coordination on matters like climate change and reparations are the main issues on the agenda.

But it must be worrying to Caribbean countries, certainly their people if not all their leaders, about the constant instability on the continent, the propensity of leaders towards undemocratic rule, lasting decades in some instances, which themselves tend to create the conditions for military intervention in the forms of coups. Too often though, these coups, often welcomed by people anxious to be rid of leaders displaying undemocratic tendencies, veer away from their populist origins and sometimes require further military intervention. Thus, the cycle continues.

The latest of these, just weeks after a coup in Niger, came on Wednesday this week in the oil and mineral-rich country of Gabon in central Africa. There, the people have been plagued by a parasitic family, the Bongo family, living “high off the hog” and in conjunction with foreign corporations and the military protection of France, the biggest parasite in African flesh, bleeding precious resources while leaving the people to wallow in poverty.

I shall develop this theme in later columns but suffice it to say, that we cannot be talking “oneness” with Africa unless we also show interest in democracy there, support resistance to the continued rape of African resources and the support by foreign countries for undemocratic regimes which suppress the African people. We have a stake in that also.

• Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.