Comillas analyses Africa’s role in the world

The African continent is economy, health and international relations. Three points of view came together in a new round table of the Multilingualism and Multiculturalism cycle organised at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Comillas CIHS). Under the title "Africa, inclusive vision and social equity: global cooperation analysis in health and economics", speakers addressed the main economic trends in Africa nowadays, the consequences of the pandemic, the impact of other diseases such as malaria, cholera and HIV, and the concept of "ubuntu".

The speakers agreed that diseases in Africa are a health emergency that put the whole world at risk. "We must close the inequality gap when it comes to access to medicines and vaccines," requests José Luis de la Flor, lecturer in various subjects on global health and health security on the Master's Degree in Cooperation (UCM) and on the Bachelor's Degree in International Relations at Comillas Pontifical University, after seeing that the COVAX mechanism, a global partnership to buy vaccines for Africa, has not had the reach they hoped for. De la Flor says that addressing health is not the same as addressing sickness. "Traditionally, in Africa, we used to focus on the disease, but for decades now, efforts have been made to ensure primary health," he said.

On his behalf, José María Mella, Senior Fellow Emeritus in Economy at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, spoke about the main economic trends in Africa nowadays. Alfredo Dos Santos, lecturer at the Faculty of Law (Comillas ICADE) on the Master's Degree in International Development Cooperation and on the Master's Degree in International Migration at Comillas, analysed the concept of "ubuntu", the African paradigm of cooperation, solidarity and development. "Ubuntu is the basis of African community life that expresses the interconnection of individuals with each other and with nature," Dos Santos explained. "It is the antithesis of individualism, capitalism and selfishness”.