Carter’s African legacy saluted

With former US President Jimmy Carter opting for hospice care at his home in Georgia, John Stremlau has reflected on his commitment to non-racialism and human rights at home shaped his interest and engagement in Africa. In a News24 analysis, Stremlau notes that his opposition to racism and his support for human rights are legendary, made more compelling by his life-long commitment to live among rural Georgians where segregation was severe and discrimination remains prevalent today. ‘This enduring commitment to non-racialism and human rights at home also shaped his interest and engagement in Africa. Carter’s behind-the-scenes role in supporting the 1979 Lancaster House agreement, which led to Zimbabwean independence, was among his greatest diplomatic achievements. Many years later, I was told by a close adviser to longtime Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe that, had Carter had said had he won a second term, he would work to raise US funds to facilitate a key element of the peace accord, land reform based on “willing seller, willing buyer”. The election of Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, however, resulted in a very different US policy of “constructive engagement” in southern Africa. It was widely perceived among anti-aparthed groups in the US and presumably in Africa as helping to ease the pressure of the Carter era against white minority rule. Carter told me several times that he spent more time pursuing peace in southern Africa than he did in the Middle East.’