Somebody
Has To Do It
By Dahr Jamail
10 December, 2004
Dahrjamailiraq.com
While billions of US taxpayer dollars
have been awarded in lucrative contracts to companies such as Bechtel
and Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root, there are few signs
that any reconstruction has actually taken place in war torn Iraq.
The infrastructure
is in a state of collapse, with 70% unemployment.
One reason for this
incredibly high rate is that out of $1.5 Billion in contracts paid out
of Iraqs funds, 85% has gone to US and British companies who rarely
hire Iraqis.
Iraqi firms, by
contrast, have received 2% of the contracts paid for with the same Iraqi
funds.
Fadl Abid Oda, 30
years old, has taken it upon himself to do something that western companies
in Iraq have failed to do.
In a tiny room off
a busy street in the Orfali district of Baghdad, Fadl stands in his
small library.
Anyone can
take a book from here, he says, People can take smaller
books for three days, six days for larger books. But anyone who wants
to read here in the library, its ok, he can get any book he wants.
There is a shelf
of tattered books on one of the walls. The front of the library, which
is actually an old vegetable stall, opens to the street. The 8 chairs
which line the 12x12 room are filled with people reading
books.
While companies
like KBR have been investigated for overcharging the US government $61
million for importing fuel into Iraq, Fadl is pleased with his project.
We are working
on very little finances, so we are trying to connect with anyone who
can get us any book, he says while waving his hand across the
small bookshelf, The budget for this project is now $200. We do
this by taking 75 cents per month from people who read here. We try
to bring even CDs for computers, and anything else that is cheap.
Hashim Ashure, a
24 year-old who regularly visits the tiny library, sits in one of the
old chairs with a book in his hand.
My reading
is not that good, but we are learning about reading and writing and
how useful it is. Before I was a soldier and it was a very difficult
life and I didnt have any time to read, he says while shifting
an old book back and forth in his hands, But now it is very useful
for me, and I like to come here everyday at night to read. I find it
is very fun and its beautiful to learn. I feel like I was blind
before.
Last January Bechtel
Corporation was awarded another contract which included repairing Iraqs
electricity grids. While the contract is valued at up to $1.8 Billion,
most of Baghdad averages less than 6 hours of electricity per day.
Fadl bends over
to light the two small candles on his table.
We cant
really call this a library, but this is the best we can do. Somebody
has to do it, he says while holding out his arms. It is
a small place with a few chairs, with one table, and we have a little
bit of books. We wish that our library will help educate people. We
want to educate all the youth in my neighborhood.