[HPFGU-Catalogue] Re: Live8

[ewe2]

On Mon, Jul 04, 2005 at 08:17:34PM -0000, Carolyn White wrote:

> Here's what they thought of it in Africa:
> 
> http://thinkersroom.blogspot.com/2005/06/live-aid-please.html

Ouch. A lot of ouchies. I think this comment summed it up best:

This is a great post and reflects my feelings and thoughts to the letter. I
want to take issue with anonymous who seems to be of the impression that
Africans who do not apreciate the Geldof's of the world are giving a free pass
to the Mugabes. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, aid and
charity have been intimately connected to dictatorship in Africa. Most
governments face the West more than they do their own people because they know
there is a ready source of funds to be gained based on the misery of their
people. The incentives are perverse. It is only by rejecting the centrality of
Western charity to our lives that we shall begin to deal with our problems on
the basis that no one is going to save us except ourselves.

And on this matter of being saved. Africa has been a perpetual charity project
for the west for the last few hundred years. Even during the height of slavery
and colonialism, the mission was always represented as one of mercy and
salvation. When King Leopold II of Belgium did away with ten million
Congolese, effectively halving the country's population, between 1880 and
1920, he was doing so in the name of saving a benighted people. How ironic
that the band wagon rolls on, how ironic and disgusting that Africa's leaders
and NGO junkies still turn to the very Belgium, Britain, France etc to save
us. How many lessons must we learn before it finally dawns on us that there is
no-one looking out for you?

MMK (http://www.blogger.com/profile/7421895)

That said, I still think removing a compound interest debt isn't a bad thing.
I only wish it was for all third world countries, and not so they can sell
their governments more weapons.

Go here for my own pomposity:

http://ewe2.ath.cx/blog/?p=3

-- 
sed awk grep cat dd ..Im a luser baby ,so why don't you killall -kill me.