Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa - Political Forum

Inan’Ta · #1 (**permalink**) 08-05-2007, 06:24 PM

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Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa

By Uzodinma Iweala
Sunday, July 15, 2007; Page B07
Washingon Post

Last fall, shortly after I returned from Nigeria, I was accosted by a perky blond college student whose blue eyes seemed to match the "African" beads around her wrists.

"Save Darfur!" she shouted from behind a table covered with pamphlets urging students to TAKE ACTION NOW! STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR!

My aversion to college kids jumping onto fashionable social causes nearly caused me to walk on, but her next shout stopped me.

"Don't you want to help us save Africa?" she yelled.

It seems that these days, wracked by guilt at the humanitarian crisis it has created in the Middle East, the West has turned to Africa for redemption. Idealistic college students, celebrities such as Bob Geldof and politicians such as Tony Blair have all made bringing light to the dark continent their mission. They fly in for internships and fact-finding missions or to pick out children to adopt in much the same way my friends and I in New York take the subway to the pound to adopt stray dogs.

This is the West's new image of itself: a sexy, politically active generation whose preferred means of spreading the word are magazine spreads with celebrities pictured in the foreground, forlorn Africans in the back. Never mind that the stars sent to bring succor to the natives often are, willingly, as emaciated as those they want to help.

Perhaps most interesting is the language used to describe the Africa being saved. For example, the Keep a Child Alive/" I am African" ad campaign features portraits of primarily white, Western celebrities with painted "tribal markings" on their faces above "I AM AFRICAN" in bold letters. Below, smaller print says, "help us stop the dying."

Such campaigns, however well intentioned, promote the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death. News reports constantly focus on the continent's corrupt leaders, warlords, "tribal" conflicts, child laborers, and women disfigured by abuse and genital mutilation. These descriptions run under headlines like "Can Bono Save Africa?" or "Will Brangelina Save Africa?" The relationship between the West and Africa is no longer based on openly racist beliefs, but such articles are reminiscent of reports from the heyday of European colonialism, when missionaries were sent to Africa to introduce us to education, Jesus Christ and "civilization."

There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one's cultural superiority. My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a (usually) wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a well-meaning college student speaks of villagers dancing because they were so grateful for her help, I cringe. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a Western protagonist, I shake my head -- because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West's fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West's prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems.

Why do the media frequently refer to African countries as having been "granted independence from their colonial masters," as opposed to having fought and shed blood for their freedom? Why do Angelina Jolie and Bono receive overwhelming attention for their work in Africa while Nwankwo Kanu or Dikembe Mutombo, Africans both, are hardly ever mentioned? How is it that a former mid-level U.S. diplomat receives more attention for his cowboy antics in Sudan than do the numerous African Union countries that have sent food and troops and spent countless hours trying to negotiate a settlement among all parties in that crisis?

Two years ago I worked in a camp for internally displaced people in Nigeria, survivors of an uprising that killed about 1,000 people and displaced 200,000. True to form, the Western media reported on the violence but not on the humanitarian work the state and local governments -- without much international help -- did for the survivors. Social workers spent their time and in many cases their own salaries to care for their compatriots. These are the people saving Africa, and others like them across the continent get no credit for their work.

Last month the Group of Eight industrialized nations and a host of celebrities met in Germany to discuss, among other things, how to save Africa. Before the next such summit, I hope people will realize Africa doesn't want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth.

Uzodinma Iweala is the author of "Beasts of No Nation," a novel about child soldiers.

The West feels guilty for Colonialism, manipulating African regimes during the Cold War to their political advantage( then providing them with the arms to slaughter their populace), and of course their wealth. Their aid should not be shunned, but neither should it be mindlessly lapped up - for not all help is beneficial in the long term, and may serve to prevent the country from developing required infrastructure, and make it reliant upon others for key resources.

Other than being more selective with the aid they receive, they can take advantage of their vast mineral resources, invest into the huge tourism industry, and tap into numerous niche markets.

Brother Oz · #2 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 07:06 AM

Interesting article.
I visited Kenya a couple of years ago, and I was actually really quite impressed. I mean, yes, out in the countryside they do live in miserably poor villages, and there was a famine going on, and the slums were, well, slums, but it wasn't nearly as poor as all the charity adverts make out. In the cities at least, there were businessmen, office buildings, adverts, a lot of people had mobile phones, lots of minibuses provided transportation, and all the men were smartly dressed in shoes and shirts. Now, I guess they have to show you the worst in order to raise money, but I do wonder whether in the long term this starves Africa of a)self-confidence, b)tourism, and c)business investment. Because everyone's under the impression that it's so miserably poor. The only people I met who really were as wretched as the adverts make out were in a Masai village where the houses were made of wood and cowpat, the children were covered in fleas, and they still practiced genital mutilation. But those people chose to live that way. Most of the Africans I saw didn't live that way. It reminded me more of 18th or 19th century Europe in terms of general living standards, an agricultural society industrialising, rather than the primitive society that it's often presented as.

Sebelius for VP, not Hillary · #3 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 07:16 AM

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There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one's cultural superiority.

Yeah, I agree. Angelina Jolie adopting a poor African kid makes her an evil snobbish bitch. I donated some money to Africa too because I am culturally elitist asshole. Anyone who does a good deed for Africa is obviously a racist, culturally oppressive hater.

Dummies like the author are exactly what Africa does not need.

WEB

Wolfman · #4 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 09:46 AM

I agree! with WEB

Brother Oz · #5 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 11:45 AM

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Yeah, I agree. Angelina Jolie adopting a poor African kid makes her an evil snobbish bitch. I donated some money to Africa too because I am culturally elitist asshole. Anyone who does a good deed for Africa is obviously a racist, culturally oppressive hater.

Dummies like the author are exactly what Africa does not need.

I don't agree that some people are doing to "affirming cultural superiority" (for one thing, racists tend to say it's all the African's fault and they shouldn't be given any help), but I can agree with the idea that many high-profile charity givers, celebrities and the like, are more concerned with looking good and feeling good about how incredibly generous they are, than with actually helping.

Sebelius for VP, not Hillary · #6 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 12:00 PM

Like who, Oz? Who is helping Africa just to look good?

WEB

Sebelius for VP, not Hillary · #7 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 12:01 PM

I think the author of that article is someone with a low self-esteem. THE AUTHOR is more concerned with Africa looking good than he is with actually saving people's lives down there.

africanhope · #8 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 12:25 PM

I think this is a case where both sides havesome truth on their side. Let me firstmake it clear. Just giving aid to Africa has not worked, and will not work. Much more is needed, including free trade. Africa must not be safed, but Africa must be helped to help herself.

It is good that some highflying celebs has but Africa on the agenda. But you get good ones and bad ones. I find Bono to do good work. I also think Operha does some good work, although her methods sometimes show little understanding of the African way of doing things. Madona's adoption I do not aprove of, and I have many friends living in Namibia (I used to work there) and they have nothing good to sday about Jolie and Pitts taking over of Swakopmund for the birth of their baby.

I have no problem with Africa being helped, but it is the way she is helped that we must seriously consider, and, I mustagree with Oz, the image we do project of Africa when we do these things.

AH

Aegis · #9 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 12:30 PM

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Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

I think the author of that article is someone with a low self-esteem. THE AUTHOR is more concerned with Africa looking good than he is with actually saving people's lives down there.

I agree. With certain exceptions Africa is a train wreck socially and economically. The cause? Years of internal warfare and a leadership that has leeched the wealth of Africa for their personal gain.

The author's solution would seem to be leave us alone and we'll solve our own problems. They haven't managed to do so very well in the past so what makes anyone think that Africa can go it alone in the future?

I too donate monthly for the care of a child in Uganda. Why does that make me an elitist or a snob? I'm just trying to help someone. Why should I feel guilty about African colonialism?

africanhope · #10 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 12:38 PM

Sorry, when did Africa have the opertunity to do things on their own? I am not deyning that Africans should take responsibility for their own shortcommings, but the world did play a role. Many of those corrupt dictators where kept in place by both sides during the cold war, when Africa was used as a pawn, and quite a few proxy wars fought there, some of wich still continue

AH