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7/08/2005 |
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The G-8 Screws Africa, Again | |
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Everyone is listening to Live 8 and the G-8, but is anybody truly listening to the people of Africa. Der Spiegel has a fascinating article everyone should read. It is an interview with Kenyan Economist James Shikwati in which he says,"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!" Mr. Shikwati explains that the countries who are the worst off are the ones who get the most aid. The Aid keeps the bureaucracies and crooked leaders in place. Also, food aid is pilfered by the leaders and distributed to their tribes to strengthen support and/or sold on the black market. He further explains that the AIDS epidemic is a huge exaggeration designed to illicit additional funds. A favorite quote of mine from the article is, "Millions of dollars earmarked for the fight against AIDS are still stashed away in Kenyan bank accounts and have not been spent. Our politicians were overwhelmed with money, and they try to siphon off as much as possible. The late tyrant of the Central African Republic, Jean Bedel Bokassa, cynically summed it up by saying: 'The French government pays for everything in our country. We ask the French for money. We get it, and then we waste it.'" Donations of food undercut the African Farmers, donations of clothes eliminate the African tailor. Africa has vast resources of gold, diamonds and oil, but because of the corrupt governments supported by Western Aid, the money from those industries does not get directed to the populace who needs it most. "If they really want to fight poverty, they should completely halt development aid and give Africa the opportunity to ensure its own survival. Currently, Africa is like a child that immediately cries for its babysitter when something goes wrong. Africa should stand on its own two feet." This case is further evidenced by a second Der Spiegel article Choking on Aid Money in Africa. The chart in this article evidences that the countries most in need of debt reduction are the countries who receive the most aid from the west. Read than again if you need to. One would think that giving aid would assist a country. However, the aid has made these countries too reliant on foreign funds. What happens in these countries if the they can no longer suckle from the fat pig of the West? This revolving door must close, and as Mr. Shikwati stated, "Africa should stand on its own two feet." If they really want to help Africa, help them convert the raw materials into usable goods. Send or experts to their countries and teach them the ways of farming and industrialization. Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. By sending money, we are giving these nations the proverbial fish. It is time we teach them how to fish. |
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