We should be giving Africa condoms, not food.

I know how you feel. It seems like throwing money in a bottomless pit.

I would MUCH rather spend it making them self-sufficient, but sometimes it seems like too much is wrong to ever fix it.

We'd sooner put them all on a boat and send them to Australia and Finland and Denmark and Norway. Would solve a couple of tragedies.

This is a good proposal. But the problem remains that we already have a system of charity set up. In order to change it, it would take some serious organization. It is one thing for private charities to want to do something about this situation, but we need the backing of the government. Which brings me to my next point.

What about the peace corps? Most of the countries where US Peace Corps Volunteers are working are in Africa. The Peace Corps is certainly not over there to give people food. They are over there organizing business, educating children and adults, starting literacy programs, building hospitals, and a large portion of the Peace Corps is devoted to AIDS education and prevention in Africa. So perhaps we are wasting a lot of money sending food over to Africa, but I happen to think we are also spending a lot on the Peace Corps, which is a tremendous force on the continent.

At the risk of sounding like a dick, with the high incidence of infection in Africa, I wouldn't allow an African into my country without blood test results. I realize that sounds cold but there it is. Or anyone from any other place with a really large infection rate either for that matter.

Hi blueveinedthrobber - just wanted to say that i am an 'african' and have been to your country. actually, even to south carolina, very close to you. Yes africa has a very high disease rate, but i am an educated white woman from south africa. To say that you wouldn't allow an african into YOUR country is like me saying i wouldn't allow an american into my country because they might have been infected with the dirty water from Katrina.

When my husband and i were there we stayed on hilton head island because we have timeshare there. we then went to florida and proceeded to take a cruise through the caribbean. Everywhere we went people were shocked that we weren't black and just couldn't understand it. South Africa is a country of diversity to say the least, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but is sadly dominated by racial, cultural and political strife. Since the days of apartheid ended we have a black government who have done little to help the poor, in most places actually just made squalor worse because they have shared the wealth amongst a black elite. My husband, a white male with a doctorate in engineering struggles to find work because the black government would rather import chinese labour than give a white a job. I personally wish that the rest of the world would stop giving us handouts because they are just used to further political corruption and the poor black people are not helped. There is money for drugs to prevent the spread of aids but the president won't use it, he would rather let people die of aids because he still has enough people to vote for him in the next election. The money is just spread amongst himself and friends so that they can drive the fanciest cars and fly the most expensive private jets. I am just one of millions of voices who have had enough but don't have the means to stop it.

Re: We should be giving Africa condoms, not food.



After seeing all that trailer-trash and heavily armed wackjobs in the Sthn USA (really, they have money for guns and bullets and nothing education or healthcare?) who are all going to return to their hurricane-prone 'homelands' I wonder why we in the rest of the planet spend a moment grieving over the foolishness of Americans.

Next year there will be just as many hurricanes in the region - just as much loss of life and what will the richest and most 'advanced' nation in the world be doing? Absolving a war-mongering President, driving SUVs, not defending the right to dissent (but supporting that to bear arms), killing Iraqi civilians and blaming 'forrunners' for all of it.

bvt, there already are tests in place. perhaps not for tourist visa, but for all others- student, work visa, etc... most people from africa cannot even donate blood in the u.s. or people married to them or otherwise in contact.

i agree that aid to africa needs to be drastically restructured. focus should be on infrastructure, education. the North should also lift the hypocritical import tariffs, especially since it forced most african countries to 'liberalize' their economies and open them fully to other markets. now they're in a vulnerable position like a beegle on its back - no regulation protecting domestic markets, yet no access to northern markeds. result? wild dumping, rising cost of basic items, inability to compete.
food aid is just a bandaid for our bad conscience. though of course in some cases it is more then necessary for crisis situations -say darfur or niger (and there it's trickling in way too slow).

safricanmommy you misread. I didnt say I wouldn't let anyone from Africa in, I said I'd want them to have a blood test. Don't go off on me now.

If suddenly some huge proportion of Americans got a highly contagious diseae form Katrina waters and you wanted to test my blood before letting me in Africa, I'd roll up my sleeve and not be offended.

well... wish it was that simple. remember how half the world got offended when america introduced fingerprint scans and retina scans upon entry? this would not go over better. in fact, much worse, because it would have racial implication... now don't get me wrong, i'm not sayin that's your motive, just that it would be interpreted that way.

There are some organizations working to help the people become self sufficient, such as Jimmy Carter and the Carter foundation, just not enough.

you can't expect everyone to be as reasonable and easy to get along with as i am.... :wink:

exactamente.

bluevein, i hope i misread you. Thanks for clarifying...

I also think that the international community should rethink the way they are spending money in Africa (and I am an African). Currently most "poor" countries have no interest in building up their economies. And why should they? I mean the West (developed world) owes them a lot, doesn't it? This is not my thinking, this is what most African leaders believe. And they believe it because the West just keeps on giving them aid, not proper education or help in building an infrastructure, just food and water. Why food and water? Africa certainly has some of the most fertile ground in the world, fertile enough to sustain the people at least. But these people (my people) have no future vision. They only live and die for the here and now. I believe that the best solution would be if the West just withdrew all aid and forced these "helpless" countries to help themselves. We have oil, gold, diamonds, water, natural beauty etc. We don't need the West to help us, but it sure is easier this way.

The best lessons are the hard earned lessons...

welcome, jnkie to a2k. i agree with your main sentiment - that africa needs to become more independent - however i think it's more complicated. african economy developed as enclave economy, dependent on demands of the western countries, infrastructure was also built to suit export interests, and not interests of the domestic populations. so while i wouldn't put all the blame on the western (or norhtern) countries, i would also not take them out of the picture entirely.
especially considering current trading policies that continue to harm african countries - being forced to open their markets, drop all protectionist measures and allow for dumping while western markets are well protected against cheap imports. result - african markets are flooded with foreign goods nobody can afford and african products are undersold if they are sold at all...
what is necessary is a more partner-like cooperation, and there are proposals on the table from africans -- not all are as lazy and complacent as you describe. What needs to change is the G8 / IMF approach. How likely is that? Dunno, not very in the short run. Perhaps in the longer run when they will realize partnership might be beneficial both ways, not just for Africa.

and i am not an African, by any stretch of imagination :-)

You are right, I was a bit extreme. Its just that whenever I switch on my television, all I see is Africans in despair, begging for some form of aid or killing each other off, for God alone knows what.

I would really like to know more about the economic structures that have an impact on Africa and where they came from I would really appreciate it if you could point me in some sort of direction to get hold of this information.

Thanks

There were many good articles floating around when the G8 summit was in session this July. Perhaps googling G8 Summit in Glenneagles, African response... something like that would give you opinions of African economists/leaders/activists on G8 strategies towards A. countries.
For economic strategies you can also look up NEPAD through the African Union website: http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm - click on Special Programs and NEPAD.
good website that has analyses from time to time are www.allafrica.com . I'll post more when I think of others.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in South Africa, but my family are explorers at heart. Which means that I have travelled quite extensively through Africa. Have not been to any other continents though.

Thanks for the info, next time I post it will be a more informed opinion :wink:

one of my best friends is from jo'burg. she's a riot. you've got some good people o'er there!