Global Development: Views from the Center

Too many poor people send money? Instead of giving someone fish teach them how to fish

I highly recommend a refreshing safari to the Millennium Village Project in Bar Sauri-Kisumu in Kenya, where Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, his team and the Luo population are successfully applying “clinical economics” in Africa. There you will behold the "the degree of engagement of the community in their problems, their readiness to chip in, their energy." As well as the concrete fundamentals of the “economic possibilities for our time,” that have set the pace for development in the midst of challenging conditions in Africa. Malaria rates have been halved, school attendance and performance has doubled, harvests have tripled…Not through handouts, but investments! Perhaps this safari might cure some Africa-fatigue and the variety of sarcasm and cynicism that Africa’s problems elicit, which are enough to send one howling – with laughter or tears, depending!

It is really sad that the mordern day africa has still not erased the black stigma they are known for over the years. A closer look of what Africa is today will blow anyone's mind off the poverty stricken, disease endemicity, war turn stigmatization of Africa.A country like Nigeria ought not to be counted as hungry reaching out for sandwiches.
Africa is endowed with lots of natural , human and material resources but face a big challenge of management. The problem in africa is mostly impoverishment and not poverty.A few want to take control at the detriment of others.The vast human resources are busy developing other continents neglecting their origin , "Africa". The aid given by most agencies to Africa is to get something bigger in return. If resources are managed very well, Africa will have the best of infrastructure- (hospitals , schools , e.t.c ), low mortality and morbidity rate, and also be counted amongst the rich countries offering aids today to others.

Teaching a man to fish is fine, unless he is a landlocked subsistence farmer caught in the grip of a drought with no access to wire, string or bait. In which case all the angling lessons in the world, despite being provided by trained World Bank officials, will not get his family fed.

Unfortunately the ills of the world are more complicated than simplistic parables suggest. We can look forward to hearing about the latest exploits of Bono and Angelina for a while yet.

Is this a serious or satirical piece? I am glad there is increasing attention to Africa, However, assuming the worst, I’ll take a different point of view. Of course there is great injustice and suffering in Africa. However, to say Africa is just "one big mess" unimaginably narrow and stereotypical. But, I guess that is what most Americans get through celebrities and child sponsorship agencies, and that may be Moss’ point.

In reality, Africa is an incredibly diverse continent, and its people are not all utterly miserable because they don't all have two cars and three televisions. (Check out, for an obvious example, http://www.maasai-association.org.) Most Africans work hard to survive, a majority in rural agriculture, and will do ok when there is peace and cooperative weather, but of course, war, draughts, exhausted biomass, and natural disasters are huge problems, and there are very few safety-nets. Some Africans seek those safety nets, and the essentials of clean water, healthcare and education for their communities, and while others want a more modern lifestyle and advanced education. News flash: a portion of the population live in modern cities with modern universities, businesses, services and vibrant cultural life.

The U.S. and other wealthy countries have created a variety of “development projects,” implemented by the World Bank, IMF, and national aid agencies to "help" Africa. Many Americans get upset if the "wrong" building/electrical line/bike path is built behind their house. How would you feel, if a race of ostensibly friendly, technologically-advanced aliens arrived, and said, “We are going to show you how to live better.” Without knowing anything about your culture or opinions, they told you how to run your government, how to do your job, or to change jobs, to sell your land, and how many children to have. A variety of projects were imposed on your neighborhood/ city/ state without your involvement or permission. Although many projects, including humanitarian ones, are beneficial, most are financed and controlled by those who have the goals of generating foreign exchange and new economic opportunities for outsiders, rather than supporting Africans as they plan and change their own societies.

Researchers have found that successful development projects are those that respect other countries and communities by partnering with, or at least involving, citizens, NGOs and governments whom they are intended to benefit. Aid agencies and the World Bank pay lip service to African opinions, but the power differential, ethnocentrism, and conflicts of interest make such involvement minimal. "We would like to be agents of our change rather than victims of change," said Kakuta Ole Maimai, Managing Director of the Maasai Association.

If one doesn’t have the background, articles like the above can perpetuate the idea that Africa is a "big mess." If you believe in the golden rule, then do a little reading about Africa’s countries, history and people before deciding whether you want to do something for Africa. Then ask an African, or find a U.S. organization that includes Africans in their leadership or has very close ties to African organizations.

About a month ago, CGDEV hosted the Most Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, in announcing the creation of the African Monitor (http://www.africanmonitor.org), a new African NGO with the goal of assisting Africans receiving aid and experiencing “development,” to truly be heard. It will take a while to get it established. But, after you are done reading about “Brangelina,” if you don't know anything about Africa, you could get started by checking out the Maasai association. http://www.maasai-association.org. I also recommend the book, “Women in the Material World,” a photo-essay that really helps to conceptualize the wide differences in cultures and lives around the world.

Africa is not my primary area of research, I hope others will add to my few resource suggestions.

The "landlocked subsistence farmer caught in the grip of a drought" will very soon benefit from the water-storage and irrigation "lessons" as well as the drought-resistant seeds that are being provided by the Millennium Village Project teams ALL over Africa. By the way, they are not representatives of the World Bank. But what difference does that make? The impacts of the projects speak for themselves. Also, parables are always stimulating, thought and debate-provoking, and we can also look forward to reading more of them.

Cheers, Tony. It's about time someone took on the pedantic establishment view of Africa. Hopefully people from the development contractor crowd are reading this too, and thinking hard.

For an additional dollop of development-related satire, check out this cartoon from Survival International

Although I understand the frustration of having so many wealthy do-gooders run around trying to 'save' Africa, the bitter satire in the article is, I feel, very revealing about the development sector in general. The elitism expressed by the development hoi polloi is part of the problem too - the 'we know best, you lot don't know the faintest thing about poverty or development' attitude is counter-productive.

I cringe when I see bono or geldof ranting, but is it such a bad thing that Africa is becoming 'cool'? Being 'cool' turned Thailand into a major touristic destination, and made those horrible croc shoes huge hits. Being 'cool' might be the most 'uncool' thing, but it certainly beats a load of well-read, snobbish development experts running around quoting GINI rankings and turning up their noses at 20-year olds working in a Kolkata orphanage on their gap year.

Or is the development crowd simply worried that if Africa gets too much attention, its woeful inadequacies will be exposed to all and sundry?

Thanks for the suggestion of a "safari" to view poor people in Millennium Villages. Reality is indeed stranger than satire!

In my Journalism class we would call this "Humor and Horror'. But as a Graduate student of International Relations, i commend Todd Moss insights into African situation with greater reservations. First, the definition of Africa can not be reduced to only many souls who want rescue and big bottomed-women[the pride of Afica]. African is a continent of committed,striving and achieving people but limited by the effects of the International hegemony. Secondly, Africa is not a mess as Todd writes. There are countries outside Africa that are more messy than Somalia and DR Congo[ if at all these two are appropriate examples of a mess]. Third,the African problems do not need a quick fix. This is where development goals and partners go wrong. The response to African problems require well established, resseached, consultative programatic approaches interfacing African models and western Interventions. It is not just a mater of rush sweets and candy to starvating Niger children. Development Organisations and Child Focused Agencies such as ACDI/VOCA, Christian Children's Fund, Compassion International e.t.c have established African models within which to develop African society. Christian Children's Fund for example uses DEV FRAMEWORK-Deprivation, Exclusion and vulnerability as key indicators for its interventions.Through this, family and community limitations and their capabilities are being identified, and together with the community, solutions established that give to programme Interventions. This is one thing that Development Agencies need to learn-Tap on the Capabilities,local resources and local needs. Involve Africans in decissions to their development. The development of Africa is not just rescue but should be looked at in terms of empowering countries, communities and families to self reliance. The developed world should be willing to open up trade barriers so that many communities from Africa can access global markets for instance can the products from the Baobab tree by the Pygmies acess western markets?. Can mangoes from Northern Uganda[these are playing stones to children when tied of eating] be exported to Europe or America without worries of worms and disease?.

Talk about poetic irony! Early this year, I went on a long "safari"(which incidentally, is a Swahili word for a trip or journey) to Kisumu-Kenya and was able to observe and evaluate the progress taking place in this particular Millenium Village. I can therefore recommend it as well, if only to emphasize that those villagers do NOT think of themselves as "poor," and neither should we; they are very hard-working, proactive, enterprising, jovial, and hospitable. Indeed, truth is always stranger than fiction.

Coming from Europe, I have lived in South Africa since 1981 or most of the second half of my life. I have seen, spoken to and worked with many developed and un(der)developed people of African descend. I have done many “safaris” to very different places, urban and rural, in a few different African countries. Yes, Africa is in a mess but it is just a different mess than the USA, Europe, Middle East, India, China, Brazil and…… You name one and I give you a fair description of the mess they are in………..from MY perspective!!!! Just enjoy your Disneyland and dream on making the world a better place provided you stick to your own backyard.

I am a villager in Kisumu, Kenya where the Millennium Village Project was launched. Africans have been called poor, underdeveloped, big-bottomed, hopeless and helpless. We have been laughed at and dismissed. But others believe in our resourcefulness, and it has beeen a miracle, our lives are changing every day. Thank you very much for highlighting the progress taking place there. In fact, Alando-Hoffer, I bring you many greetings from your people! You at least, know what you are talking about. Are you returning later this year?! If so, be sure to organize a great big safari as usual, and bring as many well-wishers as possible! Whoever is not building, is really destroying. Whoever is not gathering, is only scattering!

I find it sad that I have to even say this, but it, unfortunately, seems necessary: The blog post is SATIRE.

You can complain that it's not funny, but no one should think this is serious. (Pygmies with ADD? Really?) Those of you who are upset about Africa being described as 'one big mess' or the attention to 'large-bottomed women' are only making my point even more about how the world views the continent through the media and Chicken-Little alarmist fundraisers. (Who says wide-eyed idealists lack a sense of humor?) And, call me salty, but I do not see how 'safaris' to view real people isn't a patronizing insult.

Perhaps some Africans like me find this type of paternalistic 'satire' increasingly unpalatable. Africa is in a state of emergency where poverty and disease are concerned. A safari to the village in Kenya (there are 12 in Africa, I'm talking about the one I know) is a study tour, for those who are interested in taking a pen, paper, getting on the bus and making note of the progress that is really taking place in Africa. And learning how to replicate these projects. Because they are fabulous. They have improved people's lives. To you it means going there to "view poor people." Good grief. Moreover, Angelina Jolie gave birth in an African hospital and proved that Africa is not just "one big mess," that some fabulous people are willing to risk their lives there. Isn't this fabulous? A personal campaign to reduce maternal deaths at childbirth, as well as infant mortality rates. So I actually agree with you that there are so many fabulous ways to "save" Africa. Why don't you tell us something about them?

Oh, I think Africans can handle, and dish out, satire just fine. It's a shame some people don't get that.