Native African's Take On Aid To Africa

[falcon]

Bush bought into the more aid for Africa hype and Obama intends to take aid for Africa to new levels.

Dambisa Moyo is a native African who is western educated economist who worked for Goldman Sachs. She is alsodrop dead cute.Moyo says that monetary aid to African governments is being used to prop up ruthless dictators and does little to help poor Africans.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/190375

Moyo believes this dependency relationship is perpetuated by Western governments and glorified by the celebrities who have made Africa their cause du jour. The book takes special aim at the rock star Bono, who has become the world's most prominent spokesperson for the people of Africa. "The problem that Africa is really suffering from," she told me, "is negative PR. If there is a criticism I would level against celebrities"”they have tended to perpetuate negative stereotypes. They always tend to portray Africa as a horrendous basket case. They want to portray the war, the poverty, the disease, the corruption. As an African, I'm tired of it." Doesn't a photograph of a celebrity with an impoverished child raise the world's consciousness? Moyo says no.

"Taking a picture with a starving African child"”that doesn't help me raise an African child to believe she can be an engineer or a doctor." Instead of aid, Moyo recommends other paths to financial and democratic independence: bond issues, trade, foreign investment. "We know what works. We've seen China do it. We've seen India do it."

[kevin1]

I've postulated for years that so called "foreign aid" is a waste of money and helps no one, but does anyone listen to me? Nooooo.... You had to hear it from one of the very folks that the money was supposedly helping.

[stealthycat II]

Obama has American at the best its been in decades - we can afford a few hundred billion in foreign aid, can't we ?

[vc1111]

There's no such place as "Africa."

Stealthcat says so.

[burniegoeasily]

Dambisa Moyo is a native African who is western educated economist who worked for Goldman Sachs. She is alsodrop dead cute.Moyo says that monetary aid to African governments is being used to prop up ruthless dictators and does little to help poor Africans.

What a revelation. Has this not been a common understanding for years? Feed the war lords as well as arm them,is what African Aid is doing.

[vc1111]

Dambisa Moyo is a native African who is western educated economist who worked for Goldman Sachs. She is alsodrop dead cute.

You're just saying that because black is "cool."

[stealthycat II]

There's no such place as "Africa."

Stealthcat says so.

no, I didn't say that