How to get ahead in Africa
Posted On Sunday, 9 December 2007 at at 7:38:00 pm by LisaLast night I was channel flicking after a hard day at work. I landed upon a program on CNN. An eye opening program that again made me cry (I seem to do a lot of that :P)
The documentary is entitled 'How to get Ahead in Africa' a tongue in cheek title. The Program is effectively a hard look at the corruption issue that is behind a lot of the poverty issues seen in Africa. It is inherant from the highest echelons right down to the man in charge of giving out jobs.
There were many things that hit home in this documentary.
1. One of the people that the journalist interviewed, who had worked for a government anti corruption agency said something to the effect of: Bob Geldof has got it wrong he shouldn't be fighting to make poverty history he should be fighting to make corruption history.
2.The fact that just because aid money is being poured into a country, does not mean it is being well spent. Sierra Lione is a prime example from this documentary.
3.If no one is held accountable at the top level then it is very hard for anyone at the bottom levels to be held accountable.
4. Corruption may not be as sexy a cause to fight as poverty but the consequences are just as real.
Here is a Link to a clip from the documentary on youtube, those of you that read Huggies blog and my own will be very interested to know that this particular bit (like much of the documentary) was filmed in Kibera, Kenya, where the Hope Foundations, 100 days 100 dollars money was being raised for.
I also recommend this clip from the documentary which is on the 'made up aid agencys in Kibera' and the fight genuine aid agencys are having to get funding because they won't give in to corruption :
economics and productivity is the answer, not aid
Both are the answer. Things like Microenterprise kick start economics and productivity. Funding education and programmes for children helps to build a generation of educated individuals with the right values instilled in them to grow up and change their countries.
The original generation of orphans introduced to the Watoto programme in Uganda, supported by the likes of Compassion International and TEAR Fund are now studying such things as law at University... they are that countries future leaders and the best chance of doing away with the corruption there. I gladly give my dollars to support that initiative.
Stan yes:
Servant: Totally with you, however not everyone can be involved in a program like those of Tearfund/Compassion unfortuantely, which means that we have to tackle the corruption program from the Top Down too. If we merely wait for those of programs such as tear fund to filter through to the top echalons what are we saying to those currently being affected by corruption who cannot be reached by programs such as microenterprise etc?
I totally agree Lisa, it works at every level.