The industrialized nations of the West intentions to eliminate hunger and poverty have been damaging Africa for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.
Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.
If Europeans really want to fight poverty in Africa, 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.
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SPIEGEL Interview with African Economics Expert
"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"
The Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati, 35, says that aid to Africa does more harm than good. The avid proponent of globalization spoke with SPIEGEL about the disastrous effects of Western development policy in Africa, corrupt rulers, and the tendency to overstate the AIDS problem.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Shikwati, the G8 summit at Gleneagles is about to beef up the development aid for Africa...
Shikwati: ... for God's sake, please just stop.
SPIEGEL: Stop? The industrialized nations of the West want to eliminate hunger and poverty.
Shikwati: Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.
SPIEGEL: Do you have an explanation for this paradox?
Shikwati: Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.
SPIEGEL: Even in a country like Kenya, people are starving to death each year. Someone has got to help them.
Shikwati: But it has to be the Kenyans themselves who help these people. When there's a drought in a region of Kenya, our corrupt politicians reflexively cry out for more help. This call then reaches the United Nations World Food Program -- which is a massive agency of apparatchiks who are in the absurd situation of, on the one hand, being dedicated to the fight against hunger while, on the other hand, being faced with unemployment were hunger actually eliminated. It's only natural that they willingly accept the plea for more help. And it's not uncommon that they demand a little more money than the respective African government originally requested. They then forward that request to their headquarters, and before long, several thousands tons of corn are shipped to Africa ...
SPIEGEL: ... corn that predominantly comes from highly-subsidized European and American farmers ...
Shikwati: ... and at some point, this corn ends up in the harbor of Mombasa. A portion of the corn often goes directly into the hands of unsrupulous politicians who then pass it on to their own tribe to boost their next election campaign. Another portion of the shipment ends up on the black market where the corn is dumped at extremely low prices. Local farmers may as well put down their hoes right away; no one can compete with the UN's World Food Program. And because the farmers go under in the face of this pressure, Kenya would have no reserves to draw on if there actually were a famine next year. It's a simple but fatal cycle.
SPIEGEL: If the World Food Program didn't do anything, the people would starve.
Shikwati: I don't think so. In such a case, the Kenyans, for a change, would be forced to initiate trade relations with Uganda or Tanzania, and buy their food there. This type of trade is vital for Africa. It would force us to improve our own infrastructure, while making national borders -- drawn by the Europeans by the way -- more permeable. It would also force us to establish laws favoring market economy.
SPIEGEL: Would Africa actually be able to solve these problems on its own?
Shikwati: Of course. Hunger should not be a problem in most of the countries south of the Sahara. In addition, there are vast natural resources: oil, gold, diamonds. Africa is always only portrayed as a continent of suffering, but most figures are vastly exaggerated. In the industrial nations, there's a sense that Africa would go under without development aid. But believe me, Africa existed before you Europeans came along. And we didn't do all that poorly either.
SPIEGEL: But AIDS didn't exist at that time.
Shikwati: If one were to believe all the horrorifying reports, then all Kenyans should actually be dead by now. But now, tests are being carried out everywhere, and it turns out that the figures were vastly exaggerated. It's not three million Kenyans that are infected. All of the sudden, it's only about one million. Malaria is just as much of a problem, but people rarely talk about that.
SPIEGEL: And why's that?
Shikwati: AIDS is big business, maybe Africa's biggest business. There's nothing else that can generate as much aid money as shocking figures on AIDS. AIDS is a political disease here, and we should be very skeptical.
SPIEGEL: The Americans and Europeans have frozen funds previously pledged to Kenya. The country is too corrupt, they say.
Shikwati: I am afraid, though, that the money will still be transfered before long. After all, it has to go somewhere. Unfortunately, the Europeans' devastating urge to do good can no longer be countered with reason. It makes no sense whatsoever that directly after the new Kenyan government was elected -- a leadership change that ended the dictatorship of Daniel arap Mois -- the faucets were suddenly opened and streams of money poured into the country.
SPIEGEL: Such aid is usually earmarked for a specific objective, though.
Shikwati: That doesn't change anything. 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."
 Former Central African Republic leader Jean-Bedel Bokassa: "We ask the French for money. We get it, and then we waste it." |
SPIEGEL: In the West, there are many compassionate citizens wanting to help Africa. Each year, they donate money and pack their old clothes into collection bags ...
Shikwati: ... and they flood our markets with that stuff. We can buy these donated clothes cheaply at our so-called Mitumba markets. There are Germans who spend a few dollars to get used Bayern Munich or Werder Bremen jerseys, in other words, clothes that that some German kids sent to Africa for a good cause. After buying these jerseys, they auction them off at Ebay and send them back to Germany -- for three times the price. That's insanity ...
SPIEGEL: ... and hopefully an exception.
Shikwati: Why do we get these mountains of clothes? No one is freezing here. Instead, our tailors lose their livlihoods. They're in the same position as our farmers. No one in the low-wage world of Africa can be cost-efficient enough to keep pace with donated products. In 1997, 137,000 workers were employed in Nigeria's textile industry. By 2003, the figure had dropped to 57,000. The results are the same in all other areas where overwhelming helpfulness and fragile African markets collide.
SPIEGEL: Following World War II, Germany only managed to get back on its feet because the Americans poured money into the country through the Marshall Plan. Wouldn't that qualify as successful development aid?
Shikwati: In Germany's case, only the destroyed infrastructure had to be repaired. Despite the economic crisis of the Weimar Republic, Germany was a highly- industrialized country before the war. The damages created by the tsunami in Thailand can also be fixed with a little money and some reconstruction aid. Africa, however, must take the first steps into modernity on its own. There must be a change in mentality. We have to stop perceiving ourselves as beggars. These days, Africans only perceive themselves as victims. On the other hand, no one can really picture an African as a businessman. In order to change the current situation, it would be helpful if the aid organizations were to pull out.
 AFP: Congolese line up for a United Nations food delivery in 2002. |
SPIEGEL: If they did that, many jobs would be immediately lost ...
Shikwati: ... jobs that were created artificially in the first place and that distort reality. Jobs with foreign aid organizations are, of course, quite popular, and they can be very selective in choosing the best people. When an aid organization needs a driver, dozens apply for the job. And because it's unacceptable that the aid worker's chauffeur only speaks his own tribal language, an applicant is needed who also speaks English fluently -- and, ideally, one who is also well mannered. So you end up with some African biochemist driving an aid worker around, distributing European food, and forcing local farmers out of their jobs. That's just crazy!
SPIEGEL: The German government takes pride in precisely monitoring the recipients of its funds.
Shikwati: And what's the result? A disaster. The German government threw money right at Rwanda's president Paul Kagame. This is a man who has the deaths of a million people on his conscience -- people that his army killed in the neighboring country of Congo.
SPIEGEL: What are the Germans supposed to do?
Shikwati: 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.
Interview conducted by Thilo Thielke
Translated from the German by Patrick Kessler
» » » » [Der Spiegel]
Lords of Poverty: $60 Billion to Pimp Poverty...
» » [Africans to Bono: “For God’s sake please stop!”]
» » [“For God's Sake, Please STOP the AID to Africa!” - James Shikwati]
» » [Charity & the Savage: Africa is Giving Nothing to Anyone - Apart from AIDS]
» » [Choking Africa on Racist Liberal AID Money: Feeding Greed, Corruption & Dependency]
7 comments:
PART 1: (Be brave Mr. Blog Author- read all of this- it’s only fair, if you put your comment out there- to consider the full responses of others)
I would like to apologize on behalf of all rational minded Afrikaners for the existence of this web-site, particularly the article 'Verwoerd or Mandela' and the completely one sided version it portrays of white South African history. This website represents the 'refugees' that have fled a changing South Africa and need to justify why they did so- and sacrificed it all- so as to ease the loss and suffering they feel. How hard it must be for them to admit that SA is not falling apart- its evolving- and their departure had no impact at all [SA does not miss them].
This world is far more complex than to draw a moral line in the ground and declare who the good guys and bad guys are. I am a white South African; I have immigrated to the Netherlands and returned 4 years later with a new perspective on South Africa. in the years of Apartheid HUNDREDS of Thousands of people were murdered- it was war- but to tell such a one sided bias story just shows the ignorance and small mindedness of the author. The 1960 [peaceful] protests he refers to, was staged by unarmed Africans asking only to have the right to vote- and led to 69 of them being shot dead by police- mostly in the back as they ran for their lives (46 deaths caused by such injuries).
Don’t deny the atrocities that the Apartheid regime unleashed- I witnessed much of it in my service to the Air force. Don’t lie to yourselves, it happened, we all were a part of it in some way- and this is not 'white guilt' talking this is emotional intelligence, responsibility and commitment talking. I know the good public school education I got and free training and protected government employment I got was because of the colour of my skin- and at the expense of others- I recognize now that this was a privilege not a right. I won’t tolerate entitlement mentality from anyone regardless of colour or culture- Own your issues people- we can’t make any of this better if we don’t take responsibility for it. The cop out of youngsters who say it was before their time, they didn’t benefit, that a short sighted way to ease the white guilt, my kids were able to have a good life and good education because I was given one and in turn could provide them with one. I expect them to recognize that this is a privilege not a right (unlike how I was taught) and they must use their privilege to contribute to this country- make it better than when they found it.
And believe me I have experienced black on white racism a great deal, and violence and hatred- but I feel as much pity for these closed minded hateful people as I do for the author of this article. Both sides are wrong - as long as we continue to reinforce the racial categories of Black and white- and we don’t challenge the meaning attached to it- we are not going to solve these divisions. Our strength is in our diversity- we have such a rich culture because of it- we could learn from one another.
I’m so tired of white people thinking they are not a colour- other people are 'black' people, whites are just people- white is a colour too- it’s not default- it’s not the norm or the standard- it’s not even necessarily right- but it’s a racial category that defines our identities- it’s high time that white people started to engage with their whiteness- faced and dispatched their white guilt- and started to challenge the current definitions of what it means to be white in south Africa.... got bad news for the author- he is white, it’s just a colour like any other, not superior genetically in any way, not special - not chosen- and what’s more- a very small minority in south Africa, not too significant. Let it go- join the upward tide of the South African revolution- the petty hatred you hold on to will only blacken your soul -nothing more.
And yes I have experienced the most horrific racial violence,
Part 2: And yes I have experienced the most horrific racial violence, seeing the deadness in the man’s eyes that stood over me in my house in 1998, shot my brother dead, and then shot me. It was easy to hate after that- and to listen to all the other stories to justify my personal grief and anger- an individual wronged me and I blamed a nation. but as time has moved on I have had to reflect on what brings a person to regard life so little- where there is no more soul left in them to reflect in their eyes, half a century of total and utter dehumanization- that what apartheid did- it cheapened the lives of the majority of the population to nothing, they had no protection or civil rights, thousands murdered or missing without any investigations, herded like cattle into settlements- movements controlled, simply made to feel less than human. The soul of our nation has been terribly dehumanized, and violence begets violence and the hatred feeds itself and seeds in all our hearts if we let it. so don’t let it- as soon as you draw judgments based on generalizations about race- you are wrong- no matter your colour, as soon as you simply discount the rights or views of someone else based on their race- you are wrong- the only people who can fix this country are its citizens, and all of us need to take responsibility of that- face it, our generation is broken, our scars are real and cannot be undone- but we are the ones responsible for raising a better nation, for giving them the tools and capacities to fix what we black and white alike- have so horribly harmed, the soul of this nation. so be careful of the values you teach your children, don’t let them inherit your bias and ignorance, allow them to question and to explore, the world is changing so fast, a world of segregation is neither possible nor desirable, and teaching your children to think in apartheid based racial categories, giving them superiority because of their whiteness, only does them a disservice, when they cannot cope with the changing world around them and feel like victims- believe me-they will not thank you for it . countering prejudice and inequality with more prejudice and equality- all in the name of 'fighting for peace'- makes about as much sense as encouraging our daughters to go out and 'F**k for virginity'. Web sites like this only add to the disunity and hatred- what a waste of energy. There are no good guys or bad guys in this- all our hands are soiled, both sides did things they thought were justified to their cause, a dissection of the history of it won’t help us- we are in the present and need to build a future. the commandment is LOVE THY NAIGHBOUR- it does not say love thy neighbour as long as he is just like you - start to appreciate the diversity in others, try to get to know people from all creeds and colours- you'll find there are no enemies, only misunderstandings.
.... and dear blog author- part 3
Part 3: and dear Blog author, I’m fairly certain you won’t post this- but I hope just even one small sentiment reaches you and you try to let go of this obsessive hatred you have let settle into your heart. I do feel a great deal of compassion for you, I’m sure you have suffered, I’m sure you have lost your home and loved ones- and it’s so hard to accept that the dogma we were raised on- what was right what was wrong- not to question, was propaganda not impartial truth. Just as you try to achieve with this blog, facts can be shuffled and placed in such a way to imply whatever truth we want. But truth is relative. I see your resentment in your writing- you have lost your home, the ideal of home that lives in your heart, I know that hurts, but you can’t blame others for that loss- everything changes in time- the south Africa we grew up in does not exist anymore, but as soon as you let go of that ideal of 'home' and bury it, and face this new nation with a bit more of an open mind- you'll see its possibilities are remarkable. The Afrikaners built a strong foundation for a world class country- I’m proud of this- but I won’t ever be so arrogant to assume it belongs to us alone.
When you stand before your maker, how do you think you will be judged by a God that knows all your deeds and can see the prejudice and hatred you hold in your heart for one of his creations, do you really think you will find praise there - for all the goodness you have spread through the world...
Traceleigh,
You clearly suffer from a few Dunning and Kruger cognitive biases; I noticed the possibility of two from your first comment: See Primacy Effect!
So, here we go. You seem to not have bothered to make a fair impartial enquiry; which means you are anything but a rational white person. It sounds like you have a massive white guilt complex, and that you are blissfully ignorant.
I shall give you my rational credentials: All of the information below you can find on this website; but you were too bloody lazy and incompetent to make an impartial enquiry; to PROVE YOUR RATIONAL CAPABILITIES:
[1] I am a member of the Radical Honesty culture. Our culture is founded on a social contract of brutal honesty honourable truth-telling, with a commitment to remain in any conversation of disagreement until sincere forgiveness occurs. Our culture has no murderers, no rapists, no unwanted children. We have no-one living in poverty. We consider moral and spiritual poverty to be a far greater affliction than material poverty, most of us would probably be considered ‘poor’ by materialist westerners, but we don’t consider ourselves materially poor.
[2] I have spent the past 30 years working as an activist, on behalf of whites and blacks: simply on behalf of justice for anyone. I support justice for my enemies, not just my friends.
[3] I was married to an African American man, a wonderful honourable man; we are amicably separated.
[4] I was sent to prison by the ANC, for my efforts on behalf of justice for blacks and whites. I was imprisoned for a year. I have at other times been arrested and falsely imprisoned; once I was sent to Pollsmoor for 33 days, without any bail hearing, without any arrest warrant; by the ANC!
[5] Our culture is one of, if not the most rational in the world; for the simple reason that we do not allow our anger to be suppressed, and hence to distort our perception of life. We express our anger, and get it out of our system, and do not hold grudges. Our perceptions are consequently not based on the distortion of suppressed anger and resentments.
[6] My culture is founded on science and facts. We do not practice political correctness. We do not think that blacks are retarded and cannot hear the truth, and need to be treated like pet monkeys and lied to and deceived about being ‘equal’. Those blacks who are equal or superior we acknowledge their equality and/or superiority. Those who are not, we honestly share our facts and evidence for why we say they are inferior. Same with whites, Chinese or anyone. We follow facts wherever they go; we don’t do political correct bullshit.
Now: Verwoerd vs. Mandela:
I’ll make it short: The most potent weapon of war is the penis and the womb: Did you read the heading of this blog?
Now when a group of people insist on conducting a breeding war, then International Law provides for those upon whom an act of war were declared to defend themselves.
Did your black terrorist addicted to violence and to lying and deceiving his ignorant imbecile followers such as yourself, even inform you how his ANC policies were founded on Frantz Fanon and Black Liberation Theology doctrine? That non-violence was not an option, because colonized minds could only be liberated by violence on the rotting corpse of the settler? That whiteness had to be abolished by violence?
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/2010/02/20yrsofancfreedom.html
Mandela had a choice, he could have chosen a non-violent cultural and political campaign to end Africans black power breeding war ‘swart gevaar’; instead he chose to encourage an ANC breeding war policy: ‘operation production’ it was called. Any black cadre male who joined the ANC was promised free sex, and the women had to give them sex (consent to be raped). The women were not allowed to use contraception; because Mandela and the ANC were involved in a BREEDING WAR TO BREED POVERTY STRICKEN CANNON FODDER; just like Hitler!!
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/2011/04/did-anc-ever-launch-just-war-just-cause.html
Apartheid was a non-violent response to the ANC’s Swart Gevaar Breeding War.
The number of Africans killed by the Security Forces was 518, not thousands!!!. The other 21,000 people who died in political violence was BLACK ON BLACK VIOLENCE. No whites involved.
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/2009/12/60-of-south-africans-country-better-run.html
As for Sharpeville:
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/2010/03/road-to-sharpeville-and-ancs-orwellian.html
South Africa is falling apart; even blacks admit it! 60% of blacks say they had much better lives under Apartheid; they miss apartheid.
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/search/label/*%20We%20Miss%20Apartheid
Furthermore, the majority of blacks may not have liked apartheid, but they DID NOT WANT BLACK RULE.
http://tiny.cc/BvW-Rule
Where does it say on this website that this website represents refugees who have fled South Africa? Or is evidence not important to your version of ‘rationality’?
Where did we draw a moral line in the sand and declare who the good and bad guys are? Are you projecting?
How many of the over 1000 blogposts on this blog have you read; to make an allegation that this blog does not include information or evidence about facts about apartheid?
The protestors were not asking for the right to vote; they were being forced to participate in the protests by the ANC. What do you know about the People’s War: the war the ANC fought against their own people, killing and slaughtering and murdering their own people to force them to take part in protests?? You consider necklacing ‘non-violent’? Hmmmm charming!
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/search/label/*%20People%27s%20War
There would NEVER HAVE BEEN ANY APARTHEID; if NELSON MANDELA had decided to implement a non-violent cultural campaign to END THE ANC’s SWART GEVAAR BREEDING WAR.
Apartheid was a campaign of Just Defence, and it fit all the Just War requirements under International Law for Just Defence.
You are the one lying to yourself, feeling guilty because you believe blacks are too retarded to hear the truth; and so you need to crawl up their asses with lies and bullshit!
Practice what you preach and take your ‘responsibility’ sermon to Africans! To Africans who think they can breed like rabbits on Viagra, and houses and free electricity and water will fall out of the sky!
Grow up!
In my culture we have whites and blacks and we have no violence, no poverty, no unwanted children. The black people in my culture do not breed unwanted children, nor do they breed children when they are incapable of emotionally, psychologically and financially supporting those children!
How many murderers and rapists and poverty stricken children do you have in your culture? Hundreds, Thousands, and you want to come and preach to me, who has NONE!! Imbecile!
Provide me with one scientific study that has shown diversity of ethnicities to be a ‘strength’. If you are bothered with impartial enquiry; you will find on thise website scientific studies that prove that diverse ethnicities IS NOT A STRENGTH. The strongest communities are those with cultural and ethno-homogeneity.
Where on this website did anyone say that they are not white? You clearly must be smoking crack; or you couldn’t care less about EVIDENCE!! Good grief woman! On this website we are proud of being white, proud of the things that white people have done that were good and honourable; and we have no problem with criticising whites who are liars and thieves and dishonourable. We recognize black and yellow and red honourable men and women.
http://why-we-are-white-refugees.blogspot.com/2011/06/socio-politico-poverty-pimping-pity.html
http://tiny.cc/A-Wisdom
You accuse me of hatred!! How do you define hatred?
In my culture to love someone is to have the courage to tell htem the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and to hate someone is to lie to them, to deceive them with fake two faced bullshit, because you don’t believe they deserve to hear the truth!
As I said, in my culture our practice of love, honesty 24/7 has resulted in a community with no violence, no murder, no rapists, no unwanted children?
What has your definition of hatred accomplished?
Apartheid treated black Africans the best on the entire continent of Africa. Black Africans in South Africa were treated better by white Afrikaners, than any black Africans in the entire continent of Africa!!
They were given tough love, and like a parent who expects their child to grow up and to obey the rules of the house, and to grow some honourable character. The ANC on the other hand wants blacks to be nothing but spread their legs breeding welfare slaves; with no honour, no character. Do you give your 13 year old children the keys to your car and bank account, and tell them to run the house??? Of course not; so why do you want to give the keys to the country to people who cannot even fucking read; who know sweet fuck all civic responsibility????
You want the tools and skills to create a culture with no murderers, no rapists, no unwanted children????
I have those skills. I am the only south African with those skills!!!
You think you can run the comrades, without training for it day in and day out? You think you can create a culture of honour and honesty and people who don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t rape and murder without training your character? Without learning to tell the truth, every day to everyone so you can live in reality, rather than some bullshit fantasy illusion?
As I said: Define what you mean by love and hatred???
And while you are at it: Provide me with the results in the real world in your culture that your definition of love and hatred has produced????
When I stand before my maker; I shall know that I told every single person who crossed my path, black or white, poor or rich the 100% truth, every day of my life. I did not lie. I refused to hate them enough to lie to them. Even when it meant I would be sent to prison, I went to prison, and I continued to love all enough to tell them my truth, 24/7.
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