Something to think about

In recent years, foreign aid to the continent of Africa by the United States and other Western countries has risen dramatically. I personally support an organization that provides HIV/AIDS relief to a range of countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. It is a cause that I have put a lot of time, money, and energy into and have brought the issue and the organization to the attention of many people in my life. Recently, in my “AAS 341: Politics of Africa” course at Syracuse University taught by Professor Horace Campbell, my conception of aid in Africa has been shaken by our discussions and the book “The Road to Hell” by Michael Maren. After a lot of long discussions, Professor Campbell proposed that the following questions should be inquired of any organization claiming to provide aid to Africa:

- Are you opposed to racism in the U.S.? Does your organization
- Are you involved with child prostitution?
- Do you operate on a parallel market (feed the black market)?
- Do you pay African workers minimum wage?
- Do you allow trade unions?
- Are you building up local capacity and planning for your organizations obsolescence?
- Do you act as any intelligence agency or informant for the government?

Interesting? I’m still learning in this department, so feel free to comment if you have a say.