Are we really helping Africa?

FoxEye · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:28

You can't fail to be aware of the situation there. There are adverts on TV literally every 10-15 minutes pleading for donations.

Naturally, I don't like the thought of people starving any more than the next guy. But I haven't ever donated to the various organisations active in Africa.

Frankly, I'm not well enough informed to make a decision about it. And I have several reservations...

> Parts of Africa are prone to severe droughts and would not normally support a human population. The difference between Africa and say Australia seems to be that there are people living in these non-fertile regions. We can give them food, but won't we have to keep sustaining them with foreign aid, forever?

> Won't Africa's population grow the more aid we give them? Creating a bigger and bigger need for more aid? Won't they simply become ever more dependent on foreign aid in larger quantities?

> African corruption is legendary. Most Africans seem to recognise this and are as disgruntled by it as we are. But corruption is systemic. Isn't it inevitable that some % of your donations will be used to buy arms, or furnish a government official with a new sports car?

Now I'm not opposed to the idea of giving some of my (very meager by Western standards) wealth to people who are suffering. But I won't give for giving's sake; blind to where it's going or even if it will make a real difference.

So can we actually help Africa do you think? Is donating to the various charities who now dominate ad-breaks really the best way of going about it?

Are we even any closer today to solving the long-term problems in Africa, than we were twenty years ago? Could Africa sustain its own population if it wasn't so badly governed / exploited / stuck in the dark ages?

Danthus · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:32

No we are not helping, look at the billions that has been given to various countries in Africa and yet the same problems still exist.

RomanNose · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:33

OldCoals said:
No we are not helping, look at the billions that has been given to various countries in Africa and yet the same problems still exist.

Perhaps we need more than billions to sort it out?

franco_22 · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:40

The main problem is corruption like you said.

4T5 · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:43

No we are not but it makes the Leftys feel better.

Monkeynut · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:43

I wonder if a company had the will (and resources) they could bribe all of the politicians in an african country to make the right decisions?

Danthus · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:43

franco_22 said:
The main problem is corruption like you said.

What about the amount of births?

franco_22 · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:46

OldCoals said:
What about the amount of births?

Population is not exactly a problem, if they have 5 children 4 of them probably die any way.

Another problem is that African people are way too dependent on aid already, they should sort out their own country and stop relying on help so much. We should be buying them tools to farm and produce enough to maintain themselves, not just give them food.

Furyus · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:49

this is a very good post...

i swear the only way to stop the issue in africa, is to make the people to stop BREADING ! that's the issue ... it's out of control... H.I.V ect ..

Paul11 · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:49

i have witnessed the corruption in africa first hand and it is everywhere you go.

bribes for officials, police etc until that it dealt with i dont know how we can help

Luke · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:51

Furyus said:
this is a very good post...

i swear the only way to stop the issue in africa, is to make the people to stop BREADING ! that's the issue ... it's out of control... H.I.V ect ..

I agree. Not until they have the dough to support themselves.

doofer · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:51

Furyus said:
this is a very good post...

i swear the only way to stop the issue in africa, is to make the people to stop BREADING ! that's the issue ... it's out of control... H.I.V ect ..

H.O.V.I.S?

Paul11 · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:53

Furyus said:
this is a very good post...

i swear the only way to stop the issue in africa, is to make the people to stop BREADING ! that's the issue ... it's out of control... H.I.V ect ..

this is not really the issue

the country has loads of its own resources, if they were shared out they could feed the whole country

but there are a tiny percentage that have everything and everyone else has nothing

jack.mitchell · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:54

Furyus said:
i swear the only way to stop the issue in africa, is to make the people to stop BREADING !

Quick! Send them Hovis!

Morgoth · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:54

Monkeynut said:
I wonder if a company had the will (and resources) they could bribe all of the politicians in an african country to make the right decisions?

Sounds like a job for the Illuminati.

Monkeynut · 2 Nov 2011 at 19:56

What is currently the most prosperous country in Africa, and what are they doing right?

This question should be asked, because if we exclusively send aid to those countries who fix up their own backyard, more may follow.

franco_22 · 2 Nov 2011 at 20:04

Monkeynut said:
What is currently the most prosperous country in Africa, and what are they doing right?

This question should be asked, because if we exclusively send aid to those countries who fix up their own backyard, more may follow.

Not sure, Nigeria maybe ? I would say South Africa as well but they had huge British/Western influence.

Amp34 · 2 Nov 2011 at 21:52

franco_22 said:
Population is not exactly a problem, if they have 5 children 4 of them probably die any way.

Another problem is that African people are way too dependent on aid already, they should sort out their own country and stop relying on help so much. We should be buying them tools to farm and produce enough to maintain themselves, not just give them food.

I disagree, population increase (along with gross mismanagement of land etc due to corruption and "socialist" meddling among many other things) is one of the big issues of today. Many years ago the 5 born so one lives may have been true, not now though. There has been a fivefold increase in the African population in 50 years, that is a massive amount and nowhere near sustainable at that rate of growth.

That growth has put a strain on the land like no other, there are many areas of Africa that used to have very few people in, now they are the refuge of those trying to eak out a living on poor land that can't sustain them.

franco_22 said:
Not sure, Nigeria maybe ? I would say South Africa as well but they had huge British/Western influence.

South Africa and used to be Zimbabwe. Unfortunately the western influence seems to have helped those nations that kept it. That doesn't mean western ways are better, just that the systematic dismantling of the colonial structure after independence (mostly for political reasons) caused massive damage to the nations ability to sustain and govern itself properly.

So no, IMO aid is a waste of time. Africa needs to get rid of it's corruption and reduce it's population (or at least growth), allowing the money that does pour into into many nations (generally via business and resources extraction, otherwise known as "exploitation"...) to actually give some benefit to the general population rather than the political elite at the top.

Robbo · 2 Nov 2011 at 21:56

They are a lost cause unfortunately.

lewism · 2 Nov 2011 at 21:58

Sums up my feelings on that continent.