A couple nights after I watched 'Blood Diamond,' I read an article in The Economist about Nigeria's recent 'shameful and rigged' election results. (Their new preseidnet is Umaru Yar'Adua and he's a huge jerk face, clearly not the voice of Nigeria's 800m citizens).. soon after stating this, the writer examined the rest of Africa, and discussed whether it has or has not been successful in taking steps towards 'greater prosperity, security, and democracy.' The writer believes that Africa on the whole has made improvements, but still writes: 'To be sure, there is a very long way to go. The African backdrop is still fairly bleak.' It is fairly bleak and he believes that Africa's colonial history can no longer be used as an excuse.
Essentially, political power is going to the wrong people. It is going to the corrupt, resulting in civil war, poverty, and even genocide. None of this is very new, but the writer places the blame on 'the reluctance of relatively decent leaders' to pull together and put the really shitty ones to shame, in other words: put them out of power.
How can the outside world help? The writer suggests that western countries should only give aid to countries with governments that are relatively clean and efficient. But then there is always the risk of these governments, with all this money coming in, to turn ruthless and self-serving and therefore counteracting the entire process. So, the writer concludes: Africa must help itself first.
And it is possible for Africa to help itself. Asia has done, have it..seen through example of South Korea and Malaysia, once as poor as Ghana and Kenya, have helped East Asian countries on the whole increase real income per head 34 times faster than that of Africa's 25% average from 1960 to 2005.
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I think the writer might have generalized a little too much. Africa is a huge continent and there is a lot to be said about each individual country. but I do know that I want to travel to Africa and see things. Blood Diamond really put things in perspective though, especially that scene in which Leonardo badgers the American journalist Jennifer Connelly telling her she can't know shit about what it means to live and die in Africa..and that a couple months , one story, a few photographs won't do anything to change a problem that is so deeply rooted historically and psychologically in Africa and its people. So, don't give yourself too much credit for being out here with 'your malaria pills' and big heart..you, like everyone that comes on a mission from the peace corps, will learn, that there is very little you can do...
Ah. This was a downer. but I decided that I would rather try and accomplish very little than not try at all. I don't think I could live with myself knowing I didn't go outside and do something that has an amazing affect on an entire country and population... and so, that's what I'm going to do...once I garner the courage to. (and financial stability.)
Thank you.
