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[quote]For example the Americans put in almost no cash, but lots of free grain. Which means that African grain farmers can't make a living (how do you sell something that is given away free down the road?) Charities like Oxfam send tons of free clothing. So how can local clothing manufacturers make a living?[/quote]

Blame Geldoff then. During the mid to late 80's Geldoff -and everyone else involved with African aid- was telling us to stop sending cash. They were buying guns and drugs, and it never seemed to go on essentials. 'WE NEED FOOD, FOOD AND MORE FOOD!' Geldoff was exclaiming. Food and clothing they got.

Then through the 90's it was 'Help Africans help themselves' campaigns which I agreed with wholeheartedly. It seemed the sensible option. Off students and voluntary workers building schools -my cousin still does-, and trainee nurses and doctors taking a year off to gain experience giving inoculations and treating the wounded. Agricultural experts teaching hundreds of thousands how to grow crops etc. Only for drug war lords and Islamic/Christian rivalries coming around burning the schools, shooting the kids and impaling doctors. To top it off governments let mobs go round killing white farmers or driving them off the land. Guess what? They're no better off. Well fan my brow! (Laurel & Hardy moment there!)

Ok, so we gave them cash, they asked for food and clothes. We gave them food and clothes, they asked for knowledge. We give them knowledge and they kill or drive away people with that knowledge.

Now they want cash again, so we've come full circle in 20 years. Maybe their ammo's run out or the old guns from the 80's no longer work eh?

'Fucked if we do, fucked if we don't' springs to mind....

Well you got to realize and remember it's those so called roving gangs that mess it up for the needy and innocent and yes the government ain't much help when they're contributing to the whole shabanga bang.

Sam Slater wrote:

> [quote]For example the Americans put in almost no cash, but
> lots of free grain. Which means that African grain farmers
> can't make a living (how do you sell something that is given
> away free down the road?) Charities like Oxfam send tons of
> free clothing. So how can local clothing manufacturers make a
> living?[/quote]
>
> Blame Geldoff then.

Happy to. Geldof's done a lot to prevent a genuine, lasting solution to African problems. Don't have any admiration for what he's done, nor his hangers-on like Bono.

Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever.

c.j.jaxxon wrote:

> us blacks are use to it.

In a different context... you'll remember me mentioning my black Texan friend who moved here recently. She and her girls came to visit London in late-2001, taking advantage of cheap air fares post-9/11. This was at a time when American travel to Europe had dramatically reduced, of course. I asked them if they weren't worried about terrorism, like most Americans seemed to be. They said something along the lines of: We're black and live in Houston - we got much worse things to worry about than terrorists!

Strange I find it when you read on the history especialy the biblical history of Africa, Africans have always been known to fend for themselves but since the colonialism of the motherland NOW all of sudden Africans can't feed themselves so NOW we have to teach them how to do it. THEY ALREADY KNOW HOW! Just give them the seeds.

We blacks agree with her! We have to worry about just everyday living like worrying about getting carjacked at gunpoint and getting shot anyway, getting hit by a stray bullet from a gangbanger or drugdealer gunshot, getting shot just coming out your door, home foreclosures, underfunded public schools and boys on their way to jail at young ages, police brutality, need I say more?

You have to put things in context C.J.

Historically, your lifestyle was successful if you lived to be 45, half your children survived to adulthood, and you could feed your family 4-5 times a week (in a good year).

It's western culture that's 'raised the bar' of an acceptable lifestyle, or what you you would deem 'success'. What was successful 1000-500 years ago is a tragedy these days. You then have to take into account media coverage. Things seem worse because people just have more information about the world than what they used to.

If you were a 2000 year old alien watching us from space, you may think that the last 100 years in Africa is a major plus point! That's not to say everything's ok as is, it's just that comparing an African lifestyle to our own isn't the best way of measuring long term success in that continent.

Well I wasn't trying to compare nothing because at least in the cities in Africa I hear they're thriving but all you see on the news is war and poverty and people starving and dying (in Africa).

Of course. People don't wanna hear good news, so the media don't cover it.

True, true... I stole the line from an Arrested Development song. !happy!