There’s no point investing in a business because the government will not protect you against thieves. (So you might as well become a thief yourself.) There’s no point in paying your phone bill because no court can make you pay. (So there’s no point being a phone company.) There’s no point setting up an import business because the customs officers will be the ones to benefit. (So the customs office is under-funded and looks even harder for bribes.) There’s no point getting an education because jobs are not awarded on merit. (And you can’t borrow money for school fees because the bank can’t collect on the loan.)
This seems pretty obvious. Further in the article, though, is this:
Give a man the secure possession of a bleak rock, and he will turn it into a garden; give him a nine years' lease of a garden, and he will convert it into a desert… The magic of property turns sand into gold. Arthur Young, 1788
Same basic idea: property rights, and thereby some semblance of lawfulness, will allow growth. But africa is already suffering agriculturally (and is expected to fare even worse in the future). So, is it fair to say that improving the political world will be enough to help the situation?
What seems pretty clear to me is that the "ground" approach is not working. The following may be hyperbolic but there must be some truth to it:
And when he finds all the books in a once useful library have been stolen, and it is now “a black hole of ignorance and plunder”, a young visitor from Scotland, keen to do good wherever good can be done, says defensively that there’s “a serious money shortage.”
But that’s not the point. What is missing at the Soche School has to do with attitude and morale. What is lacking is work and care. “How much does a broom cost?” Theroux asks. “The students could sweep this place and cut the grass. I don’t think it’s a money problem. I think it’s more serious. No one cares. You’re here from Scotland to do the work, and you’re willing, so why should anyone help?” A deep dependency has taken root. The prevailing attitude is that if someone will come all the way from Scotland to sweep the floor, why not let them?
I thought I wanted to volunteer in Africa but sometimes I wonder. It has got to be helpful to everybody and not just to me. I don't want some masturbatory trip, a resume padding excursion. But maybe this is my renaissance thing acting up. The desire to step back and step up. Maybe just being there is helpful enough. I need to talk to someone who has been a recipient of aid and not people who gave the aid. Although these comments sure are inspiring:
It was truely an amazing experience and I feel very fortunate that I could be a part of it. Thank you again for all your help in preparing for departure and for giving me the opportunity to go.
Douglas Murray, Nova Scotia, Canada
I had a great time in Tanzania. Thanks for all of your help.
William Girardo, Washington DC, USA
Just want to say a big thank you for the opportunity you gave me, it was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget.
Gary Wilson, Leicestershire, England
Thank you so much for this opportunity, I learnt a lot about myself and fulfilled a dream.
Peter Larter, Melbourne, Australia
I just wanted to let you that I had, hands down, the best, most incredible elightening and wonderful time in Tanzania. It changed my life, truly. I consider myself incredibly fortunate for having the opportunity to experience all that I did.
Anna Wirth, Texas, USA
I cannot begin to explain what a fantastic time I had in Singida especially the people in the village and am sure I've made some lifelong friends both from the village and with other volunteers.
David Bacon, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Just want to thank you for the amazing opportunity that VA has given me in the last few months. I can't really commend you guys more, There is really nothing that I would change about the whole trip.
David Hutchinson, Ontario, Canada
Thank you for the best 3 months of my life!
Sally Orwin, Derbyshire, England
It certainly does not feel like a whole year ago we were in Tanzania climbing Kilimanjaro and having the best time I have ever had in my life.
Natasha Leith, Co Leith, Ireland
I did have an amazing time and am thankful for the opportunity that Volunteer Africa and HAPA has provided.
Keely McKinzie, Los Angeles, USA
I had such an awesome time in Singida. It was so great to be there...I had the best time ever and I would love to work more with Volunteer Africa in the future
May Britt Kristensen, Oslo, Norway
I had a fantastic time, would recommend it to anyone, and travelling afterwards was great fun.
Alec Pattinson, Northumberland, England
3 comments:
i'm afraid of volunteering abroad. there seems to be a lot of self-righteousness and self-gratification involved. and do these people really want help? and what kind of help? is it help they've asked for and specified, or is it help that is being forced upon them? and aren't there places one could 'help' here without those nasty colonial undertones?
though those comments do make it sound awfully fun!
ho hum. just my opinion...
also - an interesting factoid: in kerala, south india, the government managed to give almost everyone some ownership of the land on which they lived (as well as going mental promoting literacy). socially kerala is now faring much better than most of india, despite still being the poorest state. in fact, much much better than say, the punjab, which is the richest state but where the wealth is spread in the usual way. as in, it's not spread at all.
look it up. it's pretty cool. communism in action. whoosh.
yeah, those comments sucked. So much self-gratification. Not so much blatant self-righteousness, but you know that they feel it. Like 1000 times what I feel when I give a token amount to a homeless person. I suck.
Colonialism is an important issue. But if we stop helpful colonial action (like promoting literacy) while continuing harmful colonial action (like, you know, capitalism), are we doing worse? or should be discontinue as much colonial action as possible and try to seal the world into romanticised bubbles?
communism eh? I believe the track record is that communism works for a while and then fails splendidly. But ownership of land is anti-communist! What a connundrum. Ownership is probably necessary for progress. We tend to only care about our own. And with the ownership comes the need to protect ownership.
I learned this in the past: people from Punjab hate it when others call it "the punjab". It is like referring to "the canada". I want to know why "the punjab" has become so commonplace (I still call it "the punjab" on occasion since that is what I learned as a child). Who started that?
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