Bono and Bob Geldof increase Africa's problems say charity

[Sash]

The head of an African AIDS charity has slammed campaigns by the likes of Bono and Bob Geldof, including Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8, claiming that they actually increase problems in Africa.

Jobs Selasie, head of charity African Aid Action, claimed that such campaigns increase corruption and dependency on the continent.

Selasie explained that he believed that the western media had an obsession with political correctness which diverted from what he believes are the real causes of poverty in Africa.

The charity says since the original Band Aid campaign, the number of Africans living on handouts has increased by 500 per cent and African governments who used to rely on only 20 per cent of their annual budget from overseas aid are now dependent on a 70 per cent contribution.

"Aid has failed because campaigners, charities and governments do not have the right plan and excluded African entrepreneurs and grassroots organisations from being part of the solution," said Selasie.

"You can't impose change from without," he continued. "It has to come from within and we won't end poverty with handouts. Africans need to fight corruption and work hard."

Source



What do you think, do they make things better for people in poor countries or do they make it worse?

[darktidus]

They keep it roughly the same. Anyone serious about ending poverty knows the only way it can really end is if foreign debt is cancelled. It's ironic that such countries are actually having to ask for cancellation of debt, considering the role of our governments in the past in those countries, they're easily entitled to reparations.

After all, for every $1 a country receives in aid, it has to hand $13 back to pay for it's debt.

[-Honchy-]

It's pretty common knowledge that almost nothing people send to charities actually ends up helping the poor, it just goes right into the dictators pockets, which then comes back to europe/america as they use the money to buy weapons.

[draganess]

Originally Posted by darktidus

They keep it roughly the same. Anyone serious about ending poverty knows the only way it can really end is if foreign debt is cancelled. It's ironic that such countries are actually having to ask for cancellation of debt, considering the role of our governments in the past in those countries, they're easily entitled to reparations.

After all, for every $1 a country receives in aid, it has to hand $13 back to pay for it's debt.

I remember sitting and watching the very first live aid concert, and my dad saying the exact same thing then.

Its not as if the debt is ever gonna be repaid. If these countries where free from debt they could at least start investing in their own countries.

[-Honchy-]

Originally Posted by draganess

I remember sitting and watching the very first live aid concert, and my dad saying the exact same thing then.

Its not as if the debt is ever gonna be repaid. If these countries where free from debt they could at least start investing in their own countries.

That's pretty optimistic... have you seen the leaders of half these African countries, most of them dont WANT to invest in their country.

[darktidus]

Originally Posted by -Honchy-

That's pretty optimistic... have you seen the leaders of half these African countries, most of them dont WANT to invest in their country.

That's because we give them the arms to keep them in power. We eliminate the legitimately, democratically elected ones that don't like us in favour of dictators that do. If we stopped, we'd at the very least stop doing harm. Moreover, there's a good chance some good may come out of it. That universalises, I think.

[-Honchy-]

Yea, you're assuming that the european/american governments genuinely want to help Africa, like you said, the dictators like us and buy weapons off us.