Ok, the United Kingdom is cutting its aid budget to Africa, and the media in England is going on all day about the harm this will do. But I’m thinking, if the UK and other foreign powers made companies who exploit resources from Africa pay a fair price for people’s labour and the resources they take, if they ensured the companies paid the relevant levels of overseas tax, if they put in place measures to stop “capital flight”, then African nations could have a better chance of standing for themselves and not needing aid.
That’s not to deny Africa has its own problems with corruption. However, sometimes another person’s charity, is just a way of keeping you down. There are those who keep you crawling because they are too afraid to see you stand.
This whole situation feeds into the narrative of Britain being successful and benevolent, while hiding their historical roots in violence and ongoing greed and oppression.
See this article in The Guardian for more details.