The recent rise in humanitarianism has Christians of all stripes striving to keep up with Bono and Rick Warren in their efforts to end AIDS and hunger in Africa.  However, there are those who have said all along that this rush to pour American dollars into African economies does more harm than good.  Of course, those people are often called insensitive, or worse.  However, what happens when one of those calling for an end to all the aid is an African who sees the devastation wrought by that aid?  

 

    I do not claim to be an expert on this issue.  My upcoming trip to Zambia this summer will be my first visit to the African Continent.  Thus, I’ll allow James Shikwati’s words to make the point.  In a recent interview with Spiegel Online International, the African economics expert addressed the question of well-intended development aid:

 

Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.

 

Shikwati went on to explain the unintended consequences such aid has on the African economy:

Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.

 

    Shikwati’s answer?  “Stop the aid!”  That’s right, this African (like many others) believes the best thing the West can do for Africa is to allow Africans to take care of themselves.  This is a tough message for many who have long thought of Africans as helpless and inferior.  Anyone interested in this issue should read Shikwati’s interview.