Wow, I'm liking this thread a lot. Good discussion, and very civil for such a controversial topic
I just need to add this, because as a person who has grown up in a country in Africa and loves it dearly - despite it's many flaws - this is a sensitive topic for me and I get offended when people who know next to nothing about my continent or it's history display such a complete lack of compassion and understanding.
Do you know anything at all about the history of Imperialism? Africa has been completely raped in the ass by the Western world. Imagine your country being violently invaded, having all your resources taken away from you, your people being completely dehumanised and treated worse than animals. The last African country to gain its independence was Namibia, only 19 years ago!!! If a person knows anything about the extent of the damage done by colonialism in Africa, they'd be completely deluded to expect a full recovery so soon (and taking into account the damaging effects of neo-colonialism, this gets even more difficult). This is no simple excuse, it is an explanation - it is a fact that the countries you speak of are so well-off because they profited from the violent theft of the resources of colonised countries. As for solutions - there are plenty being put into action right now, and although it is slow and painful, I am damn proud of the progress being made.
For example: In the past five years, my country's HIV prevalence rate has dropped from roughly 20% to 15%, all because of a mass drive to educate people, as well as the introduction of free antiretrovirals and better access to HIV testing - done by Africans, for Africans. Is this not a clear example of a solution? There are many success stories like this all over Africa but you don't hear about it because misery and disaster sells better. If you think African people are just sitting on their asses all day waiting for handouts, you had better educate yourself a bit more. (Meanwhile, the HIV rate is rising in the Western world - a recent survey I read in the papers here in the UK revealed that nearly 70% of teenage girls surveyed thought you couldn't get it unless you were gay...)
I realise that this is probably like talking to a brick wall - you can tell by some people's posts that nothing you say would ever make them open their eyes - and I'm too hungover to be anywhere near as eloquent as I'd wish to be. But it saddens me that so many people have this view of African countries without knowing anything about them, without having been there and having seen the beauty of the continent or understanding the extent of it's suffering. To a lot of people, Africa is just a dark spot on the map with nothing but starving AIDS victims asking for handouts.
Also:
This actually made me laugh a little, just because it's one of the most ignorant generalisations I've ever heard about Africa. My country is quite poor, but we have police (albeit a lot of corrupt ones), pretty good medical care, and some stunningly beautiful parts of the city - you really wouldn't know you were in a third world country. Africa isn't just what you see on the news.
All that being said, I don't hold any grudge against the Western world on behalf of my country. It's not all black and white - hell, because I grew up in an English-speaking former colony I've been able to get a degree in English Literature in a London university (as of two days ago actually! :D). As with everything, there's always good mixed with the bad. There is no point hating someone for their ancestor's crimes and sometimes I feel that Brits have a little
too much colonial guilt (I find it quite endearing though).
Still, all I wish for is that people made less generalisations without knowing anything about the subject, and also showed a bit of compassion, knowing that yes, Africa is generally quite Fucked Up, but you'd be too if you had the same past, and a long recovery period is unavoidable. I have hope though, it would be good to see Africa rise back onto its feet in my lifetime.
