Likelihood is that by now this has gone viral and you've already seen it, but I still can't help posting this.
"Imagine if every person in Africa saw the “Africa for Norway” video and this was the only information they ever got about Norway. What would they think about Norway?
...
We need to change the simplistic explanations of problems in Africa. We need to educate ourselves on the complex issues and get more focus on how western countries have a negative impact on Africa’s development. If we want to address the problems the world is facing we need to do it based on knowledge and respect."
Many people think that it's enough to
have good intentions. That it's just a question of gathering enough
money and benevolently distributing it among the poor starving
fly-ridden pot-bellied Africans. That by being richer, you automatically
know how to make other people's lives better. Often we don't realise how - and how much - our actions impact the complex and fragile fabric of communities, societies, relationships and customs that are so different from ours, and that we often don't take the time and effort to understand.
This video is spot on. It takes more than good intentions. There are many worlds out there, far from simple, and it's not easy to get to know them, find out how they work, and understand the bigger picture. But let's at least make the effort before opening our mouths, please.
And I love the sense of humour and self-irony that the Norwegian cooperation agency showed by funding this. A brilliant wake up in the days of Kony 2012, Artists United for Africa and similar.
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