Africa cries for help

Where do you place the African person as a thinker, a creator of wealth? - an African man asks Bono.

Err... I believe that Africans' music is their DNA. And Celtic music is basically African. - the singer attempts an awkward defence of his flawed, fashionable "Africa credo", making the audience giggle.

While I am reading the latest issue of Vanity Fair, edited by U2's lead singer Bono, I come to a halt to read a more sensible article in American.com begging him to stop aiding Africa.

Following the reflections mentioned in a previous entry, the latter article, dissonant with the current trend of charity, argues that Westerns should swap the "progre" attitude towards Africa for the one that mean the real progress if we actually care about it. Western countries should stop behaving as Africa's tutors and start listening to the continent that gave birth to them. The motto It's time to let Africa imagine its own future heads some radical ideas that could be summarised with the corolary "And it's time to let Africa EARN their imagined future".

Indeed, the only way Africa will develop and create wealth is if it can attract foreign capital and trade its goods on the world market like every other economically successful does.

If you make Africans rich, they'll be less poor.

Idriss Mohammed, African financer

Africa cries for help... to get rid of the perjudicial aid.

About Vanity Fair's perspective on Africa, I'll talk soon.