Getting Our Boots Dirty for Africa

Africa: a continent brimming with the diseased, the starving, and the utterly hopeless. To know that Africans are suffering in this day and age is disgraceful, but what can we do as Americans? Throwing money at Africa's poverty, as many will lead you to believe, will not solve this catastrophe. In fact, Western governments have given Africa more than half a trillion dollars over the past 40 years in aid, yet nothing has happened to improve the state of the continent. The reverse has actually occurred, as Africa has slumped into a deeper state of poverty than when it first began receiving aid. This is because of the government's corrupt politicians, who abuse the money they obtain. These people are known to steal funds, only to hide the cash in Swiss bank accounts and to spend it frivolously on vacations and luxury cars.

John Githongo, recently interviewed by ABC News, stated that he was once hired as an anti-corruption watchdog in the Kenyan government. However, once he complained that his government was stealing money, they told him to back off. Since then, he has fled the country for England, where he now lives in exile. In the interview, he plainly stated, "No amount of foreign aid is going to make any difference [in relieving Africa's poverty.]" How can we, as Americans, ignore this bold statement? It can only lead us to wonder why the U.S. government keeps sending money to Africa. Maybe the charity the Bush Administration repeatedly sends is just a ploy? It leads Americans to believe that his administration sincerely cares about Africa's problems. Handing out money to the needy would certainly leave a good mark on anyone's record. Perhaps Bush will want us to remember his Herculean efforts as he leaves the White House in '08.

The $10 billion pledge Bush made to Africa over the consecutive years of 2004 and 2006 apparently didn't make great strides to solve Africa's poverty. What Africans need is beyond that kind of simple logic; a new form of government is needed to support its people. Many Africans are already working to make a living by selling shoes, clothing, and furniture. However, they have no opportunity to prosper under their current, restrictive government. Africa should follow in the footsteps of East Asia and its once poverty-stricken countries. Even though they once received a fraction of the aid sent to Africa, they were able to set up a new government. These countries were saved because this system created a set of laws that allowed its people to borrow, trade, and start their own businesses. Americans have the power and the ability to aid Africa in creating a new government. We can't just stand around, throwing pennies in the well of African despair, wishing their poverty would just disappear. This problem's root goes deeper than the surface idea that money will solve it.

Apart from a level-headed government, Africa needs debt relief. Back when apartheid existed in South Africa, $28 billion of debt was accumulated. Most of this has been paid back, but interest has piled up, leaving Africans with a bottomless pit of debt. The United States, who plays a prominent role in the World Bank, has the power to change this. We should use our authority in this organization to relieve the continent's debt instead of handing over funds to its corrupt politicians. When we send more money to Africa, we accommodate its politicians with more expensive houses and cars. We need to put a stop this madness and come up with a strategy for Africa if any changes are to be made. As Americans, we don't need to take out our pocketbooks, we need to take out a pen and paper to take notes; to find Africa's weak spots, figure out where the patches need to go and then work with its people to create solutions. If we get our boots dirty, Americans could be Africa's only hope in abolishing its relentless and oppressive poverty.