Iweala cries out against what he considers to be ‘despicable’ attention towards Africa from the Western civilization. He speaks of how people should be more genuine in their philanthropy rather than making a show of it all. It’s great that Iweala speaks from the African perspective point of view, but has he even tried to see where people like ‘college kids’ to celebrities such as Angelina Jolie are coming from? It’s only natural for people to desire the emotional reward of feeling, ‘I’ve made a change today’ or ‘I’ve done something good’. So who is Iweala, as a far better than simply well-off Harvard graduate student who is currently enrolled in Columbia University for medical degree, to claim to speak for those desperate Africans who are in grave need of help? One who criticizes and depreciates the format of help is a person who has never been in the shoes of desperation.
Let’s clarify something here. If I was starving in a middle of desert, I wouldn’t question the cameras in the background or eyes full of pity that glares down upon me. My focus would be placed on the ration that will be placed in my hands and be content with how the solid food will quench the agonizing physical pain. So what if some celebrities decide to make flashy show out of helping Africans in need? So what if some college kids are crying out for attention that is required in Africa out of ignorance if not of innocence? The baker will not discriminate how the dollar came about to purchase his loaf of bread and those who will be eating that bread will not question how the bread has been placed in front of them.
Iweala should get off his high horse of academic perspective for once and face the reality. People are selfish and what drives people to do what they do is mostly based upon their pursuit of happiness in different forms. The money that has been spent in Africa in philanthropy is the same money people could have used to satisfy their own desires. No one should question how someone should spend their money for the only person who has any say in the matter is the person who is shelling out his or her own wallet. Iweala’s perspective may draw the scholastic attention to the lesser known facts about Africa but it will not feed or treat those who are in pain. When Africa has enough strength to raise its own scholastic point of view, they can speak then. For now, if they can’t feed their own starving mouths, who are they to complain what the donator is thinking about?
I agree with you that it doesnt matter whether there are cameras flashing as someone is holding a skinny african baby in their lap while their giving money to an orphanage that the child belongs to or not, as long as their trying to help, but at the same time i disagree. i am a strong believer of the idea that when you are doing good do it in the darkness, as in there is no need to announce to the world that I am doing this and i am holier than thou for doing it. The more charity work someone does and publicizes it the more they are liked by the world, especially those people who are already famous, such as Angelina Jolie. But what about those who are doing whatever they can or are using all the money which they can spare to help out the African community. i know that if i borrow some money or anything of essence from someone and they go and tell this to other people, i would never want help from this person again. I know how much appreciation i will have personally for that person, but that appreciation will disapear if everyone knows what they have done for me. This is partially because i dont want the world to know that i cant afford to put food on the table for my children. Why should they be treated any differently from any other person. what i mean to say is that, yes, they have done all this work to help the african community, but have they once stopped to think, that you are making a reality show out of the misery of these peoples lives? If you were in the position of these people would you want to be treated the same way?
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