From: kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu>
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 12:49:52 -0500
To: Ikhide<xokigbo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Celebrating the Prince of Peace inthe Land o...
thanks for the response. i only half agree, and i think you ignore half the issue
first of all, deborah sontag's extensive piece in the times last week did not lay the blame for haiti's problems at haiti's feet, as we have been accustomed to hearing. we are so accustomed to hearing that, and to hearing about africa's malfeasance, that we can't imagine that there is any other source for africa's problems.
but what if it isn't simply bad african, or haitian leadership? what if there is also a system set in place that works against african agency? what if the view of africans and haitians are also racist, disenabling?
why lay all the blame at liberal forgiveness for african malfeasance, while excusing western dominated structures. come on, you know about world bank loans and their conditions that make it almost impossible for indigenous african productions to compete with imported goods, goods like rice and corn and sugar that receive subventions here in the west.
i think the conversation needs to turn two ways:
first, i agree that aid programs are disempowering. at the same time, i am not willing to see people starve to death or die from diseases where donations will save their lives. there needs to be a logic that empowers africans/haitians etc, and if not 100% then at least that moves in that direction.
that was the impulse being the red cross desire to give cash directly to the displaced peoples living in tent cities in port au prince. but the haitian authorities wisely said, give them that money and instead of their returning home and rebuilding, the people from the villages will come down to the capital and swell their numbers.
so, there have to be smart ways to move from aid to empowerment. i know of one: my future daughter-in-law has been involved in a project to build a mini-hospital in nepal, with the premiss that after a year the nepalese will run it. it isn't moving easily, but the premiss is important.
i agree we need accountability from african officials. but the mockery of their disfunctionality can turn to a cynical set of relations where there is no possibility of fostering any change. if africa existed in isolation, i could join your lament 100%; but there is so little that is good that comes from the west, it is hard to ignore it.
a last, tired example: e congo. this is a case where the outside players are really primarily responsible for genocide and the rape of resources. the world system of exchanges, of capital, of the free sale of guns, the relatively free flow of diamonds gold cobalt lumber tin, enables militias to conquer local populations and shunt off literally billions of dollars.
if you want to blame kabila, then you are barking up the wrong tree: he is, to be sure, a weak and failed ruler; but he doesn't have the means to conquer the militias, not even with un support. whereas the world community could stop the flow of guns and the illegal flow of minerals in a heartbeat if it decided really to invest in the u.n. forces to make it happen.
i am not a racist naipaul in saying any of this: the world is made of convoluted forms of responsibility. that is a useless debate to take up: i am not interested in exploring my hidden guilt or condescending forms of racism. who care about that anyway? i am interested in exploring the end of Guelwaar where sembene advocates dumping foreign aid in order that africa become truly self-sufficient and independent. and i'm interested in the politics of governments, including my own, that affect africa.
ken
On 12/30/12 12:04 PM, Ikhide wrote:
Hi Ken,David Brooks ought to have been applauded for going where Western liberals and supercillious African intellectuals dare anyone to go. Which is that Africans need to accept a lot of responsibilty for their own fate. Anything less is in my view condescending, patronizing and possibly racist. The notion that the billions of dollars spent/wasted on Haiti were as a result of white perfidy smacks to me of a willingness to say those cute black folks are incapable of responsible conduct. We all know about the West's sins, blah blah blah, what about us? We are never held accountable. Ken, close to 90 percent of African intellectuals are in the West, cowering in the lap of Western largesse and luxury. Sending anyone of us home without a ministerial appointment (for stealing oodles of money) would be a death sentence. The other 10 percent might as well be here. WHY is that? If we don't turn our glare inwards, we will never get out of this mess.Ken, much of the aid to Black Africa has been wasted. I almost wish the aid would stop, because approximately none of it goes to the intended recipients. It would be more efficient for the dollars to be loaded in military aircraft and dumped on the people. My mother would dance azonto to the West. ;-) Instead we have "feminists" who start NGOs for women empowerment and become rich overnight, they berate and beat their female help, and hire childen as househelp. The hypocrisy.Look, it is nice to hang around you guys and listen to supercillious nonsense all day, but many of us are not fools, we are simply tired of arguing with you all. Time takes care of everything. Meanwhile, let those who are little Naipauls themselves continue to berate Naipaul. Maybe it is because we see the Naipaul in us.Be well.- IkhideStalk my blog at http://www.xokigbo.com/Follow me on Twitter: @ikhideJoin me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide
From: kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu>
To: xokigbo <xokigbo@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 9:55 PM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Celebrating the Prince of Peace inthe Land o...
ikhide
the difference between the article in the times, by deborah sontag (a reporter i respect, by the way), and brooks, is that brooks blames those black people in haiti--he calls it their culture, their voodoo, etc . that's the opposite of sontag's point: the problem is that the aid agencies had their agendas, much entailing long term changes, leaving 350,000 sitting there in tents with no housing, while those projects, undertaken often without haitean imput, came to naught.
i do agree with you that aid creates dependency, which becomes self-destructive
on the other hand, when someone is in need, and you can help, aren't you obliged to do so?
anyway, here is the heart of brooks's argument, and i find it reprehensible:
"As Lawrence E. Harrison explained in his book "The Central Liberal Truth," Haiti, like most of the world's poorest nations, suffers from a complex web of progress-resistant cultural influences. There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. There are high levels of social mistrust. Responsibility is often not internalized. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10."
this is back to reagan's welfare mama's politics. nothing to do with aid; it's "their fault" that they are poor. so, no sense throwing money at them....
ken
On 12/28/12 8:35 PM, xokigbo wrote:
Ken, three years ago, the columnist David Brooks, writing in the NY Times mused aloud about the underlying tragedy of Haiti and its seeming indifference to huge gobs of US dollars posing as aid.
The poor guys was descended upon by an army of liberals, for daring to be honest about these things. He was called racist, etc. There are many questions we have to ask ourselves but liberals won't let us breath. If aid was stopped in Black Africa only the middle class would suffer.
- Ikhideyesterday or the day before there was a 2 page article on aid to haiti. 6.5 billion dollars, mostly down the drain.
before you quite remove those attached strings, i suggest you read up on how aid really works in the real world.
to begin, when you give a dollar to the red cross or habitat or caritas or any of them, how much goes for administration? how much to pay the aid worker's lodging in the field? her food? her airconditioning, etc etc etc
and worst of all, how much to projects that fail to account properly for local conditions, that ignore local populations and governments in their efforts to deal with situations which they themselves know best
go ahead and read before you decide how much charity is actually put to work for those in need
ken
On 12/28/12 11:07 AM, Chossan@aol.com wrote:
Why do we have to confine foreign to government assistance? The Red Cross, Cartitas, Haibitat for Humanity and others provide a lot of assistance overseas without any strings attached!! More evidence of a giving and charitable society.In a message dated 12/28/2012 3:12:03 A.M. Central Standard Time, emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu writes:You need to read about the strings attached to foreign aid.
Foreign aid is hardly ever free.
Broken families? Yes that's a point. After all the recent killer
came from a broken home- although he seemed to have been fully supervised
by a parent.
Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History & African Studies
http://www.africahistory.net/<http://www.africahistory.net/>
www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>
Documentaries on Africa and the African Diaspora
________________________________
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Chossan@aol.com [Chossan@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 9:53 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Celebrating the Prince of Peace inthe Land o...
I can't find any evidence to support the causes of violence cited below:
Most blacks who are the victims of gun violence are victimized by other blacks, hardly evidence of racial animus. As for selfishness, Americans are surely among the most generous in the world. Billions are raised every year for all types of charitable causes both here and abroad. This is apart from foreign aid by the US goverment. There is far more of this than I am aware of or have observed in any African country!! The link between poverty and gun violence? What about the impact of broken families and lack of parental supervision?
Cherno
In a message dated 12/27/2012 12:11:30 P.M. Central Standard Time, emeagwali@mail.ccsu.edu writes:
This seems to be sound sociology. You need to lok at the societal context in solving a problem.
This is my summary of his article:
Gun control is necessary but not sufficient to prevent violence in the US. because of some fundamental
flaws in the society, including the following:
a. Racist paranoia against Blacks, a motivation for the accumulation of guns
b. High rates of pauperisation in the society- that fuels violence and crime
c. Selfishness and extreme individualism - that fuels ruthlessness
Professor Gloria Emeagwali
http://www.africahistory.net/<http://www.africahistory.net/>
www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>
Documentaries on Africa and the African Diaspora
________________________________
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kenneth harrow [harrow@msu.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 10:40 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Celebrating the Prince of Peace inthe Land of Guns
spoons don't make people fat!
good point. ha!
but, fast food does.
abdul, you and michael moore are right about fundamental things needing to be changed. but meanwhile, let's please reduce the death rate. it is always lower when easy access to guns is denied.
when i was a kid, guns were rare; gangs in ny fought with knives and brass knuckles and chains, and very few died. then came guns, and the city became enormously dangerous.
now they have cracked down on guns, and it is much much safer.
there will always be nutcases ready to murder; but fewer will succeed the harder it is to get those automatic weapons.
remember, australia turned it around; we can too.
ken
On 12/26/12 8:56 PM, Abdul Bangura wrote:
If guns kill, then spoons make people fat!
No, no, no, Mwalimu Ken Harrow, it is not as simple as that. As much as I hate guns, and would like to see all guns, Obama's drones and other weapons of mass destruction disappear from the face of this earth, I also believe that the notion that if we reduce access to guns, then all will be well in the Republic, is a myth. If there are no guns, murderers will simply use other weapons. In fact, most of the deaths in our country are not caused by guns.
The medicine for the problem lies in changing our people's thinking about violence. But because it is the most difficult and inconvenient medicine, we choose to punt by blaming the guns. If we believe that people don't kill, it is guns that kill, then we must also say that spoons make people fat!
> he's wrong. we have too many war weapons out there; there will always be
> some maniacs; reduce their access to the guns. it's as simple as that.
> the rest obfuscates the obvious truth
> ken
>
> On 12/25/12 4:20 PM, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) wrote:
> > RSN
> > Celebrating the Prince of Peace in the Land of Guns
> >
> > By Michael Moore, Open Mike Blog
> >
> > 24 December 12
> >
> > [http://readersupportednews.org/images/stories/alphabet/rsn-A.jpg]fter watching the deranged, delusional National Rifle Association press conference on Friday, it was clear that the Mayan prophecy had come true. Except the only world that was ending was the NRA's. Their bullying power to set gun policy in this country is over. The nation is repulsed by the massacre in Connecticut, and the signs are everywhere: a basketball coach at a post-game press conference<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/jim-boeheim-gun-control-9000-wins_n_2321304.html><http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/jim-boeheim-gun-control-9000-wins_n_2321304.html>; the Republican Joe Scarborough<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/joe-scarborough-newtown-shooting_n_2315100.html><http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/joe-scarborough-newtown-shooting_n_2315100.html>; a pawn shop owner in Florida<http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/gun-seller-i-cant-do-it-anymore><http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/gun-seller-i-cant-do-it-anymore>; a gun buy-back program in New Jersey<http://articles.philly.com/2012-12-19/news/35914645_1_gun-owners-higher-ground-temple-church-camden-county-residents><http://articles.philly.com/2012-12-19/news/35914645_1_gun-owners-higher-ground-temple-church-camden-county-residents>; a singing contest show on TV<http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/watch-tribute-newtown-voice-article-1.1222795><http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/watch-tribute-newtown-voice-article-1.1222795>, and the conservative gun-owning judge who sentenced Jared Loughner<http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/loughner_judge_conservative_gun_control.php><http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/loughner_judge_conservative_gun_control.php>.
> >
> > So here's my little bit of holiday cheer for you:
> >
> > These gun massacres aren't going to end any time soon.
> >
> > I'm sorry to say this. But deep down we both know it's true. That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep pushing forward – after all, the momentum is on our side. I know all of us – including me – would love to see the president and Congress enact stronger gun laws. We need a ban on automatic AND semiautomatic weapons and magazine clips that hold more than 7 bullets. We need better background checks and more mental health services. We need to regulate the ammo, too.
> >
> > But, friends, I would like to propose that while all of the above will certainly reduce gun deaths (ask Mayor Bloomberg – it is virtually impossible to buy a handgun in New York City and the result is the number of murders per year has gone from 2,200 to under 400), it won't really bring about an end to these mass slayings and it will not address the core problem we have. Connecticut had one of the strongest gun laws in the country. That did nothing to prevent the murders
-- kenneth w. harrow faculty excellence advocate distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english 619 red cedar road room C-614 wells hall east lansing, mi 48824 ph. 517 803 8839 harrow@msu.edu
-- kenneth w. harrow faculty excellence advocate distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english 619 red cedar road room C-614 wells hall east lansing, mi 48824 ph. 517 803 8839 harrow@msu.edu
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