One world
June 23, 2007
Last week 80 000 people could get a feeling of our increasing need for responsible actions and decisions in the world.
During the concert the visitors gave their voice against global poverty. But if people think a pop concert is able to solve global problems they waste their time on an illusion. Music, however, is a useful means to bring topics into the public.
One of the topics on G8 summits is the development aid for Africa. At Heiligendamm the industrial countries declared their agreement on a 60-billion-dollar programme for the fight against infectious diseases and they gave their promise to realize the “millennium aims” until 2010. But in how far are declarations like that really useful? There are critical voices which say that development aid is senseless in corrupt and undemocratic countries. Or in other words: Support by the first world promotes corruption because money flows into the wrong hands.
I think this argumentation corresponds with a true and sometimes resigned point of view. In my opinion development aid must be a help for the majority of the poor African population which does not profit from the increasing economic growth. Especially not in Angola with 27 percent, the highest growth in the world (!).
I want to repeat that the key out of this misery is support for a fair education system. Unfortunately, the present problem is that 25% of Africans are permanently undernourished. People with an empty stomach are not able to get a basic schooling.
written by F.T., 12.06.2007
