As I have been blogging a lot about Africa over the past few weeks, I am trying to dig behind the headlines about what is going on in Africa beyond Bono, Angelina Jolie, & Madonna. Beyond AIDS, famine, and genocide. In essence, what are Africans doing to improve the conditions in Africa for African people?
I came across this story from The American—a new magazine that brands itself “The new business magazine for people who think.” The story called “Africans tell Bono: ‘For God’s Sake, Please Stop’” details a meeting held in Tanzania recently where essentially, Africans told Bono to his face, to stop. Not only did they tell Bono to stop, but several people declared that Africa would only be saved by the ingenuity of Africans, and that they wished people would actually stop with sending aid.
The story, written by Jennifer Brea, who blogs at Africabeat, details some of the ingenious ways people are solving problems in Africa. Brea writes in The American:
Eleni Gabre-Madhin, a World Bank economist, returned to her native Ethiopia to start a commodities exchange to prevent future famines.
Daniel Annerose invented software in Senegal that allows farmers to track market prices via SMS text messaging.
Alieu Conteh built the first cellular network in the Congo.
Florence Seriki, Nigeria’s first computer manufacturing company.
Then there’s William Kamkwamba, the undisputed showstopper, a teenager from rural Malawi who, at age fourteen, built a windmill from plastic scrap and an old bicycle frame that generates enough electricity to light his family’s house.
I encourage you to READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE! It will hopefully give people a different of what is happening in Africa, and what is possible for the continent.
Brea is also writing a book on China’ trade relationship to Africa.
