Africa: Obstacles & Solutions In Development

As a newcomer to the blogosphere, I chose to explore discussions on different issues in Africa. I was pleasantly surprised to find stirring ideas and debates about issues either helping or stalling the development of Africa as a continent. I have always been concerned with why Africa seems to be struggling to catch up with the rest of the world, and how this could possibly change. Post-colonization and corrupt leadership have always been to blame, but two different bloggers dove deep into questions and answers this past week. Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff is the creator of Women's Space, a blog geared towards open discussion by women about relevant global issues. The most recent post by Cheryl is titled "AIDS Dissent: African Holocaust," where she discusses a video that highlights the controversy concerning the over-diagnosis of AIDS in Africa and the effect it is having on the development of the continent. I found this to be an inspiring video and discussion as to a new possible reason why Africa is always behind. Luckily, I also encountered Stefanie Carmichael's blog, Global Venture, in which she discusses issues from on the ground in Africa. This past week, she discussed the introduction of Facebook in Rwanda in her post "Making Friends with Facebook: Rwandans Turn to the Internet to Get Connected." I found this post inspiring because it is an indication that Rwanda is on its way to developing and entering into the global field. The blogosphere this week and my encounter with these two posts allowed me to gather new thoughts and ideas concerning Africa's struggles in development (misconceptions about AIDS) and some possible methods (social networking) to improve the situation in many of its nations. Please visit the links above to browse these inspiring blogs, and below I have provided my commentary on their recent posts.

"AIDS Dissent: African Holocaust"
Thank you for your informative video and interesting commentary. You pose a viable argument as to why many countries in Africa struggle to develop. It is a well known concept that the people of Africa are those who can truly make an effective and positive change in their countries. As the video states, if a high percentage of Africans are being sent to their deaths because it is easier to diagnose AIDS than other infectious diseases, then there is no hope for Africa. It is a well known fact that AIDS has swept the continent, but what fails to be highlighted is the extreme malnutrition and lack of clean water that are much more prominent problems in Africa than AIDS. The video mentioned an interesting point: funding for AIDS is much higher than funding for any other issue in Africa. Therefore, those suffering from malaria do not know they are suffering from it because there are not enough medical professionals in the malaria field to tell them so, so they live out the short rest of their lives with a mis-diagnosis of HIV. Your explanation of how many suffering from minor fevers or weight loss fear going to a medical clinic because the common response is a positive HIV diagnosis is truly devastating. While AIDS prevention and condom usage has been practiced extensively throughout Africa, shouldn't other life-taking issues, like causes of poverty, be tackled with just as high a priority? Poverty leads to malnutrition and lack of education, which leads to the spread of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS. Rather than tackle one of the ending results, why not work to resolve the root of the problem? You point specifically to Tanzania as one of the nations where medical professionals use the "Bangui Definition" to over-diagnose HIV. Georgetown University is an example of a credible resource in possibly over-diagnosing AIDS in Africa (see image to the left). According to the World Bank, 36% of the population in Tanzania live below the national poverty line. This statistic in itself is a clear indication that poverty is highly prevalent in the country and most likely the cause of the spread of infectious diseases. Your explanation of the "Bangui Definition" proves to be a shortcut in facing the range of problems of Africans. Shortcuts will not solve African issues but rather pose as obstacles in its development and halt any hope for a bright future.

"Making Friends with Facebook: Rwandans Turn to the Internet to Get Connected"
Thank you for your informative post on the expansion of the internet in Rwanda. Your analysis provides hope that development is an option in the country. Globalization and the increase of interaction capacity among developed nations have left Africa behind. Greg Wyler's inclusion of Internet as a viable source of communication in Rwanda is evident that some African countries are trying to catch up. A country with as devastating a history as Rwanda deserves the opportunity for advancement in the international realm. Your explanation of Facebook as a social networking tool and its vast popularity worldwide shows that Rwanda can interact on the same level. Social networking is a vital instrument for progress in developing countries. Contacts can be maintained while groups and alliances formed. You specifically discuss that NGOs are now realizing the benefits of Facebook as a tool for raising awareness. Your example, the Aegis Trust (its logo shown to the right), an organization against genocide, uses its Facebook group as a networking tool for information, publicity, and dialogue. Likewise, Facebook and other Internet sites can be a tool for the inclusion of Rwanda as an international player in social and economic communication. Wyler's Internet in Rwanda can be a stepping stone for Rwandans to relate to worldwide issues, as well as personal business connections that can be made to improve personal lives. Furthermore, increased Internet usage in Rwanda can motivate other African countries to invest in cheaper and more accessible Internet. While the Internet is an important and useful tool for Rwanda to interact globally because it helps its personal development, should it be the priority? There are so many severe problems tackling Rwanda and little funding for them, that Internet usage could be introduced later. While I understand that global interaction is important to economic and social development, Rwanda still struggles internally with more threatening challenges than lack of connectivity -- health and poverty. UNICEF stated that the central government expenditures allocated to health in Rwanda is only 5%. With this rate so low and little Africans even able to afford Internet, should it be put off until health issues and severe poverty are more seriously addressed?

Zimbabwe: Is There Hope for Stability?

With the upcoming elections, Zimbabwe is in for a drastic change. The current president, Robert Mugabe, shown to the right, is now serving his sixth term, and hoping to serve one more. At the age of 83 and a reputation as a nationalistic fanatic who has driven the nation into unheard of poverty, many are hoping for change. Opposing parties like the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led my Morgan Tsvangirai, and nationalistic Mugabe supporters, ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front), have moved the country into violence and vulnerability. The elections are set to take place on March 29th, 2008, and without a change in political party, Zimbabwe will continue to suffer dramatically.

With independence from British colonialism in 1980, Zimbabwe was one of the latest African colonies to have an African president. Robert Mugabe changed the face of Zimbabwe in the eighties by promoting nationalism, African pride and forming a sense of the Zimbabwe identity. He was very popular among Zimbabweans and seen as the hero of the black liberation struggle. Furthermore, he provided hope that Zimbabwe, a nation rich with resources, could self sustain and lead Africa out of poverty. However, one of Mugabe's major controversial moves was seizing the land of white settlers and redistributing it to African farmers, claiming it was a re-capture of their country from the west. Unfortunately this took a significant toll on Zimbabwe's economy because the African farmers were untrained in farming techniques, so agriculture, Zimbabwe's most influential drive to a successful economy, was gone. With Mugabe printing too much money for personal expenditures, inflation has taken over. In 1985, Zimbabwe's inflation rate was at 38%, and as of June 2007, has risen to a staggering 11,000%. Mugabe's popularity has drastically decreased but rigged elections keep him in office. Mugabe's corrupt leadership has stalled production in Zimbabwe and led his people to poverty stricken lives. The World Bank stated that in 2006, life expectancy in Zimbabwe averaged around 37 years old, while the prevalence of HIV was a staggering 20% between the ages of 15 and 49. If Zimbabwe continues at this rate of decline, it may reach a point where re-development will not be an option.

March 29th poses as an opportunity for either positive change or a downfall in the future of Zimbabwe's recovery. Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's leading opposition, has suffered interrogations and physical beatings by Mugabe supporters, but his dream for a change in Zimbabwe keeps him driven. He preaches about reviving Zimbabwe's economy, and focusing on its development and the individual rather than its revenge on its previous white colonialists. However, many Zimbabweans remain skeptical. This speech seems all too repeated. With starvation affecting children most, as illustrated below, and lack of an economy, unemployment has skyrocketed and the spread of diseases like AIDS has been ignored.

Many question the responsibility of the international community to assist in Zimbabwe's political stability. A key player has been Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president. As president of Africa's most stable country, Mbeki was

pressured to interfere in Zimbabwe's affairs. He became the mediator between the ZANU-PF and the opposing MDC. After Mbeki helped unite the MDC, Mugabe declared the election date in March, angering many that thought it was too soon and mediation talks should continue. Mbeki has been given the responsibility that requires a much higher power that can more constructively pressure Mugabe into stabilizing his economy and cooperating with the MDC. As power shortages and the spread of AIDS confront South Africans, Mbeki does not have the political capacity to take on a task as problematic as Zimbabwe. A popular question then arises: who should engage their time and energy into Zimbabwe?

Some impulsively expect the United States, a nation that has the resources to improve Zimbabwe's situation, to take charge. Others argue that it is undemocratic and challenges state sovereignty to intervene in another country's affairs. However, the United States has positioned itself as the "world police" by claiming its intervention in Iraq was to alleviate its people from their tyrant leader. If these are the grounds the United States functions by, then morally it should have intervened in Zimbabwe long ago. Mugabe has not only violated human rights in his own country but taken Zimbabwe out of the international realm as a key trading partner. Some suggest that President Bush, who has voiced concern over Zimbabwe's situation, should meet with Morgan Tsvangirai to provide him international recognition as a possible hope for change in Zimbabwe.

Although there is no way to assure that Tsvangirai will effectively improve Zimbabwe's situation, a change from Robert Mugabe will nonetheless be positive. Almost thirty years of corruption has taken a toll on Zimbabweans and unless Tsvangirai proves to be even more corrupt, there is hope for Zimbabwe's recovery. With a change in regime, more outsiders will likely trust to invest in the reconstruction of Zimbabwe's economy and its rich resources. This will in turn improve employment rates, allowing people to afford vaccinations, contraceptives, and other mere but lifesaving luxuries. The March 29th verdict will hopefully provide a glimpse of light into the future of Zimbabwe's people.