QUOTE ("WiseJoeyD")
....my view is that I didn't know the British caused AIDS or created the guerrila wars and dictators taht've plagued Africa..but then I'm pretty stupid.
Well, actually, it is the fault of many western nations, when we gave the countries independence, thats where most of the problems come from.
We made the borders along our own borders, of which had been conquered by the original nation (UK, France, Holland etc), thus meaning, that ancient tribal borders were being ignored, and tribes were spread out in different countries, and split up.
This is the same as what happend in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. We ignored the ancient borders, and set it up ourselves, not listening to the people. This is one of the major contributors to the Pakistani-Indian war, and now, agitation.
Also, it is also our fault, because we exploited them, through us having an empire there, and exploiting the indigenous black people, the actual blacks were very poor, and lived under apartheids, e.g. South Africa. This lead to the massacare of one of the type of people in Rwanda (I cant remember the name of them now), and this was because, this tribe was given more important jobs than the rest of the tribes in former Rwanda, during the Empires, this made them more equal and more important than the rest of Rwandian blacks. Thus, the government caused agitation after the fall of the empires, and Rwanda was given independence, and brought up the old hatred of that tribe, and led to the massacre of them.
Also, the fact that they were exploited by us, and are now poor as a result, means that when in dire need, people turn to a strong government - dictatorship. But, also, factions rise in nations, to try and have power, which will make them richer, and have a higher chance of survival, than the rest of the population that is starving.
Agreed, much of the causes of this are our ancestors fault, not ours, but, Capitalism keeps them poor, and so, we are all equally to blame for the poverty there, because we all have an effect on our economy, which in turn has an effect on the global economy. Capitalism needs exploitation in order to survive, and the people that will bear the brunt of that exploitation, are the poor. Capitalism cannot get people out of poverty.
This has all led to the situation in Africa today, charity can help, but, it cannot get people out of poverty, on a nation scale. Sure, its easy to get a few thousand out, even hundreds of thousand, but, they will all slip and fall back into the hole of poverty, as they will still be the poorest people, maybe not as poor as they were, but on a global scale, are still the ones that will be the most exploited by Capitalism, and thus, as long as Capitalism is there, poverty will be there.
Charity is therefore the least that you can do, to try and help out sort out the mess of your ancestors, but more importantly - To help relieve human sufferering. You cannot choose where you are born, or who your parents are, it is stupid and ignorant to be a nationalist. Sure, your thinking on a bigger scale than just living in a hole, where its just your family and freinds, but, where has human decency gone? The strongest thing that binds us, is not our borders, its is that little part of our DNA which makes us human. We all live in the world, all life feels pain. Would you rather them suffer, while you have more than enough? Greed is what causes segregation, agitation, which leads to violence. Sure, Capitalism is nice for those who are the haves, but it completely destroys the havents.
) already bad situations.
