Forget those Oxfam goats...
Sorious Samura is a great film maker. So it was for many reasons that I was disappointed with last night's Panorama: Addicted to Aid.
We know that African leaders are corrupt. But this documentary neither explored the whole extent of corruption, or offered up any solutions.
But, rather than trying to completely over simplify the issues of aid, trade, debt, corruption and development in one single post, I thought I would post this little gem instead. Because I thought it was pretty damn funny.
We know that African leaders are corrupt. But this documentary neither explored the whole extent of corruption, or offered up any solutions.
But, rather than trying to completely over simplify the issues of aid, trade, debt, corruption and development in one single post, I thought I would post this little gem instead. Because I thought it was pretty damn funny.
posted by Oscar | 11:29 PM
5 Comments:
Jayne,
I felt the same way when I saw the documentary, but I concluded that Sorious is not an expert on development/aid/globalization. This is why in academia and in media theory/communication; it is always advised to utilize people with authority to speak on issues they know well, coupled with detailed research from multiple lenses.
Jayne,
I felt the same way when I saw the documentary, but I concluded that Sorious is not an expert on development/aid/globalization. This is why in academia and in media theory/communication; it is always advised to utilize people with authority to speak on issues they know well, coupled with detailed research from multiple lenses.---Victor
I haven't watched panorama but from reading the BBC website, it appears the programme didn't address any of the main issues surrounding aid. This should be expected with the new 30 minute Panorama format. It is a nice easy to understand package that wraps up everything in 30 minutes and leaves people feeling better about themselves.
Rob
I didn't see the program but if it didn't mention population size as a central problem then it wasn't worth watching. Half of Africa's problems would be solved by stopping aid and letting the population adjust to a sustainable level. The other half of it's problems will never be solved.
I find the idea that a documentary on the BBC would tackle this issue in depth, and without bias, to be rather optimistic. The BBC is biased - it is the entrenched government propaganda channel (try watching the BBC news - it's hilarious). As such, challenging the status quo on the perceptions of foreign aid, is literally out of the question. the debate is framed in such a way that any seriously radical (read anti establishment) views or ideas on the subject simply will not be shown. I wish it was not the case, and would gladly be proven wrong, but having been inculcated in the british media since birth I have yet to see a single example....
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