Oh and while I am at it why not be inspired by this song performed by Norwegian Madcon at the European

song contest with millions of Europeans all over Europe.

As Thomas pointed out in a comment in a previous blog post of mine, aid to the third world is not working as many want, or even believe it does. He wrote;

“Aid and trade blocks have been used systematically by the west to keep foreign markets down and protect own industry. Yet it has no problems with selling its own goods in the third world, thus keeping it further down.

Trade not aid is a mantra heard from Africa and the third world, not from Europe.”

I Agree 100 % with him. (but not with the fact that shutting down Norad would help solve this problem.)

Aid gone wrong

Time reports in the their next issue that Ethiopia is a clear example of this being the case;

“Over time, sustained food aid creates dependence on handouts and shifts focus away from improving agricultural practices to increase local food supplies. Ethiopia exemplifies the consequences of giving a starving man a fish instead of teaching him to catch his own. This year the U.S. will give more than $800 million to Ethiopia: $460 million for food, $350 million for HIV/AIDS treatment — and just $7 million for agricultural development.

Western governments are loath to halt programs that create a market for their farm surpluses, but for countries receiving their charity, long-term food aid can become addictive. Why bother with development when shortfalls are met by aid? Ethiopian farmers can’t compete with free food, so they stop trying. Over time, there’s a loss of key skills, and a country that doesn’t have to feed itself soon becomes a country that can’t. All too often, its rulers use resources elsewhere — Ethiopia has one of Africa’s largest armies.”

what is the problem?

“Why do we get aid so wrong? Because it feels so right. “The American people,” says U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto, “are simply not going to sit tight while they see children dying.” Nor should they: a starving man needs to be saved first, before he can be taught to fish — or farm. But as the world rallies again to Ethiopia’s aid, donors face a dilemma. “We’re not getting to the real problem,” says Yamamoto.”

Time sums up the piece like this;

“The sobering lesson: even the best efforts to eliminate hunger are expensive, slow and uncertain of success. Depressing as it may be, this may not be the last time Ethiopia needs help.”

“Fremskrittspartiet” is Norway’s biggest political parti. 32 % of all Norwegians support them according to a new poll. Siv Jensen the Current leader of Frp. is uneasy about this and so am I.

I remember a few years back when the previous leader, Carl I Hagen came to my little town Askim, and held a speech in the midst of egg and tomatoes hailing down from the unsympathetic crowd. Nobody really looked at Frp as a serious contendors back then.

Today many years later the political landscape has changed dramatically.

Why is “Fremskrittspartiet” dangerous ?

I have read through frps “program” which you can find on their homepage. Many of the ideals and political goals are valid and of course good, unfortunately many are also harmful to Norway’s well being.

Let me show you one example, the fact that they want to literally get rid of Norad which is the Norwegian Agency for Development and aid in the third world. Norad writes on their homepage what their most important task is:

“Norad’s most important task is to contribute in the international cooperation to fight poverty.”

Frp writes in their party program that they want to shut this agency down. Not only do they want to shut this agency down, but they want to move from a government based aid program, and move to the private sector for providing aid. The only time they want as a nation to go in and help is when there is big earthquakes, tsunamis etc.

Why give your support ?

Sometimes I wonder how many of Frps supporters actually read what they support? And if they look at frps program as a whole?

As I wrote in a previous post it seems to me that this is how a big majority votes in Norway:

“If a candidate is right on issue A and issue B, support him without reservation,” which carried the tacit message, “These issues are so important –don’t worry what he says about issue C and issue D.”

I hope we come to our senses and wake up to the fact that there is a big specter of political parties that are much more suited for our vote than Fremskrittspartiet. There are parties who realize that this world is not about me, myself and I. That the world as a whole is not an enemy and something we should want to alienate ourselves from.

Life in Africa

A recent article in the Economist writes that matters might not be getting better in Africa, than claimed and hoped for. Here is one claim from the article.

“the regional figure for government effectiveness has deteriorated some 17%, as has regulatory quality and the control of corruption. Africa’s performance as regards rule of law has barely changed since 1996.”

I lived a number of years in Cape Town, South Africa. During this time I also visited many of the neighboring countries like Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Malawi to name a few.

Last year I went back to my former home, Cape town for a 6 month visit. I spent some of that stay, visiting some of the projects I formerly was a part of. The visit took me back to khayelitsha, the biggest township outside Cape Town. As always, the contrast between the luxury, a big part of Cape Town represents comes to life driving down the freeway from the Airport, and into the city center. This drive also reminded me of the contrasts between Khayelitsha, and Malawi. A contrast between two “inhuman ways to live life”.

A Norwegian in Malawi

The contrast between rich and poor, is apparent in a place like Cape Town. But the contrast is also apparent between the poor in Cape Town and the poor in Malawi.

I remember stepping of the plane in Lilongwe, northern Malawi, seeing poverty, death, sickness all around. It was in stark contrast to how life should be; vibrant and alive.

The question I bear with me to this day is this, what can I actually do here? I am a rich white male, from one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I represent resources, and possibilities that certainly should inspire me to do something. Bringing Malawi with me home is certainly not an option.

How could my friends in Malawi and myself share anything?

Hope?

I soon found out we had a lot in common, and there was lots to share. Hope is one such thing. Any human being, in or outside Malawi, or any other developing African nation, can contribute to change.

Several sources develop this idea well, the Boston globe is one example, they write,

“The number of democratically elected governments has risen sharply in the past decade, and the number of violent conflicts has dropped.”

Some ways that have helped me be involved in projects, or lives of specific people are the following.

Going there, visiting Malawi for instance, has been eyeopening for me. My travels have taught me what the gap looks like. It has taught me, this is not what life should look like. It has taught me that the world is a big “boarder free” landscape, given to all of us. Not to me in Norway, or Thabo in Malawi. We share humanity and should together pursue making this place a better place for us all.

Friendships and interactions with foreigners in Sweden and Norway have also been important in understanding this. It has given me contact and opportunities to interact and take part in projects and life in more than 70 nations.

I am still learning what it means to be a part of helping the world “one person at a time”, or like Obama recently said in a speach in England, “we can not solve the world problems on our own”. I don’t completely like the taste of the word “help” always, but I realize I often need the help myself. The sharing of life is not a utopia, despite people doing things we find strange, unlawful or unacceptable.

What are your thoughts, do I have any business whatsoever putting my feet in Malawi again? And how can we make Africa a better place?

Asylum seekers attacked yesterday

Fremskrittspartiet

It is alarming to see that “Fremskrittspartiet” has slowly become the biggest political party in Norway. more that 30 % of the Norwegian population would vote for them according to a recent poll.

“Fremskrittspartiet” or “the Progress Party” is a populist, liberalistic party committed to tax reduction, free market economics and deregulation of the economy, stricter limits on immigration, closer cooperation with NATO, the USA and also Israel in foreign policy.

What is so alarming?

“Fremskrittspartiet” or whatever party which first and foremost wants to build up walls towards immigrants, and put a hold on foreign aid, are parties I am careful to support.

Norway is taking giant leaps every day towards becoming the richest country on the planet. While Nations in Africa and Asia are taking giant leaps in the opposite direction, we decide to vote for a party that wants to escalate that progress? Or is recession the final outcome?

Money and resources towards refugee camps are not of high priority. The fact that we put our asylum seekers, and refugees in tents is a shameful act.

The result has been a sting of violence and inhuman living conditions in many of these centers.

Yesterday Asylum seekers were attacked seemingly by other refugees in an asylum center in Norway.

are Norway and USA the same ?

Norwegians, like most Europeans have been strongly critical of how, and why “Christian America” voted for, and elected president Bush.

Bush and the Republicans won a lot of votes from the evangelical block because of the following thinking:

“If a candidate is right on issue A and issue B, support him without reservation,” which carried the tacit message, “These issues are so important –don’t worry what he says about issue C and issue D.”

Sadly the evangelical christian vote in Norway are doing the same thing.

In the name of tax reductions, and lower fuel costs, the poor in the world will suffer more than they do today, in the name of “me first” another girl will sleep in a tent without her parents, in Oslo!

What is a Norwegian?

I thought being a Norwegian involved putting others first, being hospitable, sharing our resources and lives with the “least of these”, I thought we didn’t own our land, but were given it by God to share with the rest of our world?

Was i wrong?

What actually happened to Norway?