
Changing the way we talk and think about Africa - JabavuAdams
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/05/africa-poor-stealing-wealth-170524063731884.html
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sgt
I struggle to take an article seriously when Africa is referred to almost as a
single country. There are similarities sure, but also vast differences in why
these respective countries are poor. Also, one is neglecting complexity by
stating it's all the West's fault. The West is arguably also largely
responsible for the (albeit limited) prosperity in Africa.

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webnrrd2k
Is it a suprise that a short opinion piece doesn't explore the full depth of
Africa's geopolitical situation?

You are right that Africa is a big, diverse place, and it is easy to
overgeneralize. Sometimes it's easy to _undergeneralize_ , too. Technically-
minded people, like the typical HN user, can sometimes over-focus on
specifics. I certainly find myself doing that a lot. This article, by focusing
on an overview and making broad statements, has to "simplify out" a lot of
specifics.

Also, I don't think that it's claiming that all of Africa's problems are all
the West's fault. It's saying that if Africa, in general, wasn't blatently
exploited then it could (eventually) take much better care of itself.

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lr4444lr
_Nick Dearden is the director of UK campaigning organisation Global Justice
Now. He was previously the director of Jubilee Debt Campaign._

Maybe he can explain where the anonymous 200K came from?[0]

[0][http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/pa...](http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/pageuploads/gjn_org_accounts_31-12-15.pdf)

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rmah
This article and the referenced "study" are breathtaking in its idiocy and
ignorance. As long as people continue to believe such disturbingly
counterproductive narratives, the poor areas of Africa will remain poor.

That said, some of the fastest growing economies of the world are in Africa.
And they didn't get that way by listening to people like this. There is a hope
that more areas will follow their lead.

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tankenmate
I think the article is pointing out that a lot of money leaves Africa via,
directly and indirectly, corruption and transfer pricing. Openly stating these
facts isn't putting Africa down, it's highlighting a problem that needs to be
fixed. OECD nations also suffer from these as well; corruption less so, but
they also suffer from transfer pricing, this is why there is the push to
reform taxation laws.

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DarkKomunalec
He says 'we', but, reading the article, it's clear he's referring to a few
multinational corporations. I am tired of at once having democracy subverted
by them, and then be blamed for it.

