Dead Aid. Why aid is not working and how there is a better way for africa. Dambisa Moyo.2009. ISBN 9780374139568. The author, born in Zambia has a terrific CV – World Bank, Harvard, Oxford, Goldmann Sachs. This is a black  African talking about how Africa can be, could be helped.  She builds a compelling case First all the aid that has been poured into Africa has resulted in African people becoming poorer, not better off.  Second the money (World bank et al)  has found its way into “lucky hands” ie the corrupt rulers/administrators and resides in Swiss bank accounts.   Third, Africa needs trade and investment such as being offered by China and India. Fourth, Inter african trade needs to be freed up ( A car cost $1500 to ship from Japan to The Ivory coast and a further $5000 to get it over a few borders)  .  Third Western nations need to  stop sending aid and stop subsidizing their own  farmers (who then dump product onto world markets – putting African s out of business)  – free international  trade.   Then stop supporting the guys like Mugabe with “free money”  Ask for results, roads, bridges  and commodities from the investments (like the Chinese). Put the countries on notice that the aid will stop over five years.   She has really got onto something and is passionate about it.   I wonder if Rick Mercer realizes that if he ships free  mosquito nets to Africa he is putting local manufacturers out of business?  Better to buy locally.  well written and rolls right along. Once again common sense is not that common.  Less Bono and more Moyo. Someone should send this book to Steven Harper.  The best thing is Moyo lays out how this can be done.

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Three Cups of Tea. One man’s mission to promote peace…one school at a time. Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.2006. ISBN   This is a real life story on one man, Greg Mortensen who discovered his life’s work , while climbing K2.

As of 2010, Mortenson has established over 131 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to over 58,000 children, including 48,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before.  This story lays out the hardships and risks he has taken in order to provide the ultimate for his adopted countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.  You can not help but be uplifted by this book. He provides yet  another validating data point to the analyses provided in the the Bin Laden book by Yossef Bodansky I reviewed.

His work has not been without difficulty. In 1996, he survived an eight day armed kidnapping by the Taliban in Pakistan’ Northwest Frontier Province tribal areas, escaped a 2003 firefight with feuding Afghan warlords by hiding for eight hours under putrid animal hides in a truck . He has overcome two fatwehs from enraged Islamic mullahs, endured CIA investigations, and also received threats from fellow Americans after 9/11, for helping Muslim children with education.

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