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Deborah Brautigam provides an overview and description of China's development finance to Africa. "Looking at the nature of Chinese development aid - and non-aid - to Africa provides insights into China's strategic approach to outward investment and economic diplomacy, even if exact figures and strategies are not easily ascertained", she states as she describes China's provision of grants, zero-interest loans and concessional loans. Pambazuka Press recently released a publication titled India in Africa: Changing Geographies of Power, and Oliver Stuenkel provides his review of the book.
The December edition available here.

The 2010 issues: September, October, November, December, and the 2011 issues: January, February, March , April, May , June , July , August , September, October and November issues are all available for download.

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Letters & Opinions

'Until then, we continue to die'

Response to Stephen Lewis' ‘There is no doubt it is murder’

Happy Kinyili

2011-12-15, Issue 563

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/78705

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‘As a people, we have looked and continue to look to our western saviours to ride in on their magnificent white horse to our rescue. This ain't happening,’ writes Happy Kinyili, in a call for Africa to 'imagine and envision' the future for itself.

I read Stephen Lewis' remarks in Ethiopia on a morning when I am tired of the constant and continuous bullshit (to borrow Robert Carr's rallying battle cry). This morning doctors in Kenya take to the streets on the third day of their strike in the Blue revolution.

The Kenyan government, which has suckled adequately at it's mother's breast - the western world, has silently relocated funds for improvement of medical facilities and increments to medical personnel's remuneration to the war on terror in their invasion of Somalia while we have a media so focused on selling news that continues to focus the attention of a wider struggle to "salary increments" and silences the wider struggle.

I read a statement made by one of the striking doctor's on Facebook about his choice to remain in Kenya and work for the public health system despite the lucrative options for personal development in other nations both within Africa and outside the continent. We are saddled with stupid leaders who are extremely myopic in their vision.

And when you throw in the fact that we have an NGO sector that is constantly scrambling for the next sexy dollar with the shiny new language that attracts the attention of donors - we are a thoroughly fucked people and so many of us don't even know we are fucked and are joyously playing into the game of fucking ourselves up!

As a people, we have looked and continue to look to our western saviours to ride in on their magnificent white horse to our rescue. This ain't happening. Contrary to the singular narrative preached, Africa's eschatological hope and destiny does not lie in our re-creation of the western world in the soil of Africa. We alone can write and imagine our eschatology - but we're too busy playing at the white man's game to imagine and envision. And until then, we continue to die.

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