In my class reflection memo, I will
try to summurize the whole lecture and discussion among lecturer and students
focused on development aid. I will mention also the required readings
which were indeed interesting and provided different views and perspectives on
the whole issue. However, I will mainly provide my thoughts and insights
concerning the issue of development aid. I will try to reflect the topic,
readings and discussion which emerged during class and I will also provide
my personal experience with organizations dealing with the topic of development
aid and the media coverage of aid.
I think that development aid is one
of the issues which indeed link Africa and Europe or North America. Majority of
topics that we were reading about and then discussing during class were
important and interesting but I think that conflicts in Africa are still
something which is happenning far from us. We perceive Africa and its problems
as something which is not our bussiness. I think that ordinary people
simply do not see connections between conflicts, issues in particular African
states and our developed Western world. Our countries are however related already
for decades and centuries. Dambisa Moyo also showed this connection in her
great book Dead Aid. When she
described the history of aid and financial support from Western countries for
African countries, she also pointed at the fact that after colonisation and
decolonisation, direct links, connections and relations between rich and poor
countries did not end. Aid was just another channel how to continue in
influencing former colonies. This issue was also mentionned by lecturer during
the class as one of the reasons why rich country provides aid to any
underdeveloped country.
I think that understanding aid from
this postcolonial or neocolonial perspective provide us interesting insights.
We can understand the political motives and intentions of countries which are
former colonial superpowers. Also during lecture, we were mentioning France and
Britain which are classical examples. It was also mentionned that the whole
issue with aid started after the World War II and thank to the Marshall plan,
Truman doctrine and US position towards Europe and its colonial empire.
I think that it is kind of paradox that while USA was creating
interdependence and economic relations with Europe, Europe was creating its own
ones with former colonies. I think that this was something like global
shift in politics. Politicians invented new way how to influence and even
misuse other countries without direct rule. Could we therefore see aid as just
another political tool of domination? Is aid only a language game (as
Japanese case demonstrates)? Is it just about politicians playing with words
according to interests of their countries or even because of their own
benefits?
However, how about Nordic countries and UN
agencies? During the class, lecturer was talking also about these countries and
their reasons for giving aid and engaging themselves intensively in UN
agencies. Nordic countries provide aid because of their ethical and moral
principles. This perspective was even unrealistic for me. How is it possible
that there are countries which are giving aid for ethical reasons and countries
which just label aid as ethical and provide it for pure economical and
political reasons? Why Norway has not superpower approach as US or economic
reasons as Japan or political strategy as United Kingdom? I think that
this issue should be study more deeply because it could provide very important
understandings and insights not only about development aid. I think that
crucial difference is caused by society itself, I think that the decisive
element is percepetion of ordinary people that I have already mentionned
at the beginning of my memo. I see similarities between aid and for
example issues as refugees or terrorism. Perceptions and mindsets of people
from Nordic countries differ from the ones of Americans, French, Czechs or
Slovaks. If we focus on Slovakia and examine its society more deeply, we see
that there is a lot of fear and hatred towards all unknown things as
foreigners. I also think that this society is not so strong as societies
of Nordic states. I personally feel something like lack of sense of
community in Slovak society which makes it weaker. I think that we should
try to find answers by sociological approach and by studying particular
societies to understand specific types of aid and interests leading to give
aid.
However, we should then focus on another
important question. How to change perception of people? How to make them see
development aid in more positive way? I think that this is the essential
element of development aid because if perception of people changes it could
lead to pressure on politicians and changes in politics concerning development
aid. My opinion is that people have power to change things and make politicians
to promote their values just like in Nordic countries.
I have some personal experiences with
development aid. For several months, I was an intern in Platforma
mimovládnych rozvojových organizácií (Slovak NGDO Platform). We were mainly
dealing with lack of knowledge and interest of Slovak society concerning development
aid, humanitarian aid, conflicts in foreign countries, etc. Before
I started working in PMVRO, I was not able to exactly explain what is
development aid. Now I am wondering how is it possible that me as student
of international relations and european studies could not understand the
concept of development aid. I think that it is problem of Slovak society.
These issues are simply not covered by media in proper way. There is no real
discussion or awareness about Slovak official development aid. I had
impression that majority of people do not at all know that Slovakia is giving
small percentage of its budget on projects abroad. Is it failure of agency that
is responsible for official Slovak aid?
During my internship, we were organizing
an event which was supposed to raise awareness and knowledge of Slovaks about
aid. It was called Development Day. There were many workshops, stands of NGOs,
speeches of different interesting people, games and attractive programme for
children, etc. We indeed tried to do it as much as attractive and educative for
all categories of people and all ages as we could. We even invited some
refugees to come and share their stories. At the end of the event, there was
even concert of popular Slovak singer. However, I was surprised that
participation of people was indeed low. There is significant lack of interest
in our society and I understand that ordinary people have their ordinary
problems but I would like to ask why they are so ignorant, sceptical and
cynical. Why they do not see connections and links between our problems which
have often roots in different countries? Why they do not understand that
because of globalization our world is interdependent?
I was also dealing with myths about
development aid spread among people. Usually when people know something about
development aid it is a myth. They think that aid is not working, people are
poor because they are lazy, poverty is caused by overpopulation, liberal
economy is the only solution for poor countries, etc. It is difficult for
a journalist to write about aid for Slovak audience. However, I think
that it is the only way how to deal with lack of interest and misunderstanding.
We need to talk and read about development aid. I see many obvious
inefficiencies and shortcomings of development aid and I really like book
by Dambisa Moyo which I have read and which was recommended to me by
a friend working in NGDO. I understand criticism of one of my
colleagues towards this book but I think that author, Dambisa Moyo wanted
to provide different perspective on aid. Her criticism was rather unusual at
that time but I think very helpful for many people dealing with
development aid.
However, I think that Nordic case
provides us very interesting insights and understanding that we should have towards
development aid. We know cases such as Mozambique which demonstrates that aid
is not only „dead“ but could be really effective and successful. However, is it
possible to change perception in former colonial superpowers? And how to deal
with public opinion in targeted countries? How could these people see Western
aid, if they often witness only corruption and scandals? Is it nowdays possible
to change this situation? What if this type of aid is strongly embedded in
capitalist neoliberal globalised world?
During class, we were dealing with
different definitions, understandings, approaches and reasons for development
aid. I had impression that also my colleagues have rather negative and
critical views on aid. I think that I have both, negative as well as
positive. I maybe try to be somehow optimistic because of cases that aid
could work and be effective. I indeed appreciate sceptical and critical
opinions which I think are really important in the whole process of
reframing aid. Book by Dambisa Moyo is excellent example. I still tend to
hope that despite its history and roots development aid could be effective and
working.
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