Philip Effiong writes in Africa Unbound:
More herePerhaps you are familiar with those seminars in Washington D.C. that address challenges typically associated with Africa—HIV/AIDS, inadequate healthcare, famine, poverty, war, dictatorship, poor infrastructure, low agricultural productivity, gender inequity, insecurity—the list is long though quite predictable. You may have noticed, too, that the "expert" orators at these gatherings are fairly consistent and essentially constitute a circle of recycled speakers that speak to an equally consistent bunch of recycled listeners.
Image courtesy of Africa Unbound
It is unnerving enough that everyday conscientious Africans are hardly on hand to discuss issues that essentially affect everyday Africans the most; but worse still is the truth that the celebrities (non-Africans and Africans alike) who are ushered atop some high platform to proffer solutions to the continent’s problems are often individuals who know little about their subject. And they need not have in-depth knowledge since there are usually cohorts on hand to write their speeches for them. But, with or without pertinent knowledge, experience has shown that such big wheels rarely have any sincere concern for the problems they dissect with much pomp; after all, they do not truly endure the burden of these social problems and they tactfully maintain a sacred distance from those who do.
