Earlier this week, we recommended Against all Hope: Hope for Africa, as a great resource to learn more about the philosophy of development Africa Water and Life has adopted from organizations like the Disciple Nations Alliance. Authors Darrow Miller and Scott Allen begin Against All Hope by imagining what Africa would look like if the Church was thriving and bringing God's healing and restoration to every community she touched. In reference to its significant poverty and despair, Miller and Allen ask "Is Africa Cursed"? This is a relevant question when you consider the pace of development in other nations and regions across the globe. We have felt this up close where we work. While there are several growing cities in Ethiopia, 1 in 8 people still live in rural areas in conditions not much different than those used several thousand years ago. Improvements to infrastructure like paved roads and moderate access to electricity are apparent, but they do not seem to be used to create more opportunities for community members to improve their lives.
The authors then make the methodical argument that far from being cursed, Africa is as blessed as any continent on Earth. It contains more land space than the United States, China, India, Argentina, and New Zealand combined. It possesses the world's greatest amount of natural resources consisting of minerals, water, and energy and agricultural capacity. And most of all, Africa is home to 874 million people made in the image of God (mind, heart, and personality) spread across 3500 distinct ethnic groups. As Miller and Allen point out, "Africans . . .are born with this vast internal property - and it is the greatest source of wealth in any community. Like any capital, it needs to be stewarded."
Against All Hope goes on to show how Africa's abundant resources are a considerable 'paradox' compared to its status as the poorest continent.
Our friends in Southern Ethiopia have expressed their hopelessness to us and for many the 'excuse' is simply, "Poverty is our destiny. We've always been this way." They long for relief from the despair and know that everything is not the way it is supposed to be. But a solution is elusive and their creativity is expressed primarily in the different ways they can ask us for help. We see the material and non-material resources the Arsi Oromo of Southern Ethiopia possess and long for them to be unlocked and used for their good.
The second half of Against All Hope gets to the heart of why Africa struggles, and lays out a road-map for leading nations to reach their potential. We'll review their solutions next week.
The authors then make the methodical argument that far from being cursed, Africa is as blessed as any continent on Earth. It contains more land space than the United States, China, India, Argentina, and New Zealand combined. It possesses the world's greatest amount of natural resources consisting of minerals, water, and energy and agricultural capacity. And most of all, Africa is home to 874 million people made in the image of God (mind, heart, and personality) spread across 3500 distinct ethnic groups. As Miller and Allen point out, "Africans . . .are born with this vast internal property - and it is the greatest source of wealth in any community. Like any capital, it needs to be stewarded."Against All Hope goes on to show how Africa's abundant resources are a considerable 'paradox' compared to its status as the poorest continent.
A child born to African parents on African soil has a greater likelihood of dying before his or her fifth birthday than a child born elsewhere in the world. African children are less well-nourished, poorer, less literate and have greater possibility of contracting AIDS than children born elsewhere in the world. (p. 24)According to every index (material, composite, and non-material), Africa ranks at or near the bottom. Why is this so? Miller and Allen start with the 'excuses' many Africans give for their lack of development. These range from external (colonialism, Cold War, insufficient foreign Aid) to political (Tribalism, corruption, lack of leadership) and material (overpopulation, lack of resources). The authors acknowledge the impact these have had on African development. But they give a number of examples of other countries that have faced similar conditions and risen from their impoverished state.
Our friends in Southern Ethiopia have expressed their hopelessness to us and for many the 'excuse' is simply, "Poverty is our destiny. We've always been this way." They long for relief from the despair and know that everything is not the way it is supposed to be. But a solution is elusive and their creativity is expressed primarily in the different ways they can ask us for help. We see the material and non-material resources the Arsi Oromo of Southern Ethiopia possess and long for them to be unlocked and used for their good.
The second half of Against All Hope gets to the heart of why Africa struggles, and lays out a road-map for leading nations to reach their potential. We'll review their solutions next week.
