Colourful Dreamer

Yesterday I posted about Cyclone Pam, reposting a friends thoughts with some of my own.  This article from SHANE COWLISHAW IN VANUATU AND SIOBHAN DOWNES for Stuff confirms some of what Graham was talking about yesterday.  On a slightly different take, I find alot of the reporting trobling as well. Too often it seems that the first people in are the reporters, not aid workers or government officials. How helpful it all is really. Planes filled with people to report on the events, rather than materials that might be needed.  Todays article rasies a good question for me. Reporters need disasters to give them something to do, and they have to report so so that they can sell copy to pay their wages. The bigger the story the better - it will get more headlines, so you get more pay. We saw it here with Rena. Even here part of the story was the slow response and incompetence. It sells. Aid workes need disasters too. It pays their way. They rely on donations and govenrmen...

Last week I was part of an email conversation about a request from a group in Africa for money to purchase prayer books and bibles etc.... The result of that conversation has incensed me. I have even lost sleep over it, which really bugs me, because in the end it was only £500. Although £500 is a lot of money. I think in part what annoyed me was the attitude at play in the conversation. It struck me as appallingly patronising. This group of Africans have this need. They have asked this nice English person for help. She vouches for them. We should give it. Which of course reinforces the idea that we white people are a source of money whenever it is needed. And that we don’t really need to check out with anyone in the African Province of this group about whether this is a good idea. We all know it is. It also reinforced our sense of superiority. Aren’t we the super nice generous ones helping these poor unfortunate people with our largesse? I wondered why I reacted like thi...