Africa and the developed world

This is confusing.

A trio of writers from different parts of Africa, interviewed on NPR, say to all the well-meaning helpers from the developed world, the foundations and charities and development groups: “Just stop it!” They feel "irritated," they say -- pushed around by all the helping hands. They can't hear themselves think, or remember their own cultures. They want space to focus on exploring their histories and building a future based on African history and identity, not someone else's solution.

On one hand, this resonates with the liberal multiculturalist sensibility that advocates respect for all cultures, listening, understanding. On the other hand, some of what they say sounds like conservative criticisms of the liberal state. One of the three speaks of the mentality of “entitlement without involvement” that develops when outside do-gooders come in with answers. That’s exactly the conservative argument against welfare programs.

And this still leaves the question: What to do? “Just stop it!” is not enough. It doesn’t help the millions of desperately poor in these nations, who are not being helped by their own rulers. The instinct of "leave us alone" doesn't solve the problems.

The writers have only vague answers to this, but they come down to: Let’s work together, as human beings. We need to work with others, but first we need to be clearer about who we are and what we value. We have to be involved in defining the solutions.

It’s a very interesting interview. It doesn’t give much comfort to liberals or conservatives, or really to anyone. It gives only some things to think about.