Thursday, October 28, 2004
I am here for such a short time, and I get frustrated because I see the problems and deficiencies all around me. It helps to get a different perspective now and then.
In the latest issue of The East African there is an essay by Bo Góransson, the Swedish ambassador to Keya, Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia. He writes that Africa has done in 30 years what the West did in 100 in the areas such as literacy, life expectance, and school attendance. He points out that in the 1980s there were 29 competitive elections for parliaments or presidencies. The figure for the 1990s was 160. Tanzania had 3,000 students at university level 10 years ago; today it has 27,000.
So yes, I see the corruption and dangers in “democracies” where the president controls the government, changes the constitution at will to remain in power, and allows only token opposition. And I see that the education system is flawed in so many ways, but again, perhaps just the literacy and perseverence that comes with educational success is enough to provide the basis for productive lives.
So maybe Góransson is right, and there is notable progress here when you can see the perspective of the longer view. I would be nice to think so.
In the latest issue of The East African there is an essay by Bo Góransson, the Swedish ambassador to Keya, Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia. He writes that Africa has done in 30 years what the West did in 100 in the areas such as literacy, life expectance, and school attendance. He points out that in the 1980s there were 29 competitive elections for parliaments or presidencies. The figure for the 1990s was 160. Tanzania had 3,000 students at university level 10 years ago; today it has 27,000.
So yes, I see the corruption and dangers in “democracies” where the president controls the government, changes the constitution at will to remain in power, and allows only token opposition. And I see that the education system is flawed in so many ways, but again, perhaps just the literacy and perseverence that comes with educational success is enough to provide the basis for productive lives.
So maybe Góransson is right, and there is notable progress here when you can see the perspective of the longer view. I would be nice to think so.
