The Next Empire?
We wound our way through congested Nairobi streets and the resulting grid lock of matatus and SUVs for the better part of an hour in an attempt to reach a 9:00 am meeting in the northern part of the city. Suddenly the congestion cleared and we found ourselves on a new under construction 4 way super highway compliments of the Chinese government. Why, we wondered, is China building such infrastructure?
One possible explanation lies in a recent article by Howard French in The Atlantic entitled "The Next Empire?" http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/04/the-next-empire/8018/ According to French, Chinese trade with Africa is over $100 billion per year and consists largely of trading infrastructure for land and mineral rights. His argument is that infrastructure alone will not solve Africa's problems of poverty and corruption. Only a growing middle class with personal skin the game can do that.
It is our hope that our EFAC scholars will be on the lead edge of the new Africa. By learning critical thinking, understanding the requirements of good governance and democracy and becoming involved in their nations future, these young people can help lead the way to a new Kenya and a new Africa. There is no reason that this continent, which has been exploited for centuries, cannot finally find its place in the global society. But to do so, it must educate its' young.
Labels: African Development, Visiting Kenya
