before i opened Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, i was in dire need of a good book. a good story to take my mind off the stresses associated with my own life story at the moment. and this was a book that i know i will be recommending and thinking about for quite some time.
marion stone is the main character, one half of a set of identical twins whose indian nun mother died during his birth and whose father, a top british surgeon working in the mission hospital in addis ababa where he was born, ran away immediately following his birth.
marion's story, along with his twin brother shiva's, parallels the story of ethiopia since the second world war and as marion leaves childhood behind and becomes a man during a repressive political regime and amidst the secession politics and attempted coups, his adoptive parents foster in him a love of academic study and medicine. but it is the relationships that he has with those around him and how they evolve that is most fascinating and well described in the book.
i love a good historical novel, one that weaves facts and history into an engaging story, offering the opportunity not only to be entertained through storytelling, but also to get a unique perspective of a time and place.
along with the story of ethiopia, this book also is the story of surgery and the passion that doctors bring into that field of work as well as an exploration of why they choose medicine. as someone who knows very little about the inner workings of the medical profession, i did not get lost in the language and along with learning more about ethiopia, i also had a glimpse into the life of expat doctors both in east africa and the us.
it is also a tale of deceit, trust, forgiveness and an example of how families are often not the ones you are given, but the ones you choose. the author doesn't scrimp on details and many of the plot twists are completely unexpected, making it a book i wanted to get back to whenever i had put it down and one that offers enough depth to make it a true telling of a very rich story.
in some ways, it reminded me of Camilla Gibb's Sweetness in the Belly in its description of Ethiopia as someone's home and not as a visitor passing through would see the country. both great books to read and if you do, i'd love to hear what you think!
Showing posts with label ethiopia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethiopia. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Saturday, June 06, 2009
books about africa
i was recently asked for an email with my suggestions on books about africa and this is what i came up with so i figured it might be useful to someone so i am also posting it here.
here are some of my favourite books about africa:
The Zanzibar Chest (Aidan Hartley) - memoir about life as a foreign correspondent in Africa and that whole post colonial guilt thing.
Sweetness in the Belly (Camilla Gibb) - fiction about a white woman who grows up in Muslim Ethiopia, amazing read.
Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) - fiction set during the Baifran war in Nigeria, awesome and based on a lot of real events.
My Traitor's Heart (Rian Malan) - memoir of an Afrikaaner who fought against apartheid in South Africa, truly explores the white guilt and the issue of Africanness, I think you'd like it a lot.
In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz (Michela Wrong) - journalist writes about Mobutu and his rule in the DRC, the one I was telling you about. Tough to get through at times, but you'll learn a lot about why the country remains effed to this day.
We Wish to Inform you That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families (Philip Gourevitch) - excellent account of the genocide in Rwanda and the role of the international community in prolonging the killings.
Shake Hands With the Devil (Romeo Dallaire) - the book that the commander of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda during the genocide wrote about his experience and frustrations with the UN system and watching people die, also a bit tough at times, but there is a glossary that always helps!
Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight (Alexandra Fuller) - memoir of a poor, white Zimbabwean family, so interesting and an easy read.
Tick Bite Fever (David Bennun) - funny memoir of growing up white in Africa. Not fantastic, but an easy read.
Swahili For the Broken Hearted (Peter Moore) - I don't love his writing, but he did a trip through Africa riding solely on public transport and wrote about it, so there are some gems in amongst the other bits.
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali (Gil Courtemanche) - fiction (but probably mostly true) about the expats during the genocide in Rwanda. The story will make you cry, but I loved the raw writing of the French Canadian author.
Acts of Faith (Philip Caputo) - an awesome novel about the war in Southern Sudan, the community of pilots, how the UN capitulates war, and the scandals of it all, a really great read and I know from my pilot friends that the story is true and the names were just changed.
Emma's War (Deborah Scroggins) - non fiction, about a British woman who rocks up in Southern Sudan in the middle of a civil war, marries one of the rebel war lords, becomes his second wife, and then actively participates in the war, alienating most people she knows. I also think you'd really like this as it shows the naivity and sincerity of foreign aid workers and those who feel th eneed to 'save' Africa. One of the characters in the book above is based on her, undoubtedly.
You asked for it, and there you have it! I surprised myself with how many books I could pull out of my head and I clearly could start my own post-colonial African literature course...
What can I say - I didn't have a TV for a number of years... nothing like reading a book when you are in bed with a hangover in Nairobi.
here are some of my favourite books about africa:
The Zanzibar Chest (Aidan Hartley) - memoir about life as a foreign correspondent in Africa and that whole post colonial guilt thing.
Sweetness in the Belly (Camilla Gibb) - fiction about a white woman who grows up in Muslim Ethiopia, amazing read.
Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) - fiction set during the Baifran war in Nigeria, awesome and based on a lot of real events.
My Traitor's Heart (Rian Malan) - memoir of an Afrikaaner who fought against apartheid in South Africa, truly explores the white guilt and the issue of Africanness, I think you'd like it a lot.
In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz (Michela Wrong) - journalist writes about Mobutu and his rule in the DRC, the one I was telling you about. Tough to get through at times, but you'll learn a lot about why the country remains effed to this day.
We Wish to Inform you That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families (Philip Gourevitch) - excellent account of the genocide in Rwanda and the role of the international community in prolonging the killings.
Shake Hands With the Devil (Romeo Dallaire) - the book that the commander of UN peacekeepers in Rwanda during the genocide wrote about his experience and frustrations with the UN system and watching people die, also a bit tough at times, but there is a glossary that always helps!
Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight (Alexandra Fuller) - memoir of a poor, white Zimbabwean family, so interesting and an easy read.
Tick Bite Fever (David Bennun) - funny memoir of growing up white in Africa. Not fantastic, but an easy read.
Swahili For the Broken Hearted (Peter Moore) - I don't love his writing, but he did a trip through Africa riding solely on public transport and wrote about it, so there are some gems in amongst the other bits.
A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali (Gil Courtemanche) - fiction (but probably mostly true) about the expats during the genocide in Rwanda. The story will make you cry, but I loved the raw writing of the French Canadian author.
Acts of Faith (Philip Caputo) - an awesome novel about the war in Southern Sudan, the community of pilots, how the UN capitulates war, and the scandals of it all, a really great read and I know from my pilot friends that the story is true and the names were just changed.
Emma's War (Deborah Scroggins) - non fiction, about a British woman who rocks up in Southern Sudan in the middle of a civil war, marries one of the rebel war lords, becomes his second wife, and then actively participates in the war, alienating most people she knows. I also think you'd really like this as it shows the naivity and sincerity of foreign aid workers and those who feel th eneed to 'save' Africa. One of the characters in the book above is based on her, undoubtedly.
You asked for it, and there you have it! I surprised myself with how many books I could pull out of my head and I clearly could start my own post-colonial African literature course...
What can I say - I didn't have a TV for a number of years... nothing like reading a book when you are in bed with a hangover in Nairobi.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
more must reads
perhaps i should really just start a book review blog, but until that happens you (my ten or so readers) will have to endure my book reviews and recommendations here.
the first book that i insist you must all run out and purchase (or borrow from la biblioteca) is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (she of Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden Lives of Muslim Women fame, a great piece of non fiction, if you're in the mood).
People of the Book is fantastic. a brief synoposis: an ancient jewish haggadah is found in sarajevo after the balkan war and the story returns to tell parts of the holy book's history based on the bits of gunk that are found within its pages by a book conservator. i love a historical novel and i now love books that teach you about the conservation of books.
above all, i was mesmerised by Brooks' ability to tell a story with such detail, historical facts, and unique voices. i spent two days on the beach buried in the words depicting vienna, spain, venice, sarajevo, and sydney. and when i came to the end of the book i wished there was more, highlighting the fact that we can never know all the details of history, but that our imaginations can continue to fill in the gaps.
the second book i am recommending is What is the What by Dave Eggers. it is the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, a sudanese man who survived civil war, the long walk of the lost boys, refugee camps in ethiopia and kenya, and resettlement to the us.
my old office is mentioned at the end of the book and it was neat to read about the 'transit centre,' the place where refugees stay before their resettlement abroad and where i used to visit beneficiaries of my project. but more than anything, the story told by Eggers manages to capture Deng's experience of growing up without an immediate family, in fear of lion attacks, coping with hunger, avoiding recruitment into a civil war from which he fled, adolescence in dusty camps, and an insider look at the experience of an unaccompanied minor who goes through the unhcr system and finds himself trying to make a new life in a new world.
the best part of the book is that Eggers captures a voice that is not apologetic nor pathetic while allowing you the opportunity to understand what Deng's experience must have been like. it is not right nor wrong, it just is.
the book had me thinking long after i finished it and i am curious to know more about where Deng is now and how his foundation is faring in their work building schools in southern Sudan. not only a great book, but a great opportunity to learn more about a crisis of monumental scale that exists in our lifetimes.
the first book that i insist you must all run out and purchase (or borrow from la biblioteca) is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (she of Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden Lives of Muslim Women fame, a great piece of non fiction, if you're in the mood).
People of the Book is fantastic. a brief synoposis: an ancient jewish haggadah is found in sarajevo after the balkan war and the story returns to tell parts of the holy book's history based on the bits of gunk that are found within its pages by a book conservator. i love a historical novel and i now love books that teach you about the conservation of books.
above all, i was mesmerised by Brooks' ability to tell a story with such detail, historical facts, and unique voices. i spent two days on the beach buried in the words depicting vienna, spain, venice, sarajevo, and sydney. and when i came to the end of the book i wished there was more, highlighting the fact that we can never know all the details of history, but that our imaginations can continue to fill in the gaps.
the second book i am recommending is What is the What by Dave Eggers. it is the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, a sudanese man who survived civil war, the long walk of the lost boys, refugee camps in ethiopia and kenya, and resettlement to the us.
my old office is mentioned at the end of the book and it was neat to read about the 'transit centre,' the place where refugees stay before their resettlement abroad and where i used to visit beneficiaries of my project. but more than anything, the story told by Eggers manages to capture Deng's experience of growing up without an immediate family, in fear of lion attacks, coping with hunger, avoiding recruitment into a civil war from which he fled, adolescence in dusty camps, and an insider look at the experience of an unaccompanied minor who goes through the unhcr system and finds himself trying to make a new life in a new world.
the best part of the book is that Eggers captures a voice that is not apologetic nor pathetic while allowing you the opportunity to understand what Deng's experience must have been like. it is not right nor wrong, it just is.
the book had me thinking long after i finished it and i am curious to know more about where Deng is now and how his foundation is faring in their work building schools in southern Sudan. not only a great book, but a great opportunity to learn more about a crisis of monumental scale that exists in our lifetimes.
Friday, February 01, 2008
26
dear 26,
man, was that a year. you were so much easier to deal with than 25, thank the good lord.
we did a lot together, you and i. we travelled to a few different african countries – we got stung by sea urchins in zanzibar, we safaried with the fam in kenya in the safarimobile, we hung out on a few different indian ocean beaches, we hiked and camped in the rift valley, we fell in love with ethiopia and the smell of frankincense, we melted and battled malaria in egypt, and we roadtripped in tanzania. we also visited in london, and were canadian bound twice.
together we met some pretty fantastic people and have a lot of stories to tell about our year together. some that can only be brought out when children are not present and some that we have photographic proof of (thank you facebook). we worked harder than we’ve ever had to work at a job. and got paid less than we’ve ever gotten paid for a real job.
there was a good amount of stress that we shared though, and i think we can partially blame that for the new creases i found with you. i won’t blame you though, i know it is not your fault. i believe that you wanted the best for me and i trusted you. unlike that 25. jerk.
between current jobs and future careers, i worried a lot this year. i will probably never stop worrying, but it would be nice if you could have told me that it will All Be OK when i was in mid-crisis. and there were a few.
together we met a soldier and had cheese and wine on patios during thunder storms, field trips to war cemetaries, safari lodges, african camp sites, the produce section, and a lot of indian food. we dealt with distance, work commitments, directional changes, differing perspectives, previous relationships, travels to south africa (him), egypt (me), and tanzania and canada (us). i began to rethink all the things i thought i wanted. most are still on the table, but i was challenged in new ways and i think you knew all along it would be ok. thanks for that, if i haven’t said it before.
26, we’ve moved into a new nest together and in the process had to navigate some friendships that were heading off the map. but i would say we built more than we tore down this year, much of which will last through 27 and beyond. i think we made a good team. here’s hoping your friend 27 will be into teamwork as well.
but what is up with being sick so much this year? i have never been the sick kid before, but between sinus infections, malaria, coughs, colds, sore kidneys, and a touch of the laryngitis, i think that i need to pay more attention to my health in future years and perhaps this was a gentle reminder. and sunscreen, i must remember sunscreen. but really, enough with the sick. it doesn’t suit me.
and here i must bid you adieu. keep up the good work. and if you she her, tell 27 that i have some big expectations for the upcoming year.
lu
man, was that a year. you were so much easier to deal with than 25, thank the good lord.
we did a lot together, you and i. we travelled to a few different african countries – we got stung by sea urchins in zanzibar, we safaried with the fam in kenya in the safarimobile, we hung out on a few different indian ocean beaches, we hiked and camped in the rift valley, we fell in love with ethiopia and the smell of frankincense, we melted and battled malaria in egypt, and we roadtripped in tanzania. we also visited in london, and were canadian bound twice.
together we met some pretty fantastic people and have a lot of stories to tell about our year together. some that can only be brought out when children are not present and some that we have photographic proof of (thank you facebook). we worked harder than we’ve ever had to work at a job. and got paid less than we’ve ever gotten paid for a real job.
there was a good amount of stress that we shared though, and i think we can partially blame that for the new creases i found with you. i won’t blame you though, i know it is not your fault. i believe that you wanted the best for me and i trusted you. unlike that 25. jerk.
between current jobs and future careers, i worried a lot this year. i will probably never stop worrying, but it would be nice if you could have told me that it will All Be OK when i was in mid-crisis. and there were a few.
together we met a soldier and had cheese and wine on patios during thunder storms, field trips to war cemetaries, safari lodges, african camp sites, the produce section, and a lot of indian food. we dealt with distance, work commitments, directional changes, differing perspectives, previous relationships, travels to south africa (him), egypt (me), and tanzania and canada (us). i began to rethink all the things i thought i wanted. most are still on the table, but i was challenged in new ways and i think you knew all along it would be ok. thanks for that, if i haven’t said it before.
26, we’ve moved into a new nest together and in the process had to navigate some friendships that were heading off the map. but i would say we built more than we tore down this year, much of which will last through 27 and beyond. i think we made a good team. here’s hoping your friend 27 will be into teamwork as well.
but what is up with being sick so much this year? i have never been the sick kid before, but between sinus infections, malaria, coughs, colds, sore kidneys, and a touch of the laryngitis, i think that i need to pay more attention to my health in future years and perhaps this was a gentle reminder. and sunscreen, i must remember sunscreen. but really, enough with the sick. it doesn’t suit me.
and here i must bid you adieu. keep up the good work. and if you she her, tell 27 that i have some big expectations for the upcoming year.
lu
Sunday, December 09, 2007
party animal
(december 8, 2007)
it is 10:30pm on a saturday night and i am at home, with my laptop, a flashdisk full of work, and a report to write before monday. all this talk of outputs, indicators, activities, outcomes, impact, components, methodology, logframes, workplans is making my brain hurt but it needs to be done. i like the thinking part of it but i have no idea if i am even doing this right. it was so much easier to be a student when i knew how to write a good paper.
but here i am, saturday night, sitting in my bathrobe, surrounded by papers, and eating chocolate. i sound just a student at the end of term.
at least i got out and about today – iced coffee with a friend, a long (dusty, speeding car-filled) walk outside, and a christmas fair where i bought no christmas gifts but some handmade mugs and bowls and a handwoven scarf for me. i just cannot turn down weaving. and the piles of fabric in my closet is proof. what do i do with yards of ethiopian cotton? i don’t know, but i had to have it.
back to the inherently confusing development speak.
it is 10:30pm on a saturday night and i am at home, with my laptop, a flashdisk full of work, and a report to write before monday. all this talk of outputs, indicators, activities, outcomes, impact, components, methodology, logframes, workplans is making my brain hurt but it needs to be done. i like the thinking part of it but i have no idea if i am even doing this right. it was so much easier to be a student when i knew how to write a good paper.
but here i am, saturday night, sitting in my bathrobe, surrounded by papers, and eating chocolate. i sound just a student at the end of term.
at least i got out and about today – iced coffee with a friend, a long (dusty, speeding car-filled) walk outside, and a christmas fair where i bought no christmas gifts but some handmade mugs and bowls and a handwoven scarf for me. i just cannot turn down weaving. and the piles of fabric in my closet is proof. what do i do with yards of ethiopian cotton? i don’t know, but i had to have it.
back to the inherently confusing development speak.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
frankincense and myrrh
i cannot recall if the first thing that struck me when i walked out of the airport in addis ababa was the gentle smell of frankincense that permeates the air or the peaceful quiet that was such a change from nairobi. or it could have been my immediate fascination with the amharic language or the stunning beauty of the people. whatever it was, i was hooked from the first moment we stepped out to the stillness and calm of the capital city and took a little blue taxi to our hotel.
before leaving the airport i can tell you what went through my mind and it was this, ‘why oh why must bryan adams follow me all over the world?’ it wasn’t long before we heard celine too.
checking in was an experience that kept us laughing. i wasn’t sure if i was misunderstanding the desk clerk when she refused to give my female friend and i a room with one king size bed and insisted we pay more for 2 single beds because that was decidedly not allowed in that hotel. after failing to reassure that we were indeed just friends and were more interested in the lower room rate than snuggling in a large bed, we began to wander the streets of addis and it was not long before i realised that poverty and homelessness is a constant in the city and street begging is sadly, extremely common.
a more positive thought struck me during my first walk through the streets of addis ababa as well – i could cross the street freely without taking my life into my hands each time i stepped off the curb. i was stunned at the reminder of what lanes are on the road. those little white lines painted on the asphalt that are meant to keep cars a safe distance away from one another? entirely non existent in kenya and i had sincerely forgotten what orderly traffic is like. it is heavenly. giving pedestrians the right of way was truly the greatest invention of all time. roundabouts actually work to control the flow of traffic in addis and i had to point out to my travelling companion when i witnessed someone yielding. i pointed in disbelief and nudged her in the direction of a car waiting to enter the roundabout and said, ‘he’s yielding,’ and we both sat and stared for a moment just to make sure it was not just a stalled car and that it was genuinely a road rule in action.
another peculiar thing about ethiopians in addis ababa, they seemed to only want to talk to me and not my friend who is equally as blonde and fair as me but about 6 inches taller. she would ask them a question and they would turn to me to respond. i couldn’t figure out if it was my underwhelming stature or my african butt. one of the funnier street episodes of this nature was a man who tried to rent us a ‘big house’ because he assumed we could afford it and that we must need a place to stay while we were in addis if we just arrived. apparently, they don’t get too many tourists wandering the streets.
other definite highlights of the trip included seeing lucy, the first hominid discovered and proof that relatively, i am pretty tall for our species and our ancestors. the churches are pretty amazing too, i spent a lot of time pondering the history and age of christianity in ethiopia. the women ‘dress their hairs’ when they enter a church and people are always found in the gardens outside of the ethiopian orthodox churches, either sitting on benches or steps or kissing the walls or the ground. we had to take off our shoes to enter the churches and we had our own personal tour and got to see haile selassie’s tomb and his throne on which he sat in church. ethiopia was the first (and perhaps the only, if i am correct) state to declare christianity their state religion and it is amazing to see what a part of their history and government it has had.
i suggest that anyone going to ethiopia develop a love for all things coffee if you have not yet discovered the wonders of the bean. a delicious and frothy cappuccino or macchiato is about 30cents and for that price you can simply not stop at one. or two. the italians left behind some good ideas, including perfect pizza, al dente pasta, good service, and pastries upon cakes upon biscuits. and an incredibly sense of style. we wandered into a shop one night and i wandered out with a new pair of italian shoes, which i needed precisely as much as i needed a hole in the head. but i love them.
and the story that you have all been waiting for (or at least 2 of you)… i stole a bathrobe from the sheraton. i did not actually stay at the sheraton (because the pepto bismol pink room with the king sized bed in the second hotel we scouted out was just too good to pass up, well the pink AND the view of the city) but i did have a most relaxing and enjoyable massage at the spa there and they give you towels, a robe, and slippers to play dress up in the locker rooms which are less locker and more heaven. i have been wanting to find a bathrobe because walking around the house naked is not kosher when you have flatmates and a towel just doesn’t cut it if i am trying to make breakfast, coffee, or my lunch in the mornings due to its way of falling off just as you have the pb on the knife and are spreading it on to the bread. these bathrobes were a delight to behold so i scooped one up and stuffed it into the handbag that i carry everywhere with me and affectionately refer to as ‘the case.’ and now i have a bathrobe. and a spine that is free of knots. and no shame, apparently.
and the story that you have all been waiting for (or at least 2 of you)… i stole a bathrobe from the sheraton. i did not actually stay at the sheraton (because the pepto bismol pink room with the king sized bed in the second hotel we scouted out was just too good to pass up, well the pink AND the view of the city) but i did have a most relaxing and enjoyable massage at the spa there and they give you towels, a robe, and slippers to play dress up in the locker rooms which are less locker and more heaven. i have been wanting to find a bathrobe because walking around the house naked is not kosher when you have flatmates and a towel just doesn’t cut it if i am trying to make breakfast, coffee, or my lunch in the mornings due to its way of falling off just as you have the pb on the knife and are spreading it on to the bread. these bathrobes were a delight to behold so i scooped one up and stuffed it into the handbag that i carry everywhere with me and affectionately refer to as ‘the case.’ and now i have a bathrobe. and a spine that is free of knots. and no shame, apparently.
just to make the trip complete, i had my hair cut and coloured and a pedicure (i know, life in africa is tough) while sipping on macchiatos with only one scream of ‘no, no, no,’ when the stylist nearly cut me some chunky side layers (no good if your hair grows wider through the natural drying process) and a few training suggestions to build the capacity of the colourists who had probably never used such light hair dye before. in the end, all is well and my hair is brightened up with a choppy trim.
we also visited with a friend, listened to stories of being put in jail for staging creative protests, drank more coffee, became acquainted with the expat community at a 4 year old’s birthday party, and i found a calgary connection in the suburbs of addis. it never fails, that whole 6 degrees of separation thing.
we also visited with a friend, listened to stories of being put in jail for staging creative protests, drank more coffee, became acquainted with the expat community at a 4 year old’s birthday party, and i found a calgary connection in the suburbs of addis. it never fails, that whole 6 degrees of separation thing.
and i shopped. coffee, scarves, silver, icons, honey, reams of fabric that i have yet to find a use for, prints of paintings (ethiopia has fantastic modern art)… who would have thought that so many fantastic things could be found in ethiopia? i didn’t really expect it and it tamed my little materialist spirit for a few more months before i touch down in what feels like the material centre of the universe.
can you tell i loved it there?
can you tell i loved it there?
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
bob vs steve
neither bob nor steve are my favourite people and i am not sure that i can take a side on this one because i have my own issues with both the make poverty history campaign and canada's refusal to meet the 0.7% gdp goal of foreign aid, but this is interesting nonetheless. i will write about my love for ethiopia soon, i promise.
Rocker slams Harper over aid vows to Africa
Andrew Mayeda and Norma Greenaway
CanWest News Service
Monday, June 04, 2007
BERLIN -- Irish rocker Bob Geldof says Canada is blocking an agreement to make specific African aid commitments at a meeting of the world's leading industrial countries this week.
Geldof, a prominent anti-poverty campaigner, also says Prime Minister Stephen Harper's refusal so far to live up to African aid pledges made two years ago by his predecessor Paul Martin is shameful and fuels what he sees as the growing credibility gap between politicians and voters.
Geldof levelled his criticism at the Conservative government in media interviews from London on Monday as he prepared to travel to Heiligendamm, Germany, where the annual G8 meeting opens Wednesday.
Climate change and poverty in Africa are at the top of the summit agenda.
"Canada is the worst culprit in blocking a significant communique (on African aid)," Geldof said in an interview with Reuters new agency. "All our information says they are refusing point blank to allow concrete figures. They are very, very far behind what they said they would do at Gleneagles."
Leaders at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005 agreed to double annual spending on aid to Africa by 2010-11.
Harper, who was attending pre-summit meetings in Berlin, brushed off Geldof's charges as he cited a series of African-oriented HIV-AIDS funding announcements made since his government took office.
Harper told reporters Canada was on track to meet the 2005 commitment, and his spokesmen denied Geldof's accusation Canadian officials were attempting to block specific commitments being written into the final G8 communique.
"I'm not sure what the basis of Mr. Geldof's allegations are," Harper said. "Canada made an important commitment in 2005. We are on track to honour that commitment."
Geldof, who also accused Italy of balking at specific language, said Canada's spending is more than $400 million short of the goal set two years ago. He took his numbers from a report by DATA, an African advocacy organization that has tracked the record of the G8 countries and found all countries wanting.
Geldof said Harper's refusal to meet the African aid commitment made by former prime minister Martin adds to the "mistrust and cynicism" voters feel about politicians.
"And there is no need because you are really fantastically wealthy," he declared in a CTV interview.
Dennis Howlett, co-ordinator of the Make Poverty History campaign in Ottawa, said international sources have told the group Canada is playing hardball on the wording of the G8 communique regarding both climate change and African aid.
"We have a number of different contacts who are fairly close to the negotiations and it would seem both on climate change and on aid to Africa, Canada is playing a negative roll," Howlett said in an interview.
Howlett said Canadian officials are more secretive about the position they are talking at the pre-summit negotiations than has been the case under earlier governments.
Howlett said Canada deserves some credit for increasing its aid to Africa even though it has not met the goal.
He said a bigger blot on Canada's record is the Harper government's failure to live up to his election promise to gradually raise Canada's overall spending on overseas aid to the average donor level among the members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which now stands at about 4.6 per cent of GDP.
He said the figure in Canada, pushed by healthy economic growth, has slipped to 3.2 per cent of GDP from 3.3 per cent under the Conservative government.
Ottawa Citizen
Rocker slams Harper over aid vows to Africa
Andrew Mayeda and Norma Greenaway
CanWest News Service
Monday, June 04, 2007
BERLIN -- Irish rocker Bob Geldof says Canada is blocking an agreement to make specific African aid commitments at a meeting of the world's leading industrial countries this week.
Geldof, a prominent anti-poverty campaigner, also says Prime Minister Stephen Harper's refusal so far to live up to African aid pledges made two years ago by his predecessor Paul Martin is shameful and fuels what he sees as the growing credibility gap between politicians and voters.
Geldof levelled his criticism at the Conservative government in media interviews from London on Monday as he prepared to travel to Heiligendamm, Germany, where the annual G8 meeting opens Wednesday.
Climate change and poverty in Africa are at the top of the summit agenda.
"Canada is the worst culprit in blocking a significant communique (on African aid)," Geldof said in an interview with Reuters new agency. "All our information says they are refusing point blank to allow concrete figures. They are very, very far behind what they said they would do at Gleneagles."
Leaders at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005 agreed to double annual spending on aid to Africa by 2010-11.
Harper, who was attending pre-summit meetings in Berlin, brushed off Geldof's charges as he cited a series of African-oriented HIV-AIDS funding announcements made since his government took office.
Harper told reporters Canada was on track to meet the 2005 commitment, and his spokesmen denied Geldof's accusation Canadian officials were attempting to block specific commitments being written into the final G8 communique.
"I'm not sure what the basis of Mr. Geldof's allegations are," Harper said. "Canada made an important commitment in 2005. We are on track to honour that commitment."
Geldof, who also accused Italy of balking at specific language, said Canada's spending is more than $400 million short of the goal set two years ago. He took his numbers from a report by DATA, an African advocacy organization that has tracked the record of the G8 countries and found all countries wanting.
Geldof said Harper's refusal to meet the African aid commitment made by former prime minister Martin adds to the "mistrust and cynicism" voters feel about politicians.
"And there is no need because you are really fantastically wealthy," he declared in a CTV interview.
Dennis Howlett, co-ordinator of the Make Poverty History campaign in Ottawa, said international sources have told the group Canada is playing hardball on the wording of the G8 communique regarding both climate change and African aid.
"We have a number of different contacts who are fairly close to the negotiations and it would seem both on climate change and on aid to Africa, Canada is playing a negative roll," Howlett said in an interview.
Howlett said Canadian officials are more secretive about the position they are talking at the pre-summit negotiations than has been the case under earlier governments.
Howlett said Canada deserves some credit for increasing its aid to Africa even though it has not met the goal.
He said a bigger blot on Canada's record is the Harper government's failure to live up to his election promise to gradually raise Canada's overall spending on overseas aid to the average donor level among the members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which now stands at about 4.6 per cent of GDP.
He said the figure in Canada, pushed by healthy economic growth, has slipped to 3.2 per cent of GDP from 3.3 per cent under the Conservative government.
Ottawa Citizen
Sunday, June 03, 2007
addis ababa
funny, the internet in ethiopia won't let me look at my blog. damned repressive government.
maybe they found out i stole a robe from the sheraton hotel.
regardless, i still love this country and will write more about how lovely the machiatos are, how cheap the hair cuts are, how wonderful the pizza is, how fascinating the museums are, how clean the streets are, and how safe i feel.
maybe they found out i stole a robe from the sheraton hotel.
regardless, i still love this country and will write more about how lovely the machiatos are, how cheap the hair cuts are, how wonderful the pizza is, how fascinating the museums are, how clean the streets are, and how safe i feel.
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