The Children of Africa

Leaders in Africa are so corrupt that we are certain if we put dogs in uniforms and put guns on their shoulders, we'd be hard put to distinguish them. ~ Stokely Carmichael

Have you ever heard,”You should be grateful, the children of Africa have nothing.” The children of Africa are a very interesting topic. They seem to be something that pops up all the time. How long they have been around, it's hard to tell. How long they have been in our culture doesn't really matter either. What matters is that there is a lot more then meets the eye.

Children of Africa starving should really be an oxymoron. However, it isn't. Why should it be an oxymoron? The reason is that a imagine a man sitting an on a pile of money and starving. Seeing such a graphic picture, you get why it is an oxymoron. Africa is arguably one of the richest continent in the whole world. Having everything from: diamonds, gasoline, fertile lands, gold, rare minerals, and just about everything to set anyone set for life and the next. 

So why do we see those ads and why are the children of Africa dying? The truth is, they're not, well not the whole of Africa. Yes, some are, but not all are dying of starvation, only certain parts are. With the ads, we see them because a lot of charity organizations are corrupt. It is only natural that people would advertise a scam. Nevertheless, another reason is bad management. While the resources are there, someone is usually getting all of it while everyone dies, or there is a war raging on.

The thing with the children of Africa, is that they shouldn't ruin over lives, or make us more sadder. That doesn't help them at all, nor does impulsively deciding to help them and give into a charity that is actually a scam.

With the children of Africa, they will always exist, until the corruption stops. This is seen with the case of a dictator stopping aid to his country. The food that was given was just rotting in warehouses, while people starved. That is why, you cannot really help Africa. You can help her in the short run and help children not starve. But realistically, in the long run, something needs to be done to stop the corruption and the misuse of resources to really help. However, that is easier said than done. Furthermore, the type of help needed would be one that started a revolution to remove the evil powers in place. Which ironically, could make things worse.

Truth be told, in general, the children of Africa has been blown way out of proportion. There are other children that need help, let alone other people. Helping the children of Africa is a noble deed, but there are other people who need more help than them. There are children in countries were they are being raped and are starving, or other worse atrocities compared to Africa.  

Furthermore, it's important to not forget your fellow country men and women. Why don't you help them? A starving person is a starving person, whether they be in Africa or right next to you on your doorstep. It seems wrong to put others above them when they are dying in front of you so to speak.

Moreover, the thing is that we don't need to help the children of Africa. We do not have any obligation, you could live your whole life perfectly without helping them. It would be good to help them, but there are other things to do in life.  

In addition, the children of Africa really don't need your help, they need to help themselves to fix their country. The resources are all there, it's a bit like helping a child with homework, all that they need is there, you give advice, but you don't do the homework.

Altogether, do the children of Africa even want our help? We talk about them, but rarely do we hear their own voice. The thing is, the so called "children of Africa" has  a life of it's own. Something that is breathing and living. Making it hard to know what does the real children of Africa need. So it's really important that we fine the real children of Africa and ask what do they need. Furthermore, you can only really help someone who wants to be helped. Pouring resources into Africa is useless, as they already have the resources. It is like giving money to someone sitting on money. Rather, what we need to do is teach the children of Africa to fish for themselves. To use things wisely, Africa has flourished before, but only through correct management.