

Democratic Republic of Congo - Essay Example

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Author : ioreilly


Africa, once known as the Dark Continent, seems to be living up to its name. The continents' 850 million people are poorer today than they were 25 years ago (Masand 2005). This is largely as a result of the widespread conflicts the continent has experienced in post-colonial times, which have been the biggest impediments to development…

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Democratic Republic of Congo

In the cold-war era, Africa became the battleground for super-power rivalry and many of the ills facing the continent can be traced to this period. It is only now that the developed world has woken up to the magnitude of the crisis engulfing Africa prompting the Tony Blair sponsored 'Commission for Africa' to note, " African poverty and stagnation is the greatest tragedy of our time," (Commission for Africa 2005, p 13).
There are some who question why the world should be so concerned about poverty and why the world community should contribute to Africa's development when the same resources can be used domestically to improve the living standards of their own people. The answer is simple. Because Africa, where one child dies every second is a blot on our collective conscience. Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken of "recognising the common bond of humanity", as has Bob Geldof, the social activist, musician and brain behind the Live8 concert, "to extend the hand of sympathy and shared humanity to reach above the impenetrable roar and touch human beings on the other side (Commission for Africa 2005, p 66). To that extent the objectives of both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Live8 organiser, Bob Geldof seem to match.
There is also another factor; self-interest. ...
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