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An illustration of the devistating effects of hunger. A Brief History of Ethiopia When most of America sits down to dinner they expect an array of foods to fuel the body and calm the mind. It is the …More
An illustration of the devistating effects of hunger.

A Brief History of Ethiopia
When most of America sits down to dinner they expect an array of foods to fuel the body and calm the mind. It is the Western tradition that dinner is the largest meal of the day, and that it should never be missed for any reason. When in our lives are we thus hungry? True we may feel hungry between meals, or sometimes have a craving for a midnight snack, but do we know hunger in the way that much of the world experiences it. If one takes a look at the photo of an Ethiopian refugee and a Western missionary, one cannot help but feel guilty for indulging themselves in any meal. Hunger is a worldwide problem, however the worldwide community cannot solve this problem. Many believe that the problem with the proposed solutions to worldwide hunger rest on the belief that through Western aid the problems and issues occurring in the third world can be solved.
arunkostka
A Brief History of Ethiopia
When most of America sits down to dinner they expect an array of foods to fuel the body and calm the mind. It is the Western tradition that dinner is the largest meal of the day, and that it should never be missed for any reason. When in our lives are we thus hungry? True we may feel hungry between meals, or sometimes have a craving for a midnight snack, but do we know …More
A Brief History of Ethiopia

When most of America sits down to dinner they expect an array of foods to fuel the body and calm the mind. It is the Western tradition that dinner is the largest meal of the day, and that it should never be missed for any reason. When in our lives are we thus hungry? True we may feel hungry between meals, or sometimes have a craving for a midnight snack, but do we know hunger in the way that much of the world experiences it. If one takes a look at the photo of an Ethiopian refugee and a Western missionary, one cannot help but feel guilty for indulging themselves in any meal. Hunger is a worldwide problem, however the worldwide community cannot solve this problem. Many believe that the problem with the proposed solutions to worldwide hunger rest on the belief that through Western aid the problems and issues occurring in the third world can be solved.

An analysis of the photo provided can point out many of the problems in the world. However, at the simplest level this photo documents the hunger experienced in Ethiopia due to famine and drought. In the 1980’s, during the reign of the tyrannical Derg regime, imported farming techniques, ecological damage, and years of little rainfall caused a famine of epic proportions. During this time food production suffered as the once fertile farmlands transformed into extremely dry savanna and arid desert. Subsequently people flocked to the cities and refugee camps throughout the country, as food became more and more scarce.

Photographic documentation of this situation is evident in the photo, as the Ethiopian hand is clearly sickly and famished. By looking closely into the picture it is shocking how thin both the hand and the wrist are. While in reality, it is very rare to die of hunger; this individual is clearly in an advanced state. The fact that very few people actually starve to death does not mean that hunger does not play a role in the deaths of individuals. Rather, hunger is another factor in the stresses of the lives of these individuals. For example, in Ethiopian refugee camps hunger was not the only problem faced by refugee and aide workers. Refugees also were faced with the stresses of disease, violence and warfare, and the elements. Thus refugees, while provided with food, were subject to enormous heat and unsanitary conditions. Hunger then becomes another stress in the lives of these refugees, weakening both the body and the spirit, and leaving individuals susceptible to disease and exposure, which are the most common causes of death in such situations.

This situation exists worldwide in refugee camps and impoverished areas of the world. The photograph provided is and example of hunger in Ethiopia, but this photograph could be of any starving person anywhere in the world. This situation occurs across the world, yet countries such as the United States produce enormous agricultural surplus. So the problem is not so much worldwide production of the food, it is a two-fold problem that stems from the controversy surrounding the role of Western nations in the Third-world. The controversy surrounding this issue is whether or not countries such as the United States should supply the third-world with food. Many believe that providing third-world countries with grain is simply allowing a situation to continue to exist. The other problem associated with aide is the inefficient means of distribution. The problem is not that there is not food to give to these people; rather the problem lies in getting the food to these people.

The hand in the photograph is being supported by a missionary’s hand, which is the next controversy surrounding African hunger. The role of missionaries in Africa is another controversial topic raised by this photograph. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Christian missionaries flocked to Africa to “save the souls of the savages.” However, during the 1960s and 70s after the independence movements in the newly formed nations, a new resentment of westerners came about, grounded in nearly 200 years of European domination and exploitation. It is this history that has made many Africans leery of the missionaries and aide workers who take it upon themselves to “improve” the lives of Africans.

This scrutiny of the work of missionaries and aide workers in Africa is not limited to Africans, many people in Western nations scrutinize the work of missionaries and aide workers. In the international arena many people see the work of westerners as eroding the independence and responsibility of Africans. In Dark Star Safari Paul Theroux traveled from Egypt to Cape Town, experiencing the nations and peoples of Africa in an extremely personal way. In his travels Theroux stops in Ethiopia and experiences the hunger and strife of people in Africa. Theroux also pays notice to the “white Land-Rovers” which aid workers and missionaries drive through the towns and villages of Ethiopia. Theroux is critical of the way missionaries treat the people of Africa. He compares the situation to that of children and a providing parent. The child, in this case Africa, relies entirely on the support and aid of its parent, the Western nations of the world. Theroux believed that such treatment perpetuated the animosity many Africans felt for Westerners. Theroux, and many other individuals believe that Africa and Africans must learn to adjust to the environment.

The belief that aide only perpetuates the problem, and does not do anything to solve it, can be seen everywhere in the world. In the United States this can be seen in the welfare system, which many conservatives argue only encourages people to stay in the welfare system. Many people believe that by allowing individuals to remain on welfare, it is sending the message that it is acceptable to allow the government to provide for you. Social Darwinists such as Herbert Spencer most adamantly supported this belief in the late 19th Century. These people believed that by not helping individuals who cannot provide for them society would become more efficient. “Survival of the fittest” was applied to humans, who now would find themselves competing for limited resources available in society. The winners were the most resourceful and able individuals, the losers being those who could not provide for themselves.

This photograph is also stunning testimony to the way people around the world can work together to achieve great things. It would be difficult to find an individual who would support the beliefs of Herbert Spencer. Most people when confronted with millions of starving individuals and piles of food that is going to waste would chose to act and provide aid to the starving. This photograph is testament to that. While critics can argue that it is destroying African economies and debasing the government, the simple argument can be stated that it is keeping people from starving. Walking through a refugee camp, it would be difficult to find an individual who was angry with aide coming from abroad. Most refugees when faced with the prospect of starvation and death or aide from the West would probably choose aid from the West. While this may not be a solution, it is in fact a start to solving the problem. The argument thus comes down to this simple question.

Should the Western nations of the world, blessed with stability and resources, provide aid on a worldwide scale, and what should be the nature of this aid. Or does the aide provided by the West often come at too high of a price to the sovereignty and independence of the nation. Is this aid a solution to the problem, or is the aid the cause of the problem.