Friday, January 23, 2015

An African's message for America

This short documentary was about a Kenyan activist named Boniface Mwangi asking american students why they leave the US and go to place like Africa wanting to help. He was invited to Duke university to talk to students that volunteer. These students leave the US and go to another country for like 2 weeks to help build houses, help people, help animals etc. Throughout the documentary he tells his story of how violence first touched his life. Like how violence touched Ishmael in the story A Long way Gone.  Through the violence and the fear that came with it he started a group of young artists and activists called PAWA254 in Kenya. The main thing they try to do is promote social change. Mwangi's main reason for asking people why they go all the way to another country to help is because Mwangi believes people should start creating change locally. He doesn't like how everyone looks at Africa like such a needy country, when their own countries aren't in good shape. He believes that by making a change locally it will take more of an affect because they are people from that place helping that same place. He says the other countries should be used as examples of mistakes that shouldn't be made. At the end Mwangi says "Africa doesn't need a savior, America needs a savior."
 
                                                               
I really like this documentary. I agree a lot with Mwangi because I believe its true that if you want to know about another country for example Africa why ask an "expert" who stayed in africa for 4 weeks than asking someone actually is from Africa. I also agree that we should stop looking at Africa or any other country smaller than us because of the problems they have. As if our own country doesnt go through things as well. Although I don't agree with what he thinks about helping other countries. Yes it is true we should probably help the people around us first before trying to help save the world. But I think if you can and it is possible, why not help another country?
(NY Times article)

No comments:

Post a Comment