Har ni sett detta? Africa for Norway.

Visst är det underhållande och väcker leenden just för att det är så bak- och fram jämfört med de bilder vi har vant oss vid. Och kanske gärna behåller. Så jag hoppas att det inte bara ska väcka leenden, utan att budskapet når fram. Vilken bild skapar den här filmen av de olika kontinenterna? Och hur ser bilden ut i vanliga fall. Det är norska studenter som har levererat filmen och Radi-Aid. Läs vad de skriver. Det är viktigt! ”Afrika ska inte bara vara något som får människor att antingen ge eller ge upp. I själva verket finns det mycket positiv utveckling i afrikanska länder, och vi vill att detta ska bli känt.”

Imagine if every person in Africa saw the ”Africa for Norway” video and this was the only information they ever got about Norway. What would they think about Norway?

If we say Africa, what do you think about? Hunger, poverty, crime or AIDS? No wonder, because in fundraising campaigns and media that’s mainly what you hear about.

The pictures we usually see in fundraisers are of poor African children. Hunger and poverty is ugly, and it calls for action. But while these images can engage people in the short term, we are concerned that many people simply give up because it seems like nothing is getting better. Africa should not just be something that people either give to, or give up on.

The truth is that there are many positive developments in African countries, and we want these to become known. We need to change the simplistic explanations of problems in Africa. We need to educate ourselves on the complex issues and get more focus on how western countries have a negative impact on Africa’s development. If we want to address the problems the world is facing we need to do it based on knowledge and respect.

The video is made by The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (www.saih.no). With the cooperation of Operation Day’s Work (www.od.no). With funding from The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and The Norwegian Children and Youth Council (LNU). Music by Wathiq Hoosain. Lyrics by Bretton Woods (www.developingcountry.org). Video by Ikind Productions (www.ikindmedia.com)