Maathai argues that Africans need to revive their sense of identity, their cultural inheritance, and a shared sense of common purpose to face the challenges posed by endemic corruption, the legacies of colonialism and the Cold and civil wars, poverty, and most urgently climate change. Countless images of nameless starving children aimed at guilt-tripping westerners have been internalised, leading to a demoralised and passive inertia among millions of citizens. Elections may have spread but the true tenets of a democratic ...
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Maathai argues that Africans need to revive their sense of identity, their cultural inheritance, and a shared sense of common purpose to face the challenges posed by endemic corruption, the legacies of colonialism and the Cold and civil wars, poverty, and most urgently climate change. Countless images of nameless starving children aimed at guilt-tripping westerners have been internalised, leading to a demoralised and passive inertia among millions of citizens. Elections may have spread but the true tenets of a democratic society are often tragically absent. Only once the continent has rediscovered its own cultural inheritance and history can it take active responsibility for its own future. Ultimately what Africa needs is a revolution in leadership, but this cannot be ushered in by western governments, well-meaning NGOs, or even Bono and Sharon Stone it must happen within African civil society itself. As in Unbowed, Maathai s voice is decisive, authoritative, and unsentimental.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. "In this groundbreaking work, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement offers a new perspective on the troubles facing Africa today. Too often these challenges are portrayed by the media in extreme terms connoting poverty, dependence, and desperation. Wangari Maathai, the author of Unbowed, sees things differently, and here she argues for a moral revolution among Africans themselves. Illuminating the complex and dynamic nature of the continent, Maathai offers "hardheaded hope" and "realistic options" for change and improvement. She deftly describes what Africans can and need to do for themselves, stressing all the while responsibility and accountability. Impassioned and empathetic, The Challenge for Africa is a book of immense importance.