Some powerful words on development. Here’s a little sample:
But the worst consequence of this aid is that it paralyzes self-initiative and encourages a true mendicant mentality among the powerful and the powerless. Everyone expects an outside force to solve the problem; everyone is waiting for alms to rain down upon them in a kind of modern cargo cult. A few years ago, I was approached by the mayor of a Mozambican town who handed me a list and demanded: “I need five trucks, a bulldozer, and a few tons of cement.” This attitude is produced by the good Samaritanism, and it can be observed in all strata of society, from street children to presidents. Paradoxically, it is reinforced by successful measures. A padre in Mathare, a slum in Nairobi, told me a typical story. After his church aid organization had a water main and public taps put in, an old man complained: “So who’s going to pay me when I carry the full buckets of water back to my hut.