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Notes from the Author

Origins & Destinations

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We need to try to give ordinary people the chance to get a better understanding of
Africa.

Stereotypes prevail through all aspects of my country’s interaction with Africa.

Our government, our ministers, our administrators, our ‘Aid professionals’, our

ordinary people.

Communications professionals understand that the way to change a person’s

long-held views is to give them facts.

We need to give ordinary people more ‘stereotype-breaking’ facts about Africa.

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We need to challenge our politicians.

We need to move then away from their dedicated pursuit of isms. We need to
embrace a better vision of International Aid. We need them to build a more objective-

led, more credible government operation to deliver this. We need them to provide

more meaningful leadership. A leadership that embraces both formal and informal
aid resources. A leadership that makes UK International Aid relevant to ordinary

people.

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We need to inspire our civil servants.

It’s not enough for them simply to disburse an ‘aid budget’. They can and should see
themselves as playing a much more meaningful role. They should realise that as the

biggest ‘actor’ in the delivery of UK International Aid they have to harness all forms of

aid, both formal and informal. They have to play their part in making UK International
Aid relevant to the ordinary ‘voter’. The history of the UK means that our population

contains many ethnic groups who have natural links with other countries. It has been

a failure not to make full use of these. It has been a failure not to make fuller use of
these ethnic groups in a way that undermines the racism that is in our society.

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If real change is to take place in the role and operation of UK International Aid, it will only

come about by addressing all three players in this infernal triangle.

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