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Notes from the Author

My narrative

My intentions
My intention is not, definitely not, to provide definitive answers. I would like to make the

ordinary person better informed about Africa and International Aid. I want Aid Professionals to

look in the mirror and ask some fundamental questions about themselves. Most of all, I would
like those responsible for UK International Aid to challenge themselves.

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My Audience
 Ordinary UK people whose votes determine size and direction of UK International Aid

 ‘Would be’ and recently started Aid workers.

 Those institutionalists who go under so many aliases DfiD, FCDO, IMF, World Bank...but
especially those who are charged with operating UK International Aid

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About the Content
My narrative is a weave of different threads and styles. Deliberately so.

During my early years as a consultant to various governmental bodies , I found my thoughts
and observations being rejected out of hand by the 'insiders'. Their common theme being you

don't really understand. (The inference clearly being that only ‘insiders’ would be able to understand!)

My main thread is the many extracts from well-respected academics and other

professionals. These should provide a substance and substantiation for my reasoning.

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A second thread is drawn from my personal experiences, of encounters with real people

and also of 'on the ground' observations of some African countries. These should provide the
impartial reader with a 'connection' to the subject that we can’t feel when reading academic

reports alone.

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A third thread of purely African sourced material serves many purposes. The wonderful

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detail provided by African scholars about pre-m'zuŋ u African society and religion provides a