Bono's Begging Bowl

clipped from www.technologyreview.com But the second, more interesting theme--echoed by every speaker--is that traditional aid and charity, whether distributed by nation-states or nongovernmental bodies, have failed. Andrew Mwenda, a Ugandan journalist and social worker, now a fellow at Stanford, made the case most strongly. He argued convincingly that 30 years of Western aid to Africa has achieved nothing at all. More, he said that the persistence of African poverty could be explained, in part, by aid. He explained that aid had convinced the brightest Africans to work for corrupt governments rather than as entrepreneurs, and it had "distorted the incentive structure." "What man or nation," Mwenda asked, "has ever become rich by holding out a begging bowl?" Far better, he said, is finding Westerners to invest in African entrepreneurs or businesses, which would create wealth. This line of argument enraged Bono, however, who began heckling Mwenda.