People are comfortable with stereotypes. Say "Africa" and most Britons picture disaster, famine, refugees, and poverty. In a survey of attitudes commissioned by the Voluntary Service Organisation (VSO), published in January, 80% of Britons said those words sprang first to mind.
Aid to the developing world means western financial and volunteer support to tackle food shortages, dirty water, poor sanitation, and the ravages of diseases usually unknown in the western world. Or does it?
Yes, such aid is vital in many areas. But the easy association of a constant Live Aid state of disaster with the entire continent is a shockingly one-dimensional view of Africa. To begin with, Africa is incredibly diverse in its countries, economies, cultures, capabilities and challenges - a fact that seems obvious when you remember that the continent takes in nations as varied as Egypt and South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda, Morocco and Kenya.
Africa also has sophisticated cities, diverse populations across several social classes, and a range of developing industries - many in the technology sector. Internet and PC penetration levels may still be extremely low compared to the west or much of Asia. But Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Zimbabwe all featured as "dynamic adopter" countries in the United Nations' technology achievement index last year - countries that are "dynamic in the use of new technologies", according to the UN's Human Development Report 2001.
When Wired magazine produced a survey of 40 "global hubs of technological innovation" in 2000, it included El Ghazala in Tunisia, and Gauteng in South Africa. In 1999, about 30% of South Africa's exports fell into the category of medium to high technology goods. In Tunisia, the figure was 20%, in Zimbabwe, 12%, and Egypt about 9%.
In partnership with Cambridge University, South Africa will next year launch the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Aims), an ambitious attempt to keep the continent's young science brainpower on the continent. And don't forget that Mark Shuttleworth, the first "afronaut" and one of the world's first space tourists, is a youthful South African who made his fortune in the technology industry.
This is not to argue that Africa is well on its way to having the kind of casual affluence most of the western world accepts as its norm. Even in the most developed of African countries, South Africa, more than 7m people live without clean water or any form of sanitation. Famine threatens parts of the Eastern Cape, while regions of the rest of southern Africa, as well as Ethiopia, are facing the iron grip of starvation.
In the face of such recurrent tragedy, many people feel any push to expand the role of technology is frivolous. Indeed, the world's most high-profile technologist and tech businessman, Bill Gates, has wavered on the issue. His mid-90s speeches suggested computers would have an important role to play in the expansion of developing economies. But by the late 90s he had changed tack, making huge financial contributions towards more traditional forms of aid, such as vaccines, while stating in one much-publicised speech that the developing world did not need computers.
He's wrong. The developing world itself is asking for technology hardware, software and technology expertise. Consider the profile of the VSO volunteer. One in four volunteers now has a background in information technology, business consultancy or accounting, according to Michael Shann, VSO marketing manager. Another 6% teach maths and sciences.
Demand from the developing world for volunteers in such professions has risen300% in the past five years. And to be fair, Microsoft, along with Intel and other large and small technology companies, pumps millions into the developing world in technology aid. Many of these initiatives are aimed at giving young people computing capability. Microsoft has established numerous sports and computing centres across Africa, for example, while Intel is giving technology training to teachers so they can comfortably integrate computers into the classroom.
It's crucial to realise that technology is not incompatible with aid, as the VSO's Shann points out. The computer, satellite and internet support traditional aid programmes throughout the developing world. But even more important, they will ultimately provide the way for the developing world to support itself and create its own future.
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