Africa: Neo-Colonial Aid: Andrew Mwenda of Uganda articulates a view that is quite politically incorrect in North America

I found this TED video on African economics and cultures. It was published by the Solidarity Locals of the Christian Labour Association of Canada in its blog Solidarnotes * (Feb24,2k9). CLAC now counts 50,000 members (served by 200 CLAC employees). Most of those are Locals (local unions) in various industries, locals composed entirely of worker-members, whose pay is determined by CLAC professional negotiations with the somewhat-variably-professional employers/firms involved. A few Locals are Solidarity Locals whose members aren't under a CLAC contract but want to support the principles and expansion of CLAC suitable to its founding purpose.

* What this blog is about: Solidarnotes blog examines work, labour relations and economic issues through a lens of freedom, solidarity and dignity: various aspects of the deep and rich Christian social tradition founded by Christians struggling to come to terms with how to act, as Christians, in the challenging, fruitful and at times very unjust world of the modern workplace.

In any case, this TED video, just below, was of such interest and quite technologically-advanced, enuff to tempt a blogger/editor to want to play with, that refWrite too decided to pass the vid along to our page-visitors who m+t not otherwise get another occasion to view it.
February 24, 2009

Says Mwenda: “Wealth is a function of income, and income comes from you finding a profitable trading opportunity, or a well-paying job.”

Says Solidarnotes: Andrew Mwenda of Uganda summarizes the need for a new perspective on African (and world) poverty quite well with this statement. I would add that a healthy and cooperative trade union movement is an important part of the latter part of that equation, as well as being a key thread in the stable social fabric needed for a country to generate prosperity. Stay tuned for more on that relationship, but for now, enjoy the video.