TIA – This is Africa. In the last 2 weeks I have watched 2 terrible films about this seemingly god forsaken continent. Blood Diamond and the Last King of Scotland left me feeling utterly bereft of hope for the future of humanity, and yet at the same time born again with a renewed commitment to save it. I guess that is just the power and beauty of film.
And as I listen to the murmurings of the G8 leaders, I find no comfort. They spit their spin of promises, committing to do more to help the poor, while saying nothing about ceasing to do the harm that creates them. Bono and Geldoff are not fairing well in this either. They are remarkable men, but they are in serious danger of portraying the enemies of the poor as their very saviours.
Years ago, I remember someone asking ‘How much damage do Bush and Blair have to do before the rock stars will acknowledge it?’ Unfortunately, it’s all about charity, not justice.
Well, what a pleasure it was last weekend to attend an event about giving, that was not just about helping the poor and needy, but about how millions of pounds, euros and dollars can be spent to give people the tools they need to help themselves. Justice, not charity.
I was at the European Foundation Centre Conference in Madrid and was taken a back to hear the charitable giants talking about people in Africa and Europe as people with ‘agency’ who have ‘the solutions that we must support’.
A gathering point for independent funders active in and with Europe, I was there at the behest of Sukhvinder Stubbs, the Chief Executive of the Barrow Cadbury Trust to talk on the subject of Ethnic Minority Youth – Challenges of Participation. (More about that provocative subject another time)
Sukhvinder has turned a Birmingham born, successful and intimate charity, into a powerful mouthpiece for policy change and social justice. It is a difficult balance to keep, but she has caught the hearts and minds of leaders across the world with an endowment of some £100m that gives out grants to projects based in the UK, Europe and areas of conflict around the world. It is about time we honoured people like Sukhvinder for the continual support they give to our communities. But I digress.
I was proud to fly the Birmingham flag in Madrid and after sharing my opinionated views on the world, I had the chance to meet with a number of intriguing individuals.
It was here that LabforCulture’s very own Nichola Mullenger captivated me with her worldly tales, her sharp wit and her vision for sharing culture across Europe. But there was one other individual that caught my attention. Angelika Kruger of the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme in Germany firmly lodged herself in my mind because she is coming to Birmingham.
young people, that is not for a study or a consultation or a pre defined project. She told me that she wants to fund young people led solutions to local problems, no matter how long it takes. Finally, a promise to believe in?
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european foundation barrow cadbury africa
LabforCulture ist eine Partnerinitiative der European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture dankt seinen Förderern für Ihre Unterstützung.