It seems like hope for Africa is along the way, at least for Liberia. And the hope, of course, comes in the hands of a woman =]. I found this article about Ellen Sirleaf, the first female president in Africa (with an incredible background), and the changes she has made to her country: apparently the woman represents hope to many Africans (and westerners!). It looks like she has been fighting corruption pretty accurately, stating that women have less reasons to be corrupt and therefore make better presidents. Statements aside, it seems to be working: she just got $4.6 billion worth of debt relief through the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Plus, of course, women work harder (her words, not mine…). She also got an enormous loan for Liberian businesses, which should improve the overall economy of the country.
The writer of the article seems highly skeptical about it, but I believe the woman has come for the good of the country. She seems highly motivated, or maybe I’m just in the mood for hope. Either way, it’s a good investment of time to read the entire article (5 pages) to see things that can be done to help corrupt nations. The writer seems to believe her efforts to be silly in a country that has been destroyed by war, but change comes in the small things, right? Her people seem to mostly like her. Coming from an extremely violent marriage, she seems to understand what it is like to be tied-up to circumstances, and the need for change.
The writer of the article seems highly skeptical about it, but I believe the woman has come for the good of the country. She seems highly motivated, or maybe I’m just in the mood for hope. Either way, it’s a good investment of time to read the entire article (5 pages) to see things that can be done to help corrupt nations. The writer seems to believe her efforts to be silly in a country that has been destroyed by war, but change comes in the small things, right? Her people seem to mostly like her. Coming from an extremely violent marriage, she seems to understand what it is like to be tied-up to circumstances, and the need for change.
p.s. There is also some cool info on Liberia's history.
This article is a gold mine of information. I was struck at how relevant to our current reading assignment was the following line: "To truly take advantage of its iron, rubber and timber, Liberia would have to manufacture things with them; it would have to export finished products rather than raw materials. And it can’t; the country is all but preindustrial."
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