Don’t You Want to Save Africa?

The Western Project in Africa has more than its fair share of historical baggage. African author Uzodinma Iweala reminds us that just because aid to Africa has become fashionable doesn’t mean that it’s free from that dark past. The calls to “save Africa” typically overemphasize Africa’s problems and downplay the extent to which Africans are already involved in finding the solutions. Maybe aid isn’t something you do to people. Iweala asks whom the celebrity campaign is really empowering. Only 3 of “famous faces” on the 20 covers of Vanity Fair’s recent issue to promote awareness of Africa belonged to Africans.