African Aid: In the Movie and in Real Life

Like a lot of people in actual power positions in Africa, Justin believed in the power of organizations to bring about social, economic, and medical aid to the impoverished people in Africa. But as he soon discovered, it is completely within the power of the individual, in fact sometimes better this way, to bring about this change.

Justin's wife Tessa is convinced that some of the agencies here, supposedly on behalf on the common good, are really here for profit and good publicity. She investigates further, and she finds that the pharmaceutical companies are testing their drugs on uninformed Africans, who have no choice to accept the testing if they want their lifesaving drugs. In one instance in the movie, Justin finds himself at the medical clinic within an African food camp in Sudan. There he learns that the drugs are expired and donated purely because of the tax break it provides. These practices are not so out of line with reality. In fact, Pfizer's unethical testing of Trovan on the children of Nigeria mirrors the story Meirelles tries to create. Pfizer produced Trovan under the assumption that it was safe and effective because the same amount of children died who were treated with Trovan as the children who were treated with the leading medicine, ceftriaxone.This is questionable too because there are reports indicating that not enough of the ceftriaxone was given to the children (Angell). The fact that this type of human testing on African children is normal is very hypocritical of the drug companies as the drugs that are being tested in Africa are being targeted in America. The FDA has very strict regulations about human testing, and the drug companies are able to circumvent all these procedures by testing their products in third world countries.

This is not the only type of "aid" present in the movie. There is a scene where Justin enlists the help a UN pilot to take him to a food camp in Southern Sudan. On the way there, the pilot stops to drop flour for several villages.

The United States alone spends almost $7.2 billion in aid like this yearly (UN). Compare this to the United State's defense budget of $965 billion (US Defense Budget). Yes, the money is enough to provide the Africans with things like flour, but not nearly enough for any meaningful improvements like infrastructure. When the plane arrives in the food camp, it is turned over to white people who distribute the aid. Dr. Brandt is seemingly in charge of the operation and apparently also in charge of the conversions. The pilot comments on his tendency to group eternal salvation with UN supplies on the way there. I think this is an interesting point as it illustrates once the aid is purchased and transported, powerful individuals are welcome to morph the aid as they see fit. Eventually, the camp is overrun by raiders who take children as sex slaves and also the supplies that were just delivered. Again, the lack of actual support is quite visible. This food isn't helping. In fact, it's actually making the people that receive it a target. As Dr. Brandt aptly states: "It's how the world fucks Africa, Mr Black . . . It's how they expiate their guilt."

SOURCES USED:

"Aid to Africa." UN.org. United Nations, Oct. 2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. <http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/reports/2010_Aidbrief.pdf>.


Angell, Marcia. "The Body Hunters." The New York Review of Books. 06 Oct. 2005. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2005/oct/06/the-body-hunters/>.


"US Federal Budget Analyst." US Defense Budget: US Federal Budget FY12 Spending Breakdown. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. <http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_budget_2012_3.html>.