Africa Rising film review PDF

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Film review of the documentary "Africa Rising" from Poverty and Social Development. ...

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POVERTY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FILM REVIEW a1717844

Write a short review of the film Africa Rising, which looks at development in the context of Ethiopia. Briefly discuss the main themes of the film and examine what lessons it offers for our approach to development in Africa. Africa Rising is a striking documentary that explores the developmental issues in Ethiopia and the role of development agencies and foreign aid workers. Ethiopia is no stranger to hardships, and this film highlights how famine, droughts, lack of education and unemployment has led to many of its people suffering from extreme poverty. Yet, this documentary also highlights the defiant determination and strength of spirit that radiates from the community in Soba, Ethiopia. It documents extraordinary stories of people overcoming adversities and follows how large rural areas in Ethiopia are lifting themselves out of poverty without the help of foreign aid.

The city of Soba is displayed as a culturally rich land with deep traditions and customs. However, aid policies from Western countries can disrupt these processes. Millions of dollars have been poured into development and thousands of foreigners have attempted to find solutions to development issues in Ethiopia, yet the fruits of this donated money and work are yet to be seen. The situation is not improving and even becoming worse as dependence on foreign aid increases. Foreign aid workers often do not understand the culture or the challenges of the communities they are seeking to help, and this can lead to impractical policies and inadequate solutions. Corruption from the government is also evident, and often the aid money does not go to the people who need it the most, leaving the most vulnerable continuing to suffer. This reliance on aid from Western countries has created a toxic attitude among many Ethiopians, as they have become dependent on receiving free

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POVERTY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FILM REVIEW a1717844 food and resources. Aid policies should be created in line with the culture of the developing country that respect it’s ethnicity, it’s people and their customs.

This documentary challenges the notion of development processes in developing countries. Africa Rising explores the benefits of the potentially ground-breaking experiment of ‘Self Help’, initiated by one man, Awol Mela, striving to pull poor African communities out of their reliance on foreign aid. Mela seeks to empower Ethiopians to find their own solutions to their difficult circumstances. He believes that the reliance on foreign aid is potentially harming African societies by creating a cycle of dependency where African people do not believe in their own abilities to create sustainable change. The experiment has had many success, however, there are still limitations to the scope of the experiment, and Africans outside the borders of the experiment continue to live in desperate situations. Mela discusses how often countries such as Africa can feel “patronised” by richer Western countries. Often development agencies try to tell them what to do instead of trying to find the right solutions to fit the culture of the country. We can learn from this that Western policies are not superior or interchangeable, and do not fit the mould of every country. Development should come from an asset-based approach and appreciate the qualities and strengths of the country first. There should be open dialogue between agencies and communities to find the root causes of the issues, and an involvement of the people is critical.

Africa Rising illustrates the strong sense of community that can bring vast change in villages ravaged by poverty. The ‘Self Help’ experiment has seen new schools and medical clinics built through the power of communities coming together. Mela has encouraged villagers to 2

POVERTY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FILM REVIEW a1717844 work together to overcome the adversities they face. The documentary follows the development of a solution to a huge problem facing Soba. Ethiopia faces harsh environmental conditions that can lead to droughts, famine and infertile land which is a constant threat to social and economic and welfare. During the wet season, the rains run down off the mountains onto the farming lands below and ruin the fertility of the soil, which means that farmers cannot use the land to grow food. Together, with the leadership of Mela, the community collected their strength and came together to create a sustainable solution to stopping the rain from devastating the land. In turn, this has led to the people becoming more self-reliant as they can now successfully grow they own food all year, without the threat of the land being destroyed. This shows how powerful community is and how people can create their own change. It offers a lesson in how Western countries should deal with, or not deal with, development issues in Africa, and perhaps monetary help is not always the superior solution.

Against all odds, women have become powerful figures in leading change in Soba. This documentary depicts the many adversities and the societal gender stigma African women face. Yet, despite this, women have risen to take on new roles that were once deemed unfit for anyone other than a man. Women have taken on new responsibilities in money-lending and banking, and there have been many positive changes seen by this shift. However, there are still many threats to this scheme as they face opposition from illegal money-lenders and men who do not approve of women taking on these new roles. Women have also been actively involved in the scheme Mela developed of ‘teaching each other’. This system stemmed from the idea of the power of education, and how if every person taught another twenty people their skills, then hundreds – if not thousands – of people would be able to 3

POVERTY & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FILM REVIEW a1717844 learn new life skills. This idea is powerful as it brings people together and allows people who have not had access to education the opportunity to learn. It also promotes the idea of community over individuals, and how sharing of knowledge and resources is key to breaking the cycle of poverty. The role of women, education and community sharing are crucial in development processes and should be strengthened in aid policies.

The documentary, Africa Rising, is a thought-provoking film that challenges the perceptions surrounding development in Ethiopia, and offers lessons on how development agencies should handle these situations. ‘Self Help’ is an innovative idea that encourages the capability of Africans to help themselves out of poverty. The program has already seen substantial changes transpire, which confirms that this idea has serious potential. Western development policies often do not work and a greater understanding of what community’s need is crucial to creating long-lasting change. Ethiopians can change their own destinies, and they should be encouraged to do so.

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