Racism and Development

In the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development [Consumption], Chief of Women's organizations, Bisi, Ogunkele stated at a CNN panel that preceded the conference "If the rich nations of the world do not share their wealth with the poor, the poor will share their poverty with the rich". 'Lower-income'/'Developing Nations' demanded that he conference's focus on 'development' be renamed 'population and consumption. Their position was that the 'west'/'developed nations' were over-consuming the planet's resources as rapidly as the 'Developing nations' were overpopulating. Time for a truce and a new approach some 18 yrs. after that conference? The reality is that poverty and its minions have spread globally, despite some increases in some measures (e.g, literacy and disease prevention in some settings).

Where are we to focus our attention? What new directions, principles, or approaches can we imagine?

In the current climate of global chaos, financial collapse, environmental degradation, and widening gaps between wealth and poverty, we have much to ponder, to confront in ourselves , and much t to change. The global development community is a cauldron of individuals, motives, and practices that are unsustainable in their current configuration and worldview. We have been focusing, wholeheartedly, on poverty reduction, "the poor", and the alleviation of problems associated with the lack of material resources. We might shift our attention to 'wealth reduction', a strategy that requires personal reflection and overcoming the fear of living with less. But the latter reveals that living with less is better for human contentment and better for the environment.
Various impact assessments and research studies have provided adequate testimonials to the links between literacy, income, and longevity-even 'happiness'-  as one set of indicators of 'quality of life'. 'How Matters' has been blogging about race and development and has been brave enough to raise the spectre of the "R" word-racism http://www.how-matters.org/2012/01/17/the-elephant-hasnt-left-the-room/

To what extent is racism embedded in those constructions of the haves/have not gap and how to resolve this global crisis, esp. in our approaches to local and international development in every country?

These are critical questions we discuss in my "Globalism, racism, and human rights" course at a US university and in my "Changing Ourselves" workshop -'Games People Play'. In mid 20th c. social psychologist Gordon Allport wrote the classic, "The Nature of Prejudice". Among other research insights, he stated that a person is more likely to admit they're a liar, cheat, or thief than admit to being a racist. Being a 'racist', of course, makes everything more personal than discussing 'racism'.
Join in and share both your thoughts and what you are doing to eliminate all forms of prejudice in your own life and work. Don't be shy!