The Bright Continent - Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa

There is a lot to like about this book, which sets out to correct misperceptions of Africa as a place of hopeless misery waiting for Western saviors. Olopade covers the African spirit of resilience, the way in which living in "fail states" (as opposed to "failed states) which do not provide the

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safety nets or supports that we in the West expect from our modern government, has led to innovation and small scale development. She highlights the development of resilient business practices and the development of creative solutions, such as software development, to meet modern challenges. However, I feel like the last couple of chapters fall back on old formulas. Suddenly, it seems the author cannot really quite envision the development of Africa without some kind of intervention from outside, although she is careful to qualify what types. I found myself frustrated by her cheerful endorsement of NGO based development as opposed to govt. to govt aid. When she gets around to praising the paternalistic African Leadership Academy, I got beyond irritated and had to quit reading for a while. Lots of good stuff here, but don't let your guard down.

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