Famine and Foreigners
Price:
$27.95 (01)Description
The Ethiopian famine of 25 years ago was the greatest humanitarian disaster of the late 20th century, killing more than 600,000 people before the world took notice. Peter Gill was the first journalist to reach the epicenter of the famine in 1984 and he returned at the time of Live Aid to research the definitive account of the disaster, A Year in the Death of Africa.Now, in Famine and Foreigners, Gill returns to Ethiopia to piece together the real story of the last 25 years, drawing on interviews with leading Ethiopians and with an army of foreign aid officials. He conducted extensive interviews with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the leading development economists, Joseph E. Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs. Most important of all, Gill has traveled throughout the country and interviewed scores of Ethiopia's dignified but still hungry farmers. What stands out in these pages are the graphic encounters with these Ethiopians--the supposed beneficiaries of western aid--who still struggle on the knife-edge of existence. What also emerges is the often tense relationship between official aid-givers and recipients--whether in the area of economic reform or the modern demands for "governance" and political change. Twenty five years on, we can say that we did feed the world. But did we change the face of poverty, did we close the gap between rich and poor, did we fulfill the promise of "development?"
A generation after Live Aid, this book questions whether any of world's big promises are being fulfilled. Have aid experts got it right? Are recipient countries allowed to pursue their own vision? Is democracy essential for banishing poverty? Now that the West faces its own economic challenges, it is time to ask whether the "development era" may be coming to an end.
Features
- Tells the story of what's happened in Ethiopia over the 25 years since Live Aid
- Asks whether we did change the face of poverty, close the gap between rich and poor, and fulfil the promise of 'development.'
- Written by the journalist who got to the centre of the famine before anyone else
- Includes media stories never told before including Jonathan Dimbleby's TV roles in famine coverage
- Features many exclusive interviews, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz on his rows with the IMF
Reviews
"Well-turned account of the country's miseries since the 1984-85 famine and the Live Aid concert meant to relieve it" -- Wall Street Journal
"Well-written and accessible book"--The Economist
"Valuable"--David Rieff, The New Republic
"Thank God for great journalism. This book is a much needed, exhaustively researched and effortlessly well written recent history of Ethiopia. A book that strips away the cant and rumour, the pros and antis and thoroughly explains the people, politics and economics of that most beautiful nation. A superb and vital piece of work by someone who clearly loves the country of which he writes."--Bob Geldof
"Judicious analysis and a strong narrative. A must for all those who think there is a simple answer to the famine."--Michael Buerk
"The essential book on Ethiopia, the world's crucible for hunger and poverty, and on development theory and practice."--Alex de Waal
"No outsider understands Ethiopia better than Peter Gill. He combines compassion with a clinical commitment to the truth."--Jonathan Dimbleby
"Well-written and accessible book"--The Economist
"Valuable"--David Rieff, The New Republic
"Excellent" -- William Easterly, New York Review of Books
About the Author(s)
Peter Gill is a veteran journalist who has covered the developing world for most of his career. He has is author of Drops in the Ocean, A Year in the Death of Africa, and Body Count.
