Kenya rejects aid of 'dog food'

[ElPunto]

Originally posted by Modesty:

The Point, I don't think Africans placed themselves in this position, it is from years of colonism and imperialism. In a capitalist society their has to be unequal balance of wealth, that is why today their are people dying of obesity and on the other end of the spectrum those dying of starvation. It's unbelievable how their is so much food being generated in the world today, and so much technology yet the world is facing starvation never recorded in history before.Few companies control the food the world consumes, and it's in their interest to have people starving, they even destroy million pounds of food so that profit doesn't decrease. The saying Life isn't fair isn't just a saying.

Perhaps the phrase 'Africans have placed themselves in this position' is not the most accurate. African leaders have placed their people in this position. And African leaders do not appear in a vacuum - in some way these leaders are reflections of their society. So, yes, in an oblique way African have placed themselves in this position.

 

Modesty, the anti-capitalist, imperialist stuff is too much. We are living in a capitalist system - do we have large numbers of people visibly starving to death? No. And correct me if I am wrong but many others who have suffered colonialism are able to ensure their people have food. Please don't make excuses for the failures of Africans.

[Maf Kees]

We Africans brought ourselves into this situation. Kenya is one of the most stable and peaceful countries in Africa and after 4 decades of independance not able to provide sufficient support to its people after a drought.

 

But I also believe in the adage: "Markaad dhimaneysid, dhareerka waa layska duwaa." Dog food for human beings is unacceptable. Rummond knows that, no matter how big her heart is.

[ElPunto]

not quite as bad as I thought but insulting nonetheless.

 

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NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya dismissed as "culturally insulting" Tuesday an offer of powdered dog food to feed starving children reportedly made by the founder of a canine biscuit company in New Zealand.

 

"Kenyan kids are not so desperate as to eat dog food," Kenya government spokesman Alfred Mutua told Reuters in response to a front-page story in the east African country's leading daily.

 

Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper said Christine Drummond of the Mighty Mix company in New Zealand had offered to send dog food powder to hungry children in western Kenya.

 

The information appeared to be coming from a New Zealand newspaper, which said Drummond had been moved to make a donation of 6,000 emergency packs of dog food mixture after the daughter of a friend visited the drought-hit country.

 

When mixed with water, the powder would provide sustainable meals, said an article posted on the web site of The Press newspaper, helping to ease a growing problem of food shortages.

 

"I made it out of ingredients they (children) are used to eating, so the main bulk product is corn," Drummond was quoted as saying.

 

Another representative of Mighty Mix said the food would be distributed through a charity in Kenya, as a "nutritional supplement" rather then dog food, the article said.

 

But government spokesman Mutua said it was unacceptable.

 

"The offer was very naive and culturally insulting given the meaning of dogs in our culture," he said. "We understand where she was coming from, and we appreciate, but it is culturally unacceptable."

 

Being called a dog is one of the worst insults in Africa where people generally do not keep dogs as pets.

 

The government says four million people are facing hunger in Kenya due to severe drought. Aid agencies say dozens of people and thousands of livestock have died in recent months.

[Arawella]

I am baffled, if Ms Drummond can afford to donate tonnes of dog food why then she not donate it in currency?! Obviously her company is profitable and stable enough to loose such number of sales.

 

The message she is conveying to people is definitely not one of compassion. Reading the article either instigate that human should consume dog food or that an African life is worthless.

 

New Zealand is not a poor country and it just shows that debasing a proud nation is not an issue to certain citizens especially when that country is a poor African one.

[Som@li]

The money spent on pets in the west would feed Africa for years, and am not surpised of this woman to offer dog food. If you can't feed your citizens, and beg for donation, this is wat you get!

 

Africa is far left behind,when one country provides such costly, high protien powder, to their dogs, Africans are dying of hunger.

[- Femme -]

Bill Gates, the multi-million & billion sheiks, and the Google boys should be stripped of their money. Honestly if I controlled the world (one of my many fantasies) I would put a limit on the amount of money one can have! Why the heck would any one person need hundreds of millions or billions sitting in the bank, not needed or used, when people are starving all over the world? I never understood that. There should be a cap of ten million. Honestly. The rest should be taken and given to charity.

[Castro]

^ Soon you'll be a proud commie, just like your atheer.

[ElPunto]

Originally posted by Kooleey:

Bill Gates, the multi-million & billion sheiks, and the Google boys should be stripped of their money. Honestly if I controlled the world (one of my many fantasies) I would put a limit on the amount of money one can have! Why the heck would any one person need hundreds of millions or billions sitting in the bank, not needed or used, when people are starving all over the world? I never understood that. There should be a cap of ten million. Honestly. The rest should be taken and given to charity.

I hope you are not advocating that whatever moneys collected should be handed over to African leaders - they will just turn around and promptly put it back in the bank accounts they were taken from in the first place!

 

PS - 10 million is chump change - when you have individual houses, planes, yachts etc. costing 4 or 5 times that much - 10 million won't get you far. Heck, they award 10 million to those measly Joe Blow lottery winners - It ain't that much money!

[- Femme -]

^Not really, supply and demand baby. If there is a cap of ten million on everyone, prices of these luxury good have to drop to be sold. Aight.

 

And I would never think of giving to a leader---it should be a reputable charity (which is owned by the governemnt and subject to regular checks of staff and services) which gives it directly to the people who need it the most---those people also undergo regular checks of expenses---so they don't waste it on drugs or useless crap.

 

Cuban Castro,

 

It's appealing to me day by day ninyahow.

[Nephissa]

Kooleey: Actions actions my sister! Start off by writing to your idol Angie. If she were to give up just one year of her income she would still be multi-millionaire. Her one year income is more than you and I make together in our lifetime. If she did this there would be enough funds to last for many decades if not a century or more for the whole continent.

 

Boycott her I say . (Thanks to Xiin, I got this 'Aaay seey' cudur from him.)

[- Femme -]

^ I can see your not a fan. *sniffs* For your info little woman, Angelina Jolie gives a third of her paycheck to charity. Can you say 'generous'?

[Nephissa]

No! "Tax receipt" I say.

[Zafir]

^^Truth be told bishaaro is right..If Bill Gates money is good for you then Anigelina Voight's money should be good for you too.

[J.Lee]

Kooleey:

 

Maandhay, Bill Gates is one of the most giving, chivalrous, decent and sympathetic human beings in this world and one of the reasons why I am proud to be part of the human race (his generosity is rivaled only by that of his beauty): not only does he donate his hard-earned money to poor countries (read: starving malnourished people) via charities but he also makes sure that this money is used for the purpose in which he intended for it to be used and that it is kept out of the hands of those that wish to prey further on the plight of the people,namely the many forms of corrupted government.

 

Furthermore, he and his wife, on top of donating to multiple charities, give out Billions in scholarships on a yearly basis so that low-income students can afford to go to school; I know alot of Somali students just in Seattle who are able to attend Unis thanks to this man.

 

All in all:

 

His fruits of labor are enjoyed by many.

[ElPunto]

Originally posted by Kooleey:

And I would never think of giving to a leader---it should be a reputable charity (which is owned by the governemnt and subject to regular checks of staff and services) which gives it directly to the people who need it the most---those people also undergo regular checks of expenses---so they don't waste it on drugs or useless crap.

Oh Lord! Aid agencies/Charities! They have been operating in Somalia and Kenya for decades - and yet every few years they issue alerts about the mass starvation/famine of people. WHAT have they been doing with all that money??? As with most people, these guys are generally in it for themselves - they have no desire to make sure the relevant populations achieve self-sustaining livelihood - otherwise their livelihood would go up in smoke!