“We are all Africans. Welcome home.”
— Paleontologist Zeray Alemseged, who discovered in Ethiopia the 3.3 million-year-old Salam, a 3-year-old hominid child, whose remains shed light on a key period in human evolution
“We need to reframe the challenges facing Africa, from the challenge of soliciting charity to the challenge of creating wealth.”
— Journalist/Social critic Andrew Mwenda
“Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan. I was going to talk about the Marshall Plan. But instead I’ll talk about the Mwenda Plan, inaugurated today.”
— Rock star/activist Bono, beginning a rebuttal to Andrew Mwenda, who argued forcefully against foreign aid in Africa
“Saying ‘invest in Africa’ is meaningless. Africa is not a country. There are 54 countries, each with its own value proposition.”
— Financier Euvin Naidoo
“[Looking at media images of Africa], I thought, ‘This is not the Africa I grew up with. The Africa I grew up with is full of life, full of optimism.”
— Photographer Andrew Dosunmu
“Aid has never developed a nation. That comes from investment.”
— Journalist/Filmmaker Carol Pineau
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