09 April 2009

George Ayittey on "Dead Aid"

Economist George Ayittey gave a blistering talk at TEDGlobal 2007, laying out his case that not only has Western aid not helped in most African countries -- it's actually hurting.

We asked Ayittey for his thoughts on the new book Dead Aid, which has lately been burning up the talk shows and opinion columns with a message similar to Ayittey's. Author Dambisa Moyo says that aid is killing the very countries it's supposed to help. She singles out for criticism the celebrity crusades to "save Africa," and the skewing view they present of African life. Here's a snippet of what Ayittey says about the issues Moyo raises; for the full interview, hit the jump:

If you want to help American farmers, you ask them what sort of help they need and whether such assistance is working. Why don’t Americans ask Africans what type of aid they need and whether the aid Americans have provided is working? So what is wrong with an African, Dambisa, telling Americans that the foreign aid they are providing isn’t working and it is “Dead Aid”?

Read the full interview, after the jump >>

Download the unedited notes for this interview, including reading list, sources and much more >>

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06 August 2008

Archive: George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos for the soul of Africa

For the next two weeks, we're presenting some of our favorite TEDTalks from among the 270+ talks and performances we've posted since June 2006. Look for brand-new TEDTalks starting August 18. Until then, enjoy these gems -- and suggest your own by writing to contact@ted.com or joining the conversation on TED.com.

Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes a blistering, brilliantly argued torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders in Africa. He calls on the “Cheetah generation” -- fast-moving, net-connected and passionate -- to take back the continent from the entrenched leaders, the bloated, greedy and deadly Hippos. One commenter called this talk "one of the best I have seen on TED." (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 18:00)

Watch George Ayittey's 2007 talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

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01 May 2008

Vote for your favorite public intellectuals

Not to be outdone by the Time 100, the journals Foreign Policy and Prospect have together released a list of the Top 100 public intellectuals -- with voting. Many TEDTalks favorites appear on the list, and you can help choose the eventual top 20 by voting for your very own top 5. From Foreign Policy's site:

Although the men and women on this list are some of the world’s most sophisticated thinkers, the criteria to make the list could not be more simple. Candidates must be living and still active in public life. They must have shown distinction in their particular field as well as an ability to influence wider debate, often far beyond the borders of their own country.

TEDTalks speakers on this top 100 list include George Ayittey, Steven Pinker, Neil Gershenfeld, Malcolm Gladwell, Craig Venter, Al Gore, Richard Dawkins, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Larry Lessig, Steven Levitt, E.O. Wilson, Dan Dennett and Bjorn Lomborg -- and look for upcoming TEDTalks from others on this list, including Paul Collier, who spoke at TED2008 about "the bottom billion."

See the full list of 100 >>

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01 August 2007

Premiere: George Ayittey on Cheetahs vs. Hippos

This grab-you-by-the-throat talk by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes an almost breathtaking torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders -- the "Hippos" (lazy, slow, ornery, greedy) who have ruined postcolonial Africa, he says. Why, then, does he remain optimistic? Because of the young, agile "Cheetah Generation," a "new breed of Africans" taking their futures into their own hands. (Recorded June 2007 in Arusha, Tanzania. Duration: 18:00.)

Watch George Ayittey's talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about George Ayittey on TED.com.

NEW: Read the transcript >>

New: Download this talk in high resolution >>

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06 June 2007

Day Two in Quotes [TEDGlobal 2007]

“Dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth” — Acumen Fund CEO/Founder Jacqueline Novogratz

"What we call governments are vampire states, which suck the economic vitality out of the people." — Economist George Ayittey

"I want to make Africans rich. If you make Africans rich, they'll be less poor. That's my development strategy." — Private equity pioneer Idris Mohammed

"What we're trying to do is create a family tree for everyone alive today." — Anthropologist and geneticist Spencer Wells, who's leading the Genographic Project, a landmark study tracing human origins to their roots in Africa

"There is no region of the world and no period in history that farmers have had to bear the burden of risk that African farmers bear today. But I'm not here to lament or wring my hands. I'm here to tell you that change is in the air." — Economist Eleni Gabre-Madhin, who is founding the first commodities market for farmers in Ethiopia

"World progress needs a good dose of spontaneous human intelligence to realize that the answers to many of the questions we ask ourselves are just around the corner." — Architect Issa Diabete, who draws inspiration from innovative, makeshift urban solutions found in Africa's sprawling squatter cities

"I'm hopeful because nature is amazing resilient. Seemingly dead tree stumps -- if you stop hacking them for firewood, in 10 years you can have a 30 ft tree.” — Primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall

“I am a mathematician and I would like to stand on your roof.” — Mathematician Ron Eglash's standard greeting to African families, when he was researching the intriguing fractal patterns observed in many villages across the continent

Technorati tags: tedglobal2007

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04 June 2007

George Ayittey's critique of "coconut republics" -- too good to keep to ourselves

In the months before each TED, we ask speakers to fill in a short, casual questionnaire for the program guide, answering questions like "Who are your heroes?" and "Family apart, what are you most proud of?" Most speakers write a sentence or two for each. But for TEDGlobal 2007, iconoclastic Ghanaian economist George Ayittey took it to a whole different level. His Q&A came back as a 6-page polemic, including a sharp, off-the-cuff dissection of the toxic "coconut republics" of Africa. Powerful and funny, it was too good to keep to ourselves.

Click here for George Ayittey's full Q&A >>

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