Our own Dr. George Ayittey was recently recognized by the prestigious Foreign Policy Magazine to be one of the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers.

Here is the full text from the magazine’s write-up:

George Ayittey: ECONOMIST | AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON

Ayittey, a Ghanaian economist and head of the Free Africa Foundation, has spent his career trying to convince the world that Africans, not aid workers, will set Africa right. Enough already with the victim complex, he argues: Let’s get to work. That philosophy has never been more relevant than in 2009, when the debate over international assistance kicked into high gear.  If it were up to Ayittey, the world would go beyond reforming the distribution of aid and gradually do away with handouts altogether. Aside from charity’s ineffectiveness, he notes, “[T]he presumption that Africans don’t know what is good for them and that Americans or other foreigners know what is best for Africans is extremely offensive.” [Full article on Foreign Policy.com]

By Jacien Carr

It was with great concern that I read about the Liberian Ministry of Information’s actions to deny the printing of “The Bi-Lingual” and “The New Broom”.  Having gained peace after years of civil strife, these actions are contrary to the advancement of civil society.  This demonstrates why Radio Free Africa is needed.

Growing up in Europe from 1974 to 1988, I was able to witness and absorb the plight of millions of Eastern Bloc Europeans living under the iron grip of Soviet inspired totalitarianism.  In fact one of my earliest memories of the consequences of this ideology was viewing programs about life in Eastern Europe that depicted empty shopping markets.  Bare shelves greeted hundreds of shoppers.  Usually, older women, all of them it appeared, dressed by the same tailor.  What a contrast to life in Italy or Switzerland.  Being from Liberia, I was astonished to realize that Europeans also lived in abject poverty.  I did realize however, that the reason for these conditions was manmade.   The citizens of Eastern Europe were subjected to third world status due to the policies of their governments.  Two of those policies were the systematic suppression of free speech and the press.  This policy reached across the Iron Curtain and touched me personally while I was living in Geneva, Switzerland. (more…)

From the BBC’s 60-Second Idea to Change the World:

” I would like everyone to write the following on postcards and send to governments around the world.

Freedom of expression and of thought was not invented by the West. It has existed in traditional societies — even primitive ones — for centuries. Human progress would not have been possible without it. I’m saying this as a black African from Ghana because today around the world, we have “educated” barbarians who want to suppress this freedom by arresting and jailing dissidents, writers, journalists and those they disagree with. In fact, the UN should expel those countries that do not respect Freedom of expression, which is Article 19 of the UN Human Rights charter.

When everyone has written this thought on postcards and sent them, they should also put them on POSTERS and hang them up in market places, in windows, on the sides of buildings everywhere. So that around the world will be the unmistakable visual reminder of the freedom everywhere.”

George Ayittey on the BBC, September 20, 2009

Listen to the audio of George Ayittey on the BBC

BBC 60 Second Idea to Improve the World