Restoring Stolen Resources to the continent of Africa.
Johnny and Lisa were friends and liked to share their toys with each other, but one day Johnny got really selfish and decided to take all of Lisa’s toys as his own. Some time passed, and Johnny decided to give Lisa her toys back, but he still got to use them whenever he wanted whether she liked it or not. Even more time has passed now, and Lisa is still wondering whether her toys will ever truly be her own.
This situation presents the same moral issues as the relationship between Europe and Africa.
The comic above illustrates the exploitation of African resources that began centuries ago with the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade that continued through colonization in the 19th and 20th centuries and still exists today under the well-hidden ploy of Neo-Colonialism. The majority of Africa’s resources, worth trillions and trillions of dollars, still end up being exported to wealthy nations all over Europe, Asia, and North America, while many African people experience extreme poverty, hunger, limited access to clean water, and governmental corruption. I will examine this issue through the lenses of Ideological criticism, the commonplace of “There are hungry children in Africa”, and the misrepresentation of progress in global media. The exploitation of African resources addresses the SDGs of reduced inequalities, no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, decent work and economic growth, and peace, justice, and strong institutions. If we address this issue carefully and collaboratively, we can work as a global community to repatriate the wealth of Africa, finally giving Lucy her toys back.
Thank you.
-Asim
Sources:
http://revealinghistories.org.uk/africa-the-arrival-of-europeans-and-the-transatlantic-slave-trade/articles/the-ongoing-exploitation-of-africa.html
http://www.whenthenewsstops.org/2014/06/neo-colonialism-and-changing-nature-of.html
Voice was very clear throughout your pitch. The toy metaphor really allowed not only me but others to understand what was going on. Overall, great job.
Your pitch was very engaging to listen to and your rhetorical analysis seemed well thought out. Great arrangement and delivery of your ideas!
Asim, I really liked your analogy of the children playing to a much larger concept as it made it easier to understand. I thought your projection and enunciation were great. Good job.
I know I’m not technically supposed to be commenting on this, but I wanted to tell you after class on Thursday that your pitch was really, really good. Your presentation, to begin with, the way you carried yourself as you spoke (super effective, believe it or not) drew me in and held my attention through the entirety of the pitch; then there was your introduction, cleverly crafted, that told the audience exactly where you wanted to go with the topic and your analysis; finally, the conclusion was a chef’s kiss (I love the “full-circle” methodology) and it drove home the fact that we NEED to realize and acknowledge the damage as well as the injustice that we’ve dealt on this continent and its people for centuries, and we need to do it now. Comparing the resources to toys is brilliant because that’s exactly how humanity treats them, the individual countries being the children of course (governments can act very childishly). Overall, your prowess as a speaker really showed with this pitch, and I can’t wait to hear the final product.