Finally someone is writing about the dichotomy of the NGO world...
Sushi chefs work at the Barracuda Bar, one of Liberia's newest hot spots for foreign aid workers. "They drive the best of car, go to the best of entertainment center," says one Liberian. (By Craig Timberg -- The Washington Post)By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, May 30, 2008; Page A01
MONROVIA, Liberia -- The second sushi bar to open in ragged postwar Liberia did not settle for having its chefs wear simple T-shirts, or for serving $25 worth of sliced fish on plain white plates.
Instead, the Barracuda Bar -- the new favorite hangout of ambassadors, U.N. officials and legions of aid workers whose shiny white SUVs jam the parking lot most nights -- opted to dress its staff in Japanese-style robes and red bandannas. Bigger orders of salmon and yellowtail arrived not on flatware but on little wooden sushi boats. Lobsters languished sullenly in a tank near the door, waving their antennae as customers walked by.
As this impoverished country climbs its way back from 13 years of civil war with the tiniest of steps, a boom is underway in the industries that cater to the rarified tastes of thousands of mostly European and U.S. expatriates who have come to help since peace arrived in 2003. The increasingly visible splendors available to this relatively wealthy group have left some Liberians wondering whether the foreigners are here to serve the nation or themselves.
"They drive the best of car, go to the best of entertainment center," said Allen Weedor, 42, the Liberian manager of a modest bar in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of town. "You can't really see what they've done."
The offices for aid groups and U.N. agencies that line major thoroughfares evoke as much discontent as gratitude in Monrovia, the capital. Their signature white trucks offer vivid contrasts when most vehicles on the road are worn-out old coupes with broken windshields, torn upholstery and thoroughly battered bodies that bespeak the troubled times Liberia has endured.
A U.N.-maintained list from 2005, the most recent available, catalogued more than 600 nongovernmental organizations, donor groups and agencies of the world body working in Liberia. Their missions included tending to nearly every facet of national life: food, health, education, forestry, farming, religion and rebuilding the electrical grid, water systems and roads.
Yet whatever the accomplishments of these groups, Liberians say the benefits of this massive international investment are far more obvious in the parts of town inhabited by the foreigners themselves. The number of swimming pools is burgeoning. Casinos are opening. Beach-side bars are springing up and sprucing up.
At the Abi-Jaoudi supermarket, ground coffee can be bought from Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks and Seattle's Best. There are eight types of Chi-Chi's salsa and 90 types of cereal, including six varieties of Special K. Pop-Tart lovers have 16 options; if they can't decide between strawberry and blueberry, they can get a "Splitz" Pop-Tart, with both.
A bag of these expensive imports can easily exceed the monthly salary of a Liberian lucky enough to have a job. A dinner for two at either of the sushi bars is much more -- especially if the meal is augmented with a few $8 caipirinhas or mojitos, as is possible at the Living Room, Monrovia's original, and somewhat less fancy, sushi spot.
There is another side to aid work in Liberia. Eliane Van De Velde, 35, a Belgian public information officer for the U.N. mission here, now on maternity leave, said many Westerners leave behind their families to work in a place that often is dangerous and disorienting.
"There are a lot of people who are there because they love the work," Van De Velde said.
Yet over several years in Liberia, Van De Velde said, she witnessed the most urgent needs ease as the aid flow grew sharply. As the money poured in, so did the amenities geared toward Western tastes.
A few more pictures. Here is a well that was dug by Mercy Ships and another NGO in the Tenegar area, but using a hand pump.
The rings that line the sides of the well to the bottom.
A well in the midst of being built.
Paul, in charge of building the wells, explains to visitors the methods used.
A well being built in a small village.
The Mercy Ships Landrover parks in "town square".
A typical mud hut.
The village.
The storeroom in Malawi's Queen's Hospital.
From New York City party promoter, Scott Harrison volunteered onboard the Mercy Ships for 6 months and it seemed to begin a monumental change in how he felt he needed to live his life.
Secondly, the so-called profligate lifestyle of European and American expatriates actually helps stimulate the capital city’s economy. Those sushi bars that you so easily critique are employing dozens of local Liberians as cooks, waiters, busboys, and bartenders and are supporting the livelihood of fishermen who otherwise would not have a market for their fish. Expatriate dollars are trickling down into the impoverished local economy and are providing jobs and stimulating business growth.
In addition to the jobs in the burgeoning hospitality industry, NGO community employs hundreds of Liberians as drivers, secretaries, domestic helpers, and security guards, at wages that are very generous by Liberian standards. These otherwise unemployed Liberians can now afford to pay their children’s school fees and can contribute to their households’ rising food expenses.
While most of the jobs offered are low-ranking as the author accurately mentions, few Liberians have the experience or education necessary to fill high-ranking posts. The 13-year civil war all but eradicated the educational system and most of what has been rebuilt so far is laughable in quality. Those Liberians who are educated often choose to go into sectors that are more personally profitable such as business or government rather than non-profit work. However, many NGOs try to fill mid-ranking positions with Liberians so they can gain the experience and knowledge to eventually take over for themselves. And some have already succeeded. For instance, all the YAI country staff are Liberian.
Finally, the foreigners who come to work here are motivated, bright, hard-working individuals. We are taking risks to our personal health and safety to live and work here, far from our families and friends, and distant from the comfort and familiarity of home. We truly care about Liberia and Liberians and the fact that we want to sit back and enjoy some California rolls on a Friday night should not negate that.
Sushi chefs work at the Barracuda Bar, one of Liberia's newest hot spots for foreign aid workers. "They drive the best of car, go to the best of entertainment center," says one Liberian. (By Craig Timberg -- The Washington Post)
Banksy's piece (above) represents the precise state of the Non Governmental Organizations (NGO's), how they operate, are funded, and the marketing scheme that leads them by the nose. Everything becomes a photo opportunity. Everything is a dramatic story if told just so. It must be aimed to tweak the heartstrings of the unconsciously guilt-ridden wealthy west. It must be told in a simple and somewhat trite manner. Please don’t include any complex irony that may complicate the objective or indicate true humanity. If all goes well the money should pour in. Is this compromising too much?
I watched in embarrassment at the Mercy Ships screening day in Liberia. Crowds of people lined up before the sun came up, many with very visual physical deformities that, in a superstitious culture such as Liberia, is commonly believed to be a sign of a curse or an evil presence. Many hide away for their own safety. Mercy Ships with its boundless supply of excited and sometimes naive volunteers had a handful of amateur photographers who had procured themselves professional cameras and were exuberantly clicking away in the faces of people whose dignity should have been protected rather than exploited.
