ProjectsThe main goal of the AfricAlive Expedition is to promote Sustainability in The Netherlands. Because the majority of our team is studying at a University of Technology, and the fact that the idea for the expedition was conceived due to the lustrum of the Delft University of Technology, the focal point was set to be on technology. To give content to the whole undertaking, we decided to visit five projects and accordingly create media attention. Because we could not anticipate how the expedition would evolve, we decided to add another seven projects which we could visit, in the exceptional case in which we would travel faster than expected. At the beginning of the expedition we set up a set of ground rules which the whole enterprise, and hence the projects, should abide by. The decision was made to show Africa in a positive way. For too long Africa has been downplayed in the Western media, where images of starving babies, war, diseases, and utter misery were the only information we received from this continent. We think that a constant, one-sided and negative stream of information about Africa can turn out to be working as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The only way of changing this persistent image is by starting to shed a new and fresh light on the subject. The AfricAlive Expedition hopes to make a positive contribution in showing the true potential of this magnificent continent. Therefore we chose our motto to be ‘Western Problems, African Solutions’, meaning that the West can also benefit in learning from Africa. The Western attitude towards Africa is tainted with a natural arrogance, while the West is the greatest contributor to some of the major world problems of which some are environment related. It is therefore up to the West to take the first initiative in solving these problems, and why would it not be possible to look at our neighbors in the south for possible solutions. The first criteria for choosing a certain project was the fact that it had to be appealing in the media. We want to realize a sense of curiosity with a large audience to maximize the capitalization of our main goal. Besides this, another criteria was to choose a wide scope of subjects on the issue of sustainability. We therefore decided to focus on the worldwide energy problems, by showing alternative solutions (e.g. solar energy, hydro power and bio fuels), worldwide water management problems, erosion, education and housing problems. This way we try to deliver an as wide as possible scope of subject related matters as we could muster into one expedition. We also share the opinion that a problem can only be solved, as long as it has been identified by the benefactors. It is of no use that a potential solution, which has been identified in the West, is to be implemented in some African community without first consulting the beneficiaries. The past few decades have shown us that money is not the answer in solving the most basic human need problems. Putting expensive technology without caring for a basic infrastructure, like education or a positive cash flow for sustaining the project in the future, has proven to be useless on many occasions. People should be treated as equal partners and they should be given more duties to create a sense of responsibility for the projects. This is the only way to create a sustainable solution for some of the most imminent problems today. The key word in this has to be cooperation. |