Cultivating African Resources for Democracy and Development
TrustAfrica leverages new and traditional forms of African giving to advance democracy and development and to minimize reliance on external donors. Rationale  Africa’s epic struggle for independence is one of the most remarkable human achievements of the last century, but winning formal sovereignty was only a first step toward achieving peace, democracy, and development. Although colonialism is dead, continued reliance on money from abroad consistently weakens Africans’ ability to set their own priorities and policies for development. Foreign donors, from global financial institutions to national governments to private foundations, still wield considerable power throughout the continent. Structural adjustment programs directed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for example, set strict conditions for countries seeking new loans or lower interest rates. Even the most well-meaning funders exert subtle and unintentional forms of influence over the state institutions and civil society groups they support.
Cultivating indigenous philanthropic resources can help offset the influence of these external donors. Africa is already home to a deep-rooted culture of giving and mutual support, though it operates mostly at the family and community levels. Efforts to reenergize these traditions, and extend their reach, could give civil society organizations greater leverage with funders overseas as well as wary governments here at home. At the same time, strong economic growth in many parts of Africa is creating new pockets of wealth. With them has come a new generation of African philanthropists and a new set of formal philanthropic institutions—including corporate, private, and community foundations—that can play a vital role in sustaining African initiatives for democratic governance and equitable development.
Strategies TrustAfrica seeks to align external philanthropic resources with African agendas as well as to cultivate indigenous resources that support the continent’s own priorities for democracy and development. We provide funding and technical assistance to: - Build and disseminate knowledge about the role and potential of philanthropy through research, publications, and convenings.
- Facilitate collaboration among African philanthropic institutions to advance democratization and to minimize the dependence of civil society organizations on external donors.
Activities One of our first major efforts in this area has been to develop a publication series assessing The State of Philanthropy in Africa. Slated to debut in late 2008, it reflects on theoretical and philosophical as well as historical and cultural underpinnings of the field and explores its relation to civil society, the state, regional organizations, and Africans in the diaspora. We have also supported field research on community foundations and convened workshops and conferences to facilitate the emergence of a pan-African philanthropic network. Participants include the African Women’s Development Fund, Foundation for Civil Society, Kenya Community Development Foundation, Mozambique Community Development Foundation, Southern Africa Trust, Uthungulu Community Development Foundation, and Youssou Ndour Foundation. Meanwhile, we have worked to leverage philanthropic resources for creative expression and enhance the civic role of writers through a special fund that supports the work of independent creative writers living on the continent. This investment recognizes the vital role that poets and novelists play in Africa by anticipating and reflecting the cultural, economic, and political forces that continuously shape and reshape our societies.
|
