Joshua, the american

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I just met some American called Joshua which was great as it helped pass the last hour and a half.
With a name like Joshua I said to him (you could tell he was a bit Chrstian) something like are you a: "Hi my name is Joshua, brought up in a Christian home had a bit of a rebellious stage and came back to the Lord". Yip that's pretty close.
Anyway teasing aside, we got to talking about politics, economics, spirituality, and aid work in Africa. Which was great as this guy actually lives here in Nairobi, works just across the road at some Christian Ministries NGO. He was saying that sometimes he just comes over to visit, so today he got to meet me.
... Is that bad?
I took the opportunity to voice some of the concerns I had seen about 'education' programmes run by NGO's in Africa. Basically questioning why teaching english to people who didn't know how to farm goats and cows or plant fields properly was so important? Needless to say we had some great discussions.
One of the things he liked was a thing that was bugging me since I got here. I made the comment that in Uganda and Nairobi and from what I had seen in Africa in general there are a lot of white people wanting to help, but how many black people are you aware of coming over to give a hand? I made the point that here in Nairobi there are a lot of black people better off than myself, and you can guarantee there will be a number in the states better off than myself Now I am sure there are some, I remember Justin telling me about a black doctor that helped out and about, but in my short experience there seems to be a disproportionate amount of white people wanting to come to fix Africa. Some people might take these thoughts as a bit racist, but I would prefer to view it as a respectful opinion. In the sense that I see Afrrica as theirs so I shouldn't be sticking my nose in their business or the running of their country... if you know what I mean?
Strange to say it but he was keen to challenge some of the african-americans back home where he was due for a visit in August. Sorry african-americans in California USA.
Anyway, although I have not changed Africa, I do hope that I have challenged some of its inhabitants to change Africa. We can't keep doing the same thing we seem to have been doing for the last 2 decades and hope something different will happen. I see what I have done aid / volunteer work has been insignificant, but it is different, and as far as chaos theory and the butterfly effect goes, might have greater change than all the millions of dollars doing what they have always done?

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