Signs of food poverty increasing
Excellent (though depressing) photo-piece on the BBC's site on increasing food poverty in Kano, thanks to a poor harvest this year and increasing desertification in Kano and neighbouring states. Here. Thanks PA for the link.
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5 comments:
I don't know if you are familiar with the poverty standard of Nigeria and daily life in the North but the article seems like an attempt by an ignorant foreign reporter to link the current world food crisis to Nigeria. I stayed in Kano and that is a daily occurrence there i.e people cuing up to collect food as handouts. It is common in the North. I have actually seen larger crowds than they showed in the pics. I say this because the columnist relates the story as if it is a new occurrence there without putting it in perspective. What the writer believes is a sign of food shortage might just be the poverty standard of Nigeria or not? Either way, the article is inconclusive.
so chad, it's normal there... does that make it not worth pointing out?
The point of the article was that the people begging the senator for food was a sign of food crisis in Nigeria. The author wrote the article with the implication that this was a new happening/event/occurrence and not a way of life in Kano to support his report. My point is since it happens always, you cannot say it is a sign of a food crisis. The report was about the international food crisis and not poverty or low standard of living in Nigeria. To support his thesis or point of his article he needed to show an increase in this activity ie there is more people than usual at the senator's house, more food being handed out etc. My point is simply that the food crisis might have hit Nigeria but that report is inconclusive.
@ chad my sentiments exactly, that article wasn't inconclusive, it was totally misleading. Those queues have nothing to do with the current food crisis. It is the norm in certain parts of the north (and some parts of lagos too) to have people queue up for 'sara' or is it 'bara', i forget now, especially outside a rich man's house.
A friend of mine goes to a part of ebute metta every saturday for this same purpose.
lol
rubbish article, rubbish perspective. Very likely written by someone who has played a part in the current world food shortage - the global warming boneheads.
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