in your story on Eritrea and booting out foreign aid, it is not necessary to say that the Prime Minister is averse to free speech or that the country is always on war footing. That is straight out of the western playbook of propaganda against Countries such Eritrea that choose not to do as the West will say like sheep. My country Zimbabwe is always written about in the same vein and I have complained to you about before. Pariah countries for whom every achievement written about has to be tempered with a negative downside. You compare Eritrea to Rwanda in the same story but is Mr. Kagame a champion for free speech in his own country? Is Rwanda not always on war footing given what is going on in the eastern DRC? Why do you not add that to your stories on Rwanda?for
Thank you, as always, for taking the time to share your thoughts.
In this particular piece, we wanted to show how President Afewerki’s very particular brand of rule (his insistence that Eritrea “do it alone”) is the engine behind its decision to kick out USAID. That same approach to governance is precisely what made Western-backed aid unnecessary, which we noted as a positive outcome. But we also felt it would be incomplete not to acknowledge the political realities that underpin it. In our view, those elements and Eritrea’s aid-independence are two sides of the same coin.
Overall, we find our coverage of Africa overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the ingenuity and creativity we see across the continent. That said, “positive” to us doesn’t mean uncritical. Still, your feedback reminds us why nuance matters, and we’re grateful you keep us on our toes.
Dear Baobab,
in your story on Eritrea and booting out foreign aid, it is not necessary to say that the Prime Minister is averse to free speech or that the country is always on war footing. That is straight out of the western playbook of propaganda against Countries such Eritrea that choose not to do as the West will say like sheep. My country Zimbabwe is always written about in the same vein and I have complained to you about before. Pariah countries for whom every achievement written about has to be tempered with a negative downside. You compare Eritrea to Rwanda in the same story but is Mr. Kagame a champion for free speech in his own country? Is Rwanda not always on war footing given what is going on in the eastern DRC? Why do you not add that to your stories on Rwanda?for
Hi Mary,
Thank you, as always, for taking the time to share your thoughts.
In this particular piece, we wanted to show how President Afewerki’s very particular brand of rule (his insistence that Eritrea “do it alone”) is the engine behind its decision to kick out USAID. That same approach to governance is precisely what made Western-backed aid unnecessary, which we noted as a positive outcome. But we also felt it would be incomplete not to acknowledge the political realities that underpin it. In our view, those elements and Eritrea’s aid-independence are two sides of the same coin.
Overall, we find our coverage of Africa overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the ingenuity and creativity we see across the continent. That said, “positive” to us doesn’t mean uncritical. Still, your feedback reminds us why nuance matters, and we’re grateful you keep us on our toes.
Warmly,
The Baobab Team