Education Imperialism in Africa Turns Nasty - Uganda Police Harass Researcher Investigating Schools with Ties to Gates, Zuckerberg, and Pearson
European exploitation of Africa started with the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 16th century. It continued with colonization and imperialism in the 19th and 20th centuries and is primarily economic in the current era of globalization. European, American, and now Asian capitalists smell profit and move in. Sometimes they claim to bring benefits such as civilization, Christianity, philanthropy, and development, but their goal is always how much money they can make. The latest missionaries in Africa are tech and education companies, and like their slave-trading and imperialist predecessors, they do not hesitate to play dirty.
Last week, tech and education companies held a self-congratulatory marketing conference in Nairobi, Kenya called Education Innovation Africa 2016. Its official purpose was to “seek” ways “to deliver transformational and sustainable education businesses as well as collaborative approaches with African governments.” The event was held in Africa, but it was not an “African” event. Of the fifty-one speakerspictured on the website thirty-two appear to be were of European background and many of the non-Europeans were also not sub-Sahara Africans.
The conference was also not an “education” event. This year’s theme was “Driving Impact in Private, Social and PPP Education Projects in Africa.” Organizers want to “unite key education leaders at Ministries, Educators, Programmes and Edtech companies, together with Capital Providers at PE, VC, Impact, Development Banks and Corporate Programmes” to expand public-private partnerships, the PPPs. Only two of the listed speakers were from academia. Forty-four of the fifty-one represented corporations of non-governmental agencies, and five were government officials.
Advertised speakers included Gregg Alpert of Pearson Affordable Learning Fund, Biju Mohandas of the International Finance Corporation, Vineet Bewtra of Omidyar Network, Julia Moffett, Director of Innovation at Equity Group Foundation, Kenyan education investors Ayisi Makatyani of Fanisi Capital and Anthony Wahome of AG Education Imperialism in Africa Turns Nasty - Uganda Police Harass Researcher Investigating Schools with Ties to Gates, Zuckerberg, and Pearson:
