The era of the ‘White Saviour’ is at and end. We now need a better way to help and empower people, and treat them with dignity.
“I would like to see a world where we don’t even have Aid…where former colonies are able to develop on their own and lift their own people out of poverty”
“We ‘re not doing development as charity anymore – it’s now a co-investment relationship. Things have transitioned”
“We will not do charity…. Because Charity actually takes away dignity. And without dignity, you cannot talk about development”
The Film
Across the Global South social entrepreneurs, civil society organisations and grass roots NGOs are rejecting the ‘white saviourism’ of rich countries in favour of sustainable development programmes designed by them, for their own communities.
They’re taking back control of their own destinies with dignity. They call out the hidden neo-colonial agenda and racism of many aid programmes with campaigns like #ShiftThePower and the Southern Leadership Agend?a.
This film studies several examples of locally-controlled organisations in India, Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. We then ask the question from leading professionals and thought leaders in International Development: Is the current system still relevant? If not, what should we change?
The Message
Despite promises like the Grand Bargain announced at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, less than two per cent of the 450 billion dollars spent on Aid reaches the people on the ground.
Worse still, much of this aid is delivered with patronising and racist overtones, and strips recipients of their dignity. Based largely on handouts and projects designed in the Global North, it is neither sustainable nor equitable.
Our mission, through this film, is to highlight an alternative; to help nudge the conversation towards a more equitable solution that brings control, dignity, and sustainability to local communities.
Watch the trailer