ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
Sub Saharan Africa Needs a Marshall Plan
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Africa & the Gulf of Guinea
Date note: Undated Facebook note, written between 2011 and 2014.
Tags: marshall-plan, rebuilding, development
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program) was the large-scale American programme that gave Europe money to rebuild its economies after the Second World War, partly to stop the spread of Soviet communism. It ran for four years, from April 1948.
The key word in that description is "rebuild". In the sub-Saharan African context, it applies in more ways than one. First, there has been continuous destruction, with little or no construction or building. Second, the idea is to put in place a plan that can stand the test of time.
The current state of affairs in sub-Saharan African nations is so dysfunctional that, taken case by case, the picture looks like a slice of cheese with several holes.
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 9–11
Understand
- What was the Marshall Plan?
- Which word in its definition does the author focus on, and why?
- What does the image of "a slice of cheese with several holes" suggest?
Grammar focus: paraphrase. The post paraphrases a definition instead of quoting it. A paraphrase puts someone else's idea into new words and still credits the idea to its source.
Try it: Paraphrase the author's last paragraph in one sentence of your own.
Discuss: Would a large foreign aid plan help sub-Saharan Africa today, or create dependence? Argue both sides.