Marching Against poverty

In the recent past, Anglican Bishops and Archbishops took time off their Lambeth conference in England to march across London Bridge in a show of solidarity against poverty.

It has been reported that over 500 Anglican Clergy from that conference paraded in full purple regalia to demonstrate against some of the eight most wealthy countries of the world, the Group of 8 (G8), for the latter's unending failure to fulfill promises of assistance to poor countries. The G8 have in the past offered but not implemented anti-poverty programmes, NEPAD being one of the most recent, for the alleviation of the scourge of poverty in Third World countries more particularly those rated LDC (Least Developed Countries). In this sense the view can be reasonably held that poverty is in reality a humanly imposed spectre: the richer countries over the poor.

The question then arises have the rich countries any responsibility to the poor ones for either their present plight or their future redemption? The answer is in the positive if certain factors are put into consideration.

The poor countries have been offered by the Developed countries panaceas such as NEPAD that never seem to work, which now we should begin to take with several grains of salt.

These poor countries are the countries that were exploited and ravaged inorder to build a wealthier Europe and an affluent United States. These poor countries gave blood, sweat and tears for the development of the West especially during its industrial revolution. These are the countries whose efforts at self-development are continually and systematically undermined, stifled, and de-railed at every turn to keep them where they are and where they ought not to be - in the mire and quagmire of poverty. These countries face imposed disadvantage of commodities, in agricultural subsidies, import restrictions tariff and non-tariff barriers. These countries now have to live with mass poverty, malnutrition disease which in a vicious circle are conditions both debilitating and unfavourable to self-development.

Poverty is confounding, disparaging and stagnating for those who really have suffered its effects. Poverty represses, oppresses, and dehumanizes.

Poverty can be fatal and more wide-spread surely than malaria, HIV and other afflictions into which the rich countries pour immeasurable resources.

What is beneficial to mankind is a world wherein people especially children can grows in health and security, and be in a better position to contribute to nation-building and to the world by extension. For these reasons the London Bridge march should serve as a shining example to all that change is better pursued not through speeches and rhetoric but through positive action.