Editorial: Hubris and hunger By Gamal Nkrumah Early, decisive action by governments around the world was deployed to deal with the international financial crisis that gripped the world. Yet, nothing was done to alleviate the food crisis engulfing the underdeveloped and developing countries of the South. The global financial crisis should not take precedence over the prerequisite of feeding the poor and hungry. The damage to the global economy of the world food crisis is equal to that of the international financial crisis. The financial crisis impacts both rich and poor. However, it is the wealthier nations that worry more about the financial crisis because they have more to lose. The poor have nothing, or little, to lose if the stock markets crash. The lesson of history is that the rich believe that they have more at stake and they would stop short of nothing to save the system that props up their privileged positions, including slashing development assistance to the impoverished peoples of the world. The prospects of a drastic reduction in Western aid, investment and debt relief looms large. With world markets in disarray, the likelihood of de- linkage between the financial system of the Western and the developing worlds greatens. The very notion of a comprehensive solution to the food crisis entails a radical reassessment of the global financial system. A flawed diagnosis of the root causes of the food crisis will inevitably lead to disastrous results. Numerous countries in Africa and elsewhere are threatened by famine. Few countries in Africa, for instance, are awash with oil and natural gas. Most have considerable deposits of minerals and many have tremendous agricultural potential, hitherto untapped. Raising the financial stakes in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world necessitates the buttressing of a healthy, rather than a hungry, malnourished and impoverished population. Abject poverty remains endemic in much of the world, and one of the most humiliating and dehumanising facets of rampant poverty is hunger and malnutrition. Hunger engenders frustration, anger and inevitably leads to social and political violence. Hunger and hopelessness go hand in hand. Hopelessness breeds contempt for the very financial and economic system that creates gross inequalities of income. Hunger is a health hazard. The immune systems of malnourished bodies are weak and fragile and render people susceptible to disease and devastating pandemics. Hunger creates a workforce that is incapable of providing its best, and therefore world hunger must be eradicated.
