Un autocritica a la figura del cooperante

THE DEVELOPMENT SET

Excuse me friends, I must catch my jet-
I`m off to joint the Development Set;
My bags are packed, and I`ve had all of my shots,
I have travellers` cheques and pills for the trots.

The Development Set is bright and noble,
Our thoughts are deep and our vision global;
Although we move with the better classes,
Our thoughts are always with the masses.

In Sheraton hotels in scattered nations,
We damn multinational corporations;
Injustice seems so easy to protest,
In such seething hotbeds of social rest.

We discuss malnutrition over steaks,
And plan hunger talks during coffee breaks;
Whether Asian floods or African drought ,
We face each issue with an open mouth.

We bring in consultants whose circumlocution
Raises difficulties for every solution-
Thus guaranteeing continued good eating
By showing the need for another meeting.

The language of the Development Set,
Stretches the English alphabet;
We use swell words like “epigenetic”,
“Micro”, “Macro” and “logarithmetic”.

Development Set houses are extremely chic,
Full of carvings, curios and draped with batik.
Eye-level photographs subtly assure
That your host is at home with the reach and the poor.

Enough with this verses-on with the mission!
Our task is as broad as the human condition!
Just pray to God the biblical promise is true:
The poor ye shall always be with you.

Ross Coggins


Extraído del libro “LORDS OF POVERTY, The power, prestige and corruption of the international aid business” Graham Hancock, 1989

“Lords of Poverty is dedicated to those senior staff at the World Bank who illegally acquired and read my original synopsis in the early days of this project. By attempting from the outset to limit my access to inside information they convinced me that the aid business does indeed have much to hide.”