VIDEO: African Aid Debate

Here is a debate from today's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" show on CNN. Dambisa Moyo is the Zambian-born conservative economist and author of the best-selling Dead Aid, which argues that $1 trillion in foreign aid has hampered Africa's development. Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve global poverty. Why is Mr. Zakaria's first two questions to Dr. Moyo loaded ones that play on the Angry Black Woman stereotype? Why did Ms. Novogratz get significantly more time to explain her points before Mr. Zakaria cut her off, than he granted to Dr. Moyo? His questions to Dr. Moyo were loaded, but he asked not one loaded question to Ms. Novogratz. Dr. Moyo's issue is not even with humanitarian aid - she actually admires Ms. Novogratz's work - but with government-to-government transfers. This is CNN after all, so I suppose that I should not be surprised at the Mr. Zakaria's blatant bias as moderator in this segment:



I think Dr. Moyo could've done a slightly better job at bringing the debate more towards her argument (perhaps even comparing India and China vs. African countries), although she does come much stronger at the end. She also should've faced Ms. Novogratz more, and not directed her points solely at Mr. Zakaria (with whom, as her body language and facial coding - crossed arms, mouth pushing at times - demonstrate, she takes issue). Meanwhile, notice that Ms. Novogratz's body language is more open, as she (1) faces both Mr. Zakaria and Dr. Moyo; and (2) doesn't place a barrier between herself and the other participants (and thus us viewers).