Contemporary German MONGOs in Diani, Kenya: Two Approaches to Humanitarian Aid
Nina Berman describes the increase of charitable activities in Kenya in tandem with neo-liberal economic policies since the early 1990s. By using two specific case studies, Berman stresses the challenges deriving from long-term patterns of land alienation
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Contemporary German MONGOs in Diani, Kenya: Two Approaches to Humanitarian Aid Nina Berman
Humanitarian aid to the African continent has emerged as a prominent form of contemporary philanthropy, becoming central to the self-image of societies of the global north. Humanitarianism dates back to the beginnings of colonial rule, when Christian missionaries (with notable exceptions, such as Bartholomé de las Casas) provided moral legitimacy to Spanish and Portuguese civilizing endeavors in the New World, and has remained central to global power relations1. Humanitarian reason, using the term suggested by Didier Fassin, inspires the actions of governments and non-governmental organizations, as well as the deeds of ordinary citizens (Fassin 2012). Thus far, critical inquiry has primarily focused on organized forms of humanitarian activity. For example, scholarship has debated the success of humanitarian interventions (mostly military in nature) into crisis areas, including those led by the United Nations, NATO, and various world powers (Polman 2010; Whitworth 2004; Orford 2003). Scholars have also questioned and argued for the success of both governmental and nongovernmental economic and political development programs (Jeffrey Sachs 2014; Redfield 2013; Moyo 2009; Easterly 2006; Lancaster 1999; Kabou 1991; Erler 1985). However, humanitarianism has cast a much wider net, as it incorporates a vast array of nongovernmental actors and structures north–south relations at the level of everyday life experiences in a range of diverse scenarios. One case of humanitarianism defined primarily by individuals, rather than international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) or state actors, includes the activities of Europeans in contemporary Kenya. This chapter focuses on two such cases pursued by individual Germans, Swiss, and Austrians (referred to collectively 1
Discussions of humanitarianism generally consider the shorter timeframe, even though several studies highlight the connection to colonialism and imperialism. See, for example, Barnett (2011). N. Berman (*) Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 G.R. Witkowski, A. Bauerkämper (eds.), German Philanthropy in Transatlantic Perspective, Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40839-2_13
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as “Germans”) who support Kenyans outside of an established INGO framework. This work examines key questions around the kind of impact these initiatives have on local infrastructures, and the ways these modes of philanthropy structure the interaction between Kenyans and the (mostly) European visitors and immigrants to the country. In addition, the study considers whether these initiatives carried out by ordinary citizens, rather than professional aid workers or governmental organizations, are qualitatively and substantively different from other forms of humanitarian aid. It examines philanthropic aid in the context of contemporary north–south relations in which there is a
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