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that knowledge and advancement are evil signs of a fall from a
mindless state of grace. (Recently, however, James Hillman has
argued that this notion is typical of all cultural traditions and is
associated with what he refers to as the archetype of the child, using a
Jungian analysis.) The facts are that greed - focused on acquisitions
of cattle, wives, etc. - famine, disease, authoritarian tribal hierar–
chies, and the usual shopping list of human ills and sins existed in
these countries prior to the arrival of Western corporations, and that
a convincing argument can be made that the presence of these com–
panies has lessened the sharp iniquities existing in these countries,
opening doors to the lower classes that, otherwise, would have re–
mained shut.
Foreign companies generate revenues and grass roots income
that otherwise would be nonexistent, and in the vast majority of
cases, the host government or local private interests own fifty percent
or more of all foreign enterprises. The skills and training provided by
these companies to local manpower could not, at this stage, be ac–
quired through other means. The loss of foreign investment and com–
mercial enterprises - due to political instability and deteriorating
infrastructure - in recent years has meant a devastating blow to many
African economies. While GNP is by no means the only indicator of a
society's prosperity, no one who views the inhumane conditions of
poverty in these countries could sanely argue that the solution lies in
eliminating the sources of revenue that are there.
Myth #3:
Reliance on cash crop agriculture and exploitation of our resources
by
the rich nations is the cause ofhunger in Africa and throughout the Third World.
Like the preceding myths, the logic here, in part, seems to be that the
world is producing its limit of food, and those whose plates are full
must be depriving others of their sustenance. First, it should be
pointed out that estimates of the Food and Agricultural Organization,
among others, indicate that Africa could be producing three to four
times its current food supply- enough to feed its population several
times over and still allow for healthy exports. Secondly, it should be
obvious that American farmers rely on cash crops. The difference
here is that the farmers, not the state, receive the profits from their
labor, and an open market ensures crop diversity. Thirdly, the premise
of this myth is that flourishing agricultural economies existed in Af–
rica and the rest of the Third World until Western capitalists moved
in and created hunger. But, as the Costa Rican political scientist Luis
Burstein has articulately argued without Western agricultural enter–
prises in Third World countries, these countries would have less food
and lower GNPs than they do now. The cause of the man-made famine
in Africa today is directly linked to national policies that harshly miti–
gated against agriculture: first, by stressing urbanization and indus-
