Cartoon books on serious subjects are great – they are an easy way to introduce issues to kids and adults alike. There You Go! is no exception. Whimsical drawings enhanced by simple text explain with little effort from the reader the illogical absurdity of ‘development’ as it is called and foisted on to those of other cultures by the minority world ‘experts’.
Here the urban professional developers arrive in a tribal village full of happy people who seem to be as developed as they have chosen to be. But force in the form of corporate and government power, packaged as ‘AID’ of course, soon changes tribal life – after all they are not ‘developing’ the resources that we happen to need. A professor I showed the book to says he will use it in graduate seminars on globalization. It is sure to provoke lively discussion and thoughtful reflection among activists as well as students.
(Survival International UK Website: www.survival-international.org)