Can the Asian Miracle Happen in Africa?

... asks Bill Gates (yes, that Bill Gates): https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/How-Asia-Works, while reading about Asian success (and failure) stories:

How Asia Works is not a gripping page-turner aimed at general audiences, but it’s a good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed. Studwell’s formula is refreshingly clear—even if it’s very difficult to execute.

What the book says:

Studwell’s book does a better job than anything else I’ve read of articulating the key role of agriculture in development.

i,e, the basis of economical development was agriculture, and specifically small farming. Thus policies favoring great landowners are counterproductive. The next step is industrial development under heavy state influence and protectionism.

Do you think some African countries could develop along those lines?

That's not Africa, but it'll lead to it...

Sis just returned from her second journey to India, and the organisation she's working for will send her then to Zanzibar and Tanzania!!!! So we're slowly approaching our goal...

If you can, you can attend her presentation in Cracow, April 14-th 2013:

Alina wróciła niedawno z wyjazdu misyjnego do Radżastanu w Indiach. W najbliższą niedzielę po nabożeństwie będziemy mieli szansę obejrzeć zdjęcia i posłuchać opowieści Aliny. Zapraszamy! Alina Krajewska z wykształcenia jest językoznawcą i tłumaczką poezji. Wydala tomiki przekładów wczesnej poezji celtyckiej. Tłumaczy też teksty pieśni hebrajskich i gospel, lecz specjalizuje się w tłumaczeniu Biblii. Pracuję w Misji Tłumaczy Biblii The Word for the World. Do jej obowiązków należy między innymi kształcenie lokalnych tłumaczy Biblii w Indiach, Afryce i Romów w Europie Wschodniej oraz sprawdzanie poprawności przekładów ksiąg biblijnych. adres: ul. Mogilska 43, 1 piętro, sala widowiskowa

or in English:

Alina recently returned from a missionary trip to Rajasthan in India. On Sunday, after the service we will have a chance to see pictures and hear stories of Alina.
Enjoy! 

Alina Krajewska has trained as a linguist and translator of poetry. She authored collections of early Celtic poetry translations. She also translated the texts of Hebrew and gospel hymns, but specializes in the translation of the Bible. She is working  in Mission of Bible Translators "The Word for the World". Her responsibilities include training the local Bible translators in India, Africa and the for the Roma in Eastern Europe as well as validation of translations of the Bible. 

Address: ul. Mogilska 43, 1st floor, auditorium

And a picture, worth 1000 words:

New book

Hi, it's me (Marek, but for simpicity's sake I'll impersonate as my sister)!

Recently my second book got published. I wrote it for my father but I was late by a month :-((((. It's about celtic religious poetry and comprises translations and some commentaries. And I like the illustrations:

My father liked the first one very much, and cited a couple of the lyrics from it on several occasions. As you can see ;-), the title of the book reads "Celtic Cross", and you can order it through http://www.religijna.pl/product_info.php/cPath/35_45/products_id/2424 (assumed of course that you understand Polish!!!).

International Africa Conference, Cracov

Hi everybody!

As my sister coulnd't be bothered to write a blog entry till now, I'll do it for her. She was moonlighting as an interpreter at the "International Africa Conference" at her native city of Cracov, Poland, and has sent me an email with a couple of pics from the event. The speakers were university professors from Africa and Europe, ant they were presenting on african economic communities, i.e. on business cooperation and economic integation between african countries. Or should I say the need if it? We cannot really compare an organisations like OAU an EU, but I digress here... The other theme was the african culture and the a little bit different angle from which the Africans are seeing the world. This was rounded off by a concert of the "Cracov Gospel Choir" (where my sister is singing, too!!!) and an african fashion show.

Well, you may ask yourself, wy am I writing all this? Just look at the pics. Can you see the contrast between the mediaeval, foggy, central-european universty (the Colleguim Novum of the venerabe Jagellonian University) and Africa? It's elemental. On the one side, it looks like we cannot do anything about the complete incompatibility of our cultures, but on the other side, some brave people are still trying...

---

PS: pictures by Julia Gajdarska (AKoN UJ) http://www.e-afryka.ovh.org/

intro by Marek

This is my ´sister's blog, which I'm only hosting here (she's not the technical type of person ;-)).

Welcome Alinka! I hope this blog will help to spread information about Africa and Africans. We do know so little about the continent!

Have fun: you the readers; and you, Alinka!