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In a banana republic, one might slip on a banana peel but things do work - now and then for the people, albeit inefficiently and unreliably.

George Ayittey

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George Ayittey
Age: 79
Born: 1945
Born: October 13
Economist
Writer
Slips
Republic
Might
Work
Albeit
Things
Peel
People
Banana
Bananas
Slip

More quotes by George Ayittey

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Western-style multi-party democracy is possible but not suitable for Africa.
George Ayittey
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Dictators cause the world’s worst problems: all the collapsed states, and all the devastated economies. All the vapid cases of corruption, grand theft, and naked plunder of the treasury are caused by dictators, leaving in their wake trails of wanton destruction, horrendous carnage and human debris.
George Ayittey
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Africa has more dictators per capita than any other continent.
George Ayittey
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Africa's salvation doesn't lie in begging and begging for more aid, and as an African, I find it very, very humiliating.
George Ayittey
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Socialism is always wrong.
George Ayittey
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Getting rid of the dictator is only a first step in establishing a free society. The dictatorship must also be disassembled.
George Ayittey
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The only good dictator is a dead one.
George Ayittey
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Personally, I regard myself as an intellectual 'rebel,' kicking against the 'old colonialism-imperialism paradigm' which has landed Africa in a conundrum.
George Ayittey
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Radio is the death and life of Africa.
George Ayittey
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What Africa needs to do is to grow, to grow out of debt.
George Ayittey
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There's a belief that since Africa got a raw deal from the colonial West, then the Chinese must be Africa's best friend. But the evidence doesn't show that, and the main criticism is that they are building infrastructure in exchange for Africa's resources in deals that are structured to favor China.
George Ayittey
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Virtually all of Africa's civil wars were started by politically marginalized or excluded groups.
George Ayittey
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You have to separate the humanitarian impulse from the record of aid itself. We all want to help. Many people would say that it's the moral impulse of the rich to help the poor, but the record of aid has been terrible.
George Ayittey
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If NATO goes in and solves the crisis in Darfur, when the next one comes along Africa's leaders will just sit back.
George Ayittey
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Back in the 1960s Africa not only fed itself, it also exported food. Not anymore.
George Ayittey
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Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.
George Ayittey
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When Uganda got debt relief in 1999, the first item President Museveni bought was a presidential jacket for himself.
George Ayittey