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End of Poverty?

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

Story : Intellectuals, economists and others discuss global economic woes and the plight of those who must live in poverty.

Opened January 29, 2010

The next time you have an extra ice cream for dessert, you might want to give a second thought to the harsh reality of poverty that still exists in the world. It's a poverty that we acknowledge, but neglect to take any action about it.

"The End of Poverty" tackles the ills of global capitalism and the history of economic exploitation dating back to 1492, which brought its flaws to the Americas. Shot in the slums of Africa and Brazil, this film confronts us with the deep-rooted issues of poverty. Privatization is the one of the key elements of why the poor remain poor. Corporations profit, basically, when Third World countries deal with their resources; countries like the US arrange for huge loans to be funnelled through the World Bank. Such loans don't help the poor, but add to the profit margins of corporations that create big infrastructure projects like power plants or industrial parks. Ultimately, the Third World country is left with a huge debt that it can't pay, and the corporations will market the resources at lower prices.

Privatization of resources is another negative factor of capitalism. A mind-boggling incident occurred when the Bolivian government, following an order from the World Bank, privatized its water supply, giving a 40-year concession to the Bechtel Corporation. How can people pay $7.50 for water when they earn only $4.50 a day?

Education and health-care systems are also burdens to poor families in places like Africa, where most of the people are barely surviving. How can they possibly have enough money for hospital and school payments? Shouldn't these be a public service?

In this film, director Phillippe Diaz skewers the current global economic model. In the end, we have some idea of the solutions being offered: forgiving international debts and changing the tax systems in Third World countries. These solutions are hardly practical when higher officials, including the presidents, of Third World countries are receiving corrupted money. The paradox is that if we help these countries to develop, we may end up having to buy high-cost products because cheap labor will have been eliminated. Are we really ready for that "climate change"?

Cast: Martin Sheen, Amartya Sen, Eduardo Yssa, Nora Castañeda, William Easterly, Eric Toussaint, Oscar Olivera, Joseph Stiglitz, Eric Mgendi, Jerome Guillet

Director: Philippe Diaz