Program Details

• » Particulars ¦ an annotated guide to the radio program with readings, images, and links
• » Resources ¦
• » Books + Music
• » Krista's Journal
• » Transcript
• » Credits

Hear the Music

» SOF Playlist ¦ hear full-length tracks of each song played in the program

About the Image

A former Bute chief instructs aid workers about the many uses of local trees, including toothbrushes, ink, and pens. Here he demonstrates how children are taught the Qur'an by drawing it on a slate.
(photo: Brian McElaney/Flickr)

Unheard Cuts

» Unedited Interview with Wainaina (mp3, 1:40.31)

This was a challenging conversation to edit. We want you to hear it all, unadulterated, and give us your feedback. Download the mp3 and tell us what you think of our cuts.

SOF Observed

» "Something Is Better Than Nothing, Right?"
A provocative post about the nature of development.

» The Ethics of Aid
Finding the line between doing good and crippling those one's trying to help — at home and abroad.

» "How Not to Help the Poor"
When do charity and aid help, and when are they counterproductive? A video from one group's perspective.

» Arrested Development: Making Foreign Aid a More Effective Tool
With all the criticism of aid programs, three former directors of USAID discuss the benefits, struggles, and necessities of restructuring the organization in the coming decades.

Voices of Our Audience

» Reflections ¦ tell us and other audience members what this program meant to you.

Voice on the Radio

Binyavanga Wainaina

Wainaina is editor of Kwani? literary journal and a visiting professor of Africana Studies at Williams College in Massachusetts.