Chris Blattman

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Evidence my research fundraising strategies are not taking full advantage of the Internets

Katmanda suggest you head over to Kickstarter (the online fundraising platform) and type in your favorite African country.

We tried “Congo” yesterday, and uncovered these gems:

The crew over at 1 Million Bones raised more than $25,000 to create “a 2-minute time-lapse video shout-out to the entire country to tell them about One Million Bones.” They promised that supporters who pledged $15 or more would be entitled to “have a bone made in your name.”

We don’t even know which way to joke about this. On the one hand, the reality of this is so strange that it almost transcends humor: Is the idea that these supporters are being pre-memorialized now in case they are genocided at a later date? Is it a way to get an authentic “victim of mass murder” experience without having to go to the trouble and expense of being brutally killed first? A statement that the memory of a genocide victim should carry roughly the same weight as that of an individual who donated approximately two Chipotle burritos’ worth of money?

…These modern-day Dr. Livingstones raised nearly $29,000 to go exploring in the Republic of Congo to see if they could find living dinosaurs. They helpfully point out that “the The Congo Basin is a region of Central Africa larger than the state of Florida, more than 80% of which has been totally unexplored.” (We assume they are using the standard “photographed and posted to Facebook by white people” definition of “explored.”)

I would probably donate to Katmanda if they would blog daily…

8 Responses

  1. A bone in my name! How long before wells, plastic sheeting or health clinics across places like Sudan and Congo bear the names of those who have donated? When some sharp-eyed grad student in 2025 looks back at the mingling of aid programmes, fundraising, and institutional self interest, will any of us look any better than One Million Bones?

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