The print edition of The Economist features this picture of a Congolese mother having her son’s photo taken with a backdrop of a gleaming American kitchen. My first reaction was to think how odd and silly this seems.

Strolling down the stairs at my parent’s place in Ottawa, I see the following photo of my nephew on the wall:

I can only imagine what a Congolese mother must think: “These silly people are taking photos of their children in a pumpkin patch?”

We all yearn for an elusive and idyllic other life…