Painting the Whole World White : A case study on Westernization in aid assistance between Sweden and Tanzania

Abstract: Between the years 1962 and 2013, the Swedish government gave over $6 billion in development assistance to Tanzania. Despite this, the country remains to be one of the poorest countries in the world. The Swedish aid has failed to achieve the one thing it was destined for - helping Tanzania rise from poverty. This raises the question whether aid really works or not. Some scholars argue that aid assistance is primarily dictated by strategic and political interests, wherein Western states still exercise power through colonialism, merely in other forms. Could this then be the case within Sweden and Tanzania's aid relations? The purpose of this study is to analyze various cases from the aid relationship between Sweden and Tanzania in order to find if there are any hidden intentions. By problematizing the aid relation through the theories of Neocolonialism and Eurocentrism, this thesis aims to identify if these intentions can be connected to the theories in question. Furthermore, suggestions for an aid relation without the characteristics of Neocolonial and Eurocentric theories are presented. This has been achieved through a qualitative content analysis of carefully selected material to bring relevant points and perspectives to the study. The study finally concludes that traces of the theories of Neocolonialism and Eurocentrism exist within aid relations between Sweden and Tanzania.