Roel van der Veen studied history and medicine at the University of Groningen before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today he works for the policy section of the Sub-Saharn Africa Department. Roel van der Veen has written many memoranda on African Policy, in particular, for the ministry and for development cooperation.
‘Why do things always go wrong in Africa?’ This was the question that bothered Roel van der Veen in the policy section of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his voluminous summary of developments over the past half-century – the time in which most African countries gained independence – Van der Veen blames Africanisation : centuries-old traditions that stand in the way of development. In other words: Africa is digging its own grave.
