On wednesday last week I attended a seminar focused on the thirdworld development project, DILEMMA (www.dillema.dk) as introduced and facilitated by danish minster of development, Ulla Tørnæs.
The project has been the subject of much critisism and discussion, mostly based on the fact, that five danish celebreties was by a "popular" vote on the website, chosen among many other celebreties, to screen which development-project was to recieve support.
I have in an earlier posting bicthed about the dillema project being "third world plitics based on reality-show concept", which I stick too.

The seminar just added more:
Firstl: Though only taking 20 million danish kroner from a 13,9 billion kroner aid-budget, Ulla Tørnæs never answered what was the actual purpose of the project, and how celebreties can add quality to aid-programs.

Secondly:
The project is based upon an idea to communicate the purpose of third world aid to "the danish people" and thus, have very little to do with actual relief work.
On one the ministers central arguments to greenlight the project, was that a survey had shown that only 11% of the danish population had knowledge of the goverments 2015 - goals (http://2015.danida.dk/da/menu/2015maalene/) for third world aid, which she found was an"embarresingly low" number. That in it self an ok reason. On the other hand 4000 hits on the webpage dillema.dk had impressed her enough to call that project a succes. So be it.

Thirdly: The minister was asked to consider how the danish population would react if, in an attempt to highten the level of information concerning, lets say, social-politics, went ahead in a similar manner, by hiring celebreties to decide whether to up cancer treatment or cut back on senior welfare. No answer.

The project now, after three of five celebreties, have withdrawn from the project, must be considred a blunder.
Timm Vladimir (untalented actor) pulled out after finding out more about the true nature of danish third-wlfare politics, Master Fatman did the same, seemingly because he is to busy hosting a danish telvision show teaching celebreties not to be...busy.
Left now to profile the project is Mrs. Butt of Steel Charlotte Bircow, and Hummel executive Christian Stadil. Othes pulled out for reasons I dont know but the general attitude seems to be: "I dont know shit about third world aid."

Non the less it seems the goverment, fronted by Ullands Tørnæs, is going about their business as usual: "No comments, there is nothing here to criticize, you are just being a bunch of anachronistic troublemakers...".

The soap continues by the goverments serious cut-backs of NGO fondings, because, argued Ulla Tørnæs "they are just too many experts", neglecting their work, monopolizing the approach, and, emphasizing a picture of Denmark with an intellectual scare. Meaning: one thing rules out the other.