USAID's demise marks end of the development eraListen to this articleThis April 24, 2015 photo shows actors taking part in an anti-malaria campaign in Lagos, Nigeria. One of the most effective tools in normalising the idea of development was a genre of documentary filmmaking known as the "development film". Development films typically opened with dimly lit scenes of hostile or lethargic villagers who appeared unable to feed, heal or educate themselves. Despite presenting themselves as unmediated records of reality, development films were carefully constructed. Nostalgia for an era in which the United States convincingly portrayed itself as benevolent is understandable.

Source: Bangkok Post January 29, 2026 11:20 UTC