Cute Colonialism

The cunningly colonialist way we talk about global health

Nearly two decades ago, I slid into the back row of the audience at a global health talk during the American Academy of Otolaryngology’s annual meeting. At the front, a well-respected, senior stateswoman in my field was recounting a trip she’d taken.

She’d been in Africa for a week—I’m redacting the country to maintain everyone’s anonymity—and the orange-on-brown Powerpoint slides behind her served as her trip report.