Podcast Series: The Missionary

Episode 1 “Good Samaritan”: 15 May 2020

“The Missionary” is a fascinating dissection into the life of Renee Bach, your archetype American sweetheart who embarked on a journey to Uganda to fight malnourishment in small local communities. Claiming to have been sent from God, Renee opened clinics and attempted to support various villages with their struggle to treat child malnourishment. However, behind the “white saviour” façade, Renee was found performing medical procedures with little to no medical training, resulting in the death of 100s of children.  

In contrast to other podcasts detailing the life of such individuals, Renee’s story is partially told in her own words. The narrative takes place during the popular “blogging” era of the first decade of the millennium, and Renee was no stranger to the fad. Regularly uploading her experiences to her own blog, she expresses that her desire to help stems from a divine force and she genuinely believes she is a godsend. Hearing her own words in tandem with the gravity of her actions produces a chilling experience that makes you question her true underlying intentions.  

This podcast perfectly illustrates the dangers of unregulated aid and explores certain concepts of the white saviour complex. Another question can be examined: should the manipulation of “identity” charities be condemned as much as the manipulation of “identity” politics has been? The motivations behind both are to perpetuate and spread an image of superiority, albeit in different ways.