Africa, My Love

Pandemic: My Country is on its Knees by Stephen Lewis was at first heartbreaking. Although, I am sure that heartbreaking was not the intention. Awareness is likely the true intention of this essay. Several of the anecdotes Lewis uses give a visual that is hard to ignore. The visit to the hospital in Malawi where there are “2 to a bed” and “in most instances, someone under the bed on the concrete floor” seems impossible when we think of a typical hospital, here in Canada. How can people be treated and reach a full recovery in such a place. It seems to be a place where people go to die, instead of receiving treatment. It must be an even more difficult challenge with many of the African doctors being “poached” by other countries of the world, and pharmacists being a rarity.

Perhaps the most vivid of the anecdotes that Lewis uses is the story of the babies in Zambia. “Every crib had four or five infants and toddlers crushed together between the raised slated sides.” This breaks my heart. As a mother, I cannot fathom the thought of a mother’s baby squashed into a crib with other dying babies, waiting their turn to be taken away. How can this happen?  These children are born with no chance. The ones that do have a chance are the lucky ones, the orphans. “In Zambia, 23 percent of all children are orphans now, with numbers expected to rise to one in three”.  These children are left to raise themselves, the oldest sibling becoming the parent. As young as 8, they are now the head of the household. They have no guidance, no sense of security, no food. What kind of “chance” is this? With some real luck the children may have living grandmothers, who in their 70’s can take the children in. At least they are not left on their own, to fend for themselves in a world that doesn’t know they exist.

Beyond the hunger, the AIDS, the death and the sorrow, Lewis holds tight to the belief that Africa will one day recover. They are a people with hope. With guidance from those who can give it, Africa can recover. They do not just need help; they need someone to lead the way. Doctors Without Borders, working in a small town in Uganda, are showing what can be done. They provide more than treatment, they dispel the stigma.  They help the people find their joy again. The World Food Programme provides more than food. They supply free condoms, and education about the prevention of HIV/AIDS.  They may not be able to stop the spread, but they can help reduce it. The Rockefeller Foundation has initiated a program Of “Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission” – Plus.  They treat expectant mothers, their partners and families. Slowly, families are being saved.  If we could all do our part, we could help Africa to stand on their feet again. To dance and sing, like the Africa that Lewis fell in love with back in the 60’s. What can we do to help?

Before it’s too late...

Margaret Atwood’s Letter to America  expresses her concern for America’s growing quest for power and what the results could be. She tells a story of growing up beside America, using examples of popular characters to describe the changes in her perception of America. She talks about characters that people can relate to as fun, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Elvis and the Andrews Sisters. The symbol of America becomes more grown up as she mentions characters from books she read as a child. These characters are all “courageous in their own ways”. They deal with larger issues such as racism, patriotism and loyalty at a level that can be understood and appreciated by younger readers. Next, Atwood mentions a number of great authors, known for their support of issues such as democracy and environmentalism. She mentions key characters in classic movies, such as Lillian Gish who was ‘saintly’ in The Night of the Hunter; Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront was honourable and courageous. All of these references give examples of the good in America.

Atwood acknowledges that even while she believed Americans were mostly just and strong, they equated money and power to strength. They printed God on their money, mixing power with “the things of God”. The intention of being a nation that helps others, a “city upon a hill” is being lost.  It is becoming a country who dominates instead of helping. In an attempt to explain her view, she gives the example of us as Romanized Gaul’s, peering over the wall at the Romans, asking “Why is the haruspex eyeballing the sheep’s liver?” The haruspex examined the entrails of animals that were sacrificed, looking for the will of the gods. Is this just an excuse to sacrifice?

She wrestles with whether or not she should write this Letter to America, wondering if it is her place. She rationalizes that as a person affected deeply by America’s actions, it IS her place. It needs to be said. Americans have begun to sacrifice others, as well as their own freedom, to be the most powerful. She mentions the US invasion on Iraq and acknowledges them as yet another sacrifice at the hands of the Americans in their search for power. She then focuses on what America is doing to America. They are taking their own freedom. They are trading natural resources for military advances. They are creating a nation of crime. Will they continue until all that they touch turns to gold, at any cost?  She warns that if they proceed as they are, they will lose what they value the most, their freedom and respect it. They are breeding a nation of greed, prejudice and disregard for the law. They are making their own laws. America IS powerful, and affects all nations, the Jolly Green Giant on a rampage, trampling other small plants and animals in its way. What will become of all of us?  She implores them to call upon the strength they possess to show the good and courageous side that they have and to stop the slide down the “slippery slope” before it’s too late. Is it too late?