what does mugabe have on mbeki?

I wish someone would explain it to me.

Robert Mugabe's biggest allies through some pretty dark times have actually started to condemn him-- take Tanzania's Mkapa, Ghana's Rawlings, Uganda's Museveni and the British monarchy, for example--but South Africa's Mbeki just won't go there. I feel rage when I read this ANC statement:

It has always been and continues to be the view of our movement that the challenges facing Zimbabwe can only be solved by the Zimbabweans themselves. Nothing that has happened in the recent months has persuaded us to revise that view.

Mugabe has spent almost 30 years as President, pillaging, torturing, murdering and destroying Zimbabwe, and the opposition in the country still hasn't been able to expel him. What more proof does Mbeki need to revise his view?

say something

Violence in Kenya. I don't need to write about it because we've all read about it and seen the footage. It's awful, and it's particularly awful because it shows that even the most stable of all African countries is still like a pile a wood. Drop a match and no matter how peacefully it's been sitting, it will erupt into flames. This has to stop.

Kofi Annan is there right now, trying to broker peace. But I can't help but think: where the hell are the Tanzanians? Where in particular is President Kikwete?

Let's remember that Tanzania hasn't exactly been a shrinking violet in the past. When the Ugandans invaded, the Tanzanians didn't just drive them out, they invaded Uganda in return, sending Idi Amin running. And Kikwete is known as a diplomat, having played a significant role in brokering peace in Burundi and the Congo (yes, it was a fragile peace, and it's over now, but still).

But lately African countries have been butting out of each others' business. The most tragic example of this, and I've ranted about this before, is Mugabe, who is still, 27 years later, bringing Zimbabwe to its knees, while nobody says anything.

So what's going on here? Is Tanzania just following other countries' lead and butting out? Or is it something more selfish? Part of me thinks the Tanzanians are contemplating the almost $1 billion that used to come into Kenya from tourism every year. That money won't be seen again in Kenya for some time. Has the possibility that some of this money may come into Tanzania instead become more appealing than saying anything to stop the burning tire necklaces, machetes and poisoned arrows across the border?

I feel sick thinking about it.

RainyBow

perspective

Rainy recently posted about The Congo. Here's some more perspective for you. Try to keep this in mind next time the barista gives you the wrong drink and you explode in a fit of rage. No matter how hard your life is here, it really isn't that hard.

Here are some facts to get you started in case you're too lazy to click the link:

1. 5.4M ppl have died since 1998
2. 45K ppl die each month - majority from treatable diseases like malaria (and trust me, malaria is treatable)


SunnyShine

RainyBow note: Another quick fact: life expectancy in the Congo two years ago didn't even reach 42 years. Let's guess at the causes: diseases that could be treated if medical care and/or drugs were available/affordable, infant mortality, malnutrition/starvation, war... there's so much more. None of it will be solved quickly, and very little of it affects me. I did nothing to be so lucky.

the power of 60 minutes

Last night Anderson Cooper and 60 Minutes did a story on the current conditions for women in the Congo. This morning six people either emailed me or came by my desk to talk about the story and what they could do about it.

Women being raped and tortured in the Eastern Congo certainly isn't a new story. Sadly, it's an old and tragic one. The government in the Congo has done nothing. The international community, for the most part, hasn't done much either.

And yet today all I could think was that one news story has suddenly turned so many heads. I wondered what would happen if stories like this were covered with more frequency. If more people were given the facts, if more people were forced to watch the truth about violence like this--and I don't mean the stupid, gratuitous violence of North American films--would some people take action?

I've been thinking about this all day. Is it the media's fault, for not covering the story and informing the public? Or is it the public's fault for just not caring? On good days (like today) I like to believe it's the former; I like to believe that if only people knew, they'd want to help.

There are, after all, people doing amazing things. For example, there are these people, who are organizing runs to raise awareness and funds for Congolese women; there are these people, who are equipping the women in the Congo with education, job skills training, and a support system; and then there are the people at Human Rights Watch, who do so much great work.

On bad days though, I think it's the latter, that people just suck. And as much as I'm on a bit of a people-really-care-and-the-world-isn't-so-bad high today, it's quite likely that I'll have one of those bad days tomorrow. And I'll wish I were ignorant. Kind of.

world AIDS day

I was lucky enough to be in South Africa earlier this year. I loved what I saw of the country, but also found it hard to visit a country so ravaged by HIV/AIDS. Experts estimate that somewhere from one in four to one in five people in the country are infected. Shocking.

There are so many frightening stats, too many to list. In a snapshot... About half of all deaths in the country, and 71% of deaths among those between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS. Two years ago, there were an estimated 1.2 million children orphaned by AIDS, and over half of the country's 15 year olds are not expected to reach the age of 60. South Africans spend more time at funerals than they do having their hair cut, shopping or having braai (and they love their braai!).

These are shocking numbers for a country with the infrastructure and wealth of South Africa. I can only start to guess at some of the many contributing factors:
- social instability in a country that's been distracted by major political changes
- poverty amongst the large rural population who have little to no access to medical care
- something like 14% illiteracy
- a high incidence of rape, leaving women frequently in unprotected situations. Not that long ago, one in three women in the country reported being raped in the previous year
- the fact that the virus hasn't affected those in power, both politically and in business, as much as it has the rest of the population. Estimates indicate infection among whites is as low as 0.6%

Perhaps more fundamental is government inaction, compounded by ignorance among those in power. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, President Mbeki may still not be convinced that HIV causes AIDS. His former health minister promoted a beetroot, garlic and lemon diet as a means of treating HIV. And his one-time deputy President publically stated that he showered after sexual relations with an HIV-positive woman, believing that this would reduce his chances of contracting the virus.

The tide may be turning; Mandela is now more of an advocate since his son died of AIDS in 2005. South Africa is also investing in a national advertising campaign, some of which I saw when I was there.


But it's too little, too late, for so many people in South Africa. How sad, for a country that could have and should have done better for its people.

In unrelated medical news, I keep reading about this poor guy with his botched colostomy reversal. How much would it suck to have your surgeon mix up which which stuff comes out of which end? Did buddy miss that class at med school?

RainyBow

and now a shameless plea

Sunny and I will be walking the GuluWalk today. Neither of us has been to Uganda, nor do we know people in Uganda, but what's happening in the Northern part of the country right now is criminal.

Over the last 21 years, Northern Ugandan villages have been attacked and destroyed, families have been driven away or killed, medical services have been pillaged and harvests have been decimated by the conflict between the Lord's Revolutionary Army and the government troops. Over one million people have been displaced, many to camps where people are dying from a lack of clean water, food and medical care.

The LRA is led by Joseph Kony, a former altar boy turned ruthless leader who calls himself a spirit medium. He and his followers have robbed many children (estimates run from 30,000 to 60,000) of their childhood, turning them into ruthless killers to fight for their cause. In case you can't imagine what it's like to be a child soldier, I recommend you read A Long Way Gone--different place and different army, but still the chilling experience of a child.

The walk started two years ago to raise awareness for the children of the area, who would walk up to 20 kms to larger towns every night from school to avoid abduction and sleep in relative safety. In North America, we're obsessed with Amber alerts and massive hunts for abducted children, but rarely do we hear about children dying far from home. Yes, it's far away and no, it probably doesn't affect most of us directly, but an emergency is happening in Northern Uganda right now.

And, because I hate when people tell me about horrible things that are happening in the world but then don't offer a course of action, here's what you can do:
- Get educated. Watch Invisible Children or War/Dance or read about the conflict from sources like Human Rights Watch.
- Get out and support a GuluWalk today wherever you are, or give to the GuluWalk organization or one of the other great organizations that operate in the area, such as Athletes for Africa.
- Write to your local member of government. Heck, write to Museveni in Uganda and urge him/her/them to support the peace talks in Juba. 21 years is too long.

Phew. OK, enough of my political propaganda.

RainyBow

and people here complain when their neighbours won't lend them sugar...

The people of Zimbabwe's neighbouring countries have let them down yet again. Most have turned a blind eye to the horrible mismanagement that's causing a mass exodus from the country. Others have been more overtly detrimental in their actions. When President Mugabe and his supporters beat, intimidated and defrauded the citizens of the country in order to win in national elections, South African President Mbeki proclaimed to the world that the elections were fair and just. And now I've just read that Zambia's president has said that Zimbabwe's problems (severe food shortages, an estimated one-third of children not in school, 10,000% inflation and 80% unemployment) have been "exaggerated."

All I can surmise is that Mugabe must be writing a lot of big, fat cheques. How sad for the people of Zimbabwe.

RainyBow


__________________________

SunnyShine note: It's always astounding to me how the African leaders seem to make excuses for him. Of course, the rest of the world either doesn't know or doesn't care. Perhaps if they were sitting on a bunch of oil and had lighter skin, the problems would get more attention.