Alex B. Hill

beyond the tragedy, the hope of africa

Africa is far from being without tragedy, but when you look past all the blaring news article headlines you will see that there are many reasons to be optimistic for the future of African and its people. Beyond the Western media’s fixation with the African tragedy there is so much hope and joy that gets pushed under the rug. Why? Is it because there is an othering and the problems and issues are over there? Is it because there is no hope on the ‘dark’ continent? Is it because the West would rather not admit that Africa is ‘developing’ and is really doing well? There are plenty of articles in the news that would deter even the staunchest optimist. Most of Africa lives in extreme and absolute poverty. Crises in Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and a few other countries are far from resolved. The conflict in the DRC has been inflamed by its recent free election results. Uganda is moving closer to a peaceful resolution of its conflict, but the rebels have backed out again. There is growing tension between Somalia and Ethiopia. And now Chadian rebels are storming across the country capturing major cities. The conflict in the western Darfur region of the Sudan is becoming further and further from resolution it seems. The African Union peacekeeping force’s mandate has been extended, but a UN force is still being rejected. All these armed conflicts are frightening, but then there is also many preventable diseases and basic essential needs that kill more people each year. HIV/AIDS is a growing problem and has yet to reach its peak in Africa.

The first great example of African hope is the amazing diversity of ideas and cultures. The people are shaping a better future for themselves and advancements are being made. African culture is thriving. Before we, who are not in Africa, can begin to understand how to assist Africa we have to first understand the intricate links between Africa’s people, culture, and wildlife. Africa’s middle class is growing, African entrepeneurs are becoming more prominent and have incredible ideas and solutions to problems that they know and live with.

On the continent the advances in medicine, technology, and science are taking hold. I remember when I was in Africa almost everyone had a cell phone and could easily stay connected. Advances in medicine are slow to be adopted mostly because of their costly nature, but there are growing efforts to provide services. We all need to remember that Africans are not just vulnerable people, but also solvers of problems. They may live in dire situations, but they still have the capacity to run a more effective program that pinpoints the real issue, which many times Western donors miss. The greatest innovation that I have seen developed so far has been the PlayPump. Discovered and designed by a man visiting South Africa. The pumps are set up to provide children a way to release their energy on a roundabout and also pump clean water for their community. There is a wealth of children’s energy, but a lack of means to use that energy. The water pumped through play is then stored in a 600 gallon container with billboards promoting HIV/AIDS education and other healthy messages. These billboards assist in paying for upkeep and maintenance of the pump. No worries children are not forced to play or pump, they just enjoy playing and that helps their community to have clean water. Water-related diseases are the leading cause of death in Africa and the ‘developing’ world. It is estimated that two out of every five Africans live without a clean water source. With the PlayPump children are able to stay in school instead of getting water. Women and children benefit from less injuries due to carrying heavy water containers over long distance. Women can focus more on their families and children with extra time not spent on water fetching. Some women have been able to start-up small businesses to provide an added income source and more food for their families.

Beyond the calls of corruption, falsified elections, and conflict between candidates, there is an increase in credible leaders in African countries. The first woman leader was elected last year. Leadership is growing as Africans step up to help one another and show their fellow citizens effective ways to improve life. There has also been a venture launched by an African millionaire to combat corruption within African governments. Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese multi-millionaire, is offering $5 million to African heads of state who deliver security, health, and economic development to its people. The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership was launched on the 28th of November this year. This is obviously a very controversial idea and many have stated that African leaders that are oppressing and killing their people will continue to do just that. Mo Ibrahim has said, “The day we do not need any aid will be the most wonderful day in my life.” The award will be given out as $200,000 for 10 years after the leader is out of office, so that the African leaders will have a life after office. Secretary General Annan has thanked Ibrahim for offering such a generous prize, but many still remain skeptical. Keep a watch on this one, time will tell if it will be successful.

Along with all the innovation and advancement there is also a great opportunity fro those of us in the ‘developed’ Western world. Doing your research, finding a sustainable project to assist, and becoming personally involved in working for Africa provides so many opportunities for personal development and happiness. I can tell you working in Africa is a joy and an amazing way to self-actualize your potential to change the world. Don’t wait, jump in – each year that you wait is a missed opportunity, each day that you do not challenge yourself is a wasted day, each minute is a lost life.

today in africa

Development

As you may have heard Sudan has accepted a ‘hybrid’ UN peacekeeping force to help in the conflict torn Darfur region. Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, is awaiting a letter from Sudan and his top aide is warning of an ‘abyss’ of suffering if something doesn’t happen soon. Currently there is a mini-summit of African leaders happening in Libya to discuss Darfur. Also in the Eastern/ Central region, Uganda has taken great steps closer to peace. More is needed to make this peace successful. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has signed an agreement with the Ugandan Government to cease hostilities and release non-combatants, but more is needed to encourage regular face to face talks because the rebel leadership is still cautious. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the election has been finished and Joseph Kabila, son of Laurent Kabila, has been declared winner with a majority of votes coming from the Eastern region of the DRC. The opposition party has not taken the lose very well and there has been rioting and clashes with police in the DRC capitol of Kinshasa. Kabila has set an ultimatum for when UN peacekeeping forces can remove the rival soldiers from Kinshasa. The droughts in the Horn of Africa (namely Somalia, Ethiopia) and Kenya have ended, but now there has been flooding. It is estimated over 100 have died in the flooding. In France, arrest warrants were issued for nine aides to Rwandan President Kagame. They are accused of involvement in shooting down the plane of the former Rwandan president, one of the events leading to the genocide. Illegal immigration into Europe is worrying many EU leaders as the issue grows with the numbers of Africans seeking a better life in Europe. The HIV/ AIDS epidemic “is getting worse” and African baby deaths are “preventable.”

I know all this news may be a lot to take all at once, but this is what some people live with everyday, every single day of their lives is full of turmoil and strife. However, it is imperative to note that even as crisises grow and troubles spark – Africans love life and enjoying sharing their love with everyone. I can tell you first hand from my experience in Africa never had I seen such poverty and pain, never had I seen such joy and happiness. This news may seem all ‘bad’ news, but what I see is progress. African organizations are working to build stronger relationships, peace is closer than ever in many areas, drought is ending, and people are being held accountable for terrible pasts. I encourage you all to read the news from around the world from many sources and develop a global perspective.

idealism, action, and reality

Health

Through my personal mission to help save lives in Africa I have often been called an idealist. However I don’t think there is any other constructed term that can be used to describe me and my work. I am an idealist, some say I am a naive idealist, and that is where I tell them they are wrong. My ideals have become realities, my ideals have never been so naive and seemingly unattainable. I define myself by my chosen actions, that is, the choices I make embodied. Therefore I see a time where everyone acts on what they truly believe and not what the popular society tells them. A time where people are motivated solely by the most basic human emotion of compassion and that compassion is demonstrated through their actions to help others and change the world for the better. Your choices define you, your actions define you – how will you choose to act today? How will you show compassion to another person in need today? Your name means nothing, your clothes mean nothing, your amount of income means nothing, your body means nothing – meaning is created in how you dream, how you choose, and how you act. I have seen so many people fall victim to society and the newest pair of jeans wins out over a life in Africa, I have seen a pair of shoes take precedence over the medication for a dying child, I have seen ignorance defeat hope – yet, after all that I have seen so many people let go of their name, their material wants, and their incomes and become dedicated to saving lives in Africa. There is a long and terrible past of exploits and screw-ups in our nation’s name on the African continent, too many to name, too many to discuss because what is most important now is that as we are saving lives in Africa now, Africa is reciprocally saving our lives from a life without meaning. Add meaning to your life, choose to act and not to sit by idly, choose to stand up and create the new reality. Neither one can happen without the other. It may be difficult to see the direct impact of your choices and actions, but you must know and remember that people are being helped. Recognition is not the end to the means. Saving lives and making a difference is the means and the end. Some may get all of the recognition, but that does not discount anything that anyone else has done.

each day as we arise
thousands fall just outside
where good intentions
pave the streets they call home
and tomorrow never comes

the time is now
we are called to take a stand
we are a rallying cry for
the voiceless

(poem from Mathitis)

africa here i come

Development

Exciting news! This summer I will be traveling back to Africa! I am so excited I can hardly wait for the regular school year to finish! I will begin by participating in a study abroad program in Ghana studying the disparities in healthcare along with Ghanaian culture.

I then plan to travel back to Uganda. I was offered a chance to help a graduate student conduct research in an area of southern Uganda. I also hope to visit the health center that S.C.O.U.T. B.A.N.A.N.A. has funded for the past 5 years and see how things are unfolding there. I would really like to possibly make it to Gulu to see how the Invisible Children programs are being run, but I am not sure yet if that is possible.

My friends then mentioned that they would like to volunteer at an AIDS assistance program in Tanzania, so maybe I will cover 3 African countries in one summer! It will be very exciting to use my french and swahili in a country where the language is spoken by the population.

I really can’t wait as you may be able to tell. 4 years is a long time to be away from the land you have fallen in love with, from the people who have given you so much direction in life. I have a lot to catch up in from 4 years past. The toughest issue to deal with when working to help people in communities across the ocean is the great distance and displacement from the actual issue. Many people ask me how will I know that people’s lives are really being affected and changed? When will I be able to see the results of my donation? So many people want to see the direct result of their efforts and I can’t blame them. I have faith and I trust the organizations that S.C.O.U.T. B.A.N.A.N.A. supports, but I can definitely hear the request of the people who help. For the past 4 years I have been working so hard for communities so far away and I can’t wait to see the real impact that my efforts and the efforts of other dedicated individuals has had on the communities that I will visit this summer. I keep telling myself not to rush it because everything comes in due time and at its given time. For now I’ll keep learning about Africa in class and know from previous experience that there is no way any classroom or grade will even compare to an on the ground African experience.

where are we going, health = security

Health

This is a very exciting month for S.C.O.U.T. B.A.N.A.N.A.! We have taken on 4 new projects dealing with basic health care and we are that much closer to achieving official non-profit status. We have partnered with Blood: Water Mission to help train community workers to build wells for a sustainable clean water in Uganda, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. We have also joined to support the Partners in Health Rwanda Programs which include: recruiting and training administrative and medical staff; rebuilding and equipping clinics; and securing reliable electricity, water, and communications systems. Two amazing organizations, check out their links on the side, all working towards one over arching goal, which is to provide basic health care services to the world’s people disproportionately affected by poverty, disease, and injustice.

And this brings me to question where are we going as a society? What is our real motive – materials, success, fame? Is the most basic human emotion of compassion not relevant anymore? Do people care for their fellow people that reside on the earth? Where has all the love gone? In my day to day work and my work with S.C.O.U.T. B.A.N.A.N.A. I have seen both worlds, I have seen the actions of people for good and for bad, and yet even in my position I still question and wonder. Where are we going? The media and pop culture are winning out over issues of poverty, over disease, over life, over death. How can this be? The world is the way it is because society, people in society have shaped the world as we know it and now more than ever the world is being shaped, but it needs to be molded to fit a different form than the one in which it is being fashioned. The corporations and institutions are increasingly misleading the people to act in the way of self-interest and for their greatest gain. What will happen when people are exploited to the fullest? What will be left? Where are we going?

This is where I tell you, stop, think, and act! This is where you learn that you can change the world! Every single person that reads this blog, that goes to work today, that attends class, that wakes out of bed today has the potential to make a difference in the world. You, who has just awoken, only need to decide now what kind of a difference you will make in the world. What will YOU do? Where will YOU go?

The crisis of basic health care in Africa is a major issue right now, larger than many know or realize. Sure Africa has its problems, but no one understand to what extent. The lack of basic healthcare and health for that matter is a great divider. It tears apart communities as their members suffer and die their economy falls and great economic hardship ensues. Some then turn to alternative methods of income, even sex work. The need to survive and be healthy pushes many people to do things that we here cannot understand. The lack of health, wellness, food to eat, water to drink spurs on war and regional conflict. In some of those conflicts HIV/AIDS is used as weapon of war where infected soldiers are sent to the frontlines to rape and spread their disease. Besides health and its effects producing war and hardship, there is an even more pressing problem of the lack of healthworkers. How can African countries expect to help their suffering populations when there are not enough workers, or healthy workers, to administer aid and treat the dying? How can a country function without a basic healthcare system in place? If health and access to health is so pressing then why is it not pressed for more fervently? S.C.O.U.T. B.A.N.A.N.A. is working to do just that, not necessarily by direct on the ground aid, but we do support the people and organizations working on the ground making the difference while we here work to educate a privileged world of the basic human right to health.

aid bureaucracy?

Development, Featured

Recently I read an article on the African BBC News about the effectiveness of development aid. Experts are arguing that it is trade not aid that brings people out of poverty. With the time ticking down until 2015 when poverty is supposed to be halved, the debate is more than necessary. Some want to argue that more aid is not needed, but I would say these people are more interested in using their excess money for self-interest than to use it to help others. Trade and not aid? Trade is dominated by wealthy countries and the corporations within those countries, aid is also dominated by the wealthy countries.

A book released by an NYU economics professor, William Easterly, calls into question the role of international aid bureaucrats. Easterly writes that there are ‘searchers’ and ‘planners.’ ‘Searchers being the people who struggle and strive to make a living through the market and ‘planners’ being the army of aid bureaucrats such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), UNICEF, the World Health Organization *WHO), and various development banks.

These planners attempt to create ‘grandiose’ plans and try to do too much, which in the end leads to doing nothing. Easterly says that aid agencies should act more like private companies to satisfy their customers. These customers being the world’s poor. If aid agencies think of the those they help as customers instead of human beings in desperate need then I believe we are in trouble. Calling the world’s poor customers is taking away the basic human emotion and essential element of compassion. I feel that the real problem is bureaucracy. These large aid agencies are all in the business of setting regulations and standards which do more harm than good for the world’s poor and those most in need of the agencies help. However aid encompasses both large aid agencies and small non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Professor Easterly is less critical of the NGOs than he is of the aid bureaucracies. The key to aid development to to cut regulations and standards of large bureaucracies and governments. It has been proven to expand and foster dramatic economic growth. Isn’t there an old saying that less is more. Easterly says, “The best tonic for poverty is growth, and the growth has come where the government has de-controlled and allowed competition and enterprise to flourish.” I would also agree with Professor Easterly when he says that he would rather see rich countries give monetary aid to private NGOs and let them run effective programs than to see the rich countries give money to governments.

What is the underlying issue of aid? What is the real solution to the aid dilemma? I can’t say that I am an economics major or that I am an expert in the way of development for the world’s poor, but I can say that I have a fair understanding of how aid should be administered and where it should go. Through my experience I have found that small scale NGOs that work on the ground are key to creating growth and sustainable development of communities in poverty. Large aid bureaucracies are not concerned with people and are more concerned with presenting a false picture of real aid success when in reality people are not being helped. Those who are on the ground doing the hard work need to be funded properly instead of large aid agencies and governments because the small NGOs are the ones who will create the real and lasting change and will impact people in the communities that most need the help.

growing impact; china’s investment in africa, where is the US?

Development

When you think about where your life is going and what you want to do and why you want to do it, do you ever consider the impact your decision will have on others and not just yourself? I am an strong idealist and I with the work that I do I can’t see defining myself as anything else. I dream of a world with universal access to the necessary healthcare that all people need. I dream of a world where co-existance and peace are a norm, I dream of a world where everyone, whether they know it or not, is connected by their actions and decisions. However, I not only dream, but I envision and believe that such a world is a possibility.

At any rate, if you have been reading the news lately you very well have noticed that there are peace talks in Uganda and they seem to have gone very well, since a peace accord was signed late last month. This accord will end two decades of violence and will hopefully lead to a rebuilding and return to positive advances. Peace is growing in the region, yet as it does the crisis and genocide in Sudan continues as reports of indiscriminate aerial bombings by Sudanese government planes was reported today. Reconciliation talks continue in Rwanda, presidential elections in Gambia, and the Liberian president is recognized for her peaceful efforts.

The stability of the continent is growing, but is the western model the best? Is capitalism and democracy the only right way to run a country? Only time will tell, and of growing concern is the role of China in African Affairs. My friend is currently studying in Egypt and has said that he has seen the growing Chinese presence in Egypt within the tourism industry. The growing impact of China in Africa is alarming not for the fact that China is the last remaining communist state, but what is alarming is the policy that China presented in January of this year (2006). ~~Click the title of this post to view the full Policy.~~

China and Africa have had a long relationship of political support. As China and various African states gained independence the relationship grew and, as China writes, increase in bi-lateral trade and economic cooperation. China outlines a number of cooperations, however as with most documents, everything looks good on paper and it makes me wonder if this is the last sweep and takeover of Africa. China is in search of natural resources and the resource rich African continent is ripe for the picking. With China and Africa’s history and China’s policy to assist any form of government to develop (regardless of a particular government’s disregard for human rights or caring for its people). What I take from this policy is that China will assist African leaders to build their infrastructure in exchange for natural resources. Will China finally suck Africa dry and leave its people to rot with no chances for sustainable development? Will the US or other Western powers not also take on a stronger policy on Africa? Will our leaders continue their policy of turning a blind eye toward the African continent. The US has carried this policy well. With our military failures and the tyrant leaders we propped up all leading to disaster, I feel the US has an even greater responsibility to invest in the continent and assist in its positive development to support its people. I am worried that China will toss aside the African continent like an empty candy wrapper after devouring the delicious chocolate inside before the African people can even rebuild their lives. Again only time will tell, but this is my call to the US government to adopt a strong African Policy based on investment for sustainable development and cooperation, as China has declared to do, but we owe it to the people. I hope to travel back to Africa soon, will I need to know Chinese to get around? (Note: I have nothing against the Chinese language or people, but its government’s history makes me worry)

what’s in a language? . . . what’d you say?

Development

Language is a beautiful thing. The exciting flow of espanol, the beauty of french, the hard sound of german, the elegance of italian, the omnipresence of english. . . but wait those are all European languages, what is so great about them? This is a question that crosses my mind when I think of my dreams to live and work in Africa. I need to know English (got that down) to communicate in former British colonies. For example the national language of Uganda is English, but there are over 50 local languages. I will need to know French, which I am currently taking, to communicate in most West African, former French colonies, and Portuguese and German for some areas. I can’t say that I am too thrilled by that except that I love to learn languages. This year at University I am taking my first year of French and my second year of Swahili.

I won’t even begin to delve into the extremely impactful consequences of colonization, but I will say that I hope if you plan to travel for an extended period in Africa that you learn an African language. Before I graduate and move on from my undergraduate studies I plan on knowing Swahili, Arabic, French, some Hausa and some Zulu. I am prepared to be able to immerse myself into the culture of the people who I will meet and to communicate with those people in their native tongue.

The other day in my French class, the student from Zambia was having trouble pronouncing the difficult french words where you don’t pronounce half the word and the teacher was giving her quite a hard time about it. It is my first year taking French as well and I can understand the difficulty, but our teacher seemed to be overly harsh. She is a native French-speaker and I assume quite picky about how her language is articulated. The first thing that flashed to mt mind was the colonization of Africa and the colonizers forcing their language on the native-African people. Zambia was not colonized by the French, but the image is no less disturbing. How can someone even come to think that they have the greater knowledge on how to live and work than another? How can one person believe that they have the claim to walk all over someone else because they are not from the same area or background? This I don’t know, but it happens still today. Don’t be that person. Learn a greeting in a new language today!

new world discovered

Development

Somewhere out there, in the deep and expansive universe there lies a world. Circling the misty reaches of space and swirling in an almost unrecognizable fog. A world where there are vast deserts and jungles, mountains and volcanoes, long droughts and rainy seasons. A world of vibrant color and cloaking mystery. In this world there lives a certain type of creature; a being so distant and unknown we would not even recognize its existence. Most of our society would consider this creature’s living condition to be less than their own. Our society would shun such a creature, let’s call this creature povertarius developinus.

Povertarius lives in the so called ‘third’ world. The world that orbits around the cerebral matter in our skulls encircling the first world, somewhere near the trajectory of the second world. Povertarius is trapped in this world because the inhabitants of the first world keep povertarius in a perpetual course so as to hinder povertarius’ ability to develop, whether known or not. What those in the first world do not realize is that povertarius is not the only creature developing.

Ok, so crawl back out of fantasy world before we go too deep into that illustration. The fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as the ‘third’ world. It is an idea that has been put into our heads by western society because there are members of this world that do not live at the same ‘standard’. That term seems to denote a high standing or ability, but is almost near opposite. There is only one world and we are all a part of its rotating wonder. The majority of the peoples on the continent of Africa are labeled as living in this ‘third’ world. Even as they develop and build they remain in the ‘developing’ state. As the President of Zambia, Mr. Mwanawasa said, “It is not easy to achieve everything at once like they are telling you. Even developed countries are still developing.” In the last five years, his administration worked hard to stabilise the economy and now time had come to improve the living standards of the people.

African countries may be in the process of developing, but so are we, the people in western countries. We are developing the way we see the world and how we react or act to the different situations that various people face. We are developing our ability to care and show compassion, the most basic human action, to those who need our help. We need to start developing a process to assist those who most need our help. We need to develop our government’s actions to fit the size of its big words and statements. The world’s people need to recognize that we are not separated by very much anymore, except maybe our prejudices and false perceptions. We are not so distant as to claim we live in different worlds any longer. The distance is only in our minds. Welcome to the world. This is your formal welcome, we’d love you to join us.

(I guess I really don’t have the authority to welcome you all to the world, but it sounded good in writing. I hope the collective peoples of the world welcome you with open arms, open eyes, open minds, and open hearts.)