Live 8 and Africa
Most of you probably heard the big broo-ha-ha (I have never written out that expression before) surrounding these world wide concerts. It was a huge event here in England with the most popular bands in the world playing for a great cause.
The idea behind it was to raise awareness about the problems of poverty and disease in Africa, and to put pressure on the politicians at the G8 conference to do something about it. While I have little to no faith in the politicians to come up with something effective, I have to admit it is a very difficult problem. It is not something you can just throw a bunch of money at to make it better.
The poor African countries are filled with corrupt politicians who prevent the money from getting to the people who need it (kind of like in America, except on a much more tragic scale). In addition many of the countries are still plagued by the tribal warfare that has been going on for centuries.
There was an article on the BBC news this morning about Liberia (the country I lived in for a year and a half when I was five years old). The country has been plagued by warring tribes and political unrest for years and years. When we lived in the country, there had just been a political coup (the existing government had all been shot, and their heads were put on stakes for every one to see). The country was filled with soldiers carrying machine guns. When we were there things were relatively peaceful, but still quite tense (a factor which led to us moving back to England sooner than planned). Violence has continued in Liberia since then, but for the last two years they have had a stable government. The problem is that the stable government is completely corrupt. According to the BBC story, over half of the country's income is spent on the politicians themselves. Until recently, there was no paid police force. The police subsisted on bribes and extortion.
This is a subject that is close to my heart. My parents met and married in Kenya, I have lived in Liberia, and I have grown up in a house filled with African artifacts. All these things have created some kind of a bond. Africa is such a beautiful country, and in general Africans are a beautiful, vibrant people. I have always been impressed with the friendliness and acceptance of Africans (from many different African countries), it is such a tragedy that their continent is so filled with pain and suffering.
5 Comments:
I hear your moans. When you travel to pretty much anywhere outside of the so-called "First world," an arresting thought hits you - one that is sometimes cynical. You think, given the darkened greedy heart of man, and the reality of unchecked governments, these pathetic populations will NEVER have a chance.
If I had power, I would marshall U.S. strength to coerce by force the leaders of the weaker countries, even threaten them with whatever it takes - basically force them to yield their greedy desires & treat their populations better.
But then again, I guess that would make elitist morons cry in thier lattes & hail me as a big bully nazi thug trying to 'police' the world. I, of course, would lose no sleep over such drivel.
By the way, I once thought of "Brew-ha-ha" as a possible name for our SLC coffeehouse. Ah, what might have been.
Roberts! "Brew-Ha-Ha", I like it. Maybe you could come out here and open a coffeehouse. There are no decent coffeehouses within a 20 mile radius of us. The English are just too busy drinking their tea (or beer).
BTW, I really liked your post on wealth
JE
tea and beer. mmm. have they tried putting the two together?
Mixing tea and beer? No way, tea is like a religious experience here. You always have it with a portion of milk, and the only option is sugar or no sugar.
Heather runs into problems because she is an iced tea addict (seriously, she drinks gallons of it a day and if she does not get it, things get really bad). You should see the looks she gets when she asks at a restaurant or coffee shop if she can get English breakfast tea over ice!
JE
That's funny. When I went on project to Myrtle Beach five years ago, I developed a taste for sweet tea, and now I'll do everything in my power to get my hands on it. Then again, I could always go for a good English beer.
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