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I read a most interesting article in this weeks New Yorker titled, The Denialists: The Dangerous attacks on the consesus about H.I.V. and AIDS .
Specifically in South Africa, the politicians there dismiss antiretroviral drugs (western medicine) as "poison" and traditional healers have become more prominant. There has been a large amount of denial of the epidemic in the country by it's leaders. President Thabo Mbeki (who became President after Nelson Mandela) had discovered the works of Peter Duesberg and is in full support of him. In short, Duesberg denies that H.I.V. and AIDS have no correlation, and furthermore H.I.V. can be cured by eating properly, drinking good water, and abstaining from harmful drug use.
Now nobody can deny that good food and water is needed in Africa. It cannnot be denied also though that there is an epidemic. Mbeki does not like to address possible solutions to the epidemic but rather foucuses on injustices done to Africans. While this is very important isn't it unfair to the many dying daily from AIDS (an estimated 900-1000 daily) to deny the very problem? Nozizwe Madlala Routledge, the deputy heath minister holds hope that the truth will come through and win, in a country that is in "great pain and mourning." She is optimistic and says she will never lose hope. Last month the President, Mbeki said that the goverment will "commit itsef to intensify the campaign against H.I.V. and AIDS." Nozizwe holds hope that denial will fade and the countries leaders will face this epidemic head on.
As I sit in a home with clean running water and good food just steps away, I cannot help but feel extreme sadness. Sadness for the thousands upon thousands who are suffering daily, losing family daily, and to think that over 50% of the woomen around my age are infected shakes me to my core. While there is only so much I know and understand, I encourage you to pray for this nation along with me. Pray for the nation, for it's people, it's leaders, for God to have mercy on them, that they might know his goodness in their suffering which is far more than I can imagine.
2 comments:
Anne, this is a good post. As Christians usually involved in our small community of concerns and suffering, it's good to look outside and to be reminded of suffering and the need for our Savior. I'm going to remember to pray.
Really good post. We should also remember that our government could be playing a larger role in finding a solution. The hard part is that we bicker over funding 1 billion dollars to search every piece of luggage that goes on all commercial flights in the domestic United States, but we continue to sink billions of dollars a month in Iraq. So, there is no way in H E double hockey sticks that we are gonna care about an AIDS problem in Africa. We probably would if it were in Europe, however. Furthermore, most of the time when amendments or appropriations are made for fighting AIDS in Africa, many of the conservative members in Congress refuse to fund such programs if there is an effort to teach about condoms or safe sex. I guess we expect people in Sub-Saharan Africa, to have the same "moral" beliefs that we do. What a crock!!! Let's get real about solving the problem, instead of trying to force our beliefs a people that are dying.
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