Africa suffers the
scourge of the virus
This life and pain of Kgomotso Mahlangu, a five-month-old
AIDS patient (above) in a hospital in the Kalafong township
near Pretoria, South Africa, on October 26, 1999, brings a
certain, frightening reality to the sweeping and devastating
destruction of human beings who form the core of any
definition of a country's future, its national security,
actual and potential economic development and internal
markets. The ravaging of human lives of all ages and gender and
color says a lot about what was, once wrongly, thought of as
the disease suffered "only" by some persons, specifically
homosexuals. Inside Africa, and many developing countries
the impact of the AIDS virus has been nothing less than an
epidemic, a disaster of catastrophic proportions. Innocent
and hapless persons such as Kgomotso's apparent helplessnes
yearn for the efforts of all to save the lives of other kids
who are suffering without any spotlight or the focus of
kleig lights. I have looked at that distant stare in Kgomotso's
eyes into an uncertain future as also reflecting, painfully,
an apt prologue to the challenge imposed on our shared and
basic humanity. There are millions of other Kgomotsos across
the African continent, in various African-American
neighborhoods and among the very rich even in the United
States. The task must be, essentially, to restore healthy
existence and seek solutions to the AIDS virus in order to
save millions of children and adults. In noting that there
are millions who suffer due accidental infection and other
forms of transfer of the virus, I do not minimize or
overlook the fact that are patterns of behavior which make
it more likely to be infected by the AIDS virus.Regardless,
I believe the world can do better in terms of education
about how the virus can be acquired, and other such vital
sociological issues which enable the execution of solutions.
We will all be acting in our collective and best interests.
AIDS has become, according to United Nations and other
health agencies, the leading cause of death in the
continent. "The impact that Aids is already having on sub-Saharan
Africa is catastrophic, and the scenario will worsen unless
global leaders work together to invest more - much more -
prevention efforts and programs to address the multitude of
social and economic problems that AIDS has brought," UNAIDS
executive director Peter Piot argued at an international
conference in Lusaka, Zambia, on Monday September 13, 1999.
"The impact is all too comprehensible ... the protracted
sickness, the fractured families, the weakening workforce,
the relentless ritual of funerals, and the morgues that no
longer even bother to close," Madavo added. Since 1984, AIDS
reportedly has caused the deaths of 11 million Africans. The
conferees said that almost 22.5 million people are infected
with HIV or ill with Aids. Hence, Madavo underlined the fact
that "the damage that Aids has done in the present is
incalculable. Now it threatens millions of the future....
AIDS now poses the foremost threat to development in
Africa." It is in recognition of the dangers of the AIDS virus and
its catastrophic impact on our continents and peoples that
influenced us, for almost 7 years ago, since I established
USAfrica magazine, USAfrica The Newspaper,
USAfricaonline.com, later The Black Business Journal,
BBJonline.com and more recently NigeriaCentral.com to
publish occasional special reports on the issue. The past 3
years have seen an increase in such focus. We can do more,
and better. We look forward to cooperation and support from
persons and individuals who can be a part of our agenda to
strive for solutions to save the likes of the innocent
five-month-old, Kgomotso Mahlangu. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who hails
from Ghana in west Africa, accurately notes that "The
breakdown of health and education services, the obstruction
of humanitarian assistance, the displacement of whole
populations and a high infection rate among soldiers -- as
in other groups which move back and forth across the
continent: all these ensure that the epidemic spreads ever
further and faster." Accordingly, USAfricaonline.com and USAfrica The
Newspaper (as the primary media networks for Africans and
Americans) will increase its allocation of space and
frequency of our series of articles and features on the
education and solutions to deal with the AIDS virus. I agree entirely with U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations Richard Holbrooke that the U.N Security Council
should consider the impact and toll of AIDS on Africa, and
from that context "begin to redefine security as broader in
the post-Cold War era than it used to be." Another leader who addressed the U.N on January 10, 2000,
on the issue of AIDS is the U.S vice president Al Gore who
warned that "AIDS is going to kill more people in the first
decade of this century than all the soldiers who were killed
of all the wars of the 20th century." He has made a case for
more support to deal with the crises in Africa. It is
important to note that the African continent has only 5.1
percent of the world's population. It is startling that while Africans are facing the most
serious threat to our collective existence, some African
leaders look, largely, to exotic issues and pursue huge
projects which widen their opportunities to misappropriate
scarce resources and privatize public funds. When was the
last time you read that any African leader devoted his money
to a scientific research foundation? The amounts spent for
partisan and ethnic power struggle is atrocious, and
disconnects from the existential needs of the majority of
the people. For example, the monies which exchanged hands
among partisans during the 1998-99 presidential elections in
Nigeria (which brought retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to
power) is enough to create a wall of AIDS awareness campaign
to the most remote village in Guguletu and Kiama, or any
other parts of Africa. Also, the cost of Muammar Ghaddafi's
'jammahiriya' shows and Fidel Castro's parades could go a
long way in fighting the virus in their countries (and for
their neighbors). Let's look at these terrifying data: 23.3
million Africans, according to the United Nations, are
infected with HIV or AIDS. This reflects 70 percent of the
world's total AIDS patients. Also, 11 million African
orphans have been become an unfortunate reality due to AIDS
epidemic (reflecting 90 percent of Africa's total of
orphans). Remarkably, like the proverbial individual whose house is
on fire who chose to pursue rats instead of saving the
house, none of nearly one dozen African heads of states and
government who were invited to attend the September, 1999,
health conference showed up. More telling, host president
President Frederick Chiluba sent Vice-President Christone
Tembo to read his speech. Apparently, AIDS does not have the
lure for the African leaders to junket and shop during other
more wasteful excuses they find. It seems, essentially,
another example where African leaders dangerously and
irresponsibly misplace the continent's priorities. "Too much of Africa will enter the 21st century watching
the gains of the 20th evaporate," Callisto Madavo, the vice
president of the World Bank African region has warned the
world at an international conference in Lusaka, Zambia. With
such realistic but chilling representation of the scourge
and economic, social and human cost of AIDS in Africa, the
question as we indulge in assorted millennial parties and
high-,minded agenda in the New Year, the citizens of the
future will wonder and ask why the likes of Kgomotso
Mahlangu had to live a life vacant imagination. The pandemic
could wipe out all the gains of the past century. To be
sure, it can, if we let it. Should we? And, what can you do
for the helpless millions and unknown Kgomotsos of this
world? What's your part and response to the point that 60
percent of the 16.3 million lives lost to AIDS since the
epidemic began, are Africans? I believe we can do better. We'll all stay blessed by
sharing our blessings.
Nwangwu, recipient of the Journalism Excellence Award,
HABJ 1997, is Founder and Publisher of USAfrica The
Newspaper, USAfricaonline.com (first African-owned
U.S.-based professional newspaper to be published on the
internet), The Black Business Journal , BBJonline.com, and
NigeriaCentral.com. He traveled with and covered U.S.
President Clinton's visit to parts of Africa March-April 2,
1998, and currently serves on Houston Mayor Lee Brown's
international business advisory board (Africa).
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According to the
United Nations, AIDS in Africa has left the following
painful facts: • 11 million African orphans created by AIDS epidemic; 90 percent of Africa's total of orphans • In 1998, 200,000 Africans died from wars; 2.2 million died of AIDS • Life
expectancy in Africa, which had reached 59, will drop to 45
between 2005 and 2010 because of AIDS. |