All's Quiet on the AIDS front

Before all else, just scoot your way over to a certain delightful Rob’s blog and read his latest brilliant posting. And be sure to leave a marking comment of your visit. Mainly stating how incredible the article topic is!....go now…go along… (but best you come back!)…

So, it’s been quite a while since we had a good little chat about that infamous epidemic quickly maiming and slowly killing our Southern African region.

Since then there’s been the old Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, claiming he too can now cure AIDS (and asthma). But only on Mondays and Thursdays (well, for AIDS that is. Asthma has other days). Understandably. Being President, he must already have quite a packed schedule.

What does not make too much sense to me (because oh yes, there is incredible amounts of sense in his ability to cure his citizens of AIDS with untested herbs, prayer beads, the Koran, and a good old tummy rub. Hmmm.) is why he became sensitive to the point of kicking out the top U.N. official in the country. Fadzai Gwaradzimba, a Zimbabwean national, is (was?) the resident coordinator of U.N. operations. That was until she made some noise about the dangers of this president’s untested claims. Then she was given 48 hour marching orders.

One always has to be weary of those people who are too scared to have their beliefs, and theories questioned. To give them that side-long silent studying gaze to the point they shift nervously about, and attempt to explain. Then you have them.

The world currently is doing this stare at Jammeh. Let’s see what 'sensible' justifications he comes up with.

After a quick survey of sites & mail, there is otherwise presently nothing too dramatic and silently happening the African AIDS world. (China has some tales of interest, though).

We are all just ploughing through the cash and systems at ready hand, to get governments accepting that they must react more dramatically & more efficiently to this epidemic, that citizens must protect and care and empathise, and to get science to figure out how to beat that little bugger of an evil virus cell.

And, also, that if we win the AIDS battle, we hope the consequential infrastructure established in developing countries will be able to better meet the other development issues. Hospitals with good systems will have been built, central government decisions will find their way quickly to the outskirting rural areas, people will have improved personal health regimes, medical costs will be realistic in terms of an African farmer’s salary. The education system too will be better structured & more relevant to the learners’ lives. Roads and buildings will have been created, as AIDS workers needed improved courses for resource runs. Aid money will no longer flow through systems where it collects along the pipeline’s walls, so only being a trickle at the critical end. Rather it will smoothly rush down the line and pour out into the relevant worthy people’s lives.

And also new improved systems, thanks to the AIDS fight, will one day be exposing those insane leaders, be they in the government or a religion or popular culture, to the global world. They will one day have to critically and intelligently answer to their “cute” ideas and random midnight theorising. They will be made to realise that people’s lives are at stake each time they arbitrarily open their untamed mouths.

And so we plough along. And so we hope we are doing this right. We hope a lot in this game. Romantics at heart, we all are.

P.S. So how many of you drove with your car lights blaring this morning? I saw at least five cars, one cash-in-transit vehicle (too close to my car for my liking), one motor bike, and a bus supporting this awareness & solidarity campaign. You have a week more to remember & support. If you choose to.

Ok NOW you can head to iScatterlings…