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Starvation in Africa

bropsbrops 182 Posts
edited April 2006 in Strut Central
This will probably depress you, but I just saw this photo and it explains the whole gravity of the situation in this continent. It seems like an impossible situation to handle - but, what really bothers me is that some leaders in the Western countries doesn't seem to care at a political level. They talk about freedom and democracy, but they never tell us about Mugabe and the situation in Zimbabwe - it's allways about the Middle East. Why? Is it more important to convey democracy in the Middle East than Africa? We all know about the problems of corruption in these countries, and that corruption can flourish because the lack of democratic rights in these countries - and because of the corruptions a grand slice of the money we, the Western countries, send to the African countries never reach this kid:Zimbabwe is just one country, but the situation in Zimbabwe isn't much heard of because of Mugabe's dictatorship and propaganda.http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/

  Comments

  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    That photo isn't recent, it was taken in the Sudan 13 years ago by Kevin Carter, who eventually committed suicide because he was so haunted by the images he photographed. Google him, he was an amazing photographer and his story is a really good insight into the ethical struggles that photojournalists face. There's a documentary about him that was released recently as well, which is supposed to be excellent.
  • bropsbrops 182 Posts
    Okey, then I'm sorry if I misled anyone. I just saw the photo in a thread about the situation in Africa, on a Norwegian board, and thought it was recent.

    I'll check him out.
  • bropsbrops 182 Posts
    Hm.. I gotta see this:

  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    Read about him here:

    http://flatrock.org.nz/topics/odds_and_oddities/ultimate_in_unfair.htm
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Outdated photo or no, that should not take away from the fact that MILLIONS of people are dying, and it is getting a fraction of a percentage of the coverage of gas prices. No, really...gas hitting $3 a gallon gets 100 times the coverage of those people dying. And, its not like I'm out protesting every weekend or anything, but it is a reality that is tough to avoid.

    Hell, TomKat's baby gets more coverage than this...

    For most of the US and the rest of the world, Africa is an afterthought.
  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    If you want to know about the extreme examples of what long term famine results in, check out NOMA, a disease spreading with young children in many African countries, including Nigeria. It is a gangrenous syndrome connected to malnourishment, and has not been seen in Europe after the Middle Ages. I could hardly sleep after seeing a Danish dogma document about this.

    Nigeria, which is an oil producing nation, is still being run by the same corrupted elements that Fela Kuti was protesting against from the 60's, a political mission that his son is still pursuing. The world seems to generally close its eyes toward African sufferings, which are a direct result of European colonialism.
  • ariel_calmerariel_calmer 3,762 Posts
    If you want to know about the extreme examples of what long term famine results in, check out NOMA, a disease spreading with young children in many African countries, including Nigeria. It is a gangrenous syndrome connected to malnourishment, and has not been seen in Europe after the Middle Ages. I could hardly sleep after seeing a Danish dogma document about this.

    HOLY SHIT
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    If you want to know about the extreme examples of what long term famine results in, check out NOMA, a disease spreading with young children in many African countries, including Nigeria. It is a gangrenous syndrome connected to malnourishment, and has not been seen in Europe after the Middle Ages. I could hardly sleep after seeing a Danish dogma document about this.

    Nigeria, which is an oil producing nation, is still being run by the same corrupted elements that Fela Kuti was protesting against from the 60's, a political mission that his son is still pursuing. The world seems to generally close its eyes toward African sufferings, which are a direct result of European colonialism.

    Terrible out of control situation. Darfur gets occasional mention. The US has declared that genocide is on going in Darfur Sudan. The official US and international policy is never to let genocide happen. Yet we stand by and prepare for war in Iran.

    The US State Department has taken a strong anti Mugabe/Zimbabwe stand. I'm not sure what if any actions have been taken against Zimbabwe. It is very sad because Zimbabwe was moving forward in 80s when they grabbed freedom. I have had the fortune of knowing some Shona people from Zimbabwe. The music and modern sculpture from Zimbabwe is wonderful.

    Wish I had some answers, sorry I don't.

    Dan
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    So the CEO of EXXON get's mas $100,000 a day on inflated gas prices while people starve. This should be illegal.
  • TabaskoTabasko 1,357 Posts
    Man, that is a depressing picture...
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