60 Minutes Special
 

Did anyone see the Ed Bradley 60 Minutes special on AIDS in Africa. That was the saddest, scariest, most frightening, thing I have seen on TV in a looooooooong time. The rate at which that disease is multiplying in Africa is astounding! I hope that people in the world begin to wake up! Maybe with the publicity and as other countries realize that the government in Africa is doing next to nothing to educate the people...maybe something will be done.

[This message has been edited by Catwoman (edited June 28, 2000).]

No you are wrong.
Huge efforts are being made to educate people but THERE IS NOT MONEY.
Besides, Many countries including South Africa have been asking American Pharmaceutical companies for many years to sell at lesser cost the composition for the AZT medication and guess what they responded. WE ARE GOING TO LOOSE MONEY IF WE DO THAT. Everything is not what it seems.

I did not see this episode of "60 Minutes". However, Diarra, maybe the impression that people got from the information presented on the show is that the governments in Africa are not doing anything or not doing enough. If there is not any money available to educate the people in Africa or if companies are not willing to help, then nothing is being done.

I think that Catwoman was correct that maybe publicity is needed to make more people around the world aware of the seriousness of the situation in Africa. Maybe they get a "bandwagon" effect as a result.

If it were a country in the former USSR or Czech (forgot how to sp), or the former Ukraine countries, the US and other countries would probably be more willing to help. Anytime there is something that has to do with Africa (whatever the situation is)...countries seem to take a wait and see attitude,especially if it's negative. That's the way it seems to me.

Soror AKA2D, I agree with your statement about how certain countries are helped and others (especially in Africa) are not. I think that with more publicity and awareness, more people will become sympathetic and want their governments and corporations to act therefore leading to the "bandwagon" approach. Every company and government will then want to take part to give themselves a pat on the back even though they resisted before. But something needs to be done.

Hi all. This whole issue of AIDS is just something that is too close to my heart. These are my people. It just upsets me that back home, we do everything we can not to even get medication, but the chemical composition so that we can makeit ourselves. Businesses do not care that people are dying. All of a sudden 60 minutes makes a report and African governments get the reputation that they do not care, that they are not doing anything. I will be the first one to tell you that we have serious problems of corruption and laxism but there are limits to everything. Frankly I don't care for publicising our needs anymore because I just see from here what is going to happen. Ballots of food dropped from airplanes in the countries. Medications sent that are too old to be used ( This is a fact. My granfather is pharmacist and he used to check the medications that were sent... Always out of date) Stuff like that. Yes people need to be informed but the INFORMATION NEED TO BE CORRECT AND NOT TWISTED LIKE IT IS ALWAYS THE CASE. That was just my two cents. Have a blessed day ladies

Diarra,
I am sorry if you felt as though my message was wrong or twisted. I have no first hand experience with Africa other than my Ancestors are from there. So I can only relate to the situation from what I see and hear. The 60 minutes report seemed to focus on the fact that little was being done in terms of education etc...and that the government was focusing on other things. If that is true or not - I don't know. My hope and prayers remain the same...that this publicity will awaken the "world" to the devestation of the disease and maybe something will be done to help those in need and suffering.

Well, I suggest you find out which organisms are in place in these countries that can tell you what is the status of their efforts and then try to respond to their needs. The UNESCO has offices all over the world and in every single country in Africa. In my humble opinion they are the one that assess in the most objective manner the needs. Contacting them and working with some of their programs would be a start. OR You can get from them information about local NGOs and attempt to contact them directly. Have a nice evening http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Diarra, I sense your frustration, and I'm sorry that the media is not reporting the facts as they exist or distorting the truth. Everything that I have learned has been through some form of the media- television, newspapers, magazines, books, etc. Please don't be discouraged because your knowledge is very helpful. Change comes about through people like yourself who are able to educate others.

Catwoman I am not mad at you girl http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif. What annoys me is that the media, the governments and corporations take advantage of the compassion and concerns of people for their own agendas. I think that the only thing I can do and anybody else that is concerned and is willing to help, is to take a good look at where they decide to send their money and volunteering time. There are too many NGO out there that are bogus.
Have a blessed day ladies http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

after watching that special i wanted to cry http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/frown.gif it appears that Uganda has the best approach where the president talks about Aids and condoms and makes the people more aware of the dangers of promiscuity etc its on every billboard, he speaks on it constantly. of all the presidents interviewed i respected him because he doesn't play games, he is direct. Although even he admits that there is not enough money to get AZT to current aids patients so without money they will just have to suffer the consequences. He is focusing on prevention since they don't have the money to save those already infected. His country has lots of aids patients but the cases have decreased like 50% over the last 14 years due to prevention http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif I was not pleased with the president of South Africa or the Zimbawee president whom need to go get some advice from their neighbor Uganda. Interesting enough it was after the Uganda president sent some troops to Cuba for training that Castro told him that several of his soldiers had tested positive for aids, which is what first alerted the president of Uganda to the seriousness of Aids among his people. now ain't that something http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif anyway i was wondering what AKA can do to help these countries, i know we do alot in terms of education with their disadvantaged youths, for example my chapter is sending dictionaries and encyclopedias to countries in Africa via the Links. But what can we do to help raise money which seems to be the call of the hour? any ideas.

[This message has been edited by PositivelyAKA (edited June 28, 2000).]

Positively AKA you say "I was not pleased with the president of South Africa or the Zimbawee president whom need to go get some advice from their neighbor Uganda."
You are entitled to your opinion concerning These two presidents but knowing what they are going through with american politics, pharmaceutical an media company, I would not care either to have all mighty 60 minutes come in my country to make another "sensational scoop about how africans are starving and dying and whatever"
No thanks, we can do without.

It is both sad and appalling the things that we as a world allow to happen. Some of the things that we allow to happen is the decay of the family. By that I mean men and women no longer get married and provide a loving environment for children to grow up in. Instead, too many people just live together, get tired, change partners, and so on and so on and so on. This helps spread diseases. What also helps spread diseases is the fact that people don't use condoms. Under NO circumstances do I think that the people of Africa deserves such a fate. NO ONE does!!!! But a better educated population makes a healthier one. And my Church constantly sends supplies and other relief to Africa.

I did not see 60 Minutes Sunday evening, but I have long been aware of the problem of AIDS in Afica. Actually I was reading an article the other day, I am not sure what magazine, which said that pharmaceutical companies were going to begin decreasing the price of drugs such as AZT by up to ninety percent in African nations. Apparently they have been under a lot of fire laterly for the absurdly high price of their drugs. I believe the drugs needed can add up to over $1000 dollars monthly. Of course, we must wait and see if this comes to fruition. Also the article seemed to suggest that the companies could lower the prices without losing money all along which just makes me wonder...
Sadly, I do not think that anyone will be jumping on the "bandwagon" to help these countries. This issue has been in and on the fringes of the media for years and yet little has changed. Even though I think that this goes without saying, I have to say that if AIDS was reaching epidemic proportions in some European country, I think that the response would have been much swifter and more effective. This may be a pessimistic view, but I am more inclined to believe that it is pragmatic. I think that if anyone is going to help us (the peoples of the African Diaspora) it will have to be us. And becoming aware of these issues is the first step in that process.

[This message has been edited by Little32 (edited July 03, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Little32 (edited July 03, 2000).]

Okay, I'm not a member of your organization, but I was browsing because you all have such an active site here (says a lot for you).

Anyway, I went on a study abroad program for 5 months in Zimbabwe a few years ago, and the problem is indeed bad. I was told in the village in which I first stayed, nearly a third of all babies were born HIV positive. I checked the WHO stats and they say that 25% of Zimbabwe's adult population is living with HIV or AIDS.

I must say, though, that I could see efforts being made to educate. When I went to the University of Zimbabwe, condoms were available for free in the student union, and I even snatched a poster saying "Condoms Show You Care" and it hangs on my wall to this day (they had plenty, don't get angry at me http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif ). Several villages had educatators creating programs to educate. But obviously, still not enough.

I wont even get into the causes for the explosion like having to commute to the city for work and what not (didn't I just say I wouldn't get into it?). And I am going to leave out my opinion of Robert Mugabe. Anyway, just wanted to add another side to the story and a little bit of hope.