'African
activists AWAKEN!'It’s a relief not to be writing about the Iraqi war. All the same, the war got me thinking.
I have a friend who likes going to demonstrations (as long as it’s not raining). He told me that a lot of the marchers at the last anti-war demonstration were of Middle Eastern origin. They believed in a cause and they went to have their voices heard. At this time I’ll keep my opinions about the war to myself.
My friend also noticed that there were very few Africans on the march - who could blame them. It’s not their homeland that was being bombed. However, it is their homeland which is affected most by HIV. Sub-Saharan Africa is one place where HIV has had traumatic effects. Combined with the current famine, the region needs all the support it can get.
The other issue that has been on my mind lately is that of visa restrictions placed on people with HIV by some countries. This to me translates into a new apartheid, an apartheid based not on skin colour but on the presence of a specific organism in one’s body. I might not be a political activist but I know an abuse of human rights when I see one.
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome aka SARS has received much press in the last few weeks. As I watched people being screened while they went through airport check-ins I could only imagine what it feels like to have your movements restricted because of having a medical condition. It seems not all tourists are equal.
One has enough to worry about - medication, sun tan lotion, someone to look after the cat, etc, etc. I might be the only one, but I do not think one should be judged by the content of his or her blood.
But as long as we stay silent, new laws that infringe our rights will be made. The Crusaid Walk for Life event is coming soon and I once again beg you to get those sponsorship forms and dust off your walking shoes. This is just a small way we can make a difference and show solidarity.
On a more serious note, this is another way of saying thank you to all those activists who risked their dignity to ensure that HIV gets on the local and international agenda. The success of the walk not only depends on how much money is raised but also how much awareness is raised. The fight against stigma still goes on and the best way to win is for us to start with ourselves. Only then will other groups of people not affected by HIV start noticing and hearing our voices.
Our
European friends are always involved in campaigns, be it the famine in Africa
or something else. Africans in London have not been known to speak their minds
in defence of their own rights. There are organisations that claim to represent
our interests, however there is a time when greater change is brought by people
who wake up and say they want to help make a change without being paid for it.
We need to see more Africans involved in challenging policy decisions not just contributing to them. We should be thankful that we live in a country where we are free to say whatever we want. We might not get listened to, but at least we can talk.
There has been talk of testing all health professionals for HIV and even restricting entry into the profession. What are African professionals saying about this?
The Refugee Council and THT often speak up for people living with HIV. We need more. We need to see activists being representative of the communities most affected by the epidemic. We owe a lot to the likes of Philly Lutaaya, the Ugandan musician who had the courage to try to change the world. I believe he did in his own way.
Hope to see you at the walk for your life.
