Link and Think. And Think Again.

Posted on 12/01/03 @ 1:05 pm

Today, I saw that words could speak just as loud as actions. Reading these blog entries has been inspiring, informative, and inclusive. Truly great to see. I can't single any one of them out — they're all magnificent.

Now while we're on words, let's talk about Andrew Natios's recent comment on AIDS treatments in Africa. According to him, administering AIDS treatment in Africa would be extremely difficult because "they do not use Western means to tell time. They use the sun. These drugs have to be administered in certain sequences, at certain times during the day. You say, take it at 10 o'clock, they say, what do you mean, 10 o'clock?" Asanine? Completely. Especially since it's wrong. People with HIV in developing countries are in better compliance with drug regimes than in the US. Words are powerful - watch what you say.

Also, I just finished Think Again — and if you haven't checked it out, please do so. It's deeply moving and is a great read. Like Bernie says, "This book is not for sale, but rather is being given away quite freely so as to engage people in as many places as possible. It comes with no instructions beyond its title. Think again."

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Comments

Thanks honey for mentioning Think Again. I hope this book will nurture even more conversations about HIV/AIDS - on other days as well as today.

On Friday December 18 @ 8:00pm, Herukhuti, G. Winston James and Khary Polk, contributors to Think Again will be reading their work at a panel hosted by Gay Men of African Descent

GMAD
103 East 125th Street, Suite 503
Harlem NYC 10035. Call (212) 828-1697 for more details.

There will be free books available for those in attendance.

Said by Donald — 12/01/2003 @ 7:24 pm

While I am not up to date on Natio and his comments concerning African people, I would not be too quick to accuse him of being racist. The fact that different peoples and cultures perceive time differently is part of the world's diversity and to deny such a reality is, at very least, ill-informed - not a rarity in a culture of conformity such as the US.
As I am currently living in Africa (Mayotte - French Comores), I have been privy to observe certain situations that would complement Natio's statement. For example, in the local schools - which are an extention of France's education system - much attention is given to teaching students to be conscious of "time" and the passage thereof. Why? First of all there is no phrase in Comorian that expresses the future farther than "next year." Neither are there seasons in the Northern sense of the word to mark the passage of the year. It is "summer" all year long. Also, as life here has changed so little until recently, it is very hard for the youth of this generation to understand such concepts as a profession and a career - ideas which require conceptually placing oneself in the future and that have never truly had a signification. It has only been ten years since roads and television exist on the island and this is only the second generation to not be predetermined to a life of subsistence farming. And one has to consider that this little island is one of the most fortunate areas of all of Sub-Saharan Africa with school being offered and medical facilities available.

Time is not money on this continent. I would argue that, in contrast to their Western counterparts, time is not even something tangible for most African people. Things happen when they happen. An anecdote being : "When does the bus leave?" response being "When it is full." "When is the meeting?" "When the appropriate people are present."

Does this imply that countries like the United States should not help Africa in the struggle against AIDS? Of course not, it just implies that doing so requires much education and the flexibility of the Africans themselves to recognize how their own cultures have to adapt in the face of this disease (i.e. so-called "cleansers" in Kenya, Uganda, Angola.. and the practice of passing widows along to another member of the family). Perhaps if Natio would have mentioned these problems people in their sterilized Western Wonderland would have also been uneasy.
As far as the medications are concerned, a major gripe of doctors on the island is that the most part of patients have a hard time following a prescription. I know I have never been good at it.
Do people measure time by looking at the sun? I don't know if the locals do, but I find it rather practical. As the sun rises at six in the morning and sets at six at night (approximately) and at noon it is at its hieght, it doesn't take Crocodile Dundee to figure out what time it might be and stating that some people may do so doesn't imply primitiveness - a supposition of Natio's detractors. However, I will say that it is not rare to see a Comorian with a watch.

I don't write this in protection of Natio, I simply think that before crucifying somebody for stating an opinion it is wise to understand where he/she is speaking from.

Said by mike morrison — 12/04/2003 @ 11:48 am

Duly noted, Mr. Morrison. But if you'll look through what I've said, there's no calls of racism or any sort of "crucifying" — from looking through what you've written, it's good to learn about this from a different perspective. Perhaps you should direct this to the author of the article or some of Natios' detractors listed in the piece. Here's a good starting point. Mike Donnelly's e-mail address is donnelly@globe.com. Thanks for reading and sharing your viewpoints.

Said by karsh — 12/04/2003 @ 12:27 pm

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