African Reading Challange - What is the what

What is the What
by Dave Eggers

I almost stopped reading at page 50, then again at page 100. I hated the book at page 200. It was a great read, but the story was just so horrible. Each time I decided I wouldn’t read anymore, I read more, and in the end I really like it.

It is the story of Valentino Achak Deng, he is a refugee from southern Sudan, the ethnic conflict and problems that happened before what are hearing in Darfur. In the mid-1980s he flees his village becoming one of the “lost-boys.” His journey takes him into Ethiopia, before the refugees are thrown out, then back into Sudan, and finally he ends up in a the semi-permanent refugee camp in Kenya. He dodges malaria carrying mosquitoes, gun carrying soldiers and rebels, camel riding murahaleen (militias), crocodiles that eat people and 4000 other children on the move.

I think the part I found so hard, is the same thing that made the book so good, Valentino Achak Deng’s problems didn’t end when he got to America.

The story is gripping and heartbreaking, it is filled with adventures, tragedy, triumph, and suspense. And no one knows what is the what although several times Deng comes close.

“You didn’t tell us the answer: What is the what?
My father shrugged. “We don’t know. No one knows.”

Bombs Away

I was listening to my grandmother talk about life in her village during the Second World War. She was saying how sometimes they would have to abandon their homes to hide out in the woods during bombings. That’s how her mother lost her job.

Apparently the American military was aiming for a road being created from the north of Italy straight through to Poland to help the Nazis move (whatever it was they were moving). Anyway, they missed. Instead the military hit the peanut oil factor where my Nona’s (grandmother’s) mom worked. Employment over. I understand now why they all left their homes – mistakes like that are costly for lives.

I made a typically snide remark about American Intelligence – mentioning the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the Balkans.

"I think they make mistakes even now,” Nona said knowingly.

It seems that when it comes to bombing things from a plane things haven’t changed much drop the bomb and hope for the best.

African Reading Challange - We Wish to Inform You...

We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families.
by Philip Gourevitch

I had heard bits about the book, but what I was expecting was depressing accounts by Tutsi survivors from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Instead I was surprised by this book that pulled me in telling me, yes some survivors accounts, but far more interesting what happened after, the role (or lack thereof) of the international community, and a peek at the bigger picture.

During the 1994 genocide the world at large was left in the dark about what was happening in Rwanda. Many in the media and NGO world wrote the actions of the Hutus off as “tribal conflict.” However with the subsequent migration of Hutus (both the killers and innocents) after the genocide into the Congo, the media became involved as cholera swept through the “refugee” camps. Suddenly those responsible were becoming the victims. And they were using the Aid organizations to their advantage.

“Many humanitarian Aid-Workers told me they had similarly anguished thoughts [of wanting a natural disaster to take out the refugee camps], but that didn’t stop them from settling in. It bothered them that the camp leaders might be war criminals, not refugees in any conventional sense of the world, but fugitives. It was unpleasant to hear these leaders say that the refugees would never return except as they had come, en masse, and that when they went back they would finish the job they had started with the Tutsis. And it was really disturbing that within weeks of their arrival, even before the cholera had been brought entirely under control, armed bands from the camps began waging a guerrilla war of blood cross-border raids on Rwanda. Some humanitarian agencies found the extreme politicisation and militarization of the camps so distasteful that in November 1994 they pulled out of Goma. But others eagerly filled the empty places.”

I had never heard this and Philip Gourevitch does an amazing job of interviewing everyone. It’s an opportunity to hear the story of the genocide and what happened after from all sides – victim, “criminal,” politicians – both locally and foreign, Aid workers, NGOs. It is absolutely worth the read!

One part in particular stood out to me. It is a description of genocide.

“’I hear you’re interested in genocide,’ the American said, ‘Do you know what Genocide is?’

I asked him to tell me.

‘A cheese sandwich,’ he said. ‘Write that down. Genocide is a cheese sandwich.’

I asked him how he figured that.

‘What does anyone care about a cheese sandwich?’ he said. ‘Genocide, genocide, genocide. Cheese sandwich, cheese sandwich, cheese sandwich. Who gives a shit? Crimes against humanity. Where’s humanity? Who’s humanity? You? Me? Did you see a crime committed against you? Hey, just over a million Rwandans. Did you ever hear about the Genocide convention?’

I said I had.

‘That convention,’ the American at the bar said, ‘makes a nice wrapping for a cheese sandwich.’”

The best way to sum up the book is the words of Robert Stone, an American Novelist.

“Young Philip Gourevitch brings us a report from the killing fields of Africa that makes him as a major successor to the handful of great correspondents who have risked life and safety to bring dark truths to a world reluctant to know of them. Like the greatest war reporters, he raises the human banner in hell’s mouth, the insignia of common sense, of quiet moral authority, of blessed humor. He has the mind of a scholar along with the capacity of a good novelist, and he writes like an angel. This volume establishes him as the peer of Michael Herr, Rysard Kapuscinski, and Tobias Wolff. I think there is no limit to what we may expect from him.”

And the title? It comes from a letter from a group of Tutsi and moderate Hutu that were hiding in a hospital, knowing the end was coming. They thought they may write to their mayor hoping he might help. (Turns out, he was probably behind it.) The politeness of the letter seems so out of place considering the circumstances.

Review written for the African Reading Challenge.

AIDS 2008 Day 5: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

The Good

• The current President of the International Aids Society (IAS) is Julio Montaner in his inaugural speech he called on Stephen Harper by name to step up! And even better the next IAS president is Elly Katabira, the first time an African will step into the role!!!
• Amandla Ngawethu, was the call and response of a protest calling for governments to realize that poverty played a huge role in the cycle of HIV and Aids. These Xhosa/Zulu words which originated during the anti-apartheid movement simply mean “power to the people.”

The Bad

• “HIV is a virus not a crime” New laws have been enacted in some African countries that can land those who transmit the virus (knowing or unknowingly) to someone else can end up in prison. Including in cases of Mother To Child Transmission.
  
• In the US 65 per cent of Black women make up the new infections and these women are 23 times more likely to get HIV then white women.

The Ugly

• New laws in France allow police to take down personal information including sexual orientation and HIV status of any person attending any HIV/Aids organization or event. This type of anti democratic move is the worst of its kind since World War II

AIDS 2008 Day 4: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

The Good

• Meeting up with someone I knew from Kampala. Marion. I went to KPC (Kampala Pentecostal Church) with her on Saturday afternoons! Yay mini reunions and she said she would smuggle me back in her luggage.
• ‘The eyes of the hippo.’ Greatest phrase ever – it’s the ‘tip of the iceberg’ equivalent. It’s used by all those in sub-Saharan countries who don’t know what an iceberg is.
• The highlight of today was being called a hero. Someone who has kind of followed my work since the last Aids Conference looks at everything I did and said you are like two women – part photographer and part hero. Or something to that effect.

The Bad

• Carrying bags that are too heavy, my shoulders are killing me.
• Some of the most interesting sessions are run concurrently. So you have to try being several places at once or pick one.
• All the white, male scientists who refer to “test sites” in Uganda, like it isn’t people that are trying the microbicide, PreP, or whatever.
  
  

The Ugly

• Having people use the question period as a time to vent their issues. For example, this morning at ‘To cut or not to cut: A look at Male Circumcision” a woman from the (and I kid you not) International Coalition for Genital Integrity started spouting random “facts.” And no one stopped her for nearly 5 minutes…
• More than 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water. Can you imagine?
• Getting caught in traffic and taking 2.5 hours to get from the conference centre to where I stay. It usually only takes 1 – 1.25 hours.

AIDS 2008 Day 3: The Good, Bad and Ugly

The Good:

• The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). Following the idea of Akina Mama wa Afrika, AWDF is run by African women for African women, meeting the needs of those groups who are dismissed by larger funding organizations.
• The Mexican torta; it’s a sandwich only better!
• Meeting up with friends and colleagues from past conferences and experiences and catching up.

The Bad:

• When it rains so hard the sound of the water hitting the roof completely drowns out the plenary speaker.

The Ugly:

• Me forgetting that the number on the signature for my e-mail is for my parents’ house. Then having someone you are trying to impress call and talk to your mom. Good news is, he thought it was hilarious.
  

AIDS 2008 Day 2: The Good, Bad and Ugly

The Good:

• Today I met Svend Robinson. For that average person that is no big deal, but I think he is a pretty cool guy. And I got through the entire conversation without any embarrassing comments, and tripping. For those of you keeping score I am two for two.
• The global village is good, really good. People from NGOs and other organization are all together creating a completely comfortable, open and safe environment. People wear whatever they want; women rights workers are interacting with youth members who have meetings with people from Latin America etc.

The Bad:

• The walk between the global village and the rest of the conference in the Centro Bannamex is 15 minutes. It’s usually fine until you are running late for the shuttle buses.

The Ugly:

• Listening to a white, female anthropologist, tell a Kenyan researcher of the impact of medical circumcision on traditional circumcision, how circumcision should be celebrated in his community. He listened politely and I nearly went insane.
• There are so many white researchers presenting papers on African issues on behalf of a group. Why am I not seeing more of the local ‘African’ or ‘Asian’ researchers?

Developing countries

I love developing countries! Mexico isn’t as good as Uganda, but it still has all the parts I love.

• Sketchy food served from vendors that have never even heard of food safe, let alone having any certification
• Men that check me out – that are my own age – that never happens in Canada.
• Buses that pick you up when you flag them down.
• People that smile at you when you are walking down the street
• Garbage on the road and rats – okay maybe I don’t love that part but its still one of the things I am prepared to deal with here instead of in Canada.

Gotta go a protest is brewing outside the media centre and I need to go check it out.

AIDS 2008 Day 1: The Good, Bad and Ugly

The Good:

• One of the seminars I attended today was satellite linked in to Durban in South Africa. It was so cool.
• Met Stephen Lewis in the hall today and didn’t freak out. I simply asked how he was, he asked how I was, I smiled then continued onto the escalator. And I didn’t trip. Life is good!

The Bad:

• Compared to some many amazing people here, I feel awfully young and inexperienced sometimes. Conferences of this size are very overwhelming.
• I was nearly run over by the Vice President of Tanzania today. I was in the way, and his security detail tried to move me, but I was completely oblivious to what was going on, and thus was stepped on.

The Ugly:

• The worst was the audience member who stood up to tell everyone that those people in the country of Africa didn’t wear condoms because they believed in witchcraft. It took the Kenyan on my right and the Nigerian on my left to stop me from killing him.
  

Stephen Harper and Bob Marley

My dislike for Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, has been refreshed, again.

During the opening ceremony of the 17^th International Aids Conference the President of Mexico Felipe Calderón made an excellent opening speech. He wished all of the 23,000 participants of the meetings to have much success in their work among making promises to Mexicans in Spanish that seemed to thrill all the Mexicans present.

At this point I would like to mention that Stephen Harper didn’t even show his face (or send a representative with his regrets) to the 16^th International Aids Conference. Again, Harper shows himself to be a real class act.

Anyway, Bob Marley goes down as being the most quoted tonight.

Peter Piot of UNAIDS: “To quote a great Caribbean poet Bob Marley ‘Get up, Stand up, Stand up for your rights – Get up, Stand up, Don’t give up the fight.”

Denzil Douglas PM of St. Kitts and Nevis: “As Peter already did I will quote Bob Marley, ‘Lets get together and feel alright.”

This really makes me think – there are Bob Marley lyrics for everything… more to come.

The Pat Down

I have a new rule; I don’t care how cheap the flight is I am no longer flying through the USA.

Okay, in reality I will likely always pick the cheaper flight, but it makes me so cranky to clear US immigration, customs and security – especially when it is all in my own country. And I am only transferring through the US – I’m not even staying.

I’m sure the security lady could sense that I hadn’t had any tea, or breakfast, that I had been up since 4:30 am and had just walked from the other side of the airport – prime candidate for “additional screening.”

I had my bags hand searched, tested, and I was patted down.

Indeed I was patted down, in full view of everyone – it was like a massage – part of me wanted to scream and the other part of me wanted to hire her full time. Although mostly it made me feel like everyone around me was thinking “what did that girl do.”

I had to take off my shoes (with small heels) to allow the security woman to reach my shoulders. Gotta say, random extra screening does not make me feel any better about security. What was she going to find that all the extra attention from the lady holding the wand missed?