Mocambican’t! Run your not-so amazing race elsewhere.

The only time I watched this “reality TV show”, Amazing Race was once a few years back at my sister/brother-in-law’s apartment with our friend Tessa who lived in Peru for many years and the episode was taking place in Cuzco the city where she had lived. Thanks, Ash for letting me know about the show but I am about as unimpressed as I was when we watched with Tessa.

Ali, The Interpreter, Blood Diamond and Catch a Fire are some of the most recent/popular movies that were filmed partially or entirely in Mozambique, especially the capitol Maputo. I don’t really know that I want anyone invading Mozambique be it USAID (United States Agency for International Development), Will Smith or the Amazing Race crew. I guess my fear is that those idiots at Survivor will come in and decide to take over one of Mozambique’s pristine beaches, cut down some of the virgin forests or one of many other neo-colonial activities.

Yes, exposure, especially positive is good for Mozambique and many countries particularly in the underdeveloped world rely on tourism as a major part of their economy. Yet, had I seen these idiots filming when I was in Mozambique a few months back I would have done something, such as run naked through their set, to try and muck up this filming. The last thing the world needs is tourists, “development” experts and others to parachute in, take some pics, hand out some (band)“aid”(s) and then shoot off to another “disaster” only to return when the next flood, elections, casting call or USAID call for proposals (worth millions if not billions) goes out. Please visit, enjoy, interact and take home memories but don’t think for a second that you know the solutions to a people’s problems better than they know them.

Now, I know I am getting a bit off track and probably loosing some of you with my mad ranting but I know I am not the only one that thinks this way and that is how I sleep at night. Back to the show that was filmed in the Maputo area and I understand aired last Sunday. Even though I am not a fan of such programs I would be willing to watch this one for two reasons. It was filmed in Maputo a city that I know well, where many of my friends live and where I have spent many great times. And second, because it highlighted the work of an organization called Apopo http://www.apopo.org/newsite/content/index.htm which a good friend actually works for. Alfredo who taught Shangaana, to Annie, Charles, John, Nanosh and I, who is quite a linguist, father of two and a nice guy has been working for Apopo for some years now. I will have to get in touch with him and see if he was around on the day that this show was filmed at one of the fields where Apopo works training mine sniffing rats who detect mines and alert de-mining crews. This is a much smarter/safer technique then using dogs or people to detect mines as rats are light enough that they can’t set off the mines but sensitive enough that they have an amazing success rate in finding mines under the ground. It also seems they are using these rats to detect TB (tuberculosis, you know that thing that Val Kilmer/Doc Holliday was suffering from in Tombstone.

In conclusion tread lightly, respect others, get off you’re A$$ and see reality for yourself. It is silly to rely on others to bring “reality” into your living room so that you can be an armchair explorer. Granted travel is not always cheap, affordable, easy, etc. and I am not advocating for mass travel to “exotic” places as increased carbon emissions is the last thing we need but coming face to face with reality is as easy as heading to your local community center, volunteering at a school, offering to take someone shopping, etc. It may not be as sexy or intriguing as the stuff we are spoon fed on people but it sure is more rewarding and lasting. I do advocate for your to live vicariously through me as you know I try to bring important, interesting and educational information to you about my travels, studies and work at home and abroad. P.S. if you do want to visit Maputo/Mozambique at some point I would love to be your guide on the “off the beaten path” tour that Lonely Planet doesn’t give you.

Neo-colonialism, ABCs, the American way....

Amongst the highlights from the XVI International AIDS Conference, dubbed “Time to Deliver”, held this past week in Toronto, Canada was the keynote speech to open the conference which was delivered by Bill Gates. I have my issues with Microsoft’s monopoly and doubts about Gates’ sincerity or “goodwill” being more than a way to protect business interests, potential customers and get positive PR. Yet in light of his comments this past Monday I might be seeing a Gates who I appreciate more. Gates was critical of the main approach employed, promoted and financed by the US at home and abroad to “fight” AIDS which is abstinence. The ABCs, abstinence, be faithful and condomize (use condoms) is a popular method being used in many places to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. The US places the added emphasis on abstinence which sounds good in theory and goes well with many religious people, especially Christians, but it is not really in line with reality. Most women, especially in Africa and other parts of the world where HIV is spreading so rapidly don’t normally have an option with husbands and lovers about when, how and if to have sex to tell women to abstain from having sex with their partners is ridiculous and often their objections cause distrust, violence and worse. Is it better for two people to not use a condom because their church or society prohibits it and infect each other or become pregnant with a child that might get HIV or to use a condom and save lives? Read this article from the Guardian about Gate’s words at the conference for more.

Another person who I have been gaining respect for these past few weeks is Stephen Lewis who is the UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS a man who takes his job very seriously and now I see doesn’t pull his punches when he sees that words can have great impact. Lewis was also at the conference this past week and made some critical remarks of the US policy on AIDS saying that the US was practicing "incipient neo-colonialism" through the way it has chosen to fund HIV/AIDS work in particular in Africa. The US Global HIV Policy makes it mandatory for at least 33% of its prevention funding to go to abstinence only programs. Once again, great in theory if you believe people should have sex before marriage but this keeping your head in the ground like an ostrich tactic isn’t proving beneficial. There are claims that Uganda, which has done a great job in battling HIV is losing ground thanks to this US policy as money that once went to provide condoms as well as teach how to safely use and dispose of them is going to abstinence programs which are proving less effective. Top-down pie in the sky programs do not work and we need to wait up and see the reality of the situation of the problem and attack it in a way that is realistic and as effective as possible. See this article at BBC to find out more as well as this one with a bit of a different twist from AllAfrica.com.