It's almost three a.m. and i'm lying here in bed after just watching the movie "Blood Diamond", and contemplating my upcoming trip to Uganda this summer. Moved by the reality of the countless horrible conflicts such as the one in Sierra Leone depicted in the movie, which have characterized the modern history of most African states, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with a deep sense of sadness and profound loss. For some reason I feel drawn and connected to those people I have already met in Africa and the many who I have yet to meet. I often question why I was born where I was born and wonder what event(s) led me to stick my head out of the bubble of power and privelege in which I live, to the harsh realities of the outside world beyond its walls and iron gates. Could I have completely missed it if I had chosen to do things a little differently in life? The more and more I am exposed to the injustices, dire circumstances, grinding poverty and destructive violence that marks the lives of so many people in Africa and elsewhere I am further compelled to run faster towards it head on.
Most people see Africa as a place that needs a lot of OUR help whether it be in money, resources, technical skills or the countless other things we think would be of value to "them". But what if it is the other way around? What if in reality we need that which the many peoples of Africa have to offer us? Or what if together we could both help eachother equally and profoundly in a way never thought possible? What could the people of a poor, famished and war-torn country offer us you may ask? If no ideas come to mind maybe we could begin by turning to the children of Africa...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
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