Africa

Would you come to Africa with me, to work? For a month, 6 months, a year. Would you do it? What’s holding you back?

Think about the world; history and human development, evolution and revolution. When did it all turn to shit? Who made that decision that hurt the first person? Human rights have always existed. It’s not only since 1948, when the United Nations agreed on the 30 articles of rights that all humans on the basis of being human are entitled to. It was just in 1948 that we finally wrote them down. Did they really think that those ‘sacred’ rights would ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone, forever? That’s 7 billion people we are now talking about. The idea of the human rights is that they are to be developed. As the world changes and grows, the rights were set up in such a way to ensure they develop, they are not static.

It would be so much easier to strip everything away. Take everything out of the picture and start from scratch than to fix the current situation. My idea of Utopia and your idea are very different places I would imagine. We may have different ideas and values, but on the whole, I’d like to think we look at the world in the same way.

I look at the issues of immigration in Australia and the poverty in Africa as something that can be changed, not something to be ignored. They are both stringed to the same problem. I don’t completely understand globalisation, I don’t know what it means now and in the future. I know that after the Second World War Australia had a population of 7million, and it is now over 25million. It has almost quadrupled in 60 years, compared to the 60,000 years that aboriginals have lived there before that. I also know that Aboriginals account for only 2% of the population, but account for something like 25% in the prison system. That’s not right, that’s not just a part of life.

If we looked at the world, don’t think about it as “what are all the problems in the world” but instead think of it as one step back, what do all people need, require, to live? If we think of just the basics; food, water, shelter, warmth- good health, access to medication. That’s just to ensure we don’t die. Although I did hear about some people who can live like plants and not eat food or even drink water. They get their energy from the sunlight. Anyway, that’s not the point. After the basics it is important that everyone is educated, literacy and numeracy is incredibly important. And opportunities for employment with appropriate wage and development. So food, water, shelter, warmth, education and employment. On top of that we it is vital that no one is discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background or ideals.

So, we have created an environment that provides everyone with food, water, shelter, education and employment, an environment free from discrimination. If everyone had the opportunity to experience life with these basic rights, these are rights that everyone is entitled to as described by the UN.

Have you heard that 20% of the world have 80% of the wealth, therefore the other 80% of the world have 20% of the wealth. Most of you reading this, in fact, all of you reading this I would imagine fall under or very close to the 20% of the world that has 80% of the wealth. I am unaware of the exact figures, and I don’t expect you to do anything different really.

What would be good is if those of you who read this are aware that something like 40% of household groceries goes to landfill every year. 40%. We are buying so much food and products that we don’t even use.

I met a girl at a hostel in Berlin. She told me about a few of her experiences in Northern Africa. She met some girls staying at the same hostel, and they went out around the town while they were there. As they were walking along, she was carrying a half drunk bottle of flavoured mineral water. She told me that a young kid came up to her and asked her for the drink. So she gave it to them. This girl had never witnessed the kind of poverty that she saw in Marrakesh. The next day, the same group from the hostel went out. They went to a local supermarket and bought rolls and salad, ingredients for a picnic in the park. As they were walking to the local park, the girls sensed that they were being watched, they had quite a lot of food with them, maybe not by western standards, but a lot for where they were. One of the other girls said, ‘don’t you dare give away this food’ to the girl I had met in response to her sharing her drink the day before. When they got to the park they spread themselves out, took their shoes off, lay their bags and cameras around. They were there to have a nice afternoon relaxing in the sunshine. A little while later, about 10 or so young boys came out of nowhere and raided their feast. She spoke of it as though it was all over before it began. One of them too her half eaten sandwich and they snatched up fruit and drinks too. one of the girls at the picnic fought with one of the kids for a bag of pomegranates that they had, in the scurry, one piece fell out, and the boy picked it up and took it back to the group. No money, no cameras, bags or shoes were taken, just food.

How does that make you feel?

Would you come to Africa with me?