Blog by Husein Madhavji, Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Well there's no denying it... Africa is back in style.
The first celebrity response to the dire need of help in Africa came in the mid-80's with the songs "Do They Know its Christmas Time?" & "We Are The World." But then the interest died down. And Africa hasn't been en vogue until now.
With Angelina/Madonna and whoever else adopting babies, Oprah fulfilling her life mission by opening up a school in South Africa, and Bono appealing to every world leader around to help this great continent, its no wonder why Africa is the "in" thing. Okay, I'll admit talking about Africa as if its a pair of Uggs isn't exactly sensitive. But Africa is a hot topic right now, because the power of celebrity, says its a hot topic right now.
Is it a good thing?
I mean, its really easy to rip into celebs for jumping on the "African Bandwagon" and questioning their motives when they do anything good. Its a double edged sword for them. They have the face and reach to get the word out.... But they'll always have critics saying, its all for publicity.
So what's the answer??
Well, I went to Africa...
I visited the countries Kenya and Uganda in the Eastern part of the continent. They are stunning, so beautiful and pure. However, underneath its beauty, if you listen carefully, you hear cries of help.
I went to Kampala, the capital of Uganda... On the streets, there's an unimaginable level of poverty. Kids from 2 years to 10 years... Alone, crying, ragged clothes, no footwear, begging on the streets for anything anyone has to offer. For the locals, its nothing, seeing this level of poverty is just a part of where they live. But for me, its different.
I took my two nephews who had been screaming for iPods and the PS3 (ages 4 and 7) and introduced them to the kids. We handed out candies, food, chocolates, anything so that we could at the very least get a smile from the street children. You watch them smile, wave goodbye and then have a Ugandan native come up to you and say "thank you for helping my people." Helping your people?? We did nothing. No difference. These kids will still be on the streets and there's millions and millions of them.
So the answer to the question above is simple.
Is it a good thing that celebs are coming together to shed light on the AIDS epidemic and help solve poverty in Africa? Yes.
Does it matter if more people watch their movies, or buy their music, or watch their TV shows because of a little public generosity?
The answer? Who cares.
