|
Get AfricaFocus Bulletin by e-mail!
Print this page
|
Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action
from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived
document may not work.
|
US/Africa: When Mr. President Came Shopping
AFRICA ACTION
Africa Policy E-Journal
July 19, 2003 (030719)
US/Africa: When Mr. President Came Shopping
(Reposted from sources cited below)
With President Bush back from his whirlwind Africa trip, the $15
billion he repeatedly took credit for is still as hard to find as
the elusive weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. His pledge in the
State of the Union message came to 36 words, more than twice the 16 about
African uranium now under such intense scrutiny: "I ask the Congress to
commit $15 billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new money,
to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean."
In fact, the President has asked Congress for less than $2 billion
to be spent beginning next year for all AIDS programs worldwide,
with a token $200 million for the cash-starved Global Fund to Fight
AIDS. And he has proposed the creation of a cumbersome new
bureaucracy headed by a drug-company executive before any new money
can be spent. Meanwhile, existing programs to save lives are
starved for resources. The evidence for misleading hype in the
President's AIDS promises is in plain sight, and requires no new
intelligence reports. As yet there is no widespread call for a
commission of inquiry into who lied. But high expectations aroused
by repetition of the $15 billion mantra are more than matched by
deep skepticism as to whether the President will deliver on his
promise "to prevent 7 million new AIDS infections and treat at
least 2 million people with life-extending drugs" within the
foreseeable future.
This posting contains three statements from African AIDS activists
released during and after the President's visit, beginning with a
account by one of the HIV-positive women who was part of President
Bush's photo-opportunity in Abuja, Nigeria, and continuing with
statements from Zimbabwean and Ugandan activists. All originally
appeared in the Nigeria-AID eForum, which is available at
http://www.nigeria-aids.org
Another posting today contains updates on the current funding
status of the Global Fund and of the President's bilateral plan.
+++++++++++++++++end summary/introduction+++++++++++++++++++++++
Rolake Nwagwu
Treatment Action Movement (TAM) Nigeria
Email: rolakenwagwu@yahoo.co.uk
July 16, 2003
When Mr. President Came Shopping
Posting on the Nigeria-AIDS eForum, a project of Journalists
Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria. For more information see:
http://www.nigeria-aids.org
View message archives at http://www.nigeria-aids.org/eforum.cfm
Contact the eForum moderator at: moderator1@nigeria-aids.org
A journalist asked me what it felt like to shake the hands
of the most powerful man in the world, the President of the
United States of America, President George Walker Bush.
Man, I have refused to take a bath since Saturday! God
forbid that I wash these hands before I get to my bank to
withdraw a million naira. Then, I must take these hands of
mine to the American embassy on Walter Carrington Crescent
to get that almighty American visa, and when I'm asked that
question that makes those of us living with HIV
uncomfortable, the question that says: Do you have an
infectious disease of public health significance? I will
simply stretch out my right hand and say I just got a
presidential handshake from your president .
Most importantly, I must run on Tuesday morning to the HIV
clinic to see my doctor. I can't afford meds because four
years ago I was put on a drug trial for six months with no
counseling. I couldn't even finish the trial because I had
no money to pay, and I was not totally compliant. Now, I
need to access drugs but I don t qualify for the first line
regimen, as I'm not drug naive. I must have at least
N37.000 monthly ($300) if I m to start ARV therapy. That
being the case, I'll take the hands he shook and the
$15 billion promissory note he gave to the doctor and all my
drug needs shall be met - Amen!
The journey to this handshake was hilariously maddening. We
were told the issue to be put on the front burner is PMTCT.
[prevention of mother-to-child-transmission]. The last time I
checked, when any group or body claimed to have a PMTCT program, it
usually meant VCT [voluntary counselling and testing] + ARV +
infant formula milk. With my dear people, it could mean VCT +
referral to the-yet-to-start Nigerian Government Nevirapine + 6
months exclusive breast-feeding! This PMTCT initiative needs to be
applauded and for that we dressed up, sang and shook hands with Mr.
President.
When the opportunity came to table our issues, it was
denied us because according to the organizers, there was no
time and only five people could talk to him, one of whom
was a representative of positive women. The only thing
she's expected to do is give her testimonial and get the
heck off. She had just two minutes and she had to read a
testimonial rather than place our issues on the table.
What George Bush wants to listen to is your testimonial.
He already knows the issue and has heard your voice, which
is why he is making this visit. President Bush is not
comfortable with speeches and talks. That sounds to me
like if all I have is two minutes, he'll rather hear the
stigma and pains I have to endure than the issues I expect
his visit to address.
Now, Bush has come and gone and I' m left here in Nigeria
with USAID. PMTCT is the reason for which we went to Abuja
and comprehensive PMTCT program is what we expect. Since
Mr. President knows what my issues are and came to Nigeria
to address them, I want to see a model USAID PMTCT site
that commits to VCT, ARV and infant milk. Anything short of
that is a farce and totally unacceptable. The fall out of
the Bush visit shouldn't just be the sale of Nigerian gas
and growing genetically processed and patented crops like
was done in India, otherwise, we'll be tempted to think the
President just came a-shopping.
You might ask why the American President should be the one
to talk to about my concerns and not my own government.
Sadly, there was no Nigerian government delegate who met us
with President Bush, but my thinking is that if America
says she is committed to fighting AIDS in Africa, then the
right things should be done at the right time in the right
way. Don't claim to commit to PMTCT if you won't make ARVs
available. Don't claim to support Africans using generic
drugs if you go on to try enforcing the same laws that will
make getting generic drugs almost impossible.
Don't claim to be against stigma and discrimination of
PLWHA if your staff members still screen their domestic
workers for HIV and visa lottery winners are compelled to
take HIV tests without their informed knowledge or consent,
without voluntary and confidential counseling. When their
HIV test results gets to the US embassy first. When they do
not get to see the results of tests they paid a fortune for
in highbrow hospitals. I wanted to table our issues before
the American President because I believe that you must say
what you mean and mean what you say.
So, when Bush came shopping in Africa, he talked about
America's commitment to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa. He's
gone round five beautiful African countries, made promises,
ate dinners, watched dances and posed for photographs. The
only group that had audience with him was positive women.
Neither the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in
Nigeria (NEPWHAN) nor the Civil Society Consultative Group
on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CISSGHAN) got an audience. I was
ready to take the next flight home when the entire charade
was fast turning into a farce, but I figured this was the
only opportunity to say my piece, so I dressed up, fell in
line, said my piece and came back home.
Thanks President Bush for standing there, listening to us,
hearing our voices, talking to us and assuring us that all
our concerns will be met and addressed. We look forward to
your fulfilling the very many promises you made to us.
Thanks most especially to the 15 most beautiful women in
Nigeria and dear Sisi who agreed that we all should
individually one-on-one tell President Bush what our
concerns are, namely:
- The lack of funding for the Global Fund
- Lack of infant milk for our babies
- Lack of ARVs for our children and us
- Lack of drugs to treat opportunistic infections
- Efforts to prevent us from infecting our babies but none
to stop these same babies from becoming orphans
- Making true the commitment of $15 billion promised to
Africa
- Committing to putting pressure on the almighty
pharmaceutical companies of the west to bring down the
prices of drugs and
- Stopping the stigma and discrimination that denies us
access to unrestricted travel
I'm however not sorry that I became the spirit of
distraction who wouldn't allow things run as the powers
that be wanted it to, neither am I sorry that I refused to
sing and dance for President George Bush.
I almost forgot to add the fact that my beautiful face was
seen all over the world on CNN, all over Nigeria on NTA and
my flat-mate in South Africa even saw me on SABC! You see
comrades from across Africa and all over the world who
wrote protest letters, called press conferences and even
went on protest marches never got seen nor mentioned on
CNN, but we know that they got seen and heard where it
matters most: in history, in our hearts and in the world
security monitoring devices.
I am looking forward to the recorded hand shake and
presidential photographs putting drugs in my body,
preventing me from passing this dreaded virus on to my baby
and putting the much needed infant milk on my table seeing
as I cant breast feed!
Vive PATHAM!
STATEMENT OF ZIMBABWE ACTIVISTS ON HIV & AIDS ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S
VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA
9 July 2003 [posted 11 July on Nigeria-AIDS eForum]
Tapiwanashe Kujinga (Spokesperson)
Zimbabwe Activists on HIV & AIDS
Phone: 263 20 67874; Cell: 263 11 413 487
Email: tapiwa68@hotmail.com
Zimbabwe Activists on HIV & AIDS is an activist organisation formed
in January 2003, and its vision is the attainment of universal
HIV/AIDS treatment in Zimbabwe. The formation of ZAHA was in
response to the grim realities of the dire situation in Zimbabwe
where the pandemic has now reached disaster proportions, and is now
the leading cause of death in the country.
Whilst we applaud President Bush's visit to this part of the world,
his stance and commitment to HIV/AIDS treatment, as well as his
US$15 billion financial package to help with treatment in Africa
and the Caribbean, we are also painfully aware that Zimbabwe is not
listed as a recipient of the President's philanthropy. We are in no
doubt of the fact that the exclusion of this country is linked to
the relentless and persistent human rights abuses in this country,
and the explicit demands by Washington that democracy and good
governance be restored.
It is apparent that the President's mission to South Africa has a
heavy bias on engaging President Thabo Mbeki to commit himself to
Washington's agenda vis-a-vis Zimbabwe's political situation, but
apparently nothing on helping Zimbabwe combat the HIV/AIDS
pandemic.
We want President Bush to know that, as much as we have a political
problem, we have a bigger HIV/AIDS problem in Zimbabwe. We have an
infection rate of 34% of the adult population; we have a death rate
of at least 500 deaths per day from AIDS-related illnesses, and our
life expectancy is now perilously low at less than 40 years. An
estimated 2,3 million people are infected, including about 240 000
orphans, and about 600 000 of these are in need of antiretroviral
therapy. Only 1% of these are on the therapy. For the rest, the
cost of the therapy is simply beyond their reach and is therefore
not an option.
We also want President Bush to know that, as much as Zimbabweans
have had to endure the current economic and political challenges,
people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS have borne the brunt of
this terrible situation. The current drought has worsened their
plight and robbed them of the nutrition that they desperately need
to boost their immune systems. The political situation, which the
President is most concerned about, has severely affected them as
they are in no way to defend them in this violent atmosphere. The
Zimbabwean Government, currently facing severe economic challenges,
has not taken concrete steps to enable PWA's to access treatment,
and this situation is likely to persist for as long as the
necessary resources are outside of its reach. If no immediate
intervention programs are launched to target the 99% who are not on
antiretroviral therapy, the death rate will certainly reach
genocide proportions.
Finally, we want President Bush to know that the people infected by
HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe are not the authors of the status quo, and
ought not to be excluded from any treatment initiatives meant to
alleviate the plight of other PWA's in Africa and the Caribbean
merely because of Government-to-Government hostilities. Whilst he
has made his position on our President clear, he certainly has no
beef with the hundreds of thousands who are suffering and who
urgently need help. There is no reason why they should not be
included in the US$15 billion facility, which will enable them to
access treatment and restore their lives, their dignity and their
hopes.
It must be noted that other non-governmental organisations have
taken steps to introduce HIV/AIDS treatment, including
antiretroviral therapy, in Zimbabwe, despite the adverse
conditions. SAfAIDS has launched a crusade aimed at ARV awareness
in Zimbabwe, and several mission hospitals like Luisa Guidotti in
Mutoko have started dispensing the therapy. Private companies like
De Beers and Delta Corporation are giving the drugs to their
employees. Family Aids Caring Trust, the largest Aids Service
Organisation in Zimbabwe, has launched an access to treatment
project called LIFE Project, which will also be dispensing ARV
drugs in and around Mutare. However, given the absence of
substantial funding and long-term sustainability, these projects
are likely to benefit a few out of the hundreds of thousands in
need.
We trust that the President will put Zimbabwe on his map on
HIV/AIDS intervention, and make a difference in the lives of
countless infected and affected Zimbabweans.
SPARE OUR DRUMS: BUSH TOUCHES DOWN AMIDST WAILING NOT DANCING
Milly Katana
Lobbying and Advocacy Officer (HAG)
Health Rights Action Group, Uganda
[posted on Nigeria-AIDS eForum]
Today, July 11, 2003 President Bush, leader of the United States of
America the wealthiest nation in the world, steps foot at Entebbe
International Airport. On this day when President Bush arrives,
18,000 people are estimated to die from AIDS in Africa alone.
In African tradition an important visitor is welcomed with drums,
dancing and singing. However President Bush, arrival will be
received with mothers wailing for the loss of their children:
adults and infants to AIDS and toddlers to Malaria.
Hence, President Bush's visit is the only opportunity through which
USA has to deliver on the AIDS Emergency Plan which is now over 6
months old and no single life is known to have been saved by it.
We call upon President Museveni to take his counterpart to some
graveyards of children who have died of AIDS. These have died
because we are too poor to give them life saving drugs, which cost
less than $1 per day. No cover up this time. President Bush has
come to see for himself the disaster a preventable terror has
caused to Uganda, a country with the largest number of AIDS orphans
in the whole world.
We also request President Museveni to use this opportunity to
indeed lead the way by advising President Bush that the struggle
against AIDS is a concerted, one which calls for all tools to be
drawn at the same time, not only abstinence as it portrayed as the
cause of the so called Uganda's success story.
With his tears rolling, President Bush should leave Africa with the
$3 billion cheque for 2004 to fight AIDS signed, with an immediate
plan to put more money into the Kofi Annan Global Fund. The Fund
now lacks only $600 million to meet the financing obligation of an
estimated 100 programs from about 60 countries from all over the
world to respond to AIDS, TB and malaria.. Nothing is beyond the
authority of President Bush in the world.
The President by a phone call can ask Congress for even a billion
dollars for the Global Fund in emergency funding. The Global Fund
has proved itself to be the most economical and demand driven
process of getting hope to the lives of individuals and families
who have been rendered helpless by diseases.
Using the WHO estimates, 3 million of the 42 million people living
with HIV/AIDS in the world need treatment in the next three years.
In Uganda, with an estimated 1.5m people living with HIV/AIDS,
approximately 105,000 Ugandans living with HIV/AIDS will need
treatment in the next 3-4 years.
Using the offer of CIPLA Company of an annual cost of $600 for
treating one person, President Museveni needs $63 million per year
to treat his nationals living with HIV/AIDS and save them from
preventable deaths. Therefore, if President Museveni got a cheque,
or a firm promissory note of $315 million, he would be able to
disable the "mustard seed" that is just ready to grow into another
"beautiful green" AIDS epidemic in a country that is celebrated for
having conquered AIDS.
This is not a visit of looking good, but displaying the evil
disease has caused to Uganda and Africa in general. It is a visit
of acting good and bringing smiles to the cheeks of youngsters
whose lives will be spared from AIDS through sustainable prevention
and educational efforts. It is visit of bringing hope to the aging
who will look forward to their children to put them to rest not
vice versa. To frontline workers, it is a visit for transforming
the AIDS response in Africa.
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Date distributed (ymd): 030719
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +US policy focus+ +health+
The Africa Action E-Journal is a free information service
provided by Africa Action, including both original
commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of
human rights.
|
