lets blame it on my father. He is the activist in my family and his blood runs thick through my veins. So this is me...so tired and when am not tired, I am indignant.
So here we are, comfortably living. Lord knows what will happen if I don't get my Ipod. o wait, If I don't go out this Friday, and have some guy or gal crushing me, am definitely a loser...wait, it gets better, if I don't get that new CD, am gonna die...no way am gonna live without that new hot pair of shoes (and this comes from a gal who loves shoes).....
This is what we have become. Living from acquiring one material after the other....We have forgotten that we have thousands of brothers and sisters everywhere in the world. There is a child somewhere who is losing their parents to AIDS another one losing their lives due to hunger...Another girl is working so hard to make ends meet for her four brothers and sisters...
Amazing that we find it so hard to even wake up at eight to go to classes.
I am so fed up. I am fed up of seating down and doing nothing. I am fed of hearing and saying "oo" and then going back to my almost meaningless existence.
Are we really that cold hearted? Are we seriously without heart?
I know in America you have it good. And God blessed you so much...but what are you doing with your riches?
Am in this too. Just because am African doesn't mean that I haven't been caught up in this race of greed for a materialistic world. We might not have money, or whatever else, but we do have a voice...complacency will catch up with us.
I mean....read these peoples testimonies, and tell me you don't feel like reaching down for whatever its worth and help them....
"I don't see myself having a future. My traditional healer couldn't help me. The doctor in the hospital couldn't help me either. I have two children from two husbands. Both men are dead from Aids. My family is poor, so what can I do? I'm just passing time until I die. The only thing that worries me is my children. What will happen to them? Who will take care of them?"
Swaziland: Dorris Nzima, 40
"I lost everything. My husband died. My parents deserted me. My son lives with relatives. I don't even have money to pay for food. I sleep in this ugly shack on the ground without a mattress. It's cold and wet. I feel ill and weak. I'm hungry. Isn't a family supposed to support you during times of hardship? My family threw me away like a broken toy. But I am a human being, am I not?"
Namibia: Maria Nashilongo, 32
"Next year I should have graduated from university. I was one of the best students of my year. Sociology was my subject. I liked it. And I really liked that young man who took me out on the weekends. He was sweet. He promised me a family, a future. But then he got ill. Now I am ill too. I'm always so tired. The doctors are confident that I am going to live, but I'm not so sure."
Democratic Republic of Congo: Nicole Katubo, 29
"I am going to die. But until then, I want to live my life. I want to take care of my daughter. I am the only one she has left. My husband ran away with someone after I told him about my HIV status. But I don't look backwards. The future is important. I have three wishes: a family, free antiretroviral drugs for women in Africa and that more people would speak openly about Aids."
Botswana: Malebogo Mongwaketse, 25
"My husband infected me with the virus. I am sure of it. Nobody else has ever touched me. After I tested positive, he left. He's not very far away from here. I know that. I also know that he has many girlfriends. All men do. That's what they are good at. Nothing else. When a man decides to disappear, you can't force him to come back. Ever. I don't like men anymore."
Lesotho: Likae Letsae, 21.
Each day they fight against an invisible virus and the painful stigma often associated with it. They endure their suffering for the sake of their children, families and communities. Many experience sorrow; others find solidarity. But they all share a beauty and a bravery that I have yet to see duplicated elsewhere
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