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INSIDE AFRICA
Promoting AIDS Awareness in Kenya; Zimbabwe's Election Dispute
Aired July 12, 2008 - 12:30:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Isha Sesay. Welcome to INSIDE AFRICA, your weekly window to the continent. On the program this week, singer Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child, puts herself to the test to promote AIDS awareness in Kenya.
Meanwhile, AIDS activist Leigh Blake discusses two recent film projects she's using to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
And Catholic Bishop Kevin Dowling makes his case for (inaudible) stance on fighting this deadly disease does not include condoms.
But we start once again with developments in Zimbabwe's election dispute. The U.N. Security Council has rejected a U.S.-drafted resolution to tighten the sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and some of his top officials. Mr. Mugabe claimed victory over opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a presidential runoff last month. The runoff has drawn international condemnation, including a statement from the G8 summit in Japan calling Mr .Mugabe's reelection illegitimate.
The South African government says members of Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition parties held talks at an disclosed location in South Africa. Tsvangirai had said negotiations would focus on, in his words, how to move forward.
Mr. Mugabe's government forced most non-governmental organizations to suspend operation in Zimbabwe shortly before the runoff. So, what is day- to-day life like for ordinary Zimbabweans, many of whom had depended on NGOs for medical care and food? I asked Kenneth Walker of CARE International, one of the organizations affected by the ban.
KENNETH WALKER, CARE INTERNATIONAL: Well, right now there is no starvation in Zimbabwe that people might associate with famine in Ethiopia, for example. But in the rural areas, especially, people are really, really struggling to survive.
Most Zimbabweans have adopted some kind of coping strategies to deal with the terrible situation. I mean, as you know, 80 percent of the people have no job at all, and the rate of inflation, depending on who you talk to, is anywhere from one to 20 million percent. Nobody knows for sure when it gets that high.
The economy has become a bartering economy. Commercial farmers, for example, they can't hire workers at any price. Workers insist on being paid in food, but there is not enough to go around. The harvest -- the present harvest is providing only a third of the food requirements of Zimbabwe.
CARE has provided and taught how to run urban gardens, provided certain strategies on asset -- asset savings. So people might plant tomatoes, vegetables, and they'll eat some and they'll sell some, and they'll barter some. So long as the food distribution of CARE and other NGO remain suspended, the situation is going to get more and more desperate. And some of these coping strategies that I mentioned before, people are going to start having to resort to negative coping strategies.
SESAY: So, for your organization at this point in time, what do you do? You're in a holding pattern? I mean, what are the discussions that are ongoing right now?
WALKER: Well, even starting immediately after the government suspended the NGOs, CARE and the other NGOs are trying to engage the government to try to get some idea, first of all, just how long this would last, and secondly, exactly which activities are allowed or not. And the only clarification we've gotten so far, as I said, is that we can take food and medicine to clinics and hospitals and nothing more.
You know, there is a small group of Zimbabweans doing very well, and they're driving in luxury cars and living in luxury houses, and their kids go to luxury schools. And, you know, those are the people who are either speculators or very well connected. It's just everybody else, at least 80 to 85 percent of the population, that is suffering.
SESAY: Just let me ask you this. The MDC, Movement for Democratic Change, in the run-up to the election, reported and said repeatedly that, you know, hundreds of thousands of people had been displaced in violence and intimidation. I wonder whether you have any sense of where those people have gone? And certainly, we heard about a huge number of injuries, people, you know, flocking to hospitals. You mentioned that CARE and other organizations could give aid to people in hospitals. I'm just wondering whether you've come into contact with such people? And again, what are the conditions in those hospitals?
WALKER: Well, this is a new group of people. I mean, there is still some violence, not as much as there was before the run-off election, but there is still some violence in Zimbabwe. There are still IDPs, internally displaced persons, who are still showing up at various embassies seeking protection. Several hundred, I think, a week or so ago, showed up at the American embassy. Those people have now been relocated to a camp, and people who are showing up at embassy -- embassies -- other embassies are being diverted to those camps.
Some people clearly have submitted to the conditions, the violence and others, and apparently just want to do what they're told so that they can avoid any more trouble. But the beatings are still going on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Walker also says Zimbabwean hospitals have struggled for some time to cope with the shortage of supply and healthcare workers, and that conditions in these facilities have only deteriorated.
A former member of Destiny's Child is using her fame to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa. Up next, Kelly Rowland goes to Kenya and puts herself to the test.
(BEIGN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY ROWLAND: (inaudible), because then you get to carry that with you, and you get to make sure that you protect yourself. And I want to be...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have the worst rates of HIV and AIDS in the world. And the stigma associated with the diseases often hinders the efforts to fight it.
Singer Kelly Rowland is doing her part to erase that stigma. During her recent trip to Kenya, she set an example by getting tested for HIV. She also sat down exclusively with our very own David McKenzie to explain her work for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She burst onto the scene as one member of the global mega group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling female groups of all time.
And then sassy Kelly Rowland showed the world she could go it alone and still go to number one.
Now she's stepping out in Kenya in the name of AIDS awareness, the 2008 ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation. The foundation works globally to empower and support the youth to stop the scourge of AIDS. So this star is getting an HIV test in a country where the disease and the stigma thrive. Where people often hide their status, afraid the community will shun them.
ROWLAND: You could take a situation like having HIV and think of it as a disability, and think of it as, you know, something that is going to bring you down, but I have met kids and young people that are just so inspiring. They inspire me.
MCKENZIE: In turn, she hopes to inspire them, sitting down with the counselor to get an HIV test, like any Kenyan would, to know their status.
Many Kenyans are afraid of getting tested because the results could jeopardize their relationships with each other or at work.
(on camera): Why is it important to get an HIV test here in Kenya?
ROWLAND: For me, knowing (inaudible), because then you get to carry that with you and you get to make sure that you protect yourself. And I want to be an example, and I hope that I can touch anybody out there who is possibly scared. Yes, it's scary, but I think the -- the resting place is to know the answer on the other side.
MCKENZIE (voice over): 22-year old John Ngugi, who lives in a slum in Nairobi, couldn't repress a smile.
JOHN NGUGI, GETTING TESTED: (inaudible) I'm having superstar actually to have a test with. It's just, I think, it's a big promise to me, and I think it's a big promise to my community, and I'd be really grateful for the test.
MCKENZIE (on camera): So you've made some really impressive young people on the strip. What has been really powerful for you?
ROWLAND: I met a young lady by the name of Kele (ph). Kele (ph), which is the young woman -- sorry ...
MCKENZIE (voice over): Traveling through Africa, Kelly Rowland has met scores of heroes. Since Georgina Nakitale found out she has HIV, she says she has faced constant stigma, but now she helps the Staying Alive Foundation to spread the message of tolerance.
GEORGINA NAKITALE, HIV ACTIVIST: I feel honored first of all someone traveling all the way to come to Kenya and listen to our problem. And yet we have people here who are like -- they're too busy to even listen to our problems. Our government is not really, you know, they're not really seeing us as important people in the community, but they're seeing us (inaudible).
MCKENZIE: In her new role, the star is listening to the burden of others and trying to preach a message.
ROWLAND: It's killing us as people, and I think above anything, these numbers aren't changing. And the more I get involved, you get involved, everybody out there gets involved, then hopefully we can see a change, a big change.
MCKENZIE: A change that, like her music, will hopefully stick in the minds of her fans.
David McKenzie, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: As David mentioned, Kelly Rowland is a special ambassador for MTV's Staying Alive Foundation. She has also teamed up with MTV, Spinbox and Facebook to present the "Stand by What You Say" campaign. It encourages young people to speak openly about sex, health and HIV/AIDS. To show your opinions and learn what others write around the world saying, just go to standbywhatyousay.com. There you learn how to leave a voice message, which will be converted to text and posted on the site.
More than 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to be AIDS orphans. Up next, a new award-winning documentary tells the story of a South African orphanage where music is lifting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making business news in Africa this week. Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga appeared on national television calling for an anti-government corruption. Odinga's comments were in response to the controversial no-bid sale of a government-owned luxury hotel in Nairobi.
The Grand Regency worth an estimated $150 million was sold to a Libyan consortium allegedly for less than a half of its value. Kenya's finance minister has resigned over his involvement in the sale.
Nelson Mandela has changed the face of his country, and now his face will be on his country's change. South Africa's iconic former president was on hand at the unveiling of a new coin in honor of his 90th birthday.
TREVOR MANUEL, SOUTH AFRICAN FINANCE MINISTER: I think it's a celebration of us as South Africans wanting to share your love, your leadership, your experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The five-rand coin is imprinted with a smiling Mandela wearing one of his signature pattern shirts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: You're watching INSIDE AFRICA. Welcome back.
Fighting HIV and AIDS is a mission of Keep a Child Alive, a charitable and educational foundation created in 2003. Co-founder Leigh Blake is harnessing the medium of film in service of that cause. This year, Blake produced two films about the AIDS epidemic. "Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland" takes us around the continent with Grammy-winning superstar Alicia Keys. It's available online, free of charge, and has been viewed by more than a million visitors.
Meanwhile, "We are Together" shows how some young AIDS orphans are using music to overcome loss and grief. It recently opened in New York, and will debut on the U.S. cable channel HBO next month. Blake shared with me her passion for both projects.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Music, it plays a very big part in the culture of this country. We, South Africans sing before we sleep, we sing when we're happy and we sing when we're sad. It's a healing thing.
LEIGH BLAKE, KEEP A CHILD ALIVE: "We Are Together", which is an incredible story of children orphaned by AIDS, and it's really the journey that they're taking from then, watching their brother die, being placed in an orphanage, and what these children in an orphanage do to sing themselves out of their pain. So it's an incredible film. I hope everyone goes to see it. It's out now.
And, you know, it's just a way of being able to really show that these children are our children, and all children are the same, and we have to do everything we can to help them.
Keep a Child Alive is a modern version of the usual charity effort. It's founded by myself and Alicia Keys, and, you know, she, I believe, is a true Renaissance woman and this is part of the work that she does in her life.
I went to Alicia and said, I need to get antiretroviral drugs to the poor in Africa, they're dying for no good reason. We see how effective they are on children. We see that what children need more than anything is their mothers and fathers to raise them. Will you help? And she said, if you find a way to do that, I'll be with you all the way.
We decided to make our organization very different than the others. Our campaigns would be different and rather rebellious, and that all of the ways in which we engage the public would help (inaudible) this was an effort that was different but that was sincere.
ALICIA KEYS: (inaudible) like a picture, like God's painting, that is what it is here. Like God's painting.
BLAKE: "Alicia in Africa", which is our Internet film, (inaudible) the first time a charity has actually created a film to be seen, screened and downloaded on the Internet for people to join the journey and understand the issue. It's very hard to describe why everyone that goes to Africa is completely changed by the experience. What they're going through is awful, but they give you much love back, and they're very inspiring people.
KEYS: So, how do you feel about AIDS?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In my words, I could say AIDS is -- AIDS is this disease that God gave us to challenge us. Do you want a disease to win you over or do you want to win?
KEYS: There is a sense of absolutely, incredibly immense despair. And it's absolutely a unnecessarily.
BLAKE: It really has been a test about what we care about, and I had this feeling because I'd funded the clinic in Kenya where a woman could -- came into the clinic and said "I'm not leaving this clinic until I get the drugs that you have in America to keep your children alive." And her child was dying. And I promised her I would pay for those drugs, and I did.
You know, if you talk to a child about the fact that in Africa, parents can't go to the drugstore and get drugs because they can't afford it to keep themselves alive, to raise their children -- no American child or child of the West could possibly understand that. And it really is that simple. You know, these children should be able to have their parents raise them, and their parents should have the beauty of watching their children be raised by them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: As I mentioned, "Alicia in Africa" is available for online viewing, free of charge. Just go to aliciainafrica.com, enter your e-mail address, and click "Watch the Film." You'll also find out how to donate to the cause and learn more about the award-winning film "We Are Together" and its companion CD. Just go to wearetogether.com.
South African Bishop Kevin Dowling is one of the world's leading AIDS activist. Up next, he explains how and why he differs with Vatican on how to fight the disease.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Welcome back to INSIDE AFRICA. South African bishop Kevin Dowling may be a high-ranking Catholic official, but he is not afraid to take on the Vatican. Bishop Dowling has lived among the sick and dying for 15 years, and served as the international spokesperson for the foundation for hospices in sub-Saharan Africa. I recently asked him about his views on fighting HIV and AIDS and whether condoms should play a role.
BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BISHOP KEVIN DOWLING, FOUNDATION FOR HOSPICIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Just to put it plainly, in the patriarchal system in South Africa, there are many Catholic men who refuse to follow these injunctions of abstinence or being faithful in marriage, and choose to engage with multiple sexual partners. And if they're HIV positive, that means that they are responsible for transmitting of a death-dealing virus in many, many cases to totally unsuspecting women and of infecting their own wives.
And I think my role as a church leader is to concentize (ph) men in that situation as to the consequences of their behavior, and to take the appropriate methods after giving full accurate information about the virus, and non-judgmental information about the virus, to say that the options are these to prevent you infecting others, and to prevent you getting further infection yourself and increasing your viral load and dying. You must make a choice on this level.
But my main concern is the thousands of vulnerable women and girl children who do not have choices in this matter. And I stand in their corner, and I believe that a faith-based church leader needs to do is to promote a consistent policy, pro-life policy from conception right through on a continuum of life experiences to death.
I think what I'm trying to do is that I'm not sitting in an office working from first principles of morality and ethical behavior and applying them to a situation that I don't know personally. For 15 years, I've been in the shack sitting with women, dying women, desperate women, crying women, telling me "I have no hope, Father. There is no hope in my life for me. My little child is dying, what is going to happen if I die first?"
What I'm calling for, in our church, by my stance, which is a nuanced stance, saying that while upholding these values, there are certain situations which call for a revision of our thinking, and a holistic, compassionate, caring approach, using what I believe are our clear ethical and moral principles. That in this case, the use of a condom is not for the purpose of contraception. The use of the condom and its only use and its primary intention in being used is to prevent the transmission of a death-dealing virus.
SESAY: And Father Dowling, I want to get into this interview how much support you are receiving from the South African government. Because we know that their position on HIV/AIDS has been somewhat at odds with the rest of the world?
DOWLING: They have not given a consistent political leadership, which is required in South Africa, and I just want to say that in community-run programs like the one I have, four programs, home care, hospice and patient unit, orphan and vulnerable children, and the PEPFAR-funded ART program, we get no funding or support at all from the government. We have built our partnerships with hospices in the United States and (inaudible), and also with the corporate and business sector in South Africa, corporate community partnerships which are making a tremendous difference on the ground and which PEPFAR has capacitated to a great extent and made an enormous difference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: And this reminder before we go. If you see news happening on the continent, please let us know. Just go to our Web site, cnn.com/insideAfrica and click on the "I Report" logo. There, you'll find instructions in how to upload photographs or video. But please, be careful gathering images. We don't want our viewers to put themselves in any danger.
And though we must leave this week's show, I'll be back with another edition of INSIDE AFRICA next week. Thanks for watching
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