One village defeats malaria

2
June 8-June 14, 2006
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Stealing dreams, Part 3:
One village defeats malaria
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
TOGOLESE BEAUTY CROWNED MS. WORLD
CUP
By DAMASO REYES
JAMBIANI, ZANZIBAR—The road
to Jambiani, a small coastal town on
Jun. 5 (GIN) - With a dazzling 200 watt
one of the two islands that makes up
smile, student Edwige Madze Badakou, 24,
Zanzibar off Tanzania’s coast, is long
came in ahead of 31 other finalists to be
and bumpy. The hour-long drive to the
crowned Miss World Cup 2006.
village was dotted with the occasional
Thousands of diehard soccer fans are
glimpse of pristine white sand beaches
already in Germany, watching their favorite
and tall palm trees lining the road, but
teams train. The games will be played in 12
showed no sign of the paved blacktop
stadiums starting June 9 with the World Cup
most foreigners are used to.
Final July 9.
“Welcome to Jambiani! Welcome to
Ms Badakou’s victory comes after a
Jambiani! Malaria, bye-bye! Malaria,
Togolese voodoo priest predicted glory for the
bye-bye!” young schoolgirls, their
Sparrowhawks, Togo’s team, widely seen as
heads wrapped in traditional white
rank outsiders, in Germany.
Islamic scarves, sang to a group of
Maria Garrido B’aez, 23, of Spain came in
weary visitors who were instantly
second, followed by Ecuador’s Katty Lopez
revived by their enthusiastic singing.
Saman, 23.
Older women held signs declaring the
“The ancestral spirits say that Togo will go
success villagers have had in fighting
far at the World Cup,” predicted the priest,
the disease, which perhaps more than
Togbui Assiogbo Gnagblondjro III.
any other, even AIDS, has held TanzaMILLIONS IN COMPENSATION OWED FOR
nia’s future hostage.
STOLEN LANDS
The young girls had something to The women of Jambiani hold up signs declaring their victories over malaria.
Jun. 5 (GIN) - Descendants of the Khoibe very happy about indeed: the vil(Damaso Reyes photo)
Khoi, South Africa’s first inhabitants, have
lage of Jambiani, population 5, 137,
moved a step closer to a multimillion-dollar
has not had a documented case of adopting, including free distribution of the epidemic, hold out hope that with
settlement with the South African governmalaria since October of 2005.
bed nets and a switch to the more enough funding and dedication, malarment and the return of 210,000 acres taken
This is a small miracle for a town expensive, but highly affective ia, like smallpox before it, can become
from them by the white-led regime in the
that in 1999 had over 3,000 cases; in Arteminsinin-based drugs.
a thing of the past.
1920s.
1997, more than 50 percent of the pop“Malaria has been a menace to this
“The African condition has to part
The group, in papers filed in the Cape High
ulation suffered from more than one part of the world for a very long time,” and parcel of the improvement of the
Court in 2005, said they wanted 1.5 billion
attack. Given that malaria still runs said President Amani Karume in an global human condition,” said Ibrahim
rand compensation for the alluvial diamonds
rampant throughout the mainland of interview at his official residence. But Gambari, United Nations under-secreextracted from the rich coastal mine fields
Tanzania, the casual observer can be “some of us still believe that it is possi- tary-general for political affairs.
since then.
forgiven for thinking the village is in ble to eradicate malaria completely,”
“There should be much more comThey also wanted one billion rand for dampossession of some kind of magic cure, he added. This is a view that doesn’t mitment from the developed world.
age done to the environment and 10 million
some potion which renders its inhabi- seem to be held by many in the inter- America should lead the way. You have
rand for their “pain and suffering.” One rand is
tants immune from this ancient national donor community. However, the resources, the people and the techequal to 15 U.S. cents.
scourge.
many Tanzanians, seeing the success nical know how,” President Karume
Earlier, a constitutional court had upheld
The answer, of course, is much sim- of communities in Zanzibar in curbing said.
their complaint that the state gold mine group
pler: insecticide treated mosquito nets,
Alexkor was mining on their traditional land.
Artemisinin-based combination drugs,
and a commitment from the governSOMALI LEADERS DEFEAT U.S.-BACKED
ment and international donor commuINSURGENTS
nity to wipe out malaria. These three
Jun, 5 (GIN) - Somali Islamists on Monday
things, which together cost little more
By DAMASO REYES
declared victory over a United States-backed
than $10 per person per year, have in a
Eliminating the threat that malaria poses to Africa’s future is a difficult job
warlord alliance in Mogadishu after four
few short years freed Jambiani from that will take many years, but with the help of people throughout the develmonths of bloody fighting.
this disease which kills tens of thou- oped world this goal is achievable. Education is the first step in understandThe fighting ended just two days after a
sands of children in Tanzania each ing both the disease and what role African-Americans can play in combating
massive
protest of thousands of angry Somali
year.
it. To learn more about what is being done to fight malaria and how you can
Muslims filled the streets of Mogadishu, with
Of course, education has played a help, visit these web sites:
protestors denouncing the United States and
critical role in this village’s success.
THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS,
the U.S.-backed warlord alliance fighting
Community leaders were brought
TUBERCULOSIS AND MALARIA
Islamic militia.
together to help clear out potential
WWW.THEGLOBALFUND.ORG/EN/
Chanting anti-U.S. slogans and comparing
mosquito breeding sites like standing
U.S. President George W. Bush to a Nazi, 5,000
pools of water; pregnant women were
AFRICA FIGHTING MALARIA
Muslims gathered in southern Mogadishu
given preventative drugs to cut their
WWW.FIGHTINGMALARIA.ORG/
after Friday prayers and pledged to fight the
risk of infection; mothers with children
alliance to the death.
under five were shown how to use,
US PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVE ON FIGHTING MALARIA
Surrounded by heavily armed Islamist milithen given free insecticide-treated bed
WWW.FIGHTINGMALARIA.GOV/
tiamen, the throng cheered as clerics accused
nets; and children in the community’s
Washington of financing a genocide by
schools were taught not only how
THE UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION
bankrolling the Alliance for the Restoration of
malaria is transmitted, but the signs
WWW.UNFOUNDATION.ORG/
Peace and Counter-Terrorism in Somalia.
were that someone has the disease and
The United States denies responsibility for
the importance of seeking medical
THE UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM PROJECT
the clashes, although it has refused to confirm
treatment immediately, especially for
WWW.UNMILLENNIUMPROJECT.ORG/
or deny its support for the ARPCT.
children.
“For us money was not the
issue, saving people’s lives was,”
NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
said Dr. Abdullah Ali, program
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manager of the malaria control
2340 Frederick Douglass Boulevard
program in Zanzibar. “We then
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INDEX
Africa needs your help
to fight malaria