Re: Deadly Ebola Virus

[Kaere]

I thought the lack of ebola news was more reflective of the fact that your midterm elections are done, Lenzabi.

[Lenzabi]

I thought the lack of ebola news was more reflective of the fact that your midterm elections are done, Lenzabi.

That is part of it. the hysteria angle worked sadly

[Agartha]

Continuous doom porn about Ebola may have stopped right now, but it has achieved something (in my opinion): it has generated an 'ebola stigma' on West Africans. In fact, some countries are now banning visas to people from West African countries.

[Rockhopper]

Yep I agree Ags it has stigmatised Africans! Ebola has been around for 40yrs now and yet no-one has developed a vaccine for it yet. It's only been since it could be spread to Europe/USA that something has been done. That tells a story!

Tim.

[Agartha]

Africans have been stigmatised for centuries but westerns forget that the continent was left ravaged of young healthy people and natural resources, cause our ancestors took it all.... Africa never had much chance to become powerful when only the old and the sick were left to rebuild the continent.

But, having said that, I do not condone modern day corruption, cause the leaders of most African countries nowadays are only interested in getting rich and they don't think about their people. Those leaders are still selling their countries to the highest bidders and allow the big pharma companies to try drugs for free and without consequences when things go wrong.

[Rogue]

To help fight against the Ebola outbreak, stars of African music come together and record the song "Stop Africa Ebola."

[Stirky]

Also Bob Geldof has bought people together for Band Aid 30, but this time helping to fight Ebola rather than famine like the past three band aids.

[Agartha]

This has been going on around FB and I sort of agree with the woman:

I'm so mad about this Band Aid 30 single! Africa does not have Ebola: 3 countries in West Africa do. Ellie Goulding and One Direction singing 'No peace and joy this Christmas in West Africa, the only hope they'll have is being alive' is a joke and grossly insulting to my friends in Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria who'll be having a great time. Perpetuating this myth of Africa as a dark disease ridden continent is dangerous and wrong. Africa is made up of 54 wildly diverse and nuanced countries. There is poverty but there is also wealth, and from the places I've visited there's a joyfulness and magic that I've never experienced anywhere else. If you want to 'help' Africa listen to African music, read books by African authors, support African artists, go and visit it, lobby for better medical infrastructure but don't listen to this shit which pits them against us. The last thing Africans need is Bono 'reaching out and touching' them. Gross

[Stirky]

I've only heard the song once on the radio, and too be honest it's a bit hard to hear exactly what the lyrics say. But they changed the lyrics to fit from the original song, and I think to actually say in the song exactly what areas it's affecting would be rather impossible.

I think the Band Aid 30 will raise awareness and raise money towards the cause which can only be a good thing. People that had no idea that this was going on may realise the plight of these people in the affected areas just because their favourite artists is singing on this track. I think Bono and Geldof do a lot of good in their charity work, yes they are both worth an awful lot of money, and yes they have the time to do so. But they are both high profile celebs who can and have made a difference, so I think it's only a good thing. They have the biggest boy band (love them or hate them) at the moment in the world singing on it, so the exposure this track will get is enormous.

Even the bad publicity this track will get is good publicity, it will still make people think about what is going on in those countries and out of all the people that are thinking about it, some of those will do something about it.

[Stargate]

Africans have been stigmatised for centuries but westerns forget that the continent was left ravaged of young healthy people and natural resources, cause our ancestors took it all.... Africa never had much chance to become powerful when only the old and the sick were left to rebuild the continent.

But, having said that, I do not condone modern day corruption, cause the leaders of most African countries nowadays are only interested in getting rich and they don't think about their people. Those leaders are still selling their countries to the highest bidders and allow the big pharma companies to try drugs for free and without consequences when things go wrong.

AGS, I agree with you that Africa has corrupted itself. Too many Africans are copying western lifestyle without understanding the cultural difference. Africa must know and accept that there is a price to pay, they cannot wait for the old colonial masters are going to bail or take them out of their present delema. Every nation has had highs and lows, it is only a matter of time when Africa will rise again that does not mean any nation should be less successful. However the west does have a responciblity to stop manipulating weaker countries. They boast democracy, technologically advanced, racial superiority, and all manner of great achievements, yet the world is more bigoted and racialy decided today than ever before. Great nations do not boast of superioty whe n they have to suppress other nations to mentain the status quo. There is a patent field by the US government for the Ebola virus. Many nations are making millions producing equipment and items for Ebola. Mansanto has invested millions in the development of a vaccine when they are partners for the Ebola patent. I think Africa cannot expect the west to even think of bringing about equality that is never going to happen, simply because it is Africa who holds the economical key to their success by owning the natural resources. Ebola is a genocidal weapon system intended for war. This Ebola is not new, and the leaders in Africa have got to start thinking about their own people and country.

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