Tags
#charitybeginsathome, Contraception in Africa, David Tennant on Comic Relief, Donate money to Comic Relief, Sending funds to Arfrica, Whats wrong with Comic Relief
As you may know, I am currently in the UK. I am very homesick and the time just isn’t flying by like it should. I do know, the time will eventually come and I will be back on Turkish soil but until then, I am doing English stuff like watching ‘Comic Relief’
Comic Relief has been a roller coaster for the emotions for 25 years. It’s guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, cringe, frown and feel both guilty and grateful. It knows how to push buttons that ring deep within you. It parades a cast of well-meaning celebrities who give their all for free as they tempt you to dig deep into your pockets and send money for Africa. It is humanity at its best.
When they think of Africa, people of my generation have the same pictures in their head, the same music in their ears. Their memory will play back a scene where a small body, wrapped in bandage, lies on the dirt to the sound of ‘Drive’ by The Cars. I’m sure none of us will ever forget ‘Live Aid’ or the horrendous hairdo’s of those 80’s Icons who pleaded with us to ‘Feed the World’’. But it wasn’t the world as such, it was Africa, it was 1985. It was 28 years ago.
I watched until midnight last night. The last call out was 66 million pounds. 66 million pounds from the people of the UK. 66 M I L L I O N pounds and that was obviously not the end total. There was more to come.
Last night I watched people starving; Last night I watched children convulsing and last night I watched babies dying. Wait a minute….back up…what was that? ‘Last night I watched babies dying?…. Babies?….. B A B I E S?
You are telling me that for 28 years this poor underprivileged nation has been supported by the people of the UK and none of the money raised has gone toward contraception? A country of mothers dying of HIV, dying of starvation, dying of disease and they are still having babies?
Now before you start shouting at me and calling me hard hearted, let me tell you I watched last night with tears running down my face. No-one should suffer like that, let alone babies…there’s that word again.
I watched as one mother lay on a dirt floor. A mother living with HIV. I watched as 2 of her children sat slumped lethargically against the wall and I watched as the celeb pointed out a 2 day old baby lying on the floor. What is wrong with this picture? I’ll tell you shall I. There is no husband. The woman has been infected by HIV for a few years. It’s not like she has a few bob to go down her local and after one too many and a quick fumble find herself with a bun in the oven so, please tell me how does she have a 2 day old baby? And more importantly why? Where is the responsibility here?
Do not talk to me about her ‘human rights’ because that would involve humanity and to bring a child into this world under those conditions is not humane.
Is there anyone out there readıng thıs that can enlighten me? Is there anyone that knows if these people have at least been offered contraception? If any of the millions enticed from pockets of the people of the United Kingdom have been allocated to contraception? Isn’t that a logical step? Offer contraception by injection for a couple of years to at least give us a chance to catch up instead of this constant fire fighting.
With our actions we have told these poor people that we will continue supporting them no matter what they do. Sure carry on with the sex, carry on having babies, its fine, no problem we love watching their huge eyes roll back into their heads, we love watching their protruding belly’s struggle for breath, we love watching worms wriggling out of their noses. We love watching them die.
Last night I watched David Tenant in Africa, I watched as he welled up. I watched as he faced the camera and made a speech about people who don’t donate. I watched as he, with an emotion bordering on aggression, raised his voice at me and asked ‘is it you’?’. I shouted at the TV; ‘’yes it bloody well is. It is me that will make a charity choice and it is me that will always choose the NSPCC’’.
When you read any survival manual, it will always tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. Only then can you really help others.
Have to agree whole-heartedly with your post. Until responsibility is taken then millions more will be poured into this bottomless pit. I have no time for Comic Relief for many reasons, and fortunately haven’t had to watch for the last ten years or so, but if people wish to give to this never decreasing problem then I suppose that is their right though it does seem a shame that it is not achieving anything at all.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I just had to get that off my chest!
Responsibility does seem to be a keyword here. The UK have taken ownership of this problem and it now belongs to them!
I also agree with all that you say when I was at school in the 50′s & 60′s we took all our saved up pennies for the black babies…..there will always be babies unless women like us depand contraception for women…..no matter what religion says and that again is another chapter as we all know what a let down they have been…..
Man made Man can fiddle it….so true.but at the expence of the babies the unborn and th women.
I agree with what you said,I watch those women with new babies and wondered where they even find the energy to have sex. Unwell with HIV and no decent food and as you said no husband around supporting them. Those countries are rich at the top and their corrupt governments should be forced to look after their people. I hate celebs making me feel bad and shouting at me to give money when they themselves are living in their big houses and driving sports cars. Who is footing the bill to send them to Africa? Do we really need so many of them there,like the whole of one direction? As you said not much seems to have changed no matter how many millions we send babies are still dying and that is awful. Contraception seems like a good idea and Im sure there must be doing it already but I suppose you can’t force people to take it. Good thoughtful post.
Thanks for your comments Anne and good point; how much does it cost to send all and sundry out there to see for themselves?
If they are already being offered contraception and are refusing then which country should change its name to The United Mugs?
Whereas I COMPLETELY agree with the cry for reproductive responsibility I am more than a little angry with some of the comments I see her that suggests that the that blames women for not utilizing contraception or maybe having “energy to have sex”. Ah hem! My guess is most of these women do not WANT anymore children than they are FORCED to have. This is a culture that STILL employs/forces female circumcision which makes sex almost unbearable! Many (most?) African cultures are male dominated and women have no right or power to make reproductive decisions – including whether or not they even WANT to have sex.
It seems that often, when focusing on a wide-scale problem, the least powerful, the least ABLE to make change, are the ones who shoulder most of the blame.
I hear you maya. I have heard of female circumcision, a dispicable practice. Aid in Africa can not have gone 28 years without knowing this and therefore, If this is the case, all the more reason to offer contraception. I don’t have the solution to Africa’s problems but I don’t think comic relief, in its current form is it.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, spraying the inferno with the garden hose is a complete waste of time, energy, and resources. Contraception would be a major leap in the right direction of solving the problem, instead of concentrating on treating a symptom.
P.S. Sorry for the errors, I was riled up.
I also hope your time passes quickly, I know how difficult it is to be away from the places and people you love.
Thank you Maya. One thing I know for sure is the time will pass eventually.
This is a very emotive subject and only natural to get riled up so no need to apologise.
I think your question on contraception should be put to Richard Curtis, I’d like to hear his answer.
Yes I would like to hear his answer too. Perhaps I’ll write and ask the question.
I am quite surprised that you don’t understand. In your blogs you enlighten us with your marriage to a Kurdish man and his family. You give us examples such as how some of the women in the family cannot even go shopping on their own without a male relative escort. I am sure you are well aware of the stigma towards many women in Turkey if they cannot have children even if the problem lies with the male. There are many social and cultural issues in Africa that I can never accept or understand as I was lucky enough to be raised in Europe. What they call poverty in the UK are families who don’t have SKY – or they choose to pay the subscription rather than put bread on the table for their kids. The UK government will give money to these countries as loans and don’t you worry the people will pay for generations to come as it will be impossible to pay back pushing the country into further debt and guaranteed future poverty. We all have a choice to give or not give to charity. The fact remains that these people are suffering and children are dying and as a human my choice is to give a few quid if it in some way helps.
No I don’t pretend to know anything about the culture in Africa. My point is about contraception. To my knowledge the uk have been sending millions of pounds every year for 28 years. I am saying that some of this should have gone on contraception and has this even been offered. I am pretty sure these women would agree to it given the choice. At least then, it would give the projects more time and chance of success instead of the continual fire fighting
Oh where to start…. I feel education is one answer but food and healthcare obviously have to take priority. Have you heard about Plan International’s campaign ‘Because I’m a girl’? http://plan-international.org/girls/
No I’ve not heard of it? Will have a look thank you
I have to agree with you. Those poor women are not to blame, but some of the massive aid dollars should have been directed towards contraception. China is where it is today because of that, even if they went way overboard and are suffering the consequences.
Like you I also wonder whether all the money reaches the intended. Call me cynical if you will, i am wary of large charities – local ones at least – and prefer to help the needy in my neighbourhood, and there are plenty here. But it is personal and I don’t like blogging about it. So yes i don’t like being preached to either
They say Charity begins at home don’t they. I too am a believer in home first and especially children. For my own curiosity, I intend to dig and find the answer on comic relief and contraception. Will of course blog any findings.