In Ghana people killed owls because it was believed their call made women infertile. Yellow corn from the States was not consumed because it was believed that it was only fed to animals. Some here have beliefs that are just as incorrect but refuse to listen to any reasoning what so ever. There are many of those walking around in the halls of Congress, preaching from pulpits and getting a lot of airtime on the tb and so on.
There is little difference between here and the northern reaches of a huge country where many live like in the photo. The biggest difference is we have access to no matter how poor you are to knowledge much easier but like there refuse to adapt and learn.
Soon I will be able to have a conversation from a person who works in an embassy in Nigeria who will be staying here. I look forward to that.
Nigeria is one of only three countries where polio is still endemic. Nine female polio vaccinators have been killed in two shootings at health centres in northern Nigeria, police have told the BBC.
Some Nigerian Muslim leaders have previously opposed polio vaccinations, claiming they could cause infertility. On Thursday, a controversial Islamic cleric spoke out against the polio vaccination campaign, telling people that new cases of polio were caused by contaminated medicine.
I once met a diplomat from the Netherlands. He told me Africa is doomed. Racism is rampant in some countries. Meeting a black businesswoman for lunch one day they were confronted and she had to dash out the back and he thought he was going to get beaten. Corruption and religious grudges combined with corporate (oil,timber,mineral) and foreign government influence, lately the Chinese, and he said he cannot see a way for anything better than what they have now, and most likely it will be worse. I hope he was wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a long time since I have been there but I know some things do not change. I'm sure corruption is still rampant and tribalism flourishes as usual. Now we have a military presence in every country.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the world is after as much as they can get their hands on. No it doesn't look too good right now. Although technology has changed some things I do not believe one needs to go far outside populated area to see the way it's been for a long time.
It's hard for individuals who are trying to help and make these people's lives better to overcome the greed and rapacity of corporations. The people there can't separate the two and they can't attack and kill the corporations plundering and pillaging them so they take it out on the people trying to help.
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