Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Africa-originally posted on 10/2

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: shepperd <shepperd AT mail2.pvco.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Africa-originally posted on 10/2
  • Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:53:24 -0600


Two points:
First, about stun guns for insect and snake bites. Several years ago, I bought two for two doctor friends who practice in Northern Ghana, as they have numerous kinds of venomous snakes and deadly scorpions. Both doctors concluded after only a few uses that the stun guns were useless for treating insect and snake bites - that they caused trauma in the patient which exacerbated the problems and made recovery from the bites more difficult. They had hoped the stun guns would be effective treatment, simply because they have difficulty getting and keeping anti-venom serum. This is anecdotal and not scientific evidence, but they both concluded that stun guns do not work and stopped using them.

Second: My wife is from Northern Ghana, and while I have never lived in Africa, I am on the receiving end of lots of information and strong opinion. The many conflicts in Africa are mostly (not always) tribal conflicts. For the impact of tribal conflicts, consider Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, just to name the current headline conflicts. The European nations managed to keep some semblance of control over the tribes, but that ended when the Europeans withdrew. In addition, the European nations drew national boundaries through the middle of tribal lands, separating tribes across boundaries, and putting different tribes together in the same governmental jurisdiction. Also, Muslim influence has been moving South. For example, Northern Ghana is increasingly Muslim, and conflicts between the traditional animist tribes and the Muslims has been escalating. The conflict usually involves crop-burnings, which is a pretty devastating event, with occasional injuries and deaths.

If that is not enough, most African nations are rapidly becoming urbanized, with large numbers of people moving in from the rural areas, and the cities aren't able to provide housing, services, or schools. Urban gangs, often divided on traditional tribal lines, are turning the slum areas of most large cities into high crime districts.

In the US, Africa has a large influential interest group, in the state department, and in the growing numbers of African ex-pats, who lobby Congress, the World Bank, the IMF, the WHO, and other governmental and UN agencies to provide monetary, medical, educational and technical assistance to Africa. Plus, the US government, under both Republican and Democratic administrations has a stated interest in increasing US involvement in Africa. Part of this, of course, is an anti-Arab, anti-Middle East policy, but a large part is driven by a genuine humanitarian impulse. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have been actively involved in Africa, and we should expect to see this involvement increase with the presidency of Barack Obama.

Jerry Shepperd





Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
-- Confucius

He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has.
-- Epictetus

Life is not a March; it is Rock and Roll.

It's never crowded along the extra mile.
-- Wayne Dyer









Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page