How I Spent My Summer Vacation
While many of you–and many around the world–were ripping through the latest Harry Potter, I was reading Paul Theroux’s “Dark Star Safari.” It’s an unusual choice for me because it is 497 pages long. Usually, I figure any book that is over 300 pages happens because the author doesn’t have a good editor. But I made an exception in this case.
The book recounts his adventures traveling overland from Cairo to Capetown in 2002. Avoiding typical tourist spots, Theroux meets ordinary Africans and sees life in Africa from their point of view. It’s the kind of trip that I always imagine myself taking, except that I am too attached to modern conveniences to actually do it. I am also fascinated by Africa.
I have been to southern Africa twice, for a short time both times. I enjoyed the people, the scenery, the wildlife, the native art, the food. So, I have chosen to prolong my trips by reading books set in Africa.
But the problem with reading books about Africa is that they always break my heart.
Africa is a continent rich in natural resources and great potential. But its people have been exploited, first by Europeans and now in many countries (Mugabe comes to mind) by African despots. As a result, often Africans do not have reliable access to food, water, electricity or education. And their desperation has led to some terrible crime.
I was hoping that my assessment of life in Africa would be just media distortion, but Theroux’s observations confirmed what I have read and in some cases, observed. He started his trip with enormous affection for Africa. He had served in the Peace Corps–uh oh, I have forgotten the country–at the beginning of his career. And had fond memories of his time there. But although on his recent trip he met some generous people and often felt comfortable in the countryside, he was not cheered by what he observed in Africa. He was especially critical of NGO’s who came to Africa to “help” the Africans. He felt their aid was not improving Africans’ lives; they were perpetuating dependency and poverty.
In 2006 in Vancouver, Stephen Lewis spoke movingly about the AIDs crisis in Africa. He urged communicators to get involved to change attitudes. I am sure many left the room wanting to help, but not knowing what to do.
What power do communicators have to improve conditions in Africa or anywhere else where there is poverty, disease, suffering? How can our skills help?
September 17th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Julie,
Great post and great question–one I’ve explored after my interest was peaked at the IABC conference in June when I saw Sean McCoy (from South Africa) speak. His topic was Branding in Emerging Markets, and he tackled some important issues like you mentioned. We made a short video feature about it that’s now at http://www.myragantv.com/video/?d=147.
Michael Sebastian
September 18th, 2007 at 10:44 am
One year after Stephen Lewis spoke about the AIDs crisis in Africa, I sat next to an individual at the Advocacy Dine-Around in New Orleans whose nontypical communications efforts were fostering positive change. If you haven’t already, listen to my podcast interview of Bill Ryerson.
The IABC Advocacy Initiative is moving forward on several fronts, one of which, I hope, will be an effort to help accomplish the goal you have listed: To improve conditions in Africa and other places where poverty, disease and suffering are crushing lives and hopes.
Mike Zimet and the heads of the various Advocacy Initiative subcommittees are better spokespersons about this; I’m one of many IABC members who stand ready to help.
September 18th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I just read a book that gave me an idea about how IABC could get involved. It is called “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.” The author, a former marketing executive at Microsoft, left his job to start a non-profit, Room to Read, that equips libraries, builds schools and funds scholarships for girls, in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Zambia. The organization has ambitions to do more.
Two (among many things) I liked about the organization is that donors don’t have to give a lot of money to make a difference, and they can see what their money has accomplished.
Interestinlgy, it is also headquartered in San Francisco. I am going to contact the CEO. Website is http://www.roomtoread.org if anyone would like to learn more.
September 19th, 2007 at 4:07 am
The issue of what IABC, its members, and the communication profession can do to benefit worthy causes is a pivotal one. It is one filled with tangible development opportunities as well as according opportunities for our value and impact to be measured, and it’s also something that challenges the way takes advantage of opportunities.
At a macro level, there’s scope for an initiative, perhaps called “The Communication Project” that connects volunteer communicators with non-profits requiring assistance, training, mentorship, and/or limited hands-on support.
At a micro-level, channeling the spirit of the Habitat for Humanity day in New Orleans while leveraging our intellectual capital could take the form of a pre-convention Open Space workshop in NY allowing IABCers and non-profit communicators to share thoughts, skills and ideas and develop tangible outputs.
Some solutions may be more intricate than others–my request is that we think big, and then define how to best channel (or give people access to) the start-up resources required.