When people hear the word Africa, images of poverty and starvation immediately come to mind.
I used to think like that once. However, my thinking changed completely after my visit to Kenya last spring.
I cannot forget the young girl I met in the slums of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Hoodwinked by relatives, she and her younger brother had been sold into bondage in another ghetto, where they were forced to work for about a year.
The girl was lucky--her father found her and brought her home again in one piece. But her brother was not so fortunate. He was beaten so badly that he lost the ability to speak.
Worse, the brother had agreed to be sold in place of his younger brother. Yet, even though she had seen such tragedy, the young girl loves to sing and lives with a smile on her face.
I went to a Masai village where there was no electricity. It didn’t matter. The people there were wise in the ways of daily life, had medicine and child care, and they enjoyed art in the form of music and traditional clothing. While they had few material goods, they seemed to be happy and cared for their culture.
During my one-week visit, I learned about the sad reality of life there, but also glimpsed splendid aspects.
These people are not poor because their culture is outdated. Even though everyone there has much energy to live, they cannot escape poverty. I realized that we must examine the social structure that creates such slums.
An ambassador from an African nation once told me, “Please do not look at us with pity.” Becoming involved with Africa does not mean having to bear some kind of burden, instead it means coming to know its prosperity and splendor.
When offering assistance, I believe it is important to respect the culture, wisdom and pace of life in African nations.
Because Africa has abundant resources, I believe its ties with Japan will deepen, mainly through trade. When that happens, it will be of great importance to protect the rights of the people who make the products for trade by ensuring they are paid appropriate wages. We must also ensure that children are not being forced to work and prevent the oppression of women.
I believe Africa’s poverty, war and environmental problems and Japan’s rising cases of suicide and bullying are actually connected at the core because, in both cases, life is taken for granted.
When it comes to basic issues of life, it is important to think not only in terms of nations, but in terms of each individual act that connects people with the entire world.
That is because such issues concern not only people in Africa, but also our own lives.