Drought and Disease- Fight for Survival in Africa
Bitter Seeds (2011):
This film follows an Indian farmer whose situation becomes a microcosm of the conflict between Monsanto and rural people living in poverty in India. It raises questions about the human cost of genetically-modified agriculture and the future of how we grow things.
People starving, animals dying, parents helplessly watching their children losing their lives every day - this is the current situation in Somalia hit by drought which, according to Somalis, is the worst they can remember.
According to the United Nations, thousands of people have died, including nearly 900 children under 5 being treated for malnutrition. The UN says half a million such children are at risk of death, “a number, a pending nightmare, we have not seen in this century”.
This drought has astonished resilient herders and farmers by lasting four failed rainy seasons, starting two years ago. The fifth season is underway and likely will fail too, along with the sixth early next year, Associated Press reported.
The number of deaths and the impact of the drought indicates that a localised declaration of famine is overdue. According to the Associated Press, a rare famine declaration is expected as soon as this month, the first significant one anywhere in the world since Somalia’s famine a decade ago.
The country which has survived generations of drought is now at the brink of collapse as multiple global crises descend at once. These include, climate change with Africa experiencing some of the harshest seasons and increasing warm temperatures. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which stalled ships carrying enough grain to feed hundreds of millions of people. A decline in humanitarian aid as the focus of the world shifted to the war in Ukraine.
In addition to that, more than half the population affected by the current drought in Somalia remains in areas controlled by al-Shabab. According to a BBC report, strict US government rules blocking any assistance from benefitting designated militant groups have complicated efforts to reach many desperate communities.
The UN has stated that the situation in Somalia is a wake-up call that cannot be ignored. While this drought may be one of the worst felt in decades, with the increasing effects of climate change being felt all over the world, this may not be the last one. When there is so much wastage of food and resources in one part of the world, people in the other part are dying of starvation, this calls for action and time to focus on finding a solution. Practical measures are needed such as drought-resistant seeds, irrigation, rural infrastructure, livestock programmes.
Meanwhile, Uganda is struggling to contain an Ebola outbreak that is proving more difficult to deal with than more recent epidemics. So far, there are now 43 confirmed cases, including nine deaths. However, according to BBC, the death toll may be higher.
An important concern is that the virus is reported to be caused by the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there are no proven vaccines or antiviral treatments and which can’t be detected by rapid tests, unlike the more common Zaire strain. The Zaire strain was responsible for the largest-ever outbreak of Ebola, in West Africa from December 2013 to 2016. More than 11,000 people died then.
Waffenstillstand (2009):
A 24 hours ceasefire. The situation in Falludscha is devastating- no food, no medications, no help. A group of five people sets out with the plan to help- they end up fighting for the lives of the helpless and wounded and eventually – their own.