[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 65 (Monday, May 20, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2638-H2640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CRISES IN AFRICA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I am quoting from a recent report called,
``A Future With Hope,'' prepared by Bread for the World. It says, under
the policy to address world hunger, and I quote, ``The terrorist attack
of September 11, 2001, profoundly affected the United States.
Psychologically the Nation was wounded, the vulnerability exposed, and
its sense of security shattered. The attack pushed an already faltering
economy into recession, yet much of the developing world would suffer
even greater devastation as a result of the attacks. A World Bank study
reported that the ripple effect from September 11 would hurt economic
growth in developing countries, especially in Africa.''
Mr. Speaker, in the last years, there has been much discussion about
assistance to Africa by Western countries, including the United States
and Europe. With the crisis of AIDS and other infectious diseases
continuing to grow ever more menacing, the wealthy countries of the
world are finally, though still inadequately, taking notice, and we
support them, taking notice of a pandemic and the devastation directed
every day upon our African brothers and sisters.
{time} 1930
AIDS does not discriminate. Killing off entire generation of
Africans, both adults and children, it empties rural communities, towns
and villages and professional urban classes indiscriminately, without
regard for class or clan. However, the level of newfound interest in
Africa remains insufficient and indeed grossly lacking. AIDS is not the
only crisis that is causing great harm on the continent of Africa right
now. As AIDS devastates African nations with frightening speed, so too
do the specter of hunger and the shadows of famine fall across southern
Africa.
I ask my colleagues, in our newfound interest in Africa, to consider
the widespread incidence of hunger in Africa. The reports are arriving
with greater frequency and they are chilling. As many as 20 million
people in the region of southern Africa are suffering from hunger and
insecurity of food. My friends, this is equal to the population of the
entire State of Texas. Let us just consider for one moment that we knew
the entire State of Texas was dying for insufficient food. We indeed
would do something.
Please consider The Washington Post article, and I quote. I want to
just read a part of that:
`` `Please forgive my ramblings,' said the old man, stooped and still
as he sat on a wooden stool in front of his mud hut. The hunger makes
my mind wander.''
``In his lucid moments, Lucas Lufuzi recites the numbers, calibrating
his catastrophic situation. Three days since he's eaten. Thirty-one
cobs of unripe, green corn. One son: 29 years alive and 21 days dead.
Two seasons of crops spoiled by erratic weather, rain one year, drought
the next.''
``What is taking place across southern Africa is the perfect famine,
a disastrous collaboration between nature and man that has caused the
region's worst food shortage in nearly 60 years.''
The worst food shortage in 60 years. Let us remember that we had the
Biafran tragedy, the Ethiopian famines of the eighties, the long hunger
march of the Sudanese which continues to this day. Sixty years, Mr.
Speaker. We can do better.
We will consider a bill on emergency funding, and I ask my colleagues
to consider no better cause than to respond to the hunger of the world.
Until this is done, we cannot claim to be really concerned about our
brothers and sisters in Africa.
In the last year, there has been much discussion about the assistance
to Africa by Western nations including the United States and Europe.
With the crisis of AIDS and other infectious diseases continuing to
grow ever more menacing, the wealthy countries of the world are
finally, though still inadequately, taking notice of the pandemic and
the devastation that it wreaks every day upon our African
[[Page H2639]]
brothers and sisters. AIDS does not discriminate. Killing off entire
generations of Africans, it empties rural villages and professional
urban classes indiscriminately, without regard for class or clan.
However the level of newfound interest in Africa, it remains
insufficient and is grossly lacking.
However, AIDS is not the only crisis causing great harm on the
continent of Africa right now. As AIDS devastates African nation's with
frightening speed, so too is the specter of hunger and the shadow of
famine fall across Southern Africa. I ask my colleagues in our newfound
interest in Africa to consider the widespread hunger? The reports are
arriving with greater frequency and they are chilling. As many as 20
million people in the region of Southern Africa are suffering from
hunger and insecurity of nutrition. My friends, this is equal to the
population of Texas. Let us imagine that the entire state of Texas were
suffering through an extreme shortage of food. What would our response
be then?
Last week the Washington Post ran an article on this horrible
situation. I would like to read the first part of it.
``Please forgive my ramblings,'' said the old man, stopped and still
as he sat on a wooden stool in front of his mud hut. ``The hunger makes
my mind wander.''
``In his lucid moments, Lucas Lufuzi recites the numbers, calibrating
his catastrophe. Three days since he's eaten. Thirty-one cobs of unripe
green corn. One son: 29 years alive and 21 days dead. Two seasons of
crops spoiled by erratic weather--rain one year, drought the next.''
``What is taking place across southern Africa is the perfect famine,
a disastrous collaboration between nature and man that has caused the
region's worst food shortage in nearly 60 years.''
The worst food shortage in 60 years! Let us remember the Biafran
tragedy, the Ethiopian famines of the 80s, the long hunger March of the
Sudanese, which continues to this day. For someone to contend that this
is the worst food shortage in the region in nearly 60 years is no small
statement, it is a call to action.
I see very little action. Relief organizations estimate that they
will need 145,000 tons of food, or about $70 million worth, to prevent
widespread starvation. According to the Washington Post, donors have
thus far pledged only $3 million.
This week the House of Representatives will consider a supplemental
appropriations bill that will cost over $25 billion. Much of the
spending in this bill will be legitimate.
But to the best of my knowledge this bill will not contains funds to
address the looming crisis in Southern Africa. It will not provide the
resources necessary to prevent suffering and misery in Malawi, in
Zambia, in Zimbabwe.
Let there be no doubt. This body would be hard pressed to find a
better, more humane, and more necessary way to spend $50 million to
address the famine that is ravaging Southern Africa.
My colleagues, let us not mistake idle chatter for a real concern
about Africa. Let us not believe that a minor increase in African
development assistance is an adequate response to the cries for help
now coming from Southern Africa. My friends, until the suffering of
Africa is brought to a halt, until AIDS is contained, until the ravages
of famine are dispersed like dust--until that day--our concern for
Africa, no matter how real or how genuine, will not be concerned
enough.
[From the Washington Post, May 10, 2002]
Famine Looms for Southern Africa--Millions Suffering in Crisis Created
by Nature, Exacerbated by Man
(By Jon Jeter)
Mchinji, Malawi.--``Please forgive my ramblings,'' said the
old man, stooped and still as he sat on a wooden stool in
front of his mud hut. ``The hunger makes my mind wander.''
In his lucid moments, Lucas Lufuzi recites the numbers,
calibrating his catastrophe. Three days since he's eaten.
Thirty-one tiny cobs of unripe, green corn. Two grandchildren
to feed. One son: 29 years alive; 21 days dead. Two seasons
of crops spoiled by erratic weather--rain one year, drought
the next.
``I have never seen such starvation,'' said Lufuzi, who
does not know his age but says he believes he is close to 60.
``Our family relied on my son to work the farm and for the
income he earned [working part time on commercial farms].
``When my grandchildren's feet began to swell from hunger,
I had no choice but to harvest the crops before they were
ready. This,'' he said, nodding to a basket of shriveled
corn, ``is all that keeps us from death.''
What is taking shape across southern Africa is the perfect
famine, disastrous collaboration between nature and man that
has caused the region's worst food shortage in nearly 60
years.
Officials in the region say as many as 20 million people
are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. The U.N. World
Food Program is already feeding more than 2.6 million in
Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other countries in the region,
and agency officials say that number will at least double in
the coming months as peasants finish off the meager yields
from this season's harvest.
Overall, relief workers anticipate they will need roughly
145,000 tons of food, worth about $69 million, to plug the
immediate shortfall in domestic crop production in the
region. So far, donors have pledged only about $3 million.
Officials with the Southern African Development Community
(SADC), a coalition of 14 nations, say they will need to
import 3.2 million tons of corn--the region's staple food--to
offset the deficit, about double the amount imported last
year.
``We've got a full-scale famine on our hands,'' said Kerran
Hedland, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program in Malawi.
A year of flooding followed by a year of drought are
largely to blame for the widespread crop failure. But
international donors, Western diplomats and civic
organizations say the crisis has been aggravated by graft--or
at least mismanagement--in Malawi and by political upheaval
in neighboring Zimbabwe, usually one of the continent's most
reliable food producers.
Malawian officials last year inexplicably sold the
country's 167,000-ton emergency grain reserve and have not
accounted for the proceeds. Officials have denied any
wrongdoing and promised an investigation, but the
International Monetary Fund, Britain, the European Union
and other sources have frozen at least $75 million in aid
payments as a result.
President Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned commercial
farms in Zimbabwe has hurt not only that country's crop
yields but those of its neighbors. With one of the region's
most robust agricultural sectors, Zimbabwe for years sold or
donated surplus crops to other African countries that needed
help.
But Mugabe's violent, two-year-old campaign to redistribute
farms to poor, landless blacks has disrupted farming and cut
off routes used to transport food to neighboring countries.
Food production in Zimbabwe has dropped by nearly 40 percent
this year, according to SADC officials, and last week Mugabe
joined Malawi's president, Bakili Muluzi, in declaring a
state of emergency.
``Land acquisitions in Zimbabwe have had a dramatic effect
on the amount [of food] that should have been produced in the
country,'' said Judith Lewis, the World Food Program's
regional director for eastern and southern Africa. ``Much
needs to be done. The time is running out.''
The food reserve scandal in Malawi and Zimbabwe's political
turmoil have compounded the problem by depleting stocks and
driving up the price of corn by as much as 300 percent here
in Malawi and in Zambia. What food is available is simply
unaffordable to many people in the region.
Tipilire Kasingiro and her three small children ran out of
corn from last year's harvest in December, and the shortage
of food has kept her busy caring for her 18-month-old
daughter, Marizani, who has frequently been sick. That left
her unable to work part time as a housekeeper and earn spare
money in the months before the harvest.
``Even if I had worked, it wouldn't be enough to buy the
maize like I did last year,'' she said, as she held Marizani,
a wraith of a girl, sunken-eyed and unmoving. ``The maize is
so expensive this year.''
So she foraged the village for fruit, and when she was
unable to find more, she and her neighbors dug up the roots
of a banana tree, pounded them in a bowl and made a foul-
tasting porridge, knowing that it would eventually make them
ill.
``We were desperate, and we knew it would fill our bellies,
if only temporarily,'' she said. ``My babies were swelling up
like they were going to burst. I had to do something.''
Southern Africa has endured widespread food shortages
before, most recently a decade ago when drought struck the
region. But the situation now is far worse, many Africans
say, partly because famished peasants are eating tree stems,
sawdust and wild leaves, causing an increase in disease.
``You would see people eating green maize'' during the
drought in the early 1990s, ``but you didn't see people
eating the roots of trees,'' said Sister Agnes Eneyasicio, of
St. Mary's Catholic Church in the village of Ludzi, in
Mchinji district near the border with Zambia.
When St. Mary's opened a feeding center for 600 children in
January, ``our two schools were completely empty,'' she said.
`The children were too hungry to come to school. You'd go and
find whole villages empty because everyone was out searching
for food. We've never experienced anything like this in
Malawi.''
The AIDS epidemic, which was only beginning to surface in
southern Africa a decade ago, is deepening the misery. An
estimated one of every six adult Malawians is infected with
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and hunger has accelerated
the onset of debilitating diseases and even death among
many household breadwinners here, according to relief and
medical workers.
The epidemic has further cut into the country's crop
production by leaving the elderly, children and orphans to
care for the sick, assume the responsibilities of planting
and harvesting crops, or take odd jobs for extra income.
Herein Mchinji, AIDS, and other illnesses have compounded
the food problems, Lufuzi's son, James, fell ill and died
three weeks ago, though his father does not know exactly what
caused his death. ``He did not discuss that with me,'' Lufuzi
said.
[[Page H2640]]
James Lufuzi had sporadic bouts of illness, but when the
family ran short of food late last year, his condition
deteriorated. He died at home last month, leaving his father,
a widower himself, to care for his two daughters, 9 and 7.
When asked if his son may have had HIV, he nods. ``I
believe that may have been the case. The hunger fed his
illness until he could not hold on any longer.''
Amid such privation, food is precious to those who have it
and tempting to those who do not. When Goodson Mussa was
accused of stealing corn from a field near the capital,
Lilongwe, three men used a razor blade to cut off one of his
ears.
``They beat me and spit on me, and one of them threatened
to douse me with [Kerosene] and set me alight,'' said Mussa,
33. Asked several times if he was indeed trying to steal
corn, Mussa refused to answer directly.
``Hunger is terrible,'' he said, holding his hand up to his
bandaged head. ``What man wouldn't steal if he's watching his
own children starve to death before his very eyes?''
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