crying never helped anyone

 

I watched the movie Blood Diamond, with Leonardo DiCaprio, last night. I sat alone, except for the puppy my digsmates and I found in the township, and cried. I cried for the 200 000 child soldiers in Africa that get so hooked on drugs and violence that they no longer recognize their families. I cried for the thousands and thousands of refugees who have nothing but themselves and the clothes on their backs. And I cried for the rest of us, every person who in the comfort of their homes, watches, cries and does nothing about the brutality and inhumanity that plagues our beautiful continent.

 

I know this is slightly of the topic of my blog – the world food crisis – but it is all the same thing when it comes to complacency in times of sheer desperation.

 

The most heartbreaking moment in Blood Diamond was, for me, when Solomon Vandy, a man searching desperately for his wife, daughters and son, looks with hope to Jennifer Connelly’s character (a hardcore journalist) and asks if the people in her country, whom she is writing for, will hear about the atrocities in his country and send help. Connelly, with the cold honesty of a journalist who has seen it all, says, “No”.

 

This is the revolting truth; that we will shed a couple of tears, maybe even start a half-hearted campaign for the cause, but eventually we become wrapped up in our own lives and forget about our responsibility to humankind. It’s “just human error” we say – convenience and complacency always win out.

 

We have only one life to live, why use it to take rather than give?

 

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, watch Blood Diamond, it’s a wake-up call like no other. Oh, and don’t forget about the hands that get chopped off so that we get to have a pretty diamond ring on our engagement finger.

 

 

Local is Lekker

 Trash farms – “the future of urban agriculture”. I am not suggesting you start planting your rubbish, but do yourself a favour and go to the website to see how the youths of Nairobi are making trash dumps work for them. It can’t be easy, but villagers in Kibera have taken to the idea of organic food grown from what used to be rubbish dumps. That’s what I call creating arable land when there is none.

This brings me to another original way to lessen the cost of living: “freetarianism” (eating only things that are free). Some view this diet trend as a symptom of insanity; I view it as innovative – albeit optimistic. If your stomach can accommodate the digestion of grass, leaves and bark, why not? Not only will this be a beneficial detoxifying processm for your body, but you will be doing your part in alleviating the huge demand for food worldwide. If, however, you cannot adapt to this new diet, take the less extreme route and start growing your own ‘crops’.

“Locavore” is a recently-coined term referring to food patriotism or the local food movement which favours food produced as close to home as possible. So, while in the past it was considered ‘classy’ to be buying food from Woolworths and Pick ‘n Pay, it Is now being considered far more “classy” and socially acceptable to be growing your own supplies (even homegrown basil makes a difference!), or supporting your local farm stall. For those of you in Grahamstown, Ingram and Lungi’s is a farm stall on the corner of Somerset and African Street, believe me, you will never look back!

 

Remember : complacency is not an option, if youths in Kibera – Africa’s biggest slum- can turn a rubbish dump into a farm, we can be resourceful too.

 

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