来る８月３日に開かれる「TICAD NGOシンポジウム」のために来日するナイジェリ
アのHIV感染者女性、ロラケ・ンワグさんが、７月12日にブッシュ大統領とアブジャ
で面会した際のことを記した「アフリカに『買い物』に：ブッシュが来たとき」
（When Mr. Bush 'Came Shopping' in Africa）という文章を翻訳しました。
When Mr. Bush 'Came Shopping' in Africa
Rolake Nwagwu, Treatment Action Movement (TAM) Nigeria
Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria
Thu., Jul. 17, 2003
A journalist asked me what it felt like to shake the hands of the most
powerful man in the world, the President of the United States of America,
President George Walker Bush.
Man, I have refused to take a bath since Saturday! God forbid that I wash
these hands before I get to my bank to withdraw a million naira. Then, I
must take these hands of mine to the American embassy on Walter Carrington
Crescent to get that almighty American visa, and when I'm asked that
question that makes those of us living with HIV uncomfortable, the question
that says, "Do you have an infectious disease of public health
significance?" I will simply stretch out my right hand and say "I just got
a presidential handshake from your president."
Most importantly, I must run on Tuesday morning to the HIV clinic to see my
doctor. I can't afford meds because four years ago I was put on a drug
trial for six months with no counseling. I couldn t even finish the trial
because I had no money to pay, and I was not totally compliant. Now, I need
to access drugs but I don't qualify for the first line regimen, as I'm not
drug naive. I must have at least N37000 monthly ($300) if I m to start ARV
therapy. That being the case, I'll take the hands he shook and the $15
billion promissory note he gave to the doctor and all my drug needs shall
be met. Amen!
The journey to this handshake was hilariously maddening. We were told the
issue to be put on the front burner is PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child
Transmission of HIV/AIDS). The last time I checked, when any group or body
claimed to have a PMTCT program, it usually meant VCT (Voluntary Counseling
and Testing) + ARV (Anti-retroviral drugs) + infant formula milk. With my
dear people, it could mean VCT + referral to the-yet-to-start Nigerian
Government Nevirapine (ARV) + 6 months exclusive breast-feeding! This PMTCT
initiative needs to be applauded and for that we dressed up, sang and shook
hands with Mr. President.
When the opportunity came to table our issues, it was denied us because
according to the organizers, there was no time and only five people could
talk to him, one of whom was a representative of positive women. The only
thing she's expected to do is give her testimonial and get the heck off.
She had just two minutes and she had to read a testimonial rather than
place our issues on the table.
"What George Bush wants to listen to is your testimonial. He already knows
the issue and has heard your voice, which is why he is making this visit.
President Bush is not comfortable with speeches and talks." That sounds to
me like if all I have is two minutes, he'll rather hear the stigma and
pains I have to endure than the issues I expect his visit to address.
Now, Bush has come and gone and I'm left here in Nigeria with USAID. PMTCT
is the reason for which we went to Abuja and comprehensive PMTCT program is
what we expect. Since Mr. President knows what my issues are and came to
Nigeria to address them, I want to see a model USAID PMTCT site that
commits to VCT, ARV and infant milk. Anything short of that is a farce and
totally unacceptable. The fall out of the Bush visit shouldn't just be the
sale of Nigerian gas and growing genetically processed and patented crops
like was done in India, otherwise, we'll be tempted to think the President
just came a-shopping.
You might ask why the American President should be the one to talk to about
my concerns and not my own government. Sadly, there was no Nigerian
government delegate who met us with President Bush, but my thinking is that
if America says she is committed to fighting AIDS in Africa, then the right
things should be done at the right time in the right way. Don't claim to
commit to PMTCT if you won't make ARVs available. Don't claim to support
Africans using generic drugs if you go on to try enforcing the same laws
that will make getting generic drugs almost impossible.
Don't claim to be against stigma and discrimination of PLWHA (People Livng
with HIV/AIDS) if your staff members still screen their domestic workers
for HIV and visa lottery winners are compelled to take HIV tests without
their informed knowledge or consent, without voluntary and confidential
counseling. When their HIV test results gets to the US embassy first. When
they do not get to see the results of tests they paid a fortune for in
highbrow hospitals. I wanted to table our issues before the American
President because I believe that you must say what you mean and mean what
you say.
So, when Bush came shopping in Africa, he talked about America's commitment
to fight HIV and AIDS in Africa. He's gone round five beautiful African
countries, made promises, ate dinners, watched dances and posed for
photographs. The only group that had audience with him was positive women.
Neither the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN)
nor the Civil Society Consultative Group on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (CISSGHAN)
got an audience. I was ready to take the next flight home when the entire
charade was fast turning into a farce, but I figured this was the only
opportunity to say my piece, so I dressed up, fell in line, said my piece
and came back home.
Thanks President Bush for standing there, listening to us, hearing our
voices, talking to us and assuring us that all our concerns will be met and
addressed. We look forward to your fulfilling the very many promises you
made to us.
Thanks most especially to the 15 most beautiful women in Nigeria and dear
Sisi who agreed that we all should individually one-on-one tell President
Bush what our concerns are, namely:
1. The lack of funding for the Global Fund
2. Lack of infant milk for our babies
3. Lack of ARVs for our children and us
4. Lack of drugs to treat opportunistic infections
5. Efforts to prevent us from infecting our babies but none to stop these
same babies from becoming orphans
6. Making true the commitment of $15billion promised to Africa
7. Committing to putting pressure on the almighty pharmaceutical companies
of the west to bring down the prices of drugs, and
8. Stopping the stigma and discrimination that denies us access to
unrestricted travel
I'm however not sorry that I became "the spirit of distraction" who
wouldn't allow things run as the powers that be wanted it to, neither am I
sorry that I refused to sing and dance for President George Bush.
I almost forgot to add the fact that my beautiful face was seen all over
the world on CNN, all over Nigeria on NTA and my flat-mate in South Africa
even saw me on SABC! You see comrades from across Africa and all over the
world who wrote protest letters, called press conferences and even went on
protest marches never got seen nor mentioned on CNN, but we know that they
got seen and heard where it matters most: in history, in our hearts and in
the world security monitoring devices.
I am looking forward to the recorded hand shake and presidential
photographs putting drugs in my body, preventing me from passing this
dreaded virus on to my baby and putting the much needed infant milk on my
table seeing as I can't breast feed!