Lux Lotus: You just got back from Africa. Tell us all about it.
Andre Banks: A friend, Paul, who is a student in Harare, told me shortly after we met, ‘Zimbabwe is perfectly normal. Well, except for the politics and the economics.’ In some sort of necessarily cryptic way, I feel this truly tells the story. The extent of the political and economic crisis in the country is visible in both the individuals and the physical space they occupy. But despite it all, it is a city that functions. My stop in Harare was anchored by attendance at a conference of the Pan-African Treatment Access Movement (PATAM). As a person who works both individually and professionally to support PATAM and other organizations attempting to secure treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, I can best describe the experience as ‘eye-opening’. To see in one space talented individuals fighting AIDS with little to no resources next to the confused, oft ineffectual, bickering international organizations (World Health Organization, Global Fund to Fight AIDS) has very much changed my perspective. All in all, the conference was inspiring, I met great people, I hated to leave....
...But I did leave, and traveled to Johannesburg and then Cape Town, South Africa. There is so much to say about this country. I’ve never been anywhere that has the same feeling that you are literally living history. After 10 years of democracy, apartheid still looms large. Unlike the U.S., it is widely acknowledged by most people, that the outcomes of peoples lives are largely determined by race. No debate. It simply is; and everyone knows it because they have seen the most brutal manifestation of the fact in their own lifetime....I could go on and on, but I thought a list here would be a bit more exciting:
Things not to miss in South Africa:
*The Hector Pieterson Memorial—Soweto. See what happened when middle and high school kids rebelled against the apartheid system and changed the history of their country forever....
*The new Apartheid Museum—Gold Reef City Johannesburg. The history, the struggle, and the new South Africa.
*Spiro’s—a café in Melville, Johannesburg. Trust me, everyone who’s anyone is in that place.
*South African Soap Operas
*Taking the train from Cape Town down the Penninsula to Simon’s Town
*I usually am not a big club-goer, but ‘Sutra’ and ‘Snap’ off of Long Street in Cape Town rocked my world....
LL: What are the hipsters in Jo'burg wearing these days?
AB: It’s funny, the hipsters in Jozi looked all too familiar. There is a huge mall culture in South Africa. It’s interesting to see the new post-Apartheid integration of whites and the growing ‘middle class’ of blacks uncharacteristically united in this setting. I guess it proves that we can all be united by buying shit we probable don’t really need.....But to the question: The kids are wearing a lot of Diesel jeans, a very bright palette of colors (summer is just ending there), and an eclectic merge of traditional African patterns and design, fused with the spirit of the hip-hop community taking root in the city and townships. So if you’re headed to the Cafés of Melville (and you should be) think New York sophistication with a razor sharp edge.
LL: How can Americans living in the States affect U.S. policy on AIDS treatment in Africa?
AB: Make it an issue. The U.S. Government is pulling out all the stops to prevent the President’s $15 billion AIDS program from buying cheap generic drugs. By buying expensive brand name drugs from U.S. Drug companies, about four times less people in Africa can be treated—but you can be certain that those same drug companies will be writing some pretty hefty checks to the Republican National Committee this year (as they did in 2002, and 2000, and I think you get the idea).....
What you can do—Join the hottest list in town to keep track of what’s in and what’s out on the issue. We’ll keep you up to date on major developments, and suggest creative ways to stay involved and push for real policy changes that can actually save millions of lives. Literally. Sign up at: www.africaaction.org.
Another suggestion for the event planner in all of us: Put on a film showing or discussion that ties HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and Africa. I’ve got a really good film (www.acloserwalk.org) that makes a great conversation piece, and there are multiple books, speakers and other resources I can suggest if you’re interested in raising the visibility of the issue in your local environs....
LL:Summer's just around the corner. Any recommendations?
AB: Stay Cool, in every sense. Read ‘Good Muslim, Bad Muslim’ by Mahmood Mamdhani. It’s the most intelligent rejection of the media’s “culture talk” around political Islam, as well as a notable attempt to divine the historical trajectory of political violence. See P.Diddy, Phylicia Rashad, Audra MacDonald, and Sanaa Lathan in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ on Broadway. Let’s be honest—even if it’s bad, it’s certainly going to be worth talking about. Finally, celebrate my newly slated Birth-Day of Style, timed brilliantly to coincide with Lauren’s 25th birthday on June 7....
Andre is Assistant Director for Field Operations at Africa Action. In the fall, he starts his coursework for a Master of International Affairs (Concentration in Media) at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
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