This was my first time seeing him or hearing him talk and I wasn't sure what to expect. From the moment he started to speak, I was completely enraptured. I swear I couldn't take my eyes off him, he was spellbinding in his speech and his passion. This is a man who is devoting his life to the cause of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
I had thought I would be in tears the whole evening, but I wasn't. Instead, he began the night with much laughter and continued to keep us laughing. But in between the chuckles, were some quiet moments of horror and some intense moments of rage. It was a truly emotional night.
Stephen is the former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. He was able to announce his successor has been chosen, Elizabeth Mataka. He told us how he had requested that an African woman be appointed to the position in order to give women a strong voice. Obviously she would have closer ties to Africa than he, a white Canadian. But also, African women are extremely and brutally victimized and he felt it critical that they have a true voice within the UN. I wasn't aware that Stephen was such an advocate for African women. He related some extremely graphic and disturbing stories that shocked me to the core. He obviously understands that empowering these women is key to ensuring that future generations are better protected - this goes for girls and boys. Amazingly, 90% of new infections in South Africa occur with women and young girls.
Some of Stephen's points and opinions that I took away from the night are:
- That governments are failing to keep their promises. For example, the funding promised during the 2005 G8 summit meetings has fallen short of the target.
- That people erroneously question if funding to Africa is going to the promised places because of 'all of the government corruption.' In fact, the majority of African countries are not corrupt and are as democratic as anywhere else in the world. And it seems a bit of a cop out to say Africa is corrupt. First of all Africa is a HUGE continent comprised of many countries. I don't see why people would paint the entire continent with the same brush. And second, we all know that North American governments are not immune to corruption! It's a travesty that people refuse to provide aid based on this weak argument.
- Stephen loves the celebrities lending their names to the cause as they help to raise awareness in a way that politicians can not. However, they do not have the resources that the governments have. Therefore, it is up to the grassroots organizations to make a difference. This is why The Stephen Lewis Foundation was started.
I certainly can not do Stephen Lewis justice. Since Africa and AIDS are now a part of my daily existence and I don't have the luxury of ignoring them, I can't say enough how extremely grateful I am to have had the opportunity to see Stephen in person. And I was able to meet him, talk to him, and he signed my copy of Race Against Time. If you haven't already read it or listened to Stephen's CBC Massey Lectures, I encourage you to read the book.
I'm also glad I was able to share the experience with so many of my fellow adoptive parents. And as an added bonus, I was finally able to hook up with another new adoptive parent-to-be I've been playing telephone tag with for weeks.
I will never forget that night.
