“Now that you’ve calmed down about the dead lion in Africa….
#realissues #starvingchildren #realtalk #africa
It’s funny how the masses will FREAK OUT over an animal but when you have real babies dying daily people be like “meh…whatever”…
Thanks Garrett Robins for the image.”
Said one Rachel Jackson on facebook
I am tired and completely repulsed by such comments, which have been on the rise after the horrific death of Cecil the lion. Utter disgust. I wasn’t even planning on writing on this topic until I landed on that update. The so called Rachel is from the USA. What disrespect for Africa and Africans in general! I mean, what does she or any of the other foreigners who have been busy commenting about the legend’s death know about Africa? What do they know at all? What do they know other than their comfortable lives in the confines of their beautiful homes eating salads and showing off their hard earned toned bodies?
I don’t even know what repulsed me more; the total lack of respect for that lion OR the use of that photo. First of all, she couldn’t even acknowledge the lion by name. “Now that you have calmed down about the dead lion….,” she begins. See, Cecil was more than just a lion. He was a national treasure in Zimbabwe almost like a national symbol. A famous and loved national symbol. He was amongst a small number of lions remaining in the whole of Africa. Approximately 20,000. In less than 30 years the number of lions in Africa has fallen from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands. In 2013 alone 50 lion trophies (hunted lions killed for sport) were exported from Zimbabwe alone. I don’t want to think of the total number from the whole of Africa.
Fun fact, Cecil was named after the British business man Cecil Rhodes. Zimbabwe was also named after him, during the time it was known as Rhodesia. So much has been documented about the lion and his brother who died during one territorial fight with another established pride. I have personally watched more than one of Cecil’s documentaries on Nat Geo and other channels. What’s my point exactly? That the hunting down and killing of Cecil is more complex than just “another dead lion.” Apparently wildlife hunting in Africa is popular among the rich in America and other western countries. While the spotlight has been on the Chinese and their unquenchable thirst for ivory, much worse was happening secretly. For how long has this been happening? How is it legitimate hunting if these animals are hunted from national parks? Does it mean our wildlife is no longer safe even in their own sanctuaries? It is worth noting that the American dentist Walter palmer that paid USD 50,000 to kill the lion knew exactly what he was doing. The animal was collared and the dentist was with two of the park’s guides who must have known without a doubt who that lion was. That palmer set out specifically to kill Cecil is up for argument, but it is alleged that he has always gone for the big game. He allegedly also wanted to kill an elephant but couldn’t find one “big enough.” He has previously killed leopards and bears. The guy even has a rhino trophy. Honestly, who even kills rhinos???? An animal that is on the serious verge of extinction!
Enough injustice has been done to Africa already for foreigners to even come and kill the wildlife here. Why do our governments give out permits to such people? If the rich hunters want to kill lions and elephants for fun, let them find such animals in their own countries and kill them THERE. Seriously African countries need to style up!
Now, does Christine even know about the photo she used to demonstrate about “poverty in Africa?” I doubt if she had ever seen it before or heard of the photo’s history because she goes ahead to thank one Garret Robins for the image. Meaning she had not seen it before now. Does she even know how much outrage that image sparked worldwide? Does she know Kevin carter, the famous photographer who took the photo and won a Pulitzer for it got so much flak for the very same photo that he committed suicide because it haunted him for the rest of his life? Kevin, a white guy who stood for the oppressed during apartheid in South Africa, something that was later forgotten because of one click on the camera.
Using that very photo to demonstrate about people not being passionate about “starving children” is disrespectable to say the least. The outrage that photo raised……in fact that photo has single handedly done so much for the starving children of Africa. So many charities have been founded but the million question dollar question is, where does the money go to? Is it a cash cow that has been used to create new millionaires around the world? Because billions have been raised worldwide but the situation keeps getting worse. Maybe it’s time these millionaires who start charities in Africa re think their strategies to more than just the “hand to mouth” handouts.
People should not confuse those of us raising our voices over what happened for complacency over the starving of the world. Since when is it wrong to be outraged by more than one thing? The world is full of wrong things driving us crazy that we have no control over. Just because today we are pissed over the killing of a lion doesn’t mean we are not concerned about the hungry, or human trafficking, or drug dealers, or poaching or….just name it.
In Kenya, more than ten elephants have been killed in over three days for their ivory. Ten! The rate at which this is happening is alarming.
Cecil’s death should not be in vain.
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by Simon Chimbo
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