By Yusuf Mohammed
The way the world is silent about Madagascar’s ‘cure’ for coronavirus, ‘Covid-Organics’ is a very bitter pill to swallow. I have been having sleepless nights over it.
All I hear is “stay home, stay safe.” I don’t hear people talking about local solutions to this global pandemic. It’s like the world has been hypnotized. I wonder what happened to our thinkers.
The world has 195 countries with a population of over seven billion. I believe all hands should be on deck in looking for a cure.
Coronavirus has been touted as a life threatening diseases. It has almost shut down economies of all the countries in the world. Millions of people have lost their jobs.
There are over 2 million cases world-wide and over 200,000 people have died. Everyday there are new cases. Yet, the World Health Organization (W.H.O) dismisses any claim of a cure from any country in the world because of a vaccine that has to come from the western world.
Sadly, a vaccine isn’t going to be ready until next year. Bill Gates, the world’s richest man who is one of the major sponsors of W.H.O has said that life isn’t going to return to normal until ending of 2021. He said life may “return to semi-normal in some months to come” if everyone adheres strictly to social distancing, washing of hands regularly and wearing nose masks.
Bill Gates, a college dropout who has no history of studying medicine has a stronger voice in medicine than professors of medicine. How unfortunate.
Well, they say he who pays the piper (W.H.O) dictates the tune.
If there is truly a cure out there, it means the vaccine we are waiting for next year, would be useless. And I don’t think W.H.O and its backers want that to happen. There’s always a business angle.
W.H.O aside, why hasn’t the African Union (AU), said anything about the Madagascar ‘cure?’ Why the silence? Are African leaders also waiting to make huge gains from the vaccines next year?
Before Madagascar came up with their herbal solution, Prof. Maurice Iwu talked about a cure. No one listened to him. A few weeks later, the Oni of Ife talked about a cure, the government didn’t pay attention.
It should be noted that no death has been recorded in Madagascar. Out of 123 cases, 92 people have recovered. Certainly, they are doing something that should be emulated. Why can’t W.H.O use them as a reference point?
My fellow Africans, it’s time we put aside petty sentiments. Despite the fact that mosques and churches have been shut for many weeks, in my country Nigeria, in the middle of this global pandemic, some people still find time to insult religious figures. Some even have time to notice to the point of calling for arrest of such persons.
Almost everyone is sacred. Our celebrities in Africa who have millions of followers on social media are doing different challenges. One of them is Tik tok which has become the order of the day. Not a bad thing though. It’s good to keep people’s spirits high in this trying time. But they should also lend their voices to a country like Madagascar. They should lend their voices to that of Maurice Iwu.
Imagine all Africans who have smart phone talk about Madagascar’s ‘Covid-Organics’ and how W.H.O should pay attention to it.
We need to believe in ourselves. There’s a reason for a movie like Black Panther. The fictional Wakanda in that move, is meant to spark something in us.
There’s no better time to have self belief than now. If we fail to come together now, it would be very difficult to make significant changes in the future. Now is the time.
Africa Unite!
Yusuf Mohammed is a journalist based in Nigeria. Follow him on Twitter: @Yusufwrites
