Oprah’s show last night (29/08/2007) was about a boy Oprah saw in an article on the New York Times about Child slaves in Ghana. She sent out Lisa Ling, the Oprah correspondent to go find the featured 6 year old child, Mark. I was in a state of shock when the show began as Oprah explained the emotions and feelings she had when she saw the boy’s picture.
Mark - in slavery
I was in this state because I was preparing myself to viewing another typical Africa topic/show – kids with potbellies and flies all over them. When I saw Mark’s haunting eyes; the empty look in those eyes was just “hopeless, lost, grown”. I felt like standing up and screaming “What possesses a parent to make their child endure so much at such an age?”
Never, His father & Lisa Ling
The children are sold by their parents to fishermen for 20 dollars. The children, some as young as 4, then work for masters who were also child slaves. The children wake up in the dead of night to go into these rickety boats to fish and dive into the water to check the nets. These children can’t even swim. A lot have drowned, as per Never, a rescued former child slave. Never accompanied Lisa and Team to the rivers were he was kept. Never helps Lisa rescue some of the children with an organisation that is dedicated to helping these children reclaim their childhood and reunite with parents. Bana ba batho ba gwamme – Those poor children’s bodies are overdeveloped for their ages. The whole time they showed them pulling the nets; the damn nets were empty!! What are they actually fishing?
Child Slaves
The poverty levels are very high. The parents don’t know where the children are. The parents don’t know what the children are subjected to. The family needs the money. The fishermen were also slaves so are carrying the tradition. Those were the reason’s given for this slavery. I was not convinced that those are valid reasons to sell and use children like that. Maybe I am being harsh because of my understanding or whatever they wanna call it. I am not convinced! I know that when you know better, you do better but I could not stop the niggling feeling that the parents could have said no and gotten off their asses and gotten the jobs from the fishermen! The fishermen clearly buy these children because they can then control them and make them work 12 hour days into the dark night for a plate of food…
I needed to know…
Why? Why do the parents allow their children to go work on deep murky waters when the child is only 4 and can’t swim?
Why can’t the parent stop having children so THEY can get a job, something, or even work on those rickety boats to support the family?
Why is it the obvious choice to sell the child for a measly 20 dollars that won’t even last a week?
In Mzansi, we know that back in the days Papa would go work in the mines, mama “ ko dikitchening” – now we call it nanny/maid/helper – but they did all these to keep the children from working. They would not sell their children but would go away from the families in search of a job for lengthy periods of time. If you were lucky they would come home at least twice a year for a weekend. But they worked! Not the children. The children would be taken care of by the grandparents or some relatives.
Why is it that poverty/tradition/culture are always mentioned when people do something they know is not right? Why? People in India are dead poor – King K recently visited the country and did some interviews for me – but the crime level is way below. One of the people King K interviewed was a taxi driver (small 3 wheeeled cart) and he offered to drive them around for the full day for a measly R7! Guys, a full day of driving tourists around for R7!! That would be his earning for the entire day! One of the things King K said is that people there live very very simple lives; they don’t have much; they are grateful for what they have – and they don’t do crime. You can walk around any time of the day without being attacked or feeling like you are not safe. The people don’t even seem motivated to do it. In Mzansi, all we here is poverty makes people do crime. Why? If people in India can live with R7 a day and not do it! Think about it, bloggist!
Happy Mark
Anyways, Lisa did not find Mark. An American mother of four, Pam, had read the same article and had beat Oprah to it. She had raised funds to pay into an organization that went and rescued Mark and 6 other children; 3 of them Mark’s siblings! She went to Ghana with her daughter to meet Mark. They showed pics of Mark smiling and happy. The poor child was 6 years old for heaven’s sake when he was fishing in those boats!! Now he is a happy little boy. Lisa managed to rescue some other children; the footage of them not wanting to stop eating was heartbreaking! When they refused to go back to their parents; I was actually really happy that they did that! I would also not feel safe with a mother that sold me rather than look for another means to support us. I would be completely furious at what I had to endure and she never bothered to find out were I was. Lisa then confirmed that some parents still sell their child over and over after the rescues! Why bathong?
Pam
When Oprah gave Pam a standing ovation; I was in awe. One woman made a difference to African children she had never met. How many of us drive past street kids without giving them a second look? How many of us know of orphaned children who rely on a16 year old sister who is barely a grown up to look after them? How many of us know of sickly parents who rely on their children to scavenge for them? I am not talking about those women who sit with their 5 year old child at traffic lights begging while they sit by and watch(Those fall in the same category those Ghanaian parents!) – I am talking about those who genuinely cannot work due to physical disability or illness!
We need to make a change in the world; yes we found it like this but a small step in the right direction we can make a change! This show was not put Africa down but to make people aware or the little things they can do to make a change!