Publicity Stunts in the Name of Malaria Prevention

Last weekend I participated in an awkward publicity stunt for lack of a better word.  I feel awkward even publishing this as so many coworkers, partners, and others worked so hard to make it happen, but it also highlights certain strong feelings I have about development, aid, celebrity, and the like.

Back story, my organization (in B’more) has a sub-organization, we’ll call ABC, that partners with public and private organizations and A LOT of professional soccer players in Africa to raise awareness and do advocacy about malaria.  They are the “official cause” of the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA (?) and do great work spreading the word about malaria and how to prevent deaths from malaria.  A few months back, the manager for an unnamed Cote d’Ivoire soccer/football player approached ABC.  This player had been gathering a bit of a bad reputation and publicity as a player and ladies’ man, and a bunch of other things, including that he basically doesn’t care about where he’s from.  They wanted to improve his reputation and thought that by doing something with malaria in his home neighborhood, he might look more like a humanitarian and less like a player.

While a coworker from the US who works with ABC was in town, we went to visit SOS Children’s Village Abobo, a beautiful children’s home (kind of like an orphanage but I don’t think that they do formal adoptions).  An appointment was made with the director, but the reason for the meeting was not explained.  During the meeting, my coworker proposed a net distribution ceremony with the player for ABC, something short but with plenty of media agents present to put a positive spin on his reputation.  Perhaps a tiny reception after, but something in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 minutes.  She collected information on how many kids there are and a little bit of history on the Village.  In the discussions, ABC wasn’t sure where the nets were coming from, but that they were probably being purchased or donated by another organization.  Oh humanitarian aid can be so complicated…

The most important part: Did anyone ask if the kids needed nets?  Nope. 

We took a tour of the beautiful grounds, including visiting one of the homes where the kids live, 10 kids to one “maman,” who is in charge of cooking and caring for the kids, sometimes with a little bit of help.  These Mamans are true heros who do the work for the love of the children.  The kids range in age from 4 week twins to high school students and even college/university students who still receive support from the institution on varying levels.

Upon entering the house, we saw the rooms and noted that EVERY SINGLE BED HAD A NET.  Brand new looking even. 

From the day we visited, I had been asking another coworker to find out how old the nets are and where they came from but she kept forgetting or the Director never replied.  I found out prior to the ceremony that the Village buys new nets for the kids every year because they destroy them with holes (“kids will be kids”).  Long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) normally last 3 years or so before they need to be replaced because the insecticide in the net weakens, so this is problematic.  One of my projects, a malaria project that focuses on LLINs trains people on how to repair these types of nets so that they can last 3 years.  Connection!

The day of the ceremony, everything was orchestrated, and of course on Africa Time, with the arrival of a bajillion news crews with the celebrity player an hour late.  My coworkers and the staff at SOS did a great job putting everything together and it was an amazingly well run and efficient ceremony, better than many I've been to.  Some children had prepared poems, some older boys demonstrated how to tuck in a net, and some older girls were the official "hostesses" (think Oscar ladies).  The only thing that was perhaps not perfectly orchestrated (though maybe behind the scenes?), was that the CEO of a big school supply company here (Librairie de France) offered to cover 50% of the school supplies for the kids this year and give a super reduced price for the rest, and thereby strong-arming the soccer player to cover the rest.  As he said during his brief and awkward speech (maybe he’s shy?), “I don’t have much of a choice…I’ll cover the rest of the school supplies.”

The Welcoming Committee: A lucky girl was
chosen to represent the children of SOS, being
dressed in traditional clothing and body paint.

After the ceremony, which was all "symbolic," as so many things are in the world, I was talking with the director and some of the Mamans about a training session on repairing LLINs.  They all agreed that they need to learn how to repair nets, but then one Maman told me “you know, if you ever do this again, it would be better to get nets for the windows and doors than new mosquito nets…” Amen sister, if only someone had asked you.

Dude has some pretty baller
shoes: studded Chucks

This seems to be an all-too-common problem with development, needing to make one person/country/organization look good and using the “receivers” as objects.  The JHSPH Masters’ Practicum experience is designed to help us get greater work experience in our desired field.  Well, I know that I do not want to be exclusively involved with publicity gimmicks, even for a good cause.  I’m not knocking people who do that stuff, as it is necessary in order to boost public awareness of the "cause," but it just felt ridiculous to me to be doing this for a celebrity to up his reputation.  Some of it also comes from mine, and I think most RPCVs’, aversion to anything that even closely resembles “Santa Clause Syndrome,” or coming into an area or community and just giving something randomly, without concern for the needs or abilities of the receiver.  Though in this case the giver was officially the soccer player and my only capacity was as photographer, I still felt awkward as across much of the developing world, a white person is still associated with donations and aid.

The bright side?  At least the kids had fun and got to meet a soccer celebrity, from a distance.  And the little reception?  The kids got juice and “all of the important people” got fancy food and drink.  Weird.  Truth be told, I’m not sure if the organization or the village was in charge of the reception, and it all followed typical “protocol” for ceremonies in West Africa, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised?

For more pictures, and some (sideways) videos of the event, click here.