2001 After Africa

Medicine in Africa.

Ouagadougou Berkina Faso: This sign caught my attention in the capital city. I wonder what is flamboyant about their medical practice.

Abidjon Ivory Coast: If you know French, you may have a different take on this sign than mine: a plastic coated tampon with fancy lettering on it... ouch!

Mombasa Tanzania: Traditional doctors advertise here as well. This one seems to "specialize" in African, Arabic, herbal, astrological, and psychological counseling.

Pretoria South Africa: Doctors, western and witch advertise their services. One sees signs like this all over and people on nearly every street corner try to hand you paper flyers touting the virtues of medical practitioners of all kinds.

Pretoria South Africa: South Africa leads the world in its anti-smoking campaign. They don't pussy foot around: "Smoking can kill you" screams the label on cigarette packages!

Pretoria South Africa: The good ol' Catholic Church doing its part to stem the tide of AIDS in South Africa.

Francistown Botswana: One of the many AIDS awareness signs scattered around the city. Official information sets the AIDS infection rate in Botswana at one in three... very serious. The problem occupied my attention much of the time.

Francistown Botswana: One of the many AIDS awareness signs scattered around town. Official information sets the AIDS infection rate in Botswana at one in three... very serious. The problem occupied my attention much of the time.

Madrid Spain: "Doctor" practicing his art on a patient in the open air of the Retiro Park in central Madrid. He is using a a technique to modify the "energy fields" of the patient's sick body. O.K. I know this is not Africa, but I couldn't resist including this one. Notice the doctor's surgical mask... must be a really contagious ailment...

Madrid Spain: "Doctor" practicing his art on a patient in the open air of the Retiro Park in central Madrid. He is using a a technique to modify the "energy fields" of the patient's sick body.

Madrid Spain: "Doctor" practicing his art on a patient in the open air of the Retiro Park in central Madrid. In this case his diagnosis comes from interpreting the lines in the patient's palm.

Medicine & magic in Africa 2001 * December 25, 2001 - 33 photos. Here is a collection of images related to the health of Africans... pictures I took during my year-long trek through the dark continent during 2001... often thinking of my American witch doctor and the role of white magic in healing.

A group of spectacular statues outside the amazing 5 star Kingdom Lodge and Casino near the falls in Zimbabwe.

OUAHIGOUYA Berkina Faso: No matter what ails you, this outfit has a cure. It seems to be a government approved traditional medical service.

Abidjon Ivory Coast: No need to waste good money on an expensive doctor's office visit. Here you can find remedies for every ailment free of expensive packaging: no brown paper wrapping here, only slightly dusty white paper will do for these high class pharmacies - doctor's consulting "offices."

LUSAKA Zambia: The government has mounted a high priority campaign to alert people to the dangers of AIDS and the cross-border spread from the highly infected Botswana next door. Signs like this one are scattered everywhere I traveled in the country.

Dar Es Salaam Tanzania: Part of the public awareness campaign to change sexual habits in the face of the AIDS pandemic here in Tanzania.

Kampala Uganda: Part of an anti-AIDs parade.

Mbarara Uganda: A coffin seller and a grim reminder that people are dying at an alarming rate from disease in this part of the world.

MBARARA Uganda: There seems to be a major campaign to educate people on family planning and disease prevention in Kenya. AIDS gets a lot of public attention in this part of Africa!

Medicine in Africa.

OUAHIGOUYA Berkina Faso: Got syphilis, hemorrhoids, or any of the other listed ailments? No problem. Just pop into our offices for quick relief. No extra charge for drum music.

Pretoria South Africa: A broadside that announces the main story in one of the newspapers during August 2001. Half the deaths! Wow! One guy says you must assume that everyone you meet carries the virus. Must make the delicate process of courtship rather complicated.

Pretoria South Africa: Broadsides that announce the main stories in Pretoria newspapers during August 2001. Half the deaths! Wow! And the Rand takes a pounding... meaning the dollar got stronger this week.

Francistown Botswana: One of the many AIDS awareness signs scattered around this area of Botswana. Official information sets the AIDS infection rate in Botswana at one in three... very serious. The problem occupied my attention much of the time.

Francistown Botswana: One of the many AIDS awareness signs scattered around the downtown area. Official information sets the AIDS infection rate in Botswana at one in three... very serious. The problem occupied my attention much of the time.

Ngara Tanzania: Our seven passenger De Havilland DHC-2 Turbo-Beaver Mk3 operated by the UNHCR in Tanzania for logistics and medical emergencies. In it I flew from the wilds of Ngara to the relatively civilized Mwanza in Tanzania as a guest of the U.N.

Ngara Tanzania: Another sign near the entrance to the UNHCR guest accommodations compound.

Ngara Tanzania: A sign in the village near the UN compound.

Ngara Tanzania: The UN operates a large fleet of these carryall vehicles to carry out its mission of serving the refugees in the camps it manages in this part of Tanzania near the border with Rwanda.

Mwanza Tanzania: Some of the decoration in my room at the Tilapia Hotel in. This is as close as I came to an African mask with Dr. Mark written all over it.

Mwanza Tanzania: The mosquitoes net hanging inside the first room I got at the Tilapia Hotel. They moved me to a much better room with fewer mosquitoes starting with the second night.

Kampala Uganda: Part of an anti-AIDs parade. They seem to be nurses.