TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. Publisher’s Note 6. Hope amid despair 7. Carter: Why I’m waging Guinea worm war 13. Guinea worm must go by 2004 16. A success story 17. Gowon: I felt a sense of guilt 19. Knocked off course 20. Ghana will soon be back on track 22. The last outpost 23. Slowly but steadily Sudan will kick Guinea worm out 26. Coalition of Supporting Organizations and Donors The Carter Center strives to relieve suffering by advancing peace and health worldwide; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and protect and promote human rights worldwide. WWW.CARTERCENTER.ORG Reprinted with permission. Africa Today. November 2003 November 2003 Africa Today z 3 of discussion between The has been helping President Carter Centre and Africa Today, Carter and The Centre with the agreement was reached on a Nigeria side of the Guinea collaboration and work started Worm eradication project. It on the project. The outcome of will not be a surprise, if having the collaboration is the Special read and digested the whole Report in this edition put special report, the thought together by our indefatigable should cross the minds of some Managing Editor, Muyiwa of our readers as to why it has Akintunde, who had to be flown taken the generosity of a former to Atlanta from our West Africa American president to draw Bureau in Lagos, Nigeria, to attention to Guinea worm, a spend a whole week in disease which African September with staff at The governments and leaders Carter Centre to put the themselves are only too familiar package together. The highlight with, but have done little or of his one week at The Center is nothing about to help their the exclusive interview with people cure and eradicate it President Carter, which is completely. published in this edition as part One hopes that some of these of the package. I was very proud African leaders, including the when I read the president’s ex-heads of state some of who remarks that he enjoys reading are still nurturing the ambition Africa Today. Muyiwa was in the of coming back to power, will, midst of other interesting people instead of heating up the polity who were also there at The in their countries, see the Carter Centre that week for a fantastic work that President special international conference Carter is doing for humanity in on Guinea worm. Amongst his retirement and learn to do them was the former Nigerian similar things with their time Head of State General Yakubu and resources instead of wanting Gowon. It was a pleasant to grab power again. It is surprise that the general agreed instructive to read General to grant Africa Today an Gowon’s comment in the interview. In my days as a interview that seeing what foreign correspondent in President Carter and his wife, President Jimmy Carter with Africa Today’s Managing Editor Muyiwa Akintunde London I had several encounters Rosalynn, are selflessly doing for with him trying to get him to Africa, especially with the to Grace as he was leaving. He attention. Hetty van Dijk was grant an interview. He was then Guinea worm eradication has now returned home in The not the only one that the Grace in self-exile in the UK. General project, he felt a sense of guilt. Netherlands where he wrote to story touched. We also got a call Gowon had utilized his exile The thought may have crossed us, and from where he has from the prestigious Carter days productively studying for his mind that there he was as decided to establish a Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, in and obtaining a PhD from Nigerian head of state for eight Foundation that will be named the United States. The Carter Warwick University in England. years who saw his citizens suffer “Saving Grace” after the title of Centre is where the former My last encounter with him was from the horrible disease but did our special report, “with the aim President Jimmy Cater has his on the very day of his graduation nothing to help eradicate it. The to try and save Grace and impressive presidential library. as a Doctor of Philosophy. He General needs not worry. He has sponsor her, and, if there is And it is from there that he does was dressing up with his family done a lot of other good things enough funds, other victims of all the charitable and rushing to catch a train from for Nigeria and humanity since HIV (and malaria and tbc). The humanitarian work he has been London to Coventry for the then for which he will be most Foundation will be based in The doing around the world since graduation ceremony when my positively judged by history. Netherlands because it may be leaving the White House 22 telephone call asking him for an I hope we have once again easier for donors to send money years ago. The Centre has interview came. Despite the fact met your expectations with this there than to Malawi.” become an illustrious part of the that he knew he could not do it special edition. And I use this His idea is that “donors adopt other prestigious Atlanta then, and he must have made up opportunity to thank President financially, a HIV positive institution – the Emory his mind not to grant me an Carter and staff at The Carter person from Malawi. They University. And The Carter interview, General Gowon was Centre that assisted us should donate €25 every month. Centre has over the years been always very polite and nice to me throughout to make the project They will get a picture and a at the vanguard of an whenever we talked on the not only possible, but also the short story about their protégé. I international campaign to phone. Before granting this success it has been. Saving have found reliable people eradicate Guinea worm in Africa interview in Atlanta, he told Grace. b prepared to organize this in and other parts of the world. Muyiwa that I was once his Lilongwe,” he said. The Center extended a rare prisoner. Our correspondent When Africa Today, in its invitation to Africa Today to was at a loss at that remark. I am usual campaigning journalism come in collaboration with them the only one who could style, fights a particular cause, or to help publicise the good work understand what the General draws international attention to it has been doing in Africa. meant. He is a perfect some of Africa’s plights, one can We considered it a great gentleman, very amiable and never tell who is paying honour, and after several weeks always easygoing. Dr Gowon ¼ 4 z Africa Today November 2003 November 2003 Africa Today 5 Special Report The Carter Center 6 z Africa Today November 2003 the International Council for Conflict Resolution, a group countries were more strained than they had been in years. of experts who offer advice and assistance in mediating Carter called for an end to the US four-decade-old civil and international conflicts and advancing peace. In this embargo against Cuba and appealed to the government of assignment, The Center’s staff support major mediation Fidel Castro to allow democratic changes.“Our two nations efforts by Carter in Sudan, Uganda, Liberia, Uganda, have been trapped in a destructive state of belligerence for Ethiopia-Eritrea, North Korea, Haiti and Bosnia. 42 years and it is time for us to change our relationship and Often accompanied by his wife, the former president the way we think and talk about each other.” deploys his clout as an elder statesman to enter places and Carter had helped to diffuse a nuclear crisis between talk to people no one else would or could. When he US and North Korea in 1994. He also mediated in the ventured into Cuba in May 2002, he became the most Venezuelan political crisis. On January 22, 2003, he offered prominent American political figure to break the barriers two proposals for ending seven weeks of bitter stalemate between two nations separated by 90 miles and 43 years of between President Hugo Chavez and a broad coalition of Communist rule. He arrived at a time ties between the two opponents that had left the country’s economy in shambles ̈ Carter: Why I’m waging Guinea worm war Since he vacated the world’s World Health Organisation or the it is a personal interest of mine and most powerful seat as United States government is also we’ve had remarkable success president of the United addressing a problem successfully, so far. As you probably already Sates in 1981, Jimmy we don’t get involved. We don’t know, we started out with three-and- compete with other people. We fill a-half million cases of Guinea worm Carter has remained in vacuums in the world. So when we and we now have about 50,000. One international consciousness realised that Guinea worm was so country that has made superb more for his humanitarian prevalent and so projects than for politics. disastrous to He’s today the world’s individual people acknowledged No 1 fighter and could against the Guinea worm theoretically be epidemic. In his roomy office eradicated, I at The Carter Center in decided to take it Atlanta, he told Managing on as a major project for The Editor Muyiwa Akintunde the Carter Center. We genesis of his crusade and found Guinea the future of the Center. worm in 23,000 villages. We’ve Africa Today: I’d like to start by been to every saying you are several thousand village.