Mudiwa: Suicide

There are people on this earth who are capable of ignoring a need. There are others who, in an effort to palliate a need, throw money at it. There are very few people on this earth who are blessed with a presence and a drive to sincerely make a difference - those who are willing to work hard so that others can have a chance at true life. Society today is too politically correct to be truthful. I am 25 years young - but I remember a time when a person was more respected for the truth they spoke instead of being praised by the truth that another wanted to hear.

The photo above is one that many have seen but few know the story behind it. It was taken by a young South African photographer who waited for 20 minutes to see if the vulture would leave. After this time he adjusted his lens, took the award winning photo, chased the vulture and left. After the photograph was published many inquired as to whether the child survived. Unfortunately to this day that answer is not known. Years later, haunted by the images that won him awards, by the death and destruction he had witnessed, the photographer committed suicide at 33 years old.

Will you commit suicide? You may not gas yourself, pull a trigger or swallow some pills but will you live your life in a way that makes you forget the suffering of others? Do you drink yourself senseless? Do you over indulge yourself just so you feel alive? If you want to avoid suicide you will not wait 20 minutes, you will step out from behind life's camera lens to live a life of action and activism. If you truly choose to live life to the fullest, you will live a life that makes a difference.

Mudiwa: save a life


I thought about this piece over the weekend. Coincidentally, Barbadian artist Hal Linton released a video called "Choose Life" I think it fits my script. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-sj0kSEcP0

Mudiwa: save a life

I've never been there but I've heard stories. Stories of a time that does not exist anymore. Stories of freedom, stories of fun. I've never been there but I've heard stories of how hard it is just to get by. I've heard stories of how hard it is when you don't know where your next source of income will come from. I've heard stories of how hard it is to send your children to school without cash for school supplies; to keep them up to date with their lessons when classes simply are not in session anymore. I've never been there - but I've heard stories and with each Mudiwa purse you change these stories into stories of hope and stories of freedom.

Mudiwa: save a life

Mudiwa mission...

I am not Zimbabwean. I was raised in a country twenty one miles long and fourteen miles wide. I played on Barbados' sun kissed beaches, breathed fresh coastal air and have had my share of man of war stings and sea urchin sticks. I belong to a people who are industrious and who take pride in their accomplishments. I was born free and blessed with a future as bright as the Caribbean sun. I am the descendent of slaves brought against their will to an island on which they now thrive. I do not know what it means to belong to a country that although it is free, has been enslaved for over twenty years by paranoia and old ideas. I do not know what it means to work for a government that can only afford to pay in fictitious dollars that cannot be withdrawn or held. I do not know what it means to submit a request to the Central Bank of my country to withdraw funds from my own bank account to purchase medicine that will save my life. No – I am not Zimbabwean – but I am human. These injustices can last no longer! As long as I have a voice, God given talent and a sewing machine – the world will ignore Zimbabwe no longer. So with this I present to you Mudiwa – it is a borrowed name from the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Mudiwa means ‘beloved’. It is not in my tongue, it is not from my culture – but it is a universal concept. Humanity is precious and once you are born into this world you are Mudiwa to God.