All the Live8s in the World Won't Help This

The goal of the Live8 shindig, as I understand it, was to put pressure on First World political leaders to erase Third World (Africa, particularly) debt and reexamine the economic relationship between the two areas. Worthy goals, but one wonders how much difference that would make in a place like Angloa. As this horrifying story from the BBC lays out, religious superstition and custom run rampant in the country, sometimes masquerading as "medicine." As a result, lots of people, including many kids, are dying for the sake of someone else's beliefs. Take this passage, for instance:

Lying on the floor of the main hall was the limp, bloated body of an eight-year-old boy. Domingo Jose was barely conscious, his face, belly, arms, legs, even his fingers gorged and inflamed. He was barely alive.

Mr Kitoko took a large swig from a glass bottle and spat water into Jose's face. The child winced, too weak to cry out. Mud was smeared on his belly. The priest grabbed and twisted at Jose's groin.

It was clear this desperately ill boy belonged in hospital - but Mr Kitoko insisted he would respond to his traditional medicine. He explained his methods.

'First you start with holy water and mud, two things that are well prepared. Because you know that our bodies are all made of earth - and when we die and rot, the bones remain and the hair remains but every part of our bodies goes back to earth,' he said.

Or this one:

Sitting on the floor was a terrified, near naked girl of eight, her head shaven. She cowered as her mother and a pastor shouted at her.

This was an exorcism, the pastor told us. The mother's marriage had broken down, it was the child's fault as she was possessed with Kindoki.

Something had been rubbed into the girl's eyes as part of this ritual. Her ordeal had already lasted three days, and there was another 24 hours to go.

The pastor dismissed the risk the child could die from such treatment. He said: 'Why should the child die? If the child dies, it means the child is evil.'

I'm sorry, but all the economic benefits in the world won't significantly change the lives of people in these situations as long as such deadly superstitions take such deep route.

Of course, the First World doesn't look much better sometimes. As I type, ABC News is running a story about the Pope's negative opinion of the new Harry Potter book as presenting a false vision of Christianity and poisons the soul before Christianity can "take root." Thank goodness - more Harry Potter!