My wish for Africa in 2005:

I enjoy working with my digital photography software, mostly because I can create miracles.  Photo software is truly miraculous, you can take pounds off of people and make them look thinner without a diet, or add a few pounds and make them pleasingly plump.  You can make people taller, shorter, and wider all with some digital software.  The creation process alone will make you smile.  You can create instant transformations by airbrushing out any blemish from scratches in the film to red-eye effect with a simple click, or you can brighten, clear, add color, and make adjustments of various kinds.  It is amazing how one can work photographic miracles with a few clicks of the mouse or a few strokes on the keyboard.  There is even a magic wand that comes with my software.  You simply drag it across a picture, click on the mouse and voila change takes place before your very own eyes. If you make a mistake or even create some minor disaster, one does not have to fear, all can be changed with all of those wonderful digital tools and should all fail, there is always the undo command where everything is changed back to the way it was.  Then if you do not like the undo, there is the restore command that brings it back to the creation that you made possible.

When I was young I used to love to pretend to have magical powers.  I would dress up in a magicians outfit and with my sister Karin put on magical shows on my street, nothing magical but we had fun pretending. Now I am about 50 years older and there is still that desire for a magical transformation, for a miracle.  I would love to wield that magical wand that in an instant would transform the world from war to peace, from death and destruction to peace and prosperity, from famine and drought to fertile soil drenched by the rains

In the 60’s there was the song by Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes “If I had a Hammer.”  I would love to use that hammer to remove the dangers of our world.  I love to use it and bring about love between the people of our world, to see peace, justice, freedom reign in our midst.

I wish I could use a magical wand and transform Africa.  Use my undo button, if all fails the cancel buttons to bring about peace the north of Uganda where madness has reigned for many years as Kony Rebels sow fear, destruction, death and devastation.  I would bring my wand to the Congo where anarchy seems to be the rule of the day, where the UN has lacked the understanding and sensitivity to deal with all parties concerned.  I would love to bring peace to the Great Lakes region, which includes Rwanda which is deeply concerned about the Interhamwe elements that are still on the lose and raid both into Rwanda and also haunt the ethnic Tutsi population in the Congo.

I would love to use a special undo button for the Darfur region of Sudan and see intertribal hostilities dissipate into the desert air.  I love to move some special get along filters that would cause the people of Ivory Coast reconcile and live in peace.  I would love to take my digital software to Zimbabwe and create a whole new scene that brings unity and peace to that hurting country.

I would love to use my crop and delete button and take away AIDS, malaria, hunger, disease, wars, and everything else that has so deeply affected the people of Africa.  I would love to remove with my crop delete some of the tyrants from the various countries of Africa, that do not care about their citizens, but their own power and quest for more of whatever their power will allow. 

I would love to see more leaders in Africa that move in the spirit of Nelson Mandela who gained all the power as the president of South Africa, but then gained more by laying down that role and becoming a world class leader.  A leader that has gained the ear of all Africans, of the people of the world.  On the other hand people like President Mugabe are doing all they can to stay in power even when it has become obvious that the blessing has been lifted. 

May 2005 bring some refreshing and good changes to Mother Africa…jon