Broughton Quarterly - Fall 2007 - (Page 4) larry’s letter AFRIC AN DREAM M Direct editorial inquiries to Editor@BroughtonQuarterly.com. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without consent from the publisher. Views expressed in Broughton Quarterly do not necessarily reflect views of the publisher or staff. Published four times a year. Electronic and hard copy subscriptions available free of charge limited to one copy per reader at www.BroughtonQuarterly.com Copyright 2007 by Broughton Hospitality Group, Inc. 7777 Center Ave. Suite 510 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 714.848.2224 www.BroughtonHospitality.com Larry Broughton, President Broughton Hospitality Broughton Quarterly Fall 2007 AIDEM y love affair with Africa began as a young boy. I’m not certain what first caught my heart, but at an early age I understood the continent was full of curious cultures and customs, strange foods, amazing animals, big skies, and adventure–the kinds of things that keep an imaginative boy awake at night. My first African Politics class at college rekindled the dream, and I felt the pull of unresolved love. I soon found myself exploring the countries of Kenya and Tanzania, where I once again fell head over heels for Africa, my dysfunctional mistress. She is a continent of contrast: Incredible wildlife, spectacular landscapes, and incomparable smiles coexist with the most horrendous human atrocities mankind has ever perpetrated. I just returned from a three-week adventure through the southern African country of Zimbabwe, a nation with the world’s highest inflation and lowest life expectancy rate. Fuel and water shortages are commonplace. Store shelves are empty and food lines for basic staples are part of daily life. The lack of food has become the political weapon of choice for the Zanu PF regime. With an estimated 3,500 Zimbabweans dying every week, it would appear the current regime either doesn’t care about its people or is deliberately engaged in a course of conduct designed to subjugate an entire nation. In the process, hundreds of thousands are dying unnecessarily every year. It would be easy to get lost in the sorrow and pain that permeates Zimbabwe, but I found an eternal river of hope flowing through the villages and churches I visited. The yin and yang of life is constantly on display in Africa, and I find it awe-inspiring. The Zimbabwean people sing, dance, and worship with their entire being–thankful to live one more day in anticipation of better times to come. The warmth of the African people once again touched my heart–and it has forever captured my soul. Zimbabwe is not at war. No blood is being spilled; people are just fading away, dying quietly and being buried quietly, with no fanfare–and so the world is mostly silent. I have written my Congressional representatives. I hope you will, too. Please visit www.ZimbabweSituation.com for more info, and lend your voice: www.House.gov, www.Senate.gov. PUBLISHER Larry Broughton EDITOR Matt Katz ART DIRECTOR Aaron C. Smith ILLUSTRATOR Kym Balthazar CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bob Ecker Chuck Graham Virginia Hayes Laura Kath Jennifer Rosen Jim Sichta Laura Stadler-Jensen PHOTOGRAPHERS Larry Broughton Bob Ecker Chuck Graham Paul Mills Laura Stadler-Jensen ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Melissa Chiaro 714.848.2224 Advertising@BroughtonQuarterly.com Editorial provided by Arcana Custom Media. ARCANA ARCANA CUSTOM MEDIA http://www.ZimbabweSituation.com http://www.House.gov http://www.Senate.gov http://www.BroughtonQuarterly.com http://www.BroughtonHospitality.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.