R & B singer Alicia Keys has been involved with the AIDS crisis in Africa long before Madonna wanted to adopt from Malawi and before Oprah built a school in South Africa.
Keys is a Keep A Child Alive (KCA) Ambassador. Through the organization, she traveled to Wentworth, South Africa, to help build a clinic for HIV testing and treatment, counseling for alcoholism and drug dependencies, nutrition courses and women’s empowerment.
Keys is no doubt a determined humanitarian, but it seems to me that the people who surround her use her famous name for their own personal agendas.
Keys’ longtime friend Erika Rose said it’s so much shame in Africa because of AIDS, but Keys can inspire Africans to take advantage of the clinic. She said in an article about Keys’ trip to South Africa, “…just because Alicia Keys put her name on this building, now it's cool to go get tested. Now it's cool to go get treatment.” I catch Rose’s drift, but it could have been worded better.
I understand what KCA means when it says it hopes the attention Keys gets will bring real results where progress has been sluggish, but doesn’t this make you think the organization is only trying to pick the biggest names in Hollywood to give Africans a bigger incentive to help themselves?
Don’t get me wrong- KCA is doing great things for the people of Africa.
I just feel that if Keys isn’t using her own name for fame, the company she keeps shouldn’t either.
4 comments:
India that is very much true. Most of the times people don't pay attention to a issue unless it is blown up by someone of higher authority or who has a couple of dollar signs behind their names. Why can't we just do things out of the kindness of our hearts instead of our pockets.
Here's my take on things. Whatever helps the people of Africa, whatever works to their benefit--that's a good thing.
YES, D, WHY?!lol
Now to Prof. Timbs: I understand your take; it's all good if they are benefiting, and most of the times IT IS WHAT IT IS, but just keep it as a personal hidden agenda instead of publicizing that Africans are going to engage more in the help if it is CELEBRITIZED (if this is a word). What is this saying about how America view people from other countries?Is this saying they are too ignorant to know that they can take advantage of the help even when a famous American isn't the one sponsoring the help?
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