November 8

Page Two

Who Will Protect Our Wildlife? 3-11

The destruction of wildlife in Africa is typical of the situation in other parts of the world. Greed and superstition are two of the factors that contribute to the needless slaughter of animals. Who really cares?

As a Refugee, I Found True Justice 12

The anguished story of a Greek Palestinian who struggled to find a new life in a very different land.

Visible Proof of the Holocaust 16

The Holocaust is usually associated with the slaughter of millions of Jews. A new museum also remembers the Holocaust’s other victims.

Who Protects Africa’s Wildlife?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

SOME unkind things have been said about the way Africans view their wildlife heritage. ‘They have no real appreciation for it; they just view it as a source of food and money,’ some visitors say. A reason for these conclusions? Reserves are often full of Western tourists and very few locals. But a Zulu chief in South Africa once explained: “There are difficulties in the way of blacks visiting game reserves. To us wildlife conservation is a luxury which only a handful of blacks are in an economic position to enjoy.”

Many Africans today, unlike their forefathers, grow up in city slums, where they are cut off from wildlife. Also, rural dwellers are often victims of poverty and neglect. “Only those with full bellies can afford to preserve game purely for aesthetic, cultural and education reasons,” explained a game warden of a West African country.

In spite of these negative factors, wildlife is a popular theme in African art, as a visit to African curio shops will testify. Archaeology reveals wild animals as a theme of African art from ancient times. Is that not proof of an aesthetic appreciation for wildlife?

Consider the case of Abel and Rebecca, who have spent a number of vacations in game reserves of southern Africa. Yet, both grew up in black townships of South Africa. Rebecca’s interest in wildlife got started thanks to public zoos in Johannesburg and Pretoria. “As a child,” she explains, “the only time we saw wild animals was when we visited these zoos.”

Abel’s love for wildlife started differently. He often spent school holidays in the rurals with his grandparents. “My grandfather,” he recalls, “would point out different animals and explain their habits. I remember his telling me about the honey badger and a clever little bird, the greater honey guide, which is believed to lead animals to beehives.” Abel relates this fascinating experience he had as a 12-year-old boy.

“One day, while we were walking in the bush, my grandfather drew my attention to a small bird that seemed to be calling us. It was a honey guide. So we followed the bird as it flew ahead from bush to bush. This went on for over half an hour. Eventually the bird rested on a branch and stopped calling. My grandfather said we must now look around for the hive. Sure enough, we soon saw bees entering a hole under a rock. Carefully my grandfather extracted some honey. Then he took a piece of comb with larvae in it and placed it on the rock. This was his way of saying thank you to the bird for leading us to the beehive.”

This remarkable relationship between man and the honey guide has been well documented by ornithologists. “I will never forget the experience,” continues Abel. “It made me want to learn more about wildlife.”

A former Masai warrior of Tanzania, Solomon ole Saibull, who later qualified as a wildlife conservationist, put matters in perspective when he gently explained to a Western author: “I know a large number of Africans who appreciate not only the economics of wildlife preservation, but also the intangible values . . . These are people​—Africans—​who can sit and watch Nature as it manifests itself in different subtle ways. The setting sun over the mauve hills, the lush scenery and the landscapes of rivers and valleys, the variety and abundance of creatures in their entire freedom​—all forming a multitude of fascinating phenomena. Surely, this rather fine feeling is not confined to Europe and America?”

Yes, from humble township dwellers to highly educated scientists​—who can fail to be impressed by Africa’s wildlife heritage? A German veterinary student who recently visited South Africa and its Kruger National Park said: “I found the nature and wildlife to be the most interesting and fascinating thing about this country. With our small variety of big game and shortage of space in Germany, nature recreation and conservation on this scale is totally unknown to me.”

Tourists are also attracted to the vast wildlife reserves in Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. But perhaps the largest concentration of big game in Africa is found in and around the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania and Masai Mara Game Reserve of Kenya. These famous parks adjoin each other, and the animals are not fenced in. “Together,” explains International Wildlife magazine, “the Serengeti-Mara supports one of the world’s greatest wildlife populations: 1.7 million wildebeest, 500,000 gazelles, 200,000 zebras, 18,000 elands, plus a substantial number of elephant, lion and cheetah.”

John Ledger, editor of the South African journal Endangered Wildlife, paid his first visit to Kenya in 1992 and described it as ‘a dream come true.’ The Masai Mara, he wrote, “must be like the landscapes of yesterday that Cornwallis Harris [19th-century author and hunter] saw, as he explored the interior of South Africa in the 1820’s. Rolling grasslands, sparse thorn trees, and numerous wild animals, as far as the eye can see!”

A Shadow of Past Glory

Sadly, in much of Africa today, we see far fewer animals than European settlers saw in past centuries. For example, in 1824 the first white man settled in what became the British colony of Natal (now a province of South Africa). The small colony teemed with so much wildlife that hunting trophies and other wildlife products were its main trade. In one year, up to 62,000 wildebeest skins and zebra skins were shipped from Durban harbor, and in another record year, over 19 tons of ivory was exported. Soon, the white population had grown to over 30,000, but most of the game had been wiped out. “There is very little game left,” reported a Natal magistrate in 1878.

The same sad story can be told in other parts of Africa where colonial governments allowed the destruction of wildlife to continue well into the 20th century. Consider Angola, which gained independence from Portugal in 1975. “The record of the former colonial regime,” writes Michael Main in his book Kalahari, “is not impressive. In order to open the Huila District for cattle ranching, the notorious Diploma Legislativo Number 2242 of 1950 declared the area a free hunting zone. As a result, a mass slaughter of game took place . . . Virtually every large mammal was eliminated. It has been estimated that the slaughter included 1,000 black rhino, several thousand giraffe, and tens of thousands of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo. The Diploma was not repealed for nearly two and a half years, by which time the damage was done, and there were no animals left.”

But what is the situation today, and what kind of future awaits Africa’s wildlife?

[Box on page 5]

Wildlife Cash Reserves

Africa’s game reserves and national parks are scattered about this vast continent to an estimated total of 330,000 square miles [850,000 sq km]. That is equivalent to an area much larger than Britain and Germany combined.

In many of these wildlife reserves, you can see the so-called big five​—elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, and buffalo. From majestic eagles soaring in the skies to lowly dung beetles rolling their balls of manure across roads, there are numerous creatures to fascinate the eye.

Thousands of overseas tourists appreciate this wildlife. Each year they pour more than a billion dollars into countries that cater to wildlife enthusiasts. Yes, wildlife reserves bring in cash.

[Picture on page 4]

Not too long ago, countless thousands of wild animals were killed each year for trophies and skins in South Africa

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Courtesy Africana Museum, Johannesburg

Is There Room for Both Man and Beast?

WHY is wildlife decreasing in so many parts of Africa? (See box, opposite page.) Some blame the rapid growth of the continent’s human population.

True, some parts of Africa, especially around the cities, are overpopulated. Also, rural regions are overgrazed by the livestock of many peasant farmers. For example, consider the populous regions of Venda, Gazankulu, and Kangwane, which border Kruger National Park. These black homelands were formed as part of South Africa’s former apartheid policy and have population densities of from 180 to over 250 persons per square mile [70 to 100 per sq km]. Traveling through these regions on the way to enjoy a vacation in Kruger National Park can be disturbing. “Communities who live on the borders . . . are poor, mostly unemployed and starving,” explains the South African newspaper Sowetan. “The animals,” notes another local newspaper, The Natal Witness, “live in lush splendour on their side of the fence.”

According to recent reports, the Kruger Park authorities intend to do more to help the people on the park borders. But what would happen if all the fences were taken down and unrestricted access was allowed to hunters, herders, and settlers? Conservationists fear that eventually most wild animals would be wiped out, as has happened in other countries.

Well-managed game reserves play a vital role in the preservation of wildlife, especially in densely populated regions. Reserves can also bring much-needed cash from foreign tourists. (See box, page 5.) “These areas,” concludes African journalist Musa Zondi, in the Sowetan article referred to above, “also provide job opportunities for thousands of people​—especially those living next to these reserves. Furthermore, this is our heritage. We could not leave our children a better gift than these places.”

Overpopulation​—The Only Threat?

Human population explosion is not the only threat to Africa’s wildlife. Consider, for example, four large African countries that share common borders: Namibia, Botswana, Angola, and Zambia. These make up an area larger than India, yet have a combined population density of only 17 persons per square mile [6 per sq km]. That is not much when compared with the population densities of such countries as Germany, with 574 per square mile [222 per sq km]; Britain, with 611 per square mile [236 per sq km]; and India, with 713 per square mile [275 per sq km]! In fact, the population density for the whole of Africa, 58 per square mile [22 per sq km], is well below the world average of 103 [40].

“The human population in Africa is increasing rapidly,” admits Zambian Richard Bell in the book Conservation in Africa, “but the overall population density is still relatively low except in certain localised concentrations.”

Diseases, devastating droughts, international poaching operations, civil wars, and neglect of rural peasants all contribute to Africa’s decreasing wildlife.

The superpower struggle between the former Soviet Union and the West resulted in conflicts throughout Africa, with both sides pouring sophisticated weapons into the continent. Often, some of the automatic weapons have been turned on wildlife to feed starving armies and to obtain more weapons from the sale of elephant tusks, rhino horns, and other animal trophies and products. The rapid destruction of wildlife did not stop with the end of the Cold War. The weapons still remain in Africa. Regarding one of Africa’s civil wars, in Angola, the journal Africa South reports: “Poaching, already rife throughout the war, has escalated since the ceasefire because there has been no control of demobilised fighters.” And that war has since been renewed.

Many poachers risk their lives because of the huge amounts of money involved. “A single [rhino] horn can fetch $25,000,” reports an African newspaper, The Star. A conservationist, Dr. Esmond Martin, visited an Asian country in 1988 and found that the price of rhino horn had increased within three years from $695 to $2,114 a pound [$1,532 to $4,660 per kg].

Who Will Strike First?

Drastic measures have been taken to draw attention to the threat caused by the demand for ivory and rhino horn. In July 1989, millions of TV viewers throughout the world watched a huge pile of 12 tons of ivory, with an estimated value of between three million and six million dollars, being set on fire by Kenya’s president, Daniel arap Moi. Kenya’s director of wildlife, Dr. Richard Leakey, was asked how such apparent waste could be justified. “We would not have been able to convince people in America, Canada or Japan to stop buying ivory if we were still selling it,” he replied. Indeed, such measures shocked many people into cooperating with an international ban on ivory trade. The demand for ivory products sharply decreased.

With rhino, the story is different. Though Kenya’s president set fire to millions of dollars’ worth of rhino horn in 1990, the demand continues. (See box “Why Rhino Horn Is So Popular,” page 9.) To protect dwindling rhino populations, some countries have resorted to sawing off the horns of these creatures. Sometimes it is a desperate race as to who will strike first, the conservationist with immobilizing dart or the poacher with lethal automatic weapon.

A New Trend in Conservation

Western hunters and conservationists have long valued the animal-tracking abilities of rural dwellers. Indeed, many Africans have a remarkable knowledge of wildlife. “Much of this knowledge,” explains Lloyd Timberlake in his book Africa in Crisis, “is orally-transmitted, and is threatened as Africans leave the countryside for the cities . . . The world is thus in danger of losing what . . . anthropologist Leslie Brownrigg has called ‘many person-centuries of human scientific research.’”

In the past, colonial governments set up national parks by pushing out the peasants who for centuries had depended on wildlife for food. Now some African governments are seeking the help of these long-neglected rural farmers. “In several southern African nations,” reports Worldwatch Institute, “the state has ceded exclusive control over wildlife. Rural communities living in 10 of Zambia’s 31 Game Management Areas have been granted rights to wildlife; poaching has fallen dramatically and wildlife populations appear to be rebounding as a result.” There are other reports of success where rural peasants have become involved with their own conservation, such as among the black rhino and desert elephants of Kaokoland in Namibia, in game reserves of Kangwane in South Africa, and in other African countries.

In spite of this promising trend, conservationists remain concerned about the future. At best this new approach is only a temporary solution. In the long term, mankind’s rapid population growth remains a threat. “Over the next century,” explains U.S.News & World Report, “the human population is expected to increase by roughly 5 billion, mostly in developing countries that, not coincidentally, are also the last refuges for wildlife on the planet.”

As the human population expands into wilderness regions, a conflict develops between man and beast. “Many species of large African animal are incompatible with most forms of rural development, for example elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and crocodile, as well as some of the larger antelopes, primates and pigs,” explains the book Conservation in Africa.

Since man does not seem to have a solution to the long-term survival of Africa’s wildlife, who does?

[Box/​Map on page 7]

“Buffalo are down from 55,000 to fewer than 4,000, waterbuck from 45,000 to fewer than 5,000, zebra from 2,720 to about 1,000, and hippo have been reduced from 1,770 to about 260.”​—A comparison of two aerial surveys conducted in 1979 and 1990 in Mozambique’s Marromeu Delta and reported in the journal African Wildlife, March/​April 1992.

“In 1981 about 45,000 zebra migrated through the grasslands and forests [of northern Botswana]. But by 1991 only some 7,000 completed the same journey.”​—From the magazine Getaway in its review of the wildlife video Patterns in the Grass, November 1992.

“During our visit [to Togo, West Africa] we found an interesting and unexpected population of forest elephants in the Fosse aux Lions Nature Reserve . . . An aerial census carried out in March 1991 yielded a total of 130 animals. . . . [But in less than a year,] the numbers of elephants at Fosse aux Lions have dropped to 25.”​—Reported in the journal African Wildlife, March/​April 1992.

[Map]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

African game reserves play a vital role in preserving many species

AFRICA

MOROCCO

WESTERN SAHARA

MAURITANIA

ALGERIA

MALI

TUNISIA

LIBYA

NIGER

NIGERIA

EGYPT

CHAD

SUDAN

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIA

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

CAMEROON

CONGO

Cabinda (Angola)

GABON

ZAIRE

UGANDA

KENYA

SOMALIA

TANZANIA

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

MALAWI

NAMIBIA

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

BOTSWANA

MADAGASCAR

SOUTH AFRICA

SENEGAL

GAMBIA

GUINEA-BISSAU

GUINEA

BURKINA FASO

BENIN

SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

GHANA

TOGO

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

Fosse aux Lions

Nature Reserve

Masai Mara Game Reserve

Serengeti National Park

Marromeu Delta

Kruger National Park

Mediterranean Sea

Red Sea

Indian Ocean

Areas Cited in Article

Major National Parks

[Box/​Pictures on page 9]

Why Rhino Horn Is So Popular

“THREE LEGS Brand Rhinoceros Horn Anti-Fever Water.” That is the name of a popular medicine sold in Malaysia, according to the authors of the book Rhino, Daryl and Sharna Balfour. The label on this purported medicine contains this message: “This medicine is carefully prepared from the best selected Rhinoceros Horn and Anti-Fever Drugs, and under the direct supervision of Experts. This wonderful medicine acts like a charm in giving immediate relief to those suffering from: Malaria, High Temperature, Fever affecting the Heart and Four Limbs, Against Climate Giddiness, Insanity, Toothache, etc.”​—Italics ours.

Such beliefs are widespread in countries of Asia. Rhino horn in liquid or powder form is easily available in many Asian cities. In hopes of counteracting its popularity, the Balfours claim: “Taking a dose of rhino horn has the same medicinal value as chewing your fingernails.”

In Yemen, rhino horn is prized for another reason​—as a material for dagger handles. More than 22 tons was imported into the country during the decade of the ’70’s, and it is hard to find a suitable replacement. “The Yemenis,” explain the Balfours, “have found that there is nothing as good as rhino horn for durability as well as appearance. . . . The older [the dagger handles] get the better they look, taking on a translucency similar to amber with age.”

[Graphs/​Pictures on page 8]

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2,720

1,000

1979 Zebra population 1990

55,000

3,696

1979 Buffalo population 1990

1,770

260

1979 Hippo population 1990

45,000

4,480

1979 Waterbuck population 1990

Comparative trends in the Marromeu Delta wildlife populations for 1979 and 1990

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Bottom left: Safari-Zoo of Ramat-Gan, Tel Aviv

The One Who Will Protect Our Wildlife

FROM the dawn of human history, man has found delight in the study of wild animals. Sadly, though, after God gave man permission to add meat to his diet, appreciation for wildlife degenerated into needless slaughter and cruel trophy hunting.​—Genesis 2:19, 20; 9:2; 10:9; 25:27.

But some men continued to marvel at earth’s wildlife. About 3,000 years ago, the words of Psalm 104 were penned by a wildlife lover. He mentions various wild creatures by name, such as zebras, lions, mountain goats, rock badgers, and the stork. From his study of birds, birdsongs, and wild beasts, the psalmist was moved to burst forth in praise: “All of them in wisdom [Jehovah has] made.”​—Psalm 104:10-12, 17-21, 24.

Indeed, Jehovah God can rightly be pleased with his magnificent works of creation. (Genesis 1:31) Thus, we can be sure that he will not allow earth’s remaining wildlife to be wiped out. Consistent with that, God inspired the psalmist to record information that should be good news to all wildlife lovers. We are told that “the earth . . . will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5) Such concern for the everlasting welfare of this planet surely includes the creatures that live on it. (Isaiah 45:18) Jesus Christ verified God’s concern for wild creatures when he said: “Five sparrows sell for two coins of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them goes forgotten before God.” (Luke 12:6) God’s concern for his creatures is also highlighted at Psalm 104, verse 14, which reads: “He is making green grass sprout for the beasts, and vegetation for the service of mankind, to cause food to go forth from the earth.”

In harmony with these facts, Jehovah God will not forever tolerate humans who deny him and who threaten the future of the earth and its wildlife. Emphasizing this, Psalm 104 concludes with these reassuring words: “Sinners will be finished off from the earth; and as for the wicked, they will be no longer.”​—Psalm 104:35.

How comforting to know that God has expressed his determination “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) At that time other prophecies that are now being fulfilled in a figurative way will have a literal fulfillment. For example, through his prophet Hosea, Jehovah God declares: “I shall certainly conclude a covenant in that day in connection with the wild beast of the field and with the flying creature of the heavens and the creeping thing of the ground, and the bow and the sword and war I shall break out of the land, and I will make them lie down in security.”​—Hosea 2:18; Isaiah 11:6-9.

Picture yourself in that coming earthly Paradise. What a delightful time it will be! ‘But,’ you may wonder, ‘what is required to inherit such blessings?’ First of all, it is necessary to study God’s Word. Then, for those who submit to the Bible’s direction, Jehovah God makes this wonderful promise: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”​—Psalm 37:29.

As a Refugee, I Found True Justice

AS IT was still cold and there was snow on the ground, I dressed in a heavy coat. Then I swallowed a mixture of everything poisonous that I could find in my closet, including cleaning fluid (carbon tetrachloride). I made my way down to the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hoping that I would pass out there. Instead of death, all I got for my despair was five days in a hospital’s intensive care unit. What had led me to such a desperate measure? Let us go back to my origins.

I was born in Jaffa, Palestine, in 1932, a Greek Palestinian. I was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion, which meant weekly visits to church and fasts when they were called for. But it was a meaningless routine for me.

My parents were fairly well-off, since our family had an extensive food and liquor distribution company. At the age of ten, I was sent to the Friends’ Boarding School in Ramallah and then to the St. George’s Anglican School in Jerusalem. The latter made quite an impression on me​—there were students of Christian, Arab, and Jewish backgrounds all studying together in relative peace. The school taught reconciliation, good manners, and courtesy. But the school and reality were two different things.

During my childhood, civil strife was the order of the day, with Jews, Arabs, and British acting like scorpions in a bottle. As a small child, I witnessed the killing of a man outside our house. Many times my parents had near-misses in cross fire. Then World War II made Haifa, an important port city, a target for German bombardment​—more death and destruction.

With the end of the British mandate over Palestine coming up in May 1948, civil strife intensified. In July 1946 the King David Hotel, Jerusalem’s most prestigious, was blown up. The death toll was indiscriminate​—41 Arabs, 28 British, 17 Jews, and 5 others. Our family decided to flee the anarchy. We moved in one night to Cyprus, where Mother had relatives. Dad left behind his business and his various properties.

These events shaped my early attitudes. At 16 years of age, I was interested in politics and read the newspapers daily to keep up with events. Egypt’s leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, was my idol. He weakened foreign influence in his country.

In 1950 our family moved to the United States. The Korean War was in progress, and I wanted to do my part for a country that had saved my family from an oppressive situation. I volunteered for the Air Force, where I rose to the rank of staff sergeant. However, I never got to Korea​—only as far as the air base at Omaha, Nebraska.

A Reformer at a Theological School

After my release from the Air Force, I went to the University of Texas and then to Ohio University, where I gained a degree in economics. I was very outspoken about injustices in the Middle East and was even invited to lecture on the subject. An Episcopal professor, Dr. David Anderson, who heard me speak, suggested that I accept a scholarship to the Episcopal Theological School in Boston for a postgraduate course. Since I did not agree with a paid clergy system, I had no intention of becoming a clergyman. Nevertheless, in 1958, I was accepted at the school.

The study course included working in mental institutions along with chaplains. The theoretical and academic side of the school was very interesting, but I wanted to see more action and justice in the world. So I founded a reform action group called “His Name Made Known Amongst All the Nations.” I wanted the school to be action oriented. I wanted to follow Jesus, not to the library, but to the world.

However, I soon discovered that my suggested reforms were not going to be implemented. Eventually, I was invited to leave the school. About this time I fell in love with a young woman who was the culmination of my search for a person with whom I could share my future. I felt we were made for each other. Then I discovered that she did not reciprocate my feelings. The sudden jolt of rejection was overwhelming. It was the final straw that led to the attempt I made on my life.

A Career as a Teacher

After a period of rehabilitation, I attended New York’s Columbia University to pursue a master’s program for teaching geography and history. During all this time, I was still looking for what I called real Christianity in action. My teaching took me to South Glens Falls, New York. There a big change took place in my life. I met a teacher named Georgia who became my wife and partner in 1964.

I was still very political and followed the speeches of Senator James Fulbright, who spoke out against the war in Vietnam. I too was against that war. A big blow came with the death of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. I was so affected that I attended his funeral in Washington.

My Search for Christianity

In 1966 we moved to Long Island, New York, where I took up a teaching post at Northport High School. I was deeply concerned about world events​—it was the period of drug innovation, hippies, and Jesus freaks. I attended a charismatic group and saw that they too were falling short of the true Christian message, with more emphasis on emotion than action. On another occasion I even heard an Episcopal minister advocate the war in Vietnam. I began to think that some atheists were more humane than church people.

I lost my faith in God but not in the political value of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. For me he broke the cycle of hatred with his teaching, and I saw that as the solution to the Middle East problem. I tried so many religions​—Catholic, Salvation Army, Baptist, Pentecostal—​but always came away with the empty feeling that they were not practicing the Christianity of the early Christians. Then, in 1974, I met a real-estate agent who changed my life.

His name was Frank Born. I was consulting him about some property. In the course of the conversation, he pulled out a Bible. I immediately rejected it, saying: “You can’t find anybody who lives by those principles.” He responded: “Come with me, and see for yourself at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” But I wanted him to answer some basic questions before I would visit his Kingdom Hall.

Number one: “Do you have a paid clergy?” His answer was: “No. All our elders are volunteers who support themselves and their families by their secular work.” My next question was: “Do you meet in private homes as the early Christians did to study the Bible?” The answer was: “Yes. We have a weekly meeting in private homes in different parts of the neighborhood.” My third question must have seemed unusual to him. “Does your church send a minister to presidential inauguration ceremonies to pray for the president?” Frank responded: “We are neutral in all political affairs and take no part. Our allegiance is to God’s Kingdom as the only solution to the problems afflicting mankind today.”

I could not believe what I was hearing. I could not wait to see where these Christians met. What did I find? Not emotionalism but a rational approach to the Bible. Their meetings were educational, qualifying people to explain and defend their Christian faith. They were an action group, getting out among the people to find those who yearn for God’s just rule. Here was my answer to the Middle East problem​—people of all races, languages, and cultures joined in the peaceful worship of the Sovereign Lord of the universe, Jehovah God. And all of this in accordance with the example and teaching of Christ. Here there was no hatred and strife. Just peace and unity.

I became a baptized Witness in 1975, and Georgia followed me in that step five years later. We have two sons, Robert and John, who are actively proclaiming the good news of God’s Kingdom.

Changed Attitudes

Over the years my attitudes have softened. Formerly, I was an abrasive militant with very little sympathy for others’ ideals. Like so many millions, my thinking had been manipulated by false religion and politics. Now I realize that God is not partial and that honesthearted people of all races can serve him in peace and unity.

In the ranks of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have found people of every conceivable background, people who formerly hated others. Now, like me, they have come to realize that God truly is love, and that is one of the things that Jesus came to teach us. He said: “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35)​—As told by Constantine Louisidis.

[Picture on page 13]

Ten-year-old Constantine Louisidis attending Friends’ Boys School

[Picture on page 14]

A big blow came with the death of President John F. Kennedy

New Weapon Against Malaria

AS REPORTED in Awake! of May 8, 1993, malaria is making a comeback as a world scourge. The New York Times (March 23, 1993) reported that “last year, Brazil recorded 560,000 malaria cases.” Annually 8,000 Brazilians die from malaria. Now a Colombian investigator, Dr. Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, has come up with a different approach​—a synthetic chemical vaccine that only costs 30 cents for three doses. “Less than the price of a Coca-Cola [in Colombia],” said Dr. Patarroyo. As of now it has proved to be effective in about 67 percent of the cases treated. While not a complete answer to deadly malaria, it appears to be a big step forward in the antimalaria battle.

Visible Proof of the Holocaust

AS YOU ENTER A PLACE EXHIBITING HUMANITY at its lowest, it seems strange to find these words from the Holy Bible engraved in stone: “You Are My Witnesses.” Yet, perhaps this is the place to quote the Bible, at least that particular verse.​—Isaiah 43:10.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., inaugurated April 22, 1993, stands as a stark and sober reminder of technology twisted by amoral demagogues into an unspeakable death machine. The catalog of defenseless victims murdered by Nazi tyranny numbs the mind​—about six million Jews and millions of other people, including Poles, Slavs, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, homosexuals, and the disabled.

A Tour to Remember

The tour begins in a cool, gray steel elevator that takes you from the first floor Hall of Witness to the fourth floor. From there, as visitors wend their way down, they pass exhibits of all phases of the Holocaust, from Nazi propaganda to Hitler’s rise to power to the roundup of victims to the liberation of the death camps. The tour ends up in the Hall of Remembrance, where an eternal flame burns. Eyewitness testimonies, still and moving images, music and artwork​—all are used to help tell this gruesome story.

Visitors witness three levels of a relentlessly evocative and overpowering permanent exhibition. Some of the more horrific exhibits hide behind four-foot-high [1.2 m] privacy walls, too high for children to see over.

A Museum to Educate

The museum’s Holocaust Research Institute includes a comprehensive library and archive. It will also serve as an international center for Holocaust scholarship. “We are dedicated to the instruction and education of the public,” says Dr. Elizabeth Koenig, director of the Museum Library. The library will have information on some of the minority groups that were in the concentration camps. “We already have a lot on Jehovah’s Witnesses,” she says.

In 1933, Hitler launched a campaign to annihilate Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thousands of Witnesses​—from Germany, Austria, Poland, the former Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, France, and other countries—​were transported to concentration camps. They were persecuted on religious grounds only. Two of these camp survivors were invited to the museum’s opening.

Holocaust Survivors

One survivor, Franz Wohlfahrt, 73, saw a total of 15 members of his immediate family and relatives arrested because they were Witnesses. “Seven of them were executed, the majority by guillotine. One was gassed, and the others died in concentration camps and Gestapo jails,” he recounts.

Did he think he would ever survive the camps? “I had real doubts,” Franz says. “Almost every day I was reminded by the guards that if Germany lost the war, they still would have enough ammunition to execute me.”

Does he regret having been a prisoner because of his religious beliefs? “Never! Never!” says Franz, as though the thought were an insult to his resoluteness. “We were always in a happy mood. Many times I was stopped by guards who would ask: ‘In all this misery, you still have a smile on your face? What’s wrong with you?’ Then I’d say: ‘I have a reason to smile because we have a hope beyond this difficult time​—a hope in God’s Kingdom when everything will be restored and everything made good for what we have to go through today.’”

Joseph Schoen, born in 1910, was kept busy in the underground operation of printing and distributing Bible literature in Austria, always keeping one step ahead of the Gestapo​—until 1940, when they arrested him. From 1943 to 1945, he was under constant threat of death. In 1943 the concentration camp leader, in front of all assembled personnel, singled Joseph out and barked, “You still stick to the God Jehovah?”

“Yes, I do,” answered Joseph.

“Then your head is going to roll!”

The year 1945 found Joseph on the death march to Dachau. “From a physical standpoint, I was a wreck,” he remembers. “Yet I was never as strong in my faith as I was on that march.”

Now, touring the museum and reflecting on his days of imprisonment, he says: “I wasn’t scared then at all. Jehovah gives you what you need, when you need it. You have to learn how to rely upon Jehovah and see how real he is when it comes to the worst. All credit goes to him. None of us were heroes. We just relied upon Jehovah.”

The Museum’s Value

“I think there’s a tremendous amount of significance to this museum,” says historian Dr. Christine Elizabeth King, pro-vice chancellor of Staffordshire University in England. “First of all, it’s the record. And it’s here to dispute those who say: ‘This never happened.’ There is so much evidence, as well as the living witnesses who survived the Holocaust. Secondly, the museum is an excellent educational tool.”

“And for Jehovah’s Witnesses,” she continues, “it’s very important to be able to see their brothers and sisters who have suffered and who have died and who have given their lives. To see that recorded is something very special.”

[Box on page 18]

The text on the column reads:

“JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES”

“Nazi harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses began in 1933. Because they refused military service and would not swear allegiance to the regime, Witnesses were often accused of espionage and conspiracy against the state. The Nazis interpreted the Witnesses’ predictions of future anarchy as revolutionary threats, and their prophecies about the return of Jews to Palestine, as Zionist statements.

“Nevertheless, the Witnesses continued to meet, preach, and distribute literature. They lost their jobs, pensions, and all civil rights, and beginning in 1937 they were sent to concentration camps. There, the Nazis designated them as ‘voluntary prisoners’: Jehovah’s Witnesses who renounced their beliefs could be freed. Not one of them recanted.”

[Box on page 19]

“It’s an Important Story to Tell”

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are one of the most remarkable stories. Because of their religious beliefs, they were one of the first religions banned . . . by the Nazi German government in 1933. That was simply because they saw their obeisance and their obligation to a higher law, the law of God. As a result of this, they were persecuted as mercilessly as Jews and Gypsies and placed in concentration camps where many of them lost their lives.

“It’s an important story to tell. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of it [was] that of the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When their father had to be taken to a camp and their mother was under arrest, they would be placed in a back row of the school, together with Jewish and Gypsy children. If the children remained unwilling to use the ‘Heil Hitler!’ salute or make any other obeisances to the Nazi State, they were classified as juvenile delinquents for nothing more than their beliefs. And these children, of course, paid not only for their parents’ ostensible and alleged crimes, which were crimes of conscience, but paid also for the fact of being their children.”​—Dr. Sybil Milton, chief historian of the museum.

[Picture on page 16]

Concentration-camp coats with the purple triangle badge identified Jehovah’s Witnesses

[Picture on page 17]

Holocaust survivors Franz Wohlfahrt (left) and Joseph Schoen with historian Dr. Christine King at the exhibit “The Victims”

[Picture on page 17]

Boxcars similar to this one hauled Wohlfahrt and Schoen to concentration camps

[Picture on page 18]

Above: Survivors Wohlfahrt (left) and Schoen at the “Enemies of the State” video history display that includes Jehovah’s Witnesses

[Picture on page 18]

Below: Maria and Franz Wohlfahrt at exhibit that includes the Bible of Johann Stossier, Maria’s brother. “Johann somehow hid it for quite a while before it was discovered,” says Franz. “The Bible was the only belonging that was sent back to his mother after his execution”

[Picture on page 18]

Next to the displayed Bible, the text reads: “This Bible belonged to Johann Stossier, a Jehovah’s Witness imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Stossier died shortly before Soviet troops liberated the camp”

[Picture on page 19]

“How fragile are the safeguards of civilization,” said U.S. President Clinton at the museum’s dedication. “The Holocaust reminds us forever that knowledge divorced from values can only serve to deepen the human nightmare, that a head without a heart is not humanity”

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Is Jehovah a War God?

SOME readers of the Bible have long accused Jehovah of being a war god, and a bloodthirsty one at that. For example, George A. Dorsey, in his book The Story of Civilization​—Man’s Own Show, claims that the God of the Bible, Jehovah, “is the God of plunderers, of torturers, of warriors, of conquest, of every savage passion.” Bible critic Roland H. Bainton pointedly says: “War is more humane when God is left out of it.”

Is Jehovah really a war god? Does he, as some suggest, actually enjoy slaughtering innocent people?

Past Judgments

True, the Bible candidly relates Jehovah God’s past adverse judgments. However, they were always against ungodly people. For example, it was not until the earth of Noah’s day became “filled with violence” that Jehovah said: “Here I am bringing the deluge of waters upon the earth to bring to ruin all flesh in which the force of life is active.” (Genesis 6:11, 17) Regarding another judgment, it was only because the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had “abandoned themselves to sexual immorality and were bent on perverted sensuality” that God caused it to “rain sulphur and fire.”​—Jude 7, The New Berkeley Version; Genesis 19:24.

Did God relish bringing all flesh to ruin in Noah’s day? Or did he derive some fiendish pleasure from destroying the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah? For an answer, let us look at the events surrounding the Flood of Noah’s day. After stating that God would wipe wicked mankind off the surface of the ground in order to cleanse the earth of violence, the Bible says: “Jehovah . . . felt hurt at his heart.” Yes, it grieved God that “every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only bad all the time.” Hence, to save as many as possible from the impending Deluge, God dispatched Noah, “a preacher of righteousness,” to sound a warning message and to build an ark for preservation.​—Genesis 6:3-18; 2 Peter 2:5.

In like manner, before sending angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, God said: “I propose to go down and see whether or not they have done all that is alleged in the outcry against them . . . I am determined to know.” (Genesis 18:20-32, The Jerusalem Bible) Jehovah assured Abraham (whose nephew Lot lived in Sodom) that if His search revealed just ten righteous men, the cities would be spared. Would a God that delights in spilling blood have such merciful concern? On the contrary, could we not say that one of the dominant personality traits of Jehovah is mercy? (Exodus 34:6) He himself says: “I take delight, not in the death of the wicked one, but in that someone wicked turns back from his way and actually keeps living.”​—Ezekiel 33:11.

Adverse judgments from God have always resulted because wicked people adamantly refuse to abandon a bad course, not because Jehovah enjoys killing people. But you may wonder, ‘Did not Jehovah encourage the Israelites to war with the Canaanites and to annihilate them?’

God’s Wars Needed for Peace

History paints a sordid picture of Canaanite life​—they were exceedingly wicked. Spiritism, child sacrifice, sadistic violence, and various forms of perverted sex worship were the order of the day. As a God of justice who exacts exclusive devotion, Jehovah could not allow these disgusting practices to disrupt the peace and security of innocent people, especially Israel. (Deuteronomy 5:9) For example, imagine if the community in which you live was without a reputable police force or militia to enforce the laws of the land​—would that not lead to anarchy and violence of the worst kind? Similarly, Jehovah was compelled to act against the Canaanites because of their licentiousness and the real danger they posed to pure worship. Therefore, he decreed: “The land is unclean, and I shall bring punishment for its error.”​—Leviticus 18:25.

Divine justice was carried out when God’s executional forces​—the Israelite armies—​destroyed the Canaanites. The fact that God chose to use humans to carry out this judgment, rather than fire or flood, did not diminish the sentence. Thus, when warring with the seven nations of Canaan, the Israelite armies were instructed: “You must not preserve any breathing thing alive.”​—Deuteronomy 20:16.

As a respecter of life, however, God did not sanction indiscriminate killing. For example, when the residents of one Canaanite city, Gibeon, asked for mercy, Jehovah granted it. (Joshua 9:3-27) Would a vicious war god have done this? No, but a God who loves peace and justice would.​—Psalm 33:5; 37:28.

Jehovah’s Standards Promote Peace

Time and again, the Bible associates God’s blessing with peace. That is because Jehovah is a lover of peace, not war. (Numbers 6:24-26; Psalm 29:11; 147:12-14) Consequently, when King David desired to build a temple of worship to Jehovah, God told him: “You will not build a house to my name, for a great deal of blood you have spilled on the earth before me.”​—1 Chronicles 22:8; Acts 13:22.

While on earth, the Greater David, Jesus Christ, spoke of a time when God’s love of justice would no longer allow him to tolerate the present-day evil we see. (Matthew 24:3, 36-39) As he did in the Flood of Noah’s day and in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God will soon take judicial action to rid the earth of selfish, wicked men, thus paving the way for peaceful conditions to exist under his heavenly Kingdom rule.​—Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; Daniel 2:44.

Clearly, Jehovah is not a war god who lusts for blood. On the other hand, he does not shrink back from exacting judicial punishment when it is due. God’s love of goodness requires that he act in behalf of those who love him by destroying the wicked system that oppresses them. When he does so, true peace will flourish earth wide as the truly meek ones unitedly worship Jehovah, “the God of peace.”​—Philippians 4:9.

[Picture Credit Line on page 20]

David and Goliath/​The Doré Bible Illustrations/​Dover Publications, Inc.

Young People Ask . . .

Why Are My Parents So Moody?

“MOM is just impossible,” says young Jeanette.a “If she is tired, she takes it out on me. Nothing I say is right.” Jim has a similar problem. “When something goes bad,” he claims, “they’ll take things out on you for no good reason. Say the car doesn’t start up. My dad will yell at me​—as if it were my fault!”

It is a widespread complaint among teenagers: Their parents are moody, grouchy, unpredictable. One day, they are happy, cheerful, and trusting. The next day, they are down in the dumps and critical of everything you say and do. “They yell at me for no reason,” laments one youth.

As confusing as it may sometimes seem, however, almost everybody​—parents included—​goes through different moods from time to time. It’s part of being human. The Bible thus tells of various individuals as being in “a merry mood,” “a gentle mood,” or even in “a fighting mood.” (Esther 1:10; Job 11:19; Acts 12:20) Some mood changes appear to be linked to various biological cycles. Women, for example, often experience mood swings during phases of the menstrual cycle. And it is not unusual for members of both sexes to experience a physical or emotional low in mid-afternoon and the evening.

Stresses and Strains

An article in American Health notes: “Many a bad mood has physical roots. While illness and poor diet can set the stage, fatigue is usually the prime culprit.” These are “critical times hard to deal with,” and in many if not most families, both mother and father must work outside jobs. (2 Timothy 3:1) Fatigue and exhaustion are common side effects. Stressed out by unrelenting pressures, some parents may feel like righteous Job, who described himself as “saturated with affliction.”​—Job 10:15; 14:1.

When parents are so preoccupied with their own difficulties, communication can suffer. Complains young Jason: “They tell you to do something, and you do it. But then they claim they told you to do something else, and they get upset. You get mad, and then they punish you for being upset!”

At times the pressures of life may also deplete parents of the emotional energy needed to respond to your needs. Says Proverbs 24:10: “Have you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress? Your power will be scanty.” One parent confessed: “I often pick Diana up from school when I’m on my way home from work. She’ll get in the car and start talking to me about all the things that happened at school that day​—and some days I just don’t have the energy to listen. I’m too exhausted and preoccupied with my own day’s events to have patience for hers.” It may feel like personal rejection when parents act this way, but often it amounts to little more than fatigue.

“It is also possible,” notes writer Clayton Barbeau, “your parents have problems you know nothing about. Many youngsters underestimate the economic difficulties of family life. Given housing and food expense and the job insecurities of the modern workplace, your parents could be worried about things they haven’t told you but are discussing between themselves.” Or they may be dealing with responsibilities that are confidential in nature. One Christian father serves as an overseer in a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Says his daughter: “Sometimes when he has a bunch of congregation problems on his mind, he gets really grouchy. He tries not to take it out on us, but he has so much stress that he can’t deal with other things.” Proverbs 12:25 puts it well: “Anxious care in the heart of a man is what will cause it to bow down.”

Your parents may try valiantly to hide such distress from you. But it is as a proverb puts it: “Because of the pain of the heart there is a stricken spirit.” (Proverbs 15:13) At times their inward pain may get the best of them, and the smallest of irritations can trigger an outpouring of pent-up frustration. “Sometimes when my dad gets home from work,” says one teenage girl, “he’s kind of angry because of what happened at work. And if I forgot to do something, then my dad tells me about that. Then he looks around for something else he can yell at me about.”

Now, there is no question that abusive speech should be avoided. (Colossians 3:8) Parents are commanded by God not to irritate their children. (Ephesians 6:4) But even the righteous man Job, under the pressure of distressing circumstances, found himself uttering “wild talk.” (Job 6:3) So before you begin judging your folks harshly, ask yourself: ‘How do I react when I’ve had a bad day or when I’m feeling under a lot of pressure? Do I sometimes get grumpy or irritable?’ If so, perhaps you can be more forgiving of your parents.​—Compare Matthew 6:12-15.

One teenage youth named Chad found out firsthand just how stressful his father’s life is. “I work with my father in his auto paint and repair business,” he says, “and now I can see how much pressure he’s under. He’s running in a million directions all day!”

Crisis in Mid-Life

At 2 Corinthians 7:5, the apostle Paul admitted that he had “fears within.” Some of your parents’ moods may be triggered by internal anxiety. Says the book The Healthy Adolescent: “Just as the adolescent struggles with the problems of youth, so do parents struggle with problems of age. The latter are nearing middle age, which, like the teen years, is a difficult period full of its own crises.”

For some parents the realization that they are getting older is disturbing. “I began to feel that my life was ending,” said one father. “My work was no longer exciting, my children were preparing to leave me, I felt old, and I couldn’t think of anything to look forward to but retirement.” While you enjoy being in “the prime of life,” they may be enduring the physical problems that have come with increasing age. (Ecclesiastes 11:10) Your mother, for example, may be experiencing the hormonal changes of menopause and its often annoying symptoms​—fatigue, backaches, hot flashes, and mood swings, to name just a few.b

The nearer you grow to adulthood, the more your parents must face the reality of the Bible’s words at Genesis 2:24: “A man will leave his father and his mother.” Why, already you may be taking big strides toward independence from them! The book Talking With Your Teenager states: “This can really hurt. . . . We [parents] may sense that we are not loved in the same way we used to be . . . Our adolescents are often more distant, less demonstrative, more defensive. Their desire not to be with us, to have experiences outside the family, to make decisions or formulate plans independent of our influence demonstrates that we’re less important in their lives than we were.”

It is therefore easy to see why at times your parents may be especially moody or touchy when it comes to issues involving your growing independence. Young Steve says: “My parents are forgetful. You tell them you are going out, and later they ask, ‘Where are you going?’ You say, ‘I told you I was going to play volleyball.’ They say, ‘You never told us,’ and they start yelling at you. It happens all the time.” But what you may perceive as pettiness or grouchiness may simply reveal their deep love and concern for you. They know how bad the world is, and though they recognize your need to be independent, at times they may fear for your welfare. (Compare 2 Corinthians 11:3.) They may overreact to things or be inconsistent. Should you love them any less?

Putting Parents in Perspective

When you were younger, you may have seen your parents as all-knowing and all-powerful. As you get older and wiser, perhaps their flaws become more apparent. And when parents are occasionally moody or grouchy, it can be easy to start looking down on them. But the Bible warns against ‘holding a parent in derision.’ (Proverbs 30:17) Besides, it may very well be that they are not the only moody ones in your household. “Sometimes I get moody too,” admitted one girl. Perhaps you are touchy, sullen, or uncommunicative far more than you realize.

Whatever the case, rather than looking at your parents with a critical eye, try to develop “fellow feeling” and empathy toward them. (1 Peter 3:8) As the next article in this series will show, this can help you deal with their moods.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 23]

Many parents are simply stressed out by the demands of life

Let’s Eat Cassava!

By Awake! correspondent in Nigeria

CUTLASS in hand, Janyere hacks his way through the overgrown cassava plot. A straw hat shades him from the blistering equatorial sun. Selecting a plant some ten feet [3m] tall, he grabs the stem with both hands and gently pulls. Out of the ground pop the roots and tubers. He lops them off with his cutlass and puts them in a flat tray with other tubers he has just uprooted. Ngozi, his wife, picks up the pan, places it on her head, and together they set off for home.

This simple harvesting procedure is familiar to millions throughout the tropics who regularly enjoy cassava.a In Africa alone about 200 million people rely on cassava for more than half of their daily calorie intake. And its popularity is growing. Some experts say that by the year 2000, the number of people dependent on cassava may double the number of those who relied on it during the mid-1980’s.

Have you eaten cassava? If you live in a temperate area of the earth, you may say no. But do not be so sure! Cassava starch is an important ingredient in sauces, gravies, baby foods, mustards, tapioca products, thickening agents, confectionery, and bread. Even the meat you eat or the milk you drink may come from animals who have been fed powdered cassava as part of their diet.

In addition to its contribution to the food industry, cassava is used in making adhesives, pastes, and paints.

Growing It Is Easy

But for most Africans, such as Janyere and Ngozi, cassava is grown to be eaten. Though low in protein, its bulky tubers are rich in carbohydrates. Pound for pound, cassava packs more than two and a half times as many calories as either maize or yam, Africa’s next two most important staple foods. Its young shoots and leaves are good to eat​—high in vitamins, minerals, and proteins.

One big factor contributing to the importance of cassava is that it is so easy to grow. No extensive land preparation is required, other than removing shrubs and vines and making sure that there is some sunlight. When the soil is moist, the farmer plants stem cuttings from which the cassava will grow. It doesn’t require a lot of weeding, and it needs little or no fertilizer, fungicide, or insecticide. It also can be harvested at any time of the year.

Cassava is amazingly hardy. It grows well in good soil and in poor. It thrives from sea level up to altitudes of 6,500 feet [2,000 m]. It flourishes in areas of heavy rainfall, but it is also fruitful in climates where there is no rain for nine months of the year. Even if a fire should burn it to the ground, cassava sprouts afresh from its base!

Processing It Is Hard Work

So from the time it is planted until the harvest, cassava is relatively labor-free. Once it is out of the ground, however, the real work begins. In fact, the work involved from harvest to dinner table may equal or surpass all preharvest activities.

This work must begin quickly. Had he wanted to, Janyere could have stored the cassava tubers for up to two years by simply leaving them unattended in the ground. But once they are uprooted, the tubers must be processed within 48 hours or they will begin to rot.

Ngozi wants to make gari, a favorite of Nigerians. First she peels the cassava with a knife; then she washes it. Ngozi and Janyere now take the peeled cassava to their friend Alex who has a grinder. The grinder mashes the tubers into pulp. The pulp is then put in a porous sack, and the liquid is squeezed out in Alex’s press.

But the work is not over yet! Next the cassava pulp must be dried for several days. Janyere then sifts it with a raffia sifter. After that, Ngozi fries it, turning it over with a wooden plate so that it does not burn. The cassava, having reached this stage of processing, is now called gari.

Though Ngozi has chosen just one of many ways to process her cassava, most cassava in Africa is processed by women at farm or village level. Shortcuts are not advisable, since cassava contains small quantities of cyanide, highly poisonous to humans and animals. Thorough processing reduces the cyanide content to a safe level.

Dinnertime!

Now, at last, it is time to eat! Gari, mixed with coconut milk, makes a delicious pudding. It can also be made into biscuits. But Ngozi and Janyere decide instead to eat eba, which is made by simply stirring the gari into hot water.

Throughout Africa cassava dishes are as varied as the names given them. In Côte d’Ivoire it is served up with meat and vegetables as attieke. In Ghana, cassava combined with fish or egg sauce makes a one-dish meal called garifoto. In Tanzania, when you ask for ugali, you will be served cassava (in the form of a thick paste) with soup. In Cameroon, people go for kumkum. And in Sierra Leone, especially on Saturdays, cassava lovers insist on their foofoo!

Whatever you call it, cassava is a big part of African life. So big, in fact, that many people feel that if they have not eaten cassava, even though they have had something else, they have not really eaten at all!

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 26]

Peeling and washing cassava

Grinding

Sifting

Frying

Watching the World

Child Killers

Three diseases cause nearly two thirds of the 13 million deaths among children in the developing world each year, noted the African newspaper Lesotho Today. These diseases are pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles. The report adds that such diseases could be treated or prevented by means that are available and affordable. For example, pneumonia, the biggest child killer, is responsible for 3.5 million child deaths a year. In most cases the problem is bacterial and can be controlled by a course of antibiotics that lasts for five days and costs 25 cents. Diarrhea claims three million young lives a year. About half of those deaths could be prevented if parents used an inexpensive oral rehydration therapy. Measles cause 800,000 child deaths each year. The report indicates that this could be prevented through vaccination. The measles vaccine costs less than 50 cents per child.

Death by the Gun

Out of every 4 deaths among young Americans, 1 involves a gun. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, as reported in the International Herald Tribune, guns kill more young people that are from 15 to 24 years of age than do all natural causes combined. Only motor vehicle accidents kill more people in that age group. During 1990, the most recent year for which statistics are complete, the number of teenagers shot to death in homicides, suicides, or accidents was almost 4,200. In 1985 the figure was about 2,500.

Can the Earth Be Rescued?

Nothing less than drastic changes in government policies and in people’s attitudes will rescue the earth’s ecosystems from destruction, according to a report from Worldwatch Institute. The report warns that if such problems as population growth, increasing carbon emissions, depletion of the ozone layer, vanishing forests, and erosion of topsoil persist, there will be too many people on this planet and not enough resources to sustain them. It also states that recycling and conservation programs alleviate the problem but that such measures are insufficient. For a significant solution, sweeping changes by government, industry, and the public are needed.

Fighting Cholera

Red wine vinegar can prevent the spread of cholera, according to the Brazilian magazine Manchete. A test performed by the Food Institute of the Secretary of Agriculture and Supplies of São Paulo revealed that red wine vinegar is a hundred times more efficient than bleach in disinfecting contaminated vegetables. The magazine reports that vinegar reduced cholera bacteria on lettuce by 10,000 times while chlorinated water did so only by 100 times. The recommended solution is a mix of five tablespoons [70 cc] of vinegar for every quart [liter] of water.

Stressed-Out Mothers

Which sector of the population in Germany suffers most from stress? According to a study by the Medical Sociological Department of the University of Medicine at Hanover, “mothers as a whole are subjected to greater mental and physical strain and distress than any other sector of the population.” The Nassauische Neue Presse, which reported on the study, commented that “more than twice as many mothers visit the doctor plagued with feelings of tension, stomachache, anxiety, and disturbed sleep than members of other groups of the population.” Upon seeking medical advice, many mothers receive painkillers, tranquilizers, and other drugs. In some cases this leads to addiction.

Youth Violence​—Why?

“Charges laid by Canadian police against youths (ages 12-17) for violent offences have more than doubled in the last five years,” claims The Toronto Star. The violent acts are committed for no apparent reason. Simply making eye contact can initiate a violent act against an innocent bystander. It seems to be a matter of “violence for the sake of violence,” adds the Star. What is the cause? Some believe that there is a link between the incidence of youth violence and the violent scenes portrayed in movies and on television. “TV’s role is in desensitizing and conditioning our young, and in glamorizing violence as the preferred method of solving problems,” said the Star. Perhaps now more parents will want to control what their children view on television.

“Murder Capital of the World”

“Johannesburg has indeed achieved the dubious status of being the murder capital of the world,” states The Star, a South African newspaper. “According to police statistics, Johannesburg and Soweto combined had 3 402 murders in 1992​—9,3 murders a day, or one every 2 1/2 hours.” This pushed Rio de Janeiro, the previous “murder capital” into second place. Rio averaged 8,722 murders each year for the past decade. However, Rio’s population is over 10 million, while the combined population of Johannesburg and Soweto is said to be 2.2 million. Paris, about equal in population to Johannesburg, had an average of 153 murders a year. The chances of being murdered were given as: 1 in 647 in Johannesburg; 1 in 1,158 in Rio de Janeiro; 1 in 3,196 in Los Angeles; 1 in 4,303 in New York; 1 in 6,272 in Miami; 1 in 10,120 in Moscow; and 1 in 14,065 in Paris.

Trouble in the Churches

“The problem of sexual abuse in the church is not going to go away,” reports The Toronto Star. Sexual scandals among church leaders are widespread. They are not limited to television evangelists and the Catholic Church. Abuse also “happens in the Salvation Army, in the United Church, in the Presbyterian Church,” noted a Salvation Army officer. Anglican Primate Archbishop Michael Peers said that such abuse is a “deep-rooted and dark” problem in the church. According to the Star, Archbishop Peers admitted that in the past this church’s response to charges of sexual abuse “has been denial and control.” Timothy Bently from the Toronto Centre for the Family reportedly stated that if “the churches do not face up to what is essentially a spiritual crisis openly and honestly their authority to preach on sexual ethics will crumble.”

Rat Worship?

Every day about 1,000 worshipers and some 70 tourists visit the Karni Mata temple in Deshnoke, India. Why? In that temple about 300 rats roam freely as devotees make their offerings to idols. The rats “are revered and their every need is tended to by doting worshippers,” says New Zealand’s Evening Post. The temple priests and the rats eat from the same bowls and drink the same water. One of the priests claims that “these are not rats, these are messengers of the God, a gift of the goddess to us.” According to the Post, the priest stated that when the temple priests die, they obtain salvation by being reborn as rats. When the rats die, he added, they are reborn as priests.

Discomfort in the Air

Travel by air has “become an increasing source of pain, discomfort and even illness among passengers and crew members in recent years,” claims The New York Times. After several hours of travel in cramped seats, travelers have reported blood clots in the lungs, backaches, colds, headaches, nausea, and pneumonia. Dehydration is another problem. “With the humidity level typically about 10 percent, the atmosphere on planes is drier than the Sahara,” says the Times. Symptoms of dehydration include thickening of the blood, undue fatigue, and soreness of the eyes. Also, dryness of the upper respiratory passages makes them more susceptible to infection. The newspaper recommends drinking a half pint [250 cc] of water for each hour of air travel to prevent dehydration.

Furor Over Incest in Ireland

The Dublin Rape Crisis Center says that the number of reported cases of sexual child abuse in Ireland has risen from 408 in 1984 to 2,000 in 1992. A brutal case of incest there has sparked a national furor. A father, addicted to a hard liquor called poteen, raped and assaulted his daughter repeatedly over a 16-year period and fathered a child by her. He blinded her in one eye by beating her with a stick. As is not uncommon in such cases, the victim’s mother knew of the incest but lied to the police to protect her husband; neighbors likewise knew of the girl’s plight but did nothing. Although the man pleaded guilty to charges of rape, incest, and assault, the judge considered the matter to be incest. The father was sentenced to seven years in prison, the maximum for incest, and he could be released after four. Outraged over the case, many Irish Catholics are calling on their church to make a specific pronouncement against incest.

From Our Readers

Abortion Your series “Abortion​—The Making and the Taking of a Life” (May 22, 1993) brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart. If I had read this information eight years ago, I would not have had an abortion. It took me almost seven years to confess this sin to my husband, who would have been the father. I hope that anyone considering abortion will read the articles and realize that life is precious and a gift from God.

G. D., United States

I am 16 years old, and we learned about abortion in school. Yet, somehow I had not realized the pain involved for the child. As I read this magazine, great anger welled up in me, along with tears that I couldn’t stop. How can people treat so lightly the precious life that Jehovah kindly gives?

N. K., Japan

I took this magazine with me to school, and to my great surprise, the students liked it! It touched the hearts of my classmates to the point that one of them broke down and cried. Just days before, she had had an abortion performed.

L. S., United States

Helicopters Your article “Workhorse of the Skies” (March 8, 1993) was of special interest to me. As an aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and a helicopter pilot/​flight instructor, I can see that the article reflects extraordinary care in accuracy. I especially appreciated the simplicity of presentation.

J. R., United States

Losing Weight I read the article “If I Lost Weight, Anybody Can!” (January 22, 1993), and while I’m very happy that the writer is managing his battle with his weight, I fear the article will encourage many to think that overweight people simply need self-control and to diet. My problem involves a bit more than a “1,200 to 1,500 calories per day” diet can solve. Eating is a compulsion for me, a drug. Only recently have I come to understand that as an adult child of an alcoholic, I have been trying to fill a hunger for love and self-esteem. Rigid dieting is therefore not a simple solution to this complex issue.

R. S., United States

We appreciate these candid comments. The article, though, was directed primarily to individuals with poor eating habits, not to those battling serious eating disorders. The latter may need professional help to overcome their difficulties. Helpful information on eating disorders was published in our February 22, 1992, issue.​—ED.

The article was like a review of my own history of bad nutritional habits. The suggestions were very useful, and I am now applying them. Thank you very much for this article!

S. P., Brazil

The article taught me how to balance my eating habits in a healthy way. This was exactly what I needed. Thank you!

E. G., United States

Horses I was moved by the article “Horses Were My Life.” (May 22, 1993) Before becoming a Christian, I devoted almost all my free time to riding and taking care of horses. After studying the Bible, however, I gave up my costly hobby and took up the full-time preaching work. Even so, I still love horses. The article helped me recognize that others have dealt with similar feelings.

G. V., Germany

Ingenious Engineers

By Awake! correspondent in South Africa

HAVE you ever seen natural structures like those illustrated on this page? Termite mounds are a common sight on the African veld. Some are shaped like narrow chimneys that sometimes tower over 20 feet [6 m]. Others are large domes of earth that provide a favorite lookout post for predators such as lions.

Inside each mound are numerous passages and chambers, which may be occupied by several million little termites. Some termites tend their own fungal gardens and manage to keep them well watered even during years of drought. How is that possible? During the 1930’s, when a severe drought devastated parts of South Africa, a naturalist, Dr. Eugene Marais, discovered two columns of termites, one descending and the other ascending in a tunnel. The little creatures had burrowed to a depth of about 100 feet [30 m]! They had reached a natural well. Thus Marais discovered how they managed to keep their fungal gardens moist through the drought.

A typical termite mound, explains Michael Main in his book Kalahari, “is believed to be the most advanced nest built by any animal in the world. . . . All seek to achieve and maintain 100 per cent humidity and an ambient temperature between 29° C [84° F.] and 31° C [88° F.], which suits both the fungus and the termite. . . . Every nest is, effectively, a perfectly air-conditioned unit.”

Now consider how these nests are built. The termites polish and then cement one tiny grain of sand onto another. Imagine how many millions of grains of sand are used to build one mound! “The mightiest structures man has built on this earth; the Pyramids of Egypt, London’s Underground system, New York’s skyscrapers . . . , compared with works of the termite, . . . are as molehills compared with mountains,” wrote Marais in his book The Soul of the White Ant. “Taking size into consideration,” he continues, “man would have to erect a building as high as the Matterhorn [a 14,692-foot [4,478 m] mountain peak in Switzerland], if his work was to be equal to a termite tower forty feet in height.”

But of what benefit are termites to man? For one thing, termites feed on dead vegetation and thus dispose of much waste. “By dragging the dry material underground, they not only reduce the fire risk but also fertilize the underlying soil,” states a signboard in Kruger National Park.

Perhaps you also agree that lowly termites qualify to be called ingenious engineers.

“They Always Give Me a Lift”

“I HAVE never written before, but I just had to thank you for all the many very poignant and pertinent articles you have published in The Watchtower and Awake!

“I have been reading these magazines since 1974, and they have been from the beginning a source of teaching, enrichment, and joy. They always give me a lift. I’m subject to depression, and if I just pick up and read an issue of either magazine, my mood improves greatly. Time after time an article has helped me deal more appropriately with others and be more understanding. They have helped me to understand myself.

“It seems that over the past year, so many articles were pertinent to me, especially the ones on ‘Women​—Deserving of Respect’ [Awake! July 8, 1992] and ‘Help for Alcoholics and Their Families’ [Awake! May 22, 1992]. I just lost my mother in death, and the series entitled ‘When a Loved One Dies’ [Awake! July 22, 1992] was very helpful.

“J. A., North Carolina, U.S.A.”

If you would like to receive more information about these Bible-based magazines, please contact Jehovah’s Witnesses at your local Kingdom Hall, or write to the address nearest you that is listed on page 5.