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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1999)
I EDITOR Josh Funk OPINION EDITOR Mark Baldridge EDITORIAL BOARD Lindsay Young Jessica Fargen Samuel McKewon Cliff Hicks Kimberly Sweet Our VIEW A noble process UNL, tribes’roles in repatriation honorable On Sept. 1, 1998, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor James Moeser delivered a somber apology to American-Indian leaders from across the nation assembled on UNUs East Campus. “I want to apologize personally and on the behalf of the University of Nebraska for the insensitive and grievous treatment of physical remains on Native Americans done in past decades in the name of sci ence,” Moeser said. Tribal leaders and members of the American-Indian community accepted the apology but saw it only as the first step in the process that would eventually bring their relatives’ remains home. On Friday, more than a year after the apology was made, the university took another large step in returning the first of the remains to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Southern Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma. In doing so, university leaders sur prised some American-Indian leaders who had been skeptical about UNL’s apology last September and its promises to return the remains in a timely manner. Since the revelation that American Indian remains were being housed on UNL’s campus, the university has made attempts to turn over the remains it can in accordance with federal law. The university should be commended for returning the remains while keeping a watchful eye on the rules that govern their repatriation. Credit should also be given to American-Indian leaders who weren’t sat isfied with spoken promises. Instead, the leaders held the university accountable to its promises. UNL still has several steps to take before the issue of repatriating American Indian remains is over. Remains affiliated with other tribes are going through the process of repatriation right now. Amencan-lndian leaders are trying to identify which tribes have ancestors in a group of more than 600 unaffiliated remains still housed at UNL. It’s likely that tribal and university leaders will have to be patient while wad ing through the bureaucracy that accom panies returning the bones. A memorial to honor the place where American-Indian remains were incinerat ed in the 1960s by a former anthropology professor is still being designed. The university should continue to pur sue these projects with full force. Leaders and members of the American-Indian community should continue to be part of the process. By working together, more large steps will be taken in the future. Editorial Pfllicy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 1999 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University erf Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. The UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Latter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@uniinfb.uni.edu. Obermeyer’s VIEW ^ £'ARM SUNDAY MflRMlNfr,.. /MAti..THAT MUST HAVeN. sofflg pyty NftU©fflAWU i i ■ DN LETTERS f~ AIDS in Africa The misinformed view and pater nalistic voice expressed in “Our View: Aids in Africa” (DN, Sept. 27) is typi cal of how most of the mass media distort African social realities. As Africans who have to live with the repercussions of these gross general izations, we are offended and annoyed by this simplistic opinion. For the DN to generalize from only one mysterious death of a Zambian minister as indicative of AIDS events on a continent four times the size of the United States is poor journalism. Why didn’t the DN also look at the majority of countries on the continent that are successfully combating AIDS? There are a number of inter vention programs in Uganda that are significantly dropping the AIDS rate throughout the country. Other coun tries, like Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, have slowed if not stabilized the growth rate of AIDS as well. The truth is that 16 million people in Africa are hllV-intected, not dead from AIDS. Actual AIDS deaths are about one-fifth to one-fourth of the HIV-infected numbers. The DN says that Africans don’t know how to prevent AIDS, and that they “don’t even really know AIDS exists.” Did the DN bother to consult or even glance over any of the work done by several hundred organizations dealing with AIDS on the continent, both African-sponsored and interna tionally sponsored? Does the DN know that the very week this view was posted, in Lusaka (Zambia) the 11th International Congress of AIDS in Africa was held,and a representative of every country on the continent attended? Apparently we do know that AIDS exists and are dealing with it at an institutional level and have been as a continent for at least 11 years. A major reason for the spread of AIDS in Africa is poverty. Recently the international community acknowledged the direct link between poverty and ill health. Most African countries have to pay one-third to one half of their foreign exchange earn ings toward debt servicing. What do you think would happen if all that money were directed toward health and education? If the DN wants to help analyze the problem of AIDS in Africa, debt cancellation is an issue it should report about. Finally, to suggest that the World Health Organization should intervene in our behavior is insulting; almost as insulting as the paternalistic tone in which you address our continent. The status of AIDS in Africa today is the product of the colonial legacy and a function of international capitalism. The true issue, therefore, is one of African capacity, not African charac ter or corruption as the DN suggests. Please report on the basis of accurate knowledge. “There is no darkness like igno rance.” Bell Solefack president African Student Association Dark Picture I am responding to the column by David Baker, “Flash causes trouble on train ride to Zambia” (DN, Thursday). I am an African who has worked extensively as a journalist, covering the entirety of Africa and corre sponding across other continents. I viewed Baker’s column as full of ethnocentrism and stereotyping. We all know that Africa as a conti nent is behind other continents in terms of “what the western world terms as western development.” But to compare giving an African a few mangoes with saving Baker’s life is incredibly pathetic. It is not a big deal, an African seeing a mango. After all, they grow almost everywhere within the sub Saharan region. I’m concerned about the way some Americans and Europeans have painted a dark picture of the conti nent and its people whenever they pay a visit there. It is time that some truths be known and such a malicious tendency, aimed at degrading the people and the continent at large, is stopped. The fact is that while other races were still living in caves, our African ancestors had built great cities and civilizations. The big question now is: Where, how, when and why did Africa lose it? This is what anthropology stu dents like Baker should concentrate on. Africa has been dragged down by the Western world, from the 15th cen tury until today - through the slave trade and colonialization. And when we Africans started claiming our rights 40 years ago, the Western scramblers packed their booty and left Africa to either swim or drown in its own sweat. Then they set out a new system to ensure maximum exploitation of the continent. All that changed when they left was the packing of their belongings. Africa is currently facing the most and worst exploitation by the West, “neocolonialism.” Africans have been termed bar barians, primitive people, people without culture and what have you, and it’s a pity that today some are still attempting to classify us that way. We are very optimistic the prospect for Africa’s rebirth is being enhanced day after day and time after time. In Africa, what matters is the African mind and the black man’s identity. It is not long from now that a story like “ thugs stepping right in front of Baker’s face, ripping his bag off and shouting at him, and then Baker saving himself by giving them mangoes” will be thrown in the dust bin of history. As a word of advice, David Baker, try to become an impartial anthropologist and a more balanced minded person if you want to suc ceed as an African expert. Nelson Okuku Miruka graduate student political science