CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Two Africas, One Heart

The continent and its incredibly resilient people © Illustration by Paola Bilancieri

My relationship with Africa began in the early 1980s, when I first traveled across the continent on public health missions. From the start, the continent captured not only my attention but also my imagination. In many ways, it felt like a return to origins: my father was born there, the son of a Lebanese immigrant who had journeyed to the Transvaal—then a province in northeastern South Africa known for its mineral wealth—to supply food to miners.

Working in public health became an unexpected passport into the continent’s most hidden realities. Assignments in 20 African countries took me far beyond the routes familiar to tourists—into war‑scarred nations, communities absorbing waves of refugees, and regions where health systems were stretched to the breaking point. They also allowed me to witness the tremendous courage with which Africans confront extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

Across the continent, serious public health challenges persist: high rates of intestinal and respiratory infections, widespread malnutrition, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Intestinal and respiratory infections remain among the leading causes of death among children under five throughout the continent. These illnesses both aggravate and are aggravated by malnutrition, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

Malnutrition itself remains a major driver of child mortality. It can have lifelong consequences for physical and cognitive........

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