A Time to Dance

When the world holds its breath

Binding chains to our souls

When the walls crash

In the showers of falling boulders

When our breath is filled with fire

Raging with the flames of hatred

We forget that it’s our time to dance

Our floating feet, entwined hands

On pillows of golden stardust

We hold our breaths

When fumes of blackened smoke

Cause us to inhale our joy

And exhale our doubt

We forget that it’s our time to dance

In the light of a thousand stars

To soak in the rays of hope

We forget to feel each blade of grass beneath our cracked heels

To stand on the shoulders of our forgotten dreams

When the castles of glory

We once built around our fragile hearts

Crumble with our broken egos

When the rivers we cry

Divide our freedoms

When the tornadoes of hate

Spiral through our fields of daisies

When the hurricanes of sorrow

Drown out the sprinkling of laughter

We simply forget that it’s our time

To dance

The Growing Tree (Amir and Soraya's Relationship)

We picked a tree to represent Soraya and Amir's relationship. When Amir tells Soraya about his past, he understands that he has other people in his life to rely on and that he doesn't have to face his guilt on his own. Soraya acts as a support for Amir, accepting his past, and helping him fix it. Soraya plays and influential part in Amir's life which is represented in this photo. The trunk and roots represent Soraya and how she supports Amir in times if need. Essentially Soraya keeps Amir grounded and helps him understand that everybody has a past with mistakes. Not only that, she helps him grow and provides him with an essential support system. The leaves on the tree represent Amir and his growth. The dead leaves on the trees represent the guilt and shame Amir has gone through. The green leaves show that Amir was able to recover from his guilt. Because the tree is not completely dead, Soraya's support helps keep Amir "alive." The branches on the tree represent Amir's growth throughout the story as they keep getting bigger and bigger showing how Amir's characters has evolved with time as well through the guidance and help of Soraya.

Wealth is Health: The Unimanginable Reality in Kenya

If I told you that half (48%) of children born in Kenya don’t live past the age of one simply because of poor health care, would you believe me (Kenyanya)? We as Americans cannot even begin to fathom such a tragedy, as 87.8% of us have access to health care (Access). Easy access and feasibility to get professional, medical help is one of the many benefits that a first-world country, like the U.S is able to enjoy as a result of economic success. A benefit we as Americans often take for granted, almost like a right. But that system of healthcare quickly fails in a third world country, like that of Kenya, where healthcare becomes a luxury, accessible only to those with big wallets, able to pay the price.

Kenya’s economic hardships contribute to its health care problems, namely brain drain and the lack of medicines. The fact of the matter is that most hospitals in Kenya, are understaffed and lack essential drugs to treat most diseases leading to a high mortality rate (Mutavi).

Brain drain occurs when qualified workers from one country leave to seek improved working conditions in another, and that is the unfortunate reality that Kenya faces. Qualified and educated doctors from Kenya leave to pursue a higher pay in other countries, leaving Kenya with an inadequate supply of doctors to treat their patients (Ighobor). It was reported that doctors in New Jersey make an average of $216,000 annually, while their counterparts in Kenya struggle to make barely $6,000 dollars (Ighobor). Because of this incomparable pay, many seek out better paying conditions, leaving doctors in Kenya with a high patient ratio, sometimes reaching 1 doctor to every 100,000 patients (Ighobor). In addition to being overworked, the situation for these doctors is further aggravated by poor working conditions (Prince). There are too few doctors in Kenyan hospitals, making medical care in Kenya inadequate in treating its patients.

The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of medicines, as many Kenyans struggle to even access the most basic of treatments. The World Health Organization found that only 30% of Kenyans have access to medicines (Health). The problem arises because of the costs associated with both purchasing and making drugs. Kenya imports most of their drugs, making them extremely expensive, and only accessible to the rich few. In some cases, a week’s worth of treatments can cost a month’s worth of wages (Pheage). The problem seems easily fixed if Kenya produces their own drugs, but manufacturing drugs is expensive as well. However, once in steady production, drugs become cheaper and more accessible to the general public which is why Kenya is currently developing drug-production capabilities (Pheage). The initial investment in production facilities allows for Kenya to bring down their costs in the long run, eventually improving the accessibility and affordability of medicines.

Both brain drain and a lack of medicines are a result of an unfortunate lack of funding, but a consequence to be expected in a third-world country. Although the initial investment to improve healthcare is high, it will inevitably help in making the healthcare system cheaper and more accessible to the general public (Prince). Kenya has a long way to go, but small steps such as increasing funding, is a good start.

Works Cited

"Access to Health Care." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. 

Health Action in Crises Kenya. Rep. World Health Organization, May 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

Ighobor, Kingsley. "Diagnosing Africa's Medical Brain Drain | Africa Renewal Online." United Nations. United Nations, Dec. 2016. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

Kenyanya, James. "Issues Affecting Healthcare in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa." Issues Affecting Healthcare in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa. Linkedin, 8 Mar. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

Mutavi, Lillian. "Most Nairobi Hospitals Lack Essential Drugs, Says Report6." Most Nairobi Hospitals Lack Essential Drugs, Says Report6. The Daily Nation, 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

Pheage, Tefo. "Dying from Lack of Medicines | Africa Renewal Online." United Nations. United Nations, Dec. 2017. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

Prince, Ruth J., and Phelgona Otieno. "In the Shadowlands of Global Health: Observations from Health Workers in Kenya." EBSCO Host., 24 June 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Chains

Symbolism is present throughout the story in the form of two objects: the suitcase and movies. Both objects show the extent to which intellectual liberty was limited during the time of the Cultural revolution. 

Dai SiJie uses movies to show the propaganda during the Cultural Revolution. The movies show how conformed to Mao’s propaganda,  the intellect of the population were during the Cultural Revolution. Dai SiJie writes, “There were still showing the old North Korean Film The Little Flower Girl, which had moved the four sorceresses in the Little Seamstress’ house to tears (81).” By using the word ‘still’ the author portrays how limited the scope of movies they played in public theatres. The government had ready control over public media and was able to maintain control over the people using specifically controlled movie propaganda. The narrator further details, “By now we had seen three films at the basketball court in Yong Jing. By far the most popular was North Korean melodrama with a heroine called “the Flower Girl”(35). The fact that they have only seen three movies, throughout this extended period, displays the control that the government has over lives of its people. All of the movies contain content which either supports or agrees with Mao’s vision. These two quotes shows the limiting nature of China through the propaganda films. 

The suitcase is symbolizing the locking up of knowledge from western society held in the books, which goes against the popular consensus. Dai SiJie writes, “It was only after an hour’s headlong flight along the mountain path that we finally dared stop.  Luo opened the suitcase. On top of the neatly stacked books lay the buffalo tail: black, with a tufted end, and stained with dark blood”(105). As Luo and the narrator open the books, they were able to freely receive knowledge and information which was banned under the Mao’s regime. Symbolically breaking the chains that held them away from the riches and knowledge trapped inside the suitcase. This idea is further continued as the narrator suggests, “ We’ll help you carry your hod to the rice station, and when we get back you can lend us some of those books you’ve got hidden in your suitcase. How’s that for a deal”(54). This quote shows the extent to which people would go to obtain knowledge. It also further shows the extent to which someone would go to protect their new founded intellect from others. 

Eyes of Colour

Our eyes are black and white

The Tao has eyes of colour

If you want to see black

You must see white

If you want to see white

You must see black

If you you want to see colour

You must see Black and white

Like night and day

Like rain and sun

The Tao does not see the sun or the rain

It sees the rainbow at the end

The Tao does not interfere with the sun or the rain

It lets the rainbow come

For when the rainbow is left alone, it shines the brightest

Made with human hands, it reaches its lowest

The Tao has eyes of colour

But our’s are forever black and white

To see with colour,

We must be bright