Jammeh Begins Curing HIV/AIDS
The eccentric Gambian president exercises a different set of powers
The self-delcared mystic president of The Gambia says that he can cure asthma and HIV/AIDS. Patients have rushed to Banjul hoping to be healed.
On January 18, President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia began doing what no other doctor or scientist has yet been able to accomplish. He began "curing" victims of HIV/AIDS and asthma. His statements have shocked the medical establisment in Africa.
In The Economist's most recent edition, there is an editorial discussing Africa's need to not only embrace the free market and rule of law, but also the wonders of science-based technology. The editorial argues that the harmonious combination of these three things is what turned both Europe and North America into prosperous continents. Science is slowly becoming a priority in Africa, especially in the agricultural industry, but the health sector has its fair share of strange stories.
Since HIV/AIDS is so problematic across the continent, it was alarming to hear the South African government's declaration that a steady diet of beetroot, garlic and olive oil could help those infected with HIV, a claim they have recently retracted. The president of The Gambia, however, seems to have outdone the South African medicine establishment with his grandiose assertions that, in only three days, he can cure those who have asthma and AIDS.
President Yahya Jammeh claims to have mystical powers and has recently been using treatment based on seven herbs mentioned in the Koran. Patients simply require a referral from their doctor and the patience to wait in the long queues in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. President Jammeh recently declared that he received a "mandate" to use his herbal treatment to cure people en masse. On Mondays and Thursdays the president uses his secret herbal mixture on those afflicted with HIV/AIDS and on Fridays and Saturdays he "cures" those with asthma.
Oddly Enough
Initial reports of President Jammeh's claims sounded like the leader of Africa's smallest nation was telling the continent's largest lies but for more than two weeks people have been flocking to Banjul and, according to authoritative reports, the president's treatment appears to be working. The Daily Observer has written that 135 asthma sufferers have successfully recovered and The Gambia's Department of State for Health and Social Welfare said, on February 5, that five of the nine HIV victims have shown significant signs of improvement.
