Monty and I in 1999
Thinking of my dear friend and colleague Monty Cooper who died of malaria eleven years ago today (4th January 2003). He was a former Cape Times news photographer and a Rhodes University lecturer in photojournalism. He contracted malaria after a working trip to Mozambique. There was no liquid quinine in Grahamstown (our small town) and no ambulance to take him to Port Elizabeth (the nearest city) - Monty wherever you are I miss you!’
Monty died a horrible horrible death. Malaria is a ‘third world country’ disease and many people from developed countries do not realise that thousands of people die of it every day. Every 20 seconds a child dies of malaria. Over a million people die of malaria ever year, 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
Please remember to take your malaria medication, wear long sleeves and cover yourself with mosquito repellant often if you are in a malaria area. I wear a United Against Malaria bracelet every day.
These are mine – one against malaria and one against rhino poaching (another cause in which I am heavily involved)
