Field of Dreamers
Chien-Chi Chang and Kyu-Young Lee
 Kyampure Bates takes a short break from tilling to feed her 3 month old daughter Alnebyona Fortunate. Her son Ahsimbisbwe Naboth, 3 years old, sleeps in front of her. Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum on Malaria
It’s 9:30 am when Chien-Chi and I hit the main road on our way to the fields where people are planting shrubs that when processed into a drug, is a proven life-saver. The plant is called artemisia and Africans are now producing it for themselves. It is the essential part of ACTs,or artemisinin combination therapy, the first line of defense against malaria which claims more than 3,000 children’s lives every day in sub-Saharan Africa.
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We’re in Kabale which lies in the south western tip of Uganda. At this time in the morning a mist envelops the city like a halo, as if enshrining a holy land. Winding between giant green hills, I look over and see farmers buzzing with activity. Here are a few photos from the field, and the factory where they process the plant.
 Women dig small holes in the ridges then insert artemisia seedlings. At peak season, as many as 60 people work the land rented out by the Afro Alpine Pharma factory which processes the plant into its purer form, artemisin. In just 4 months, the artemisia plants will be ready for harvesting. “That’s the beauty of the plant, it doesn’t take much effort and it grows fast,” said Ashok Chauhan, the managing director of the factory. “Farmers can cultivate it twice in a year.” Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum on Malaria.
 Workers at the Afro Alpine Pharma factory drain a solvent mixed with artemisia to separate it and create a purer, crystallized form. The factory has been operational for about three years. This May, they plan to be at full capacity, able to process 500 tons of artemisia. Chien-Chi Chang/Magnum on Malaria
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Authors:
Alec Soth, Ann Tornkvist, Ben Shneiderman, Bjarke Myrthu, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Gilden, Chien-Chi Chang, Chris Steele-Perkins, Claudia Guadarrama, Claudine Boeglin, Constantine Manos, Daniel Power, Elliott Erwitt, Frank Smyth, Geert Van Kesteren, Inge Bondi, Jörg M. Colberg, Jessica Dimmock, John Vink, Jonas Bendiksen, Magnum Photos, Malaria No More, Martin Fuchs, Martin Parr, Martine Franck, Matthew Murphy, Meagan Young, Pablo Inirio, Paolo Pellegrin, Patrick Zachmann, Peter Marlow, Pia Frankenberg, Reiner Holzemer, Simon Wheatley, Stephen Bulger, Stuart Franklin, Artprice.com, |
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Reader comments (2)
Mooie impressie. De eerste en laatste foto zijn mijn favorieten!
Comment posted by Tim Freh on April 20, 2007
I found the photos while searching for Artemisia annua . That herb can kill not only malaria. Questionable is why growing this malaria killer weed in Africa , then making extracts from it, then sending the pure Artemisinin to Europe and then send the there made pills againback to Africa.
Old Chinese people did use the herb itself as an tea infusion. It is very clear, that it makes sense to grow the herb in your own garden- that makes sense to me. Looking at the pictures I am sure no one of the peoples shown in the photos is capable to buy these pills . They are produced for the town inhabitants of Africa not for the majority in the countrysides. Well , there is a Germany based organisation headed by Dr. Martin Hirt and Keith Lindsey - they work hard for the propagation of the tea use against malaria as a first step for having the chance to go to a doctor or a hospital. So they held seminars in different countries in Africa for growing and using the Artemisia annua herb itself against malaria and in combination with Moringa oleifera leaves as a cure for AIDS. Have a look on their website www.anamed.net available in different languages.
Comment posted by Johannes Maier ( Pharmacist ) on September 15, 2007