to thank his family for keeping our growing herd of cows; Janeth and her relatives for providing insights into the situation in Rwanda; for stories about the long-horned cows and for always keeping her door open, and some Rwandese beans; Julita for teaching me about suffering the Spanish way, but still always ready for a good laugh. Mimi and Mulu for sharing their friends and their knowledge of Ethiopia.
I also thank Lieve Fransen for having employed me for the EU-project in Tanzania and for letting me do the job there with full support and freedom; Fred van der Veen for introducing me to the job. I would like to thank all my good friends and collaborators in the National AIDS Control Programme and at the Ministry of Health as well as all my friends in the aid community.
My thoughts are of Dr Swai and all the colleagues at the NACP: the late Dr Nyang’anyui, Mrs Mshana, Mrs Lengaki, Dr Temba, Amina in the STI unit; and Omary my driver, and all the others in the other units. Dr Njau at the Health Sector Reform Secretariat for interesting discussions and useful criticism on the published articles. Professors Kisali Pallangyo and Japhet Killewo at Muhimbili University College for insightful discussions on the Tanzanian situation. In Africa I have so many others to thank: Berhard Kofi Seshie, whose excellent Master thesis gave me several good references. Britta Meyer for making the map of HIV distribution in Tanzania. Björn Ljungquist and Urban Jonsson of UNICEF for interesting discussions on development and the WHO-UNICEF fight for resources; Rozanne Chorlton for teaching me how to write in English.
My work also brought me into contact with others who have tried to understand other aspects of life in Africa. For instance, Birgit Åkeson, the choreographer, who came to Africa to study
“dance” in order to understand Western dance, only to find that it is not possible to separate
“dance” in Africa from the rest of life - it is so much a part of its essence and a main means of communication. It has nothing to do with art. To follow the development of her book
“Källvattnens mask” was like seeing African life in another light; reading her fantastic manuscripts and following the evolvement of her book into an award-winning masterpiece whilst making me understand the role of the python and the importance of the ancestors and nature for African life, also helped me see the HIV/AIDS problem from the perspective of another value system.
I would also like to thank the late Erik Nordberg for teaching me about health services in low-income countries and helping me obtain a broader view on development.
I would like to thank Göran Sterky for once employing me at IHCAR and Frants Staugaard for having introduced me to IHCAR after having employed me at WHO in Tanzania.
I am also grateful for the good comradeship and interesting discussions I have experienced with so many colleagues at IHCAR and all the support and assistance I have received from the administrative staff. I think of all of you, but especially Kersti, who has sent my left behind adapters all over the world. I would also like to thank Birgitta Rubensson for proof-reading the manuscript and correcting all those mistakes I did not see and Karin Källander for patiently helping with the fineries of computer programmes; Thomas Mellin for always being kind and willing to help solve computer problems. Asli for always being ready to discuss the situation in Somalia and elsewhere in Africa and to join me in laughter over those Somalis, who are my patients. No one else could understand how those papers come jumping out of the handbags and why it is always necessary to have an MR for an aching head or a tense back and why even the most insignificant letter needs a very big stamp.
I thank Amal and Ibrahim for interesting discussions on the appropriate treatment of patients from a totally different world in Hargeisa.
Jerker Liljestrand for giving valuable and friendly advice on the manuscript and for telling a very good story about how our minds have become distorted by modernity.
Anders Björkman, not for being present during the last few years, but for having participated in the formulation of one of the first control plans for Tanzania and for being friendly the few times we met there, and for the good old times in many other parts of the world.
Bill and Edith, for always being very dear friends and for serving delicious food also during the final phase of writing; for sharing all the problems and frustrations and Bill for having been the first to go through the manuscript.
I would like to thank my son Christophe for cooking delicious food when I barely had time to eat and my daughter Stephanie for keeping my mind fresh by sharing her tasks in psychology.
Pablo for being a pleasant travel companion. And my mother for being a lovely mother.
Last but not least I would like to thank my wife Claudia for all her support and for also bringing new life; for keeping me in touch with the latest developments in Tanzania and for constructive criticism given from far away in Sumbawanga in Tanzania’s interior with a barely passable road to reach the outside world; and only text messages to keep in touch by and often not even that.
Please forgive me for leaving you alone in that far away place – beyond the end of the world - for so many months.