landmines

"Where are the land mines?"

An Angolan Visits the U.S. for the First Time

by Rita Stone-Smith,
Press Officer for CARE

(This article appeared in the The Nashville Banner's op-ed section on August 1, 1997.)

As an American, I have never had to ask, "Where are the land mines?" Nor have I ever had to answer that question...until Guerra came.

As a native Tennessean, I have walked through the Smoky Mountains, down Beale Street and around downtown Nashville many times. But never did I wonder how life would be if I actually had to think about the chances of my next step being my last...until Guerra came.

Guerra Freitas lives in Angola -- a country riddled with land mines. Every waking moment of his life is consumed by their threat. "Stay on the beaten path" has become somewhat of a motto for Guerra, and he shares it with any foreigner he greets. So when I met him at Hartsfield International Airport, his first question was, "Where are the land mines?"

I was introduced to Guerra, who works for CARE, a year ago in his hometown of Kuito, Angola. It was not long after my arrival when Guerra escorted me to the porch of the CARE office and pointed in the direction of the "safe paths." He even apologized for the inconvenience associated with the mines as if he had any control over his country's 20-year history of war, or its decision to use mines during combat.

When Guerra visited me in Atlanta, it was my turn to be the hostess. Though it wasn't necessary for me to point out the mine fields for him, I too felt the need to apologize to him for my country's actions. The United States is not among the 75 nations that have pledged to sign the Ottawa treaty banning the production, export and use of anti-personnel land mines. President Clinton wants to pursue a much slower process to ban land mines through the United Nations Disarmament Conference in Geneva -- a process that might take many years to implement. From Guerra's vantage point, it seems the land mine issue is not a high priority for U.S. politicians because they needn't worry about triggering a land mine in their front yards. As he sees it, countries like the U.S. manufacture land mines to be used in other countries.

Guerra has witnessed a lifetime of suffering in his short 24 years. He lost a wife and a baby during Angola's civil war and land mines prevented him from burying both. To further devastate a community, soldiers often placed land mines near or on dead bodies to kill those who return to grieve. Cemeteries are popular spots to bury land mines, forcing many Angolans to bury relatives in their backyards.

As a Press Officer for CARE, the largest private international relief and development agency, I have read about land mines and the havoc they wreak on the lives of millions around the world. I know the statistics, I have even talked to land mine victims and walked on the beaten paths through mine fields. But it wasn't until Guerra greeted me at the airport with the innocent, yet shocking question, "Where are the land mines?" that I truly realized the somber reality of their impact.

Every man, woman and child deserves the right to work, play and walk safely. It is unfair that children's lives in 68 nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe are limited to just the beaten path. It's cruel for Angolans to live with the fact that there are enough mines in their country to kill them twice.

CARE salutes the 57 Senators who support the Leahy-Hagel bill to ban U.S. land mines by the year 2000. We call upon Senators Fred Thompson, Bill Frist and President Clinton to take a similar position. Even if the U.S. supports a ban by the year 2000, it will still be many decades before no one will need to ask, "Where are the land mines?"