Comic
Relief 1993
BBC Television, 1993.
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Production |
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Relief, one of the UK's biggest fundraising events, helps to
raise awareness of important global issues such as famine and
poverty. Celebrities often present reports about specific
problems, and in 1993 Zoe showed her support for the event by
taking part in a short film about the lives of some of the
poorest people in Addis Ababa, Africa. She also made a
guest appearance in one of the show's comedy sketches, called
'The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes!' |
Pictures |
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Notes |
| After Zoë returned
from Africa she discussed her experiences reporting for
Comic Relief during a magazine
interview: 'In December 1992, she spent five days in the kebelles
(slums) of Addis Ababa, filming the work of Jamber Tesfaha, a
woman who is organising self-help for 30,000 people.
"Millions live in shacks made out of paper, dustbin lids,
plastic, anything they can get their hands on. They have
no work, the crime rate is enormous, disease is huge, dead dogs
lie in ditches, and sanitation is appalling. Half the
population is made up of kids under 15, and although it's hot,
their hands are freezing and their noses running because of
illnesses. You feel so helpless. Yet in the middle
of it all is this extraordinary woman with incredible commitment
and energy. It's awesome to know there are thousands like
her vehemently committed to helping others. That's what I
found most moving." |
"Normally I'd only see these things in the telly, or read
about them in the newspapers, and because you're not really
there it doesn't touch you. We nice, cosy, middle class
people are quite safe. We know where to put our rubbish,
go to the toilet, and are educated to live with others.
There is an understanding attitude that people are
starving on the other side of the world and will probably die,
but what can we do? The world is overpopulated so who
gives a damn? But these people are suffering through no
fault of their own. It's because of global greed and our
thoughtlessness in not realising how we are changing the world.
No one considered, until too late, what would happen if the
rainforests were destroyed. There's a knock-on effect that
will kill us all, and for what? We're all
responsible." |
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