In “The Warm Heart of Africa,” Jack Allison Shares A Life-Changing Experience in the Peace Corps
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In this episode 213, we visit with Jack Allison author of “The Warm Heart of Africa,” a colorful first-hand account of life in the Peace Corps in the 1960’s. While volunteering in Malawi, this journey for self-realization forged a career as a physician and public health educator.
Using his background and deep passion for music, Allison created a series of popular songs and jingles with important public health messages while he was serving in Malawi. The culture and customs in Malawi were different, but music was a language spoken by all. His song about feeding children peanuts in porridge was number one in Malawi three years running.
Chris Matthews, the retired host of the MSNBC show, Hardball, and former Peace Corps volunteer said “…Jack Allison writes about the real Africa—the summer heat, the pungent aroma, the sound of children at play—but most of all, the humanity. In ‘The Warm Heart of Africa,’ you can hear the continent’s voice—and instantly know why it changed our lives…”
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About the Author:
Dr. Jack Allison served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Africa, 1967-69. His public health education was punctuated by many original songs and jingles which became quite popular with Malawians throughout the country.
Jack has had a distinguished career in academic emergency medicine, with an emphasis on public health. He responded to the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 by treating hundreds of quake victims. In February 2012 he volunteered in Kenya and Somalia where he provided both emergency care and public health education to hundreds of Somali refugees; then in October, he volunteered in Zambia where he helped to install 112 shallow water wells. Since 2017 Jack has been a senior consultant to the Fulbright Association’s WASH project in Malawi.
Allison’s avocation is singing and songwriting. He has written over 120 songs and jingles, and recorded over 100 of those. Since 1967 he has raised $160,000 with his music, and he and his wife, Sue Wilson, have given away all of those monies to various charitable organizations, including $30,000 to help feed Malawian AIDS orphans.
In 1967, Jack Allison had already ‘opened’ for The Dave Clark Five on The Ed Sullivan show as a member of the UNC Men’s Glee Club and played North Carolina gigs with his band The One-Eyed Jacks. But he never expected that the little “jingle” he wrote to promote protein for child nutrition would become the number one hit on Malawi’s only radio station while he was serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. With its surf-guitar beat, “Ufa Wa Mtedza” (The Peanut Flour Song) proved to be not only an effective way to spread a social message, but a great way to raise awareness and funds for development projects.
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