Last Thoughts Of Africa
I fly to Yemen tomorrow at 3:00 a.m. and plan to just hunker down and sleep at the airport tonight. Time for a little jaunt into the Middle East. I've been back to Addis Abba for a few days (a hot shower and clean clothes are beautiful things!) after visiting Bahir Dar and the monasteries on the islands of Lake Tana. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church believe this area was where Jesus and His parents eventually settled for three months when they fled to Egypt (and then to Ethiopia) shortly after His birth. Some of the monasteries date back to 12th or 13th century and are full of old manuscripts written on goat skin, silver crosses, crowns and other treasures. You have to negotiate a boat to go to these islands and the source of the Blue Nile, so get ready to bargain hard.
"Why Yemen?" you ask. Well, it's simply a process of elimination. Getting a visa for Sudan is a big headache. You need to pay a hefty fee of $61 US for the visa and a letter of recommendation from your embassy. The letter from the Canadian embassy is such a big rip-off. It takes one day to process (i.e., another night's accommodation) and the embassy charges $40 US. What's with these guys? Not enough tax bucks. Other embassies are free but no, Canada's "special." Then there's the ten to fourteen-day wait (or longer, some have waited as long as six weeks) for the visa to be processed. And to top it off, there's a $35 US entrance stamp at the Sudanese border. Given all this, I said forget it. To the west is Djibouti but the $35 US visa also needs a letter of recommendation and the country is expensive, about $35-50 US a day. I didn't fancy waiting around a week in Djibouti city to try to hitch a ride on a freighter to Yemen. The border with Eriteria is closed since Ethiopia had a little nasty war with them and the border is still in dispute, and Somalia is just a little too nutty for me. So why not take the path of least resistance.
As I am about to leave Africa, I thought I would write down some my random opinions and observations of what I've experienced and what I've heard from others in South and East Africa. Read on with skepticism...
1) Live for today. This seems to be the general attitude in Africa. I don't know if this the best mind-set to have as it trickles down to every part of society. From overloading their buses and trucks on the rough roads to maximize profit for that day and not taking into account it will ruin their shocks and axle, and ultimately cost them in repairs. When you go to a restaurant or bar, it's common there are several dishes or drinks not available (It's funny when the waitress gives you a five-minute explanation of a dish and you say, "Great, I'll take it!" and she responds with, "It's not available."). I think many times no one takes inventory and only when it runs out, then it gets re-supplied. This "live for today" attitude has wider implications beyond economics. Take the spread of AIDS, where educating people about a disease that "could happen ten years from now" has been difficult. It's not often I hear parents speaking about their children's future. It's more of a survival, here and now stance.
Could this attitude come from a lack of winter? Whereas storage of food for the winter season has created a view of planning for the future in other cultures. Food seem abundant in South and East Africa all year round in the fruit trees, game and fish.
2) Africa is a daylight culture. People get up and get going early, when the sun arises around 6:00 a.m. The long distance buses and mini-buses almost always leave around 5:30 a.m. and at night, the dimly-lit city or town streets are mainly empty.
3) No concept of time. Most people don't have watches and I am always skeptical when they tell me we will meet at a certain time, arrive at this time or see them in some exact minutes. I can't count how many times, a mini-bus driver swear they are leaving right away, and we end up sitting in same bus station for two hours. As one driver aptly put it when we left late, "This is Africa, my friend. No hurry, pole, pole." (Swahili for slowly, slowly)
4)Ketchup comes in a radioactive orange-red liquid whose past life you hope was a tomato. Heinz has nothing to worry about.
5) There's no denying that traveling in Africa involves an element of danger. Whether it's catching malaria or some other nasty parasite, getting robbed in Jo'burg or Nairobi, getting close and personal with the wildlife, or stepping on a land mine in Northern Mozambique when you take a dump in the bush (During the civil war, Renamo would mine bridges, water tanks, roads, etc. Ferlimo responded by mining bridges, water tanks, roads, etc. to logically prevent Renamo from mining them. Of course no one kept a record of where the mines were placed and didn't stop both sides from mining the same thing.). Not to mention, the crazy kamikaze-style of driving here in the taxis, mini-buses, trucks, motorcycles, etc.
6) There is a lot of waste in Africa. Aid agencies zipping around in brand new land rovers and land cruiser when the battered mini-bus from China or Japan got me to the same place. Another example is the war trials of Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. The UN have occupied a whole high-rise building and a lot of parking spaces, and employed hundreds of people, and after close to ten years, they have only charged about 80 or so people.
7) Learned helplessness. Is that what has happened to the people of Africa? An expectation that the outside world will help. Why are no aid program self-running and needs to be constantly maintained. For example, the farmers in Sudan stop farming for crops due to aid relief air drops. Some of the begging is quite demanding and there is a strange feeling of entitlement. One Ethiopian truck driver complained the aid agencies were making his people dependent on hand-outs and expecting outside aid without trying to solve it themselves first.
A common compliant I hear from other travellers is that they feel the locals often be-friend them only because they can get something or make money. Take the crunchy with the smooth I guess. It's true, I have a long conversion and then get asked to sponsor them or help them with money. I was asked to take an Ugandan farmer's son to Canada only after five minutes. On the flip side, I do have some fond memories of being offered and sharing food with locals on long trips, spending a lazy afternoon learning and playing African boardgames, helping a fisherman with his capsized boat or simply joking around.
I have heard that if you do want to give something to the kids, don't give pens as they will likely sell them and thus encourage begging. Give pencils and notebooks instead, as it will be used in schools.
8) Corruption is tolerated. People in general just seem resigned their government, police or official is corrupt and getting slush money. Even in South Africa, the potential next president has been accused of corruption and making money from arms trades, and even accused of rape, and yet he's a leading candidate. It seems the attitude is that if someone from their own family, tribe, village, etc. gets into power, then they can get some special benefit. Whether this benefit is legal or fair is not considered.
9) There is no democracy in Africa (except maybe South Africa but there's a lot of problems there). I don't know if the Africans truly want or grasp democracy. Concepts such as free election, multi-party system, equal representation, open debate, free speech, rule of law, or accountability are often non-existent. Repeatedly in Africa, a majority party comes into power after an election and then absorbs the opposition to form an "one party" system. Or the government arbitrarily changes the constitution to increase the terms of the presidency or better yet, "president for life," and the population just seems to let it happen. About the only people who voice out is the opposition who want to get the power.
10) Africa has potential. Without sounding like a school teacher in a report card, from what I've seen of Southern and Eastern Africa it's rich in resources, minerals, and fertile land. With the exception of South Africa and the diamonds in Botswana, only a trickle of it is exported and if not all, under a company from a foreign country. Most of the farming is still sustentate farming and rarely any cash crops. I find the longer people work or volunteer in Africa, the more they tend to become cynical. Perhaps it has to do with this potential.
In many ways Africa is richer than Asia yet there is no industry here. We're part to blame for this, as the developed countries impose trade barriers that hamper or limit African exports and industry. For example, US Aid donates a certain amount of grain but has to give US grain so as to pay their farmers. Whereas more grain could be bought in Africa minus the expense of shipping costs while stimulating some the African economy.
11) The population is increasing at about 5 percent. Despite the civil wars, diseases, and health issues, Africa's population is increasing at this high rate and taxing resources, social programs, etc. Unlike Asia, where there are around 40% females and 60% males, Africa has 60% females and 40%males. It is common for males to have multiple wives or lovers and average families are around eight or nine.
12)Almost nothing is maintained. A two-year old car looks like twenty. Buildings and roads are run-down. Nothing lasts here because in large part, it is not maintained or fixed. They just use it, then over-use it until it absolutely completely breaks down. Trucks with dead batteries or starters... no problem, we'll just push start it and when it gets dark, we'll worry about that later. It seems there is a lot of equipment and vehicles that are simply replaced or just waste away outside. Africa is the perfect place for solar power. There's plenty of sun all year round, the energy needs are quite small per household and would curb the increasing need for burning wood. So why no solar power.... costs but I think, in large part maintenance.
13) Almost everyone has a cell phone. Every town has a cell phone store and their ads are plastered everywhere. People are even selling cell phones at bus stops along with fruits, live chickens, soaps and biscuits. It cracks me up when I see a woman carrying a stack of firewood on her head and talking on her cell phone.
14) Most African cities and towns are pretty ugly or at best just plain. Usually dimly-lit, run down and sprawling without much urban planning. There's really not much to see. Like the Ugali or Sadza (corn maize) to fill you or cane liquor to get you drunk without much thought for taste, the cities and towns are purely functional. Get your banking, Internet, supermarket fix and then get out.
15) Leave your Mastercard Credit Card behind. Africa works on Visa almost exclusively. It has something to do with their ability to approve cards. Mastercard uses a newer system that Africa doesn't have the technology to deal with. In other words, if you like to carry around a practically useless card in Africa, bring a Mastercard.
16) Africa is more expensive that I had thought. Getting around costs more than Asia and there are generally no overnight bus service in Africa. The tourist infrastructure is simply less developed. Things really start to add up when you do activities. Go on a trek, safari, bungee jump or river-raft. It's going to cost you.
17) Don't bring anything new or expensive to Africa. It will at best get "Africanized." Worn out, clogged with dust, banged up, stepped on, etc. At worst, it will get stolen, dropped from the top of the bus, or eaten by a goat. If you do, I highly recommend you get insurance because I have a theory, if you travel long enough and far enough, your money, camera, computer, cell phone, etc., will get stolen. Whether in your hotel room, getting mugged on the street, pick-pocketed, or taken from the bus as you sleep. I have heard (and experienced) countless stories of theft. On the other hand, if you take old clothing, shoes, or other things, you can bargain it for crafts or simply give it away.
18) The animals are simply amazing. Definitely one of the best things in Africa. The variety of birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles that can be seen in their natural habitat is hard to beat anywhere in the world. Whether it's watching a family of elephants crossing a river, gorillas carrying their young on their backs, half submerged hippos suddenly opening their mouths, cheetahs eating or giraffes nibbling on tree tops. Better than any zoo or documentary show, there is a raw beauty to the African wildlife and landscape.
19) AIDS is having a devastating effect on Africa. It's hard to fully conceive it's impact but the weekly funerals and grave sites, low average life span, AIDS orphans on the street is just a glimpse. Businesses having difficulty maintaining its' workers because they are dying. Unlike the developed countries, AIDS is not mainly limited to the "high-risk" group of I.V. drug users, prostitutes and Johns, and homosexual population. AIDS in Africa simply affects everyone. Initially, foreign aid just targeted this population but realized it effected all areas of society. In Africa, it is accepted or traditional customary for both males and females to take lovers (for the most part long-term), outside of marriage. Thus, a super highway for infection was in place that crossed all economic and education levels from politicians to beggars. The full affects of AIDS in Africa is yet to come. The costs and politics of AIDS testing and medication is whole another story.
20) Africa is for the experience. Don't come to Africa, if you want to relax, like personal space or have a strong aversion to rough roads, touts and beggars, nose picking, bug bites or catching packed buses before dawn.
Do come to Africa if you want to volunteer. But it will usually cost you as most of agencies charge quite bit or require long-term commitment. I think you come to Africa for the "experience". You will do activities no insurance company would ever insure and be put in situations not found at home. It's a wild ride, unpleasant at times but there's a sense of adventure here that I can't really describe. Hack it or get out!
That's all for now. I'm off to sip some coffee and read a little bit about Yemen.
"Why Yemen?" you ask. Well, it's simply a process of elimination. Getting a visa for Sudan is a big headache. You need to pay a hefty fee of $61 US for the visa and a letter of recommendation from your embassy. The letter from the Canadian embassy is such a big rip-off. It takes one day to process (i.e., another night's accommodation) and the embassy charges $40 US. What's with these guys? Not enough tax bucks. Other embassies are free but no, Canada's "special." Then there's the ten to fourteen-day wait (or longer, some have waited as long as six weeks) for the visa to be processed. And to top it off, there's a $35 US entrance stamp at the Sudanese border. Given all this, I said forget it. To the west is Djibouti but the $35 US visa also needs a letter of recommendation and the country is expensive, about $35-50 US a day. I didn't fancy waiting around a week in Djibouti city to try to hitch a ride on a freighter to Yemen. The border with Eriteria is closed since Ethiopia had a little nasty war with them and the border is still in dispute, and Somalia is just a little too nutty for me. So why not take the path of least resistance.
As I am about to leave Africa, I thought I would write down some my random opinions and observations of what I've experienced and what I've heard from others in South and East Africa. Read on with skepticism...
1) Live for today. This seems to be the general attitude in Africa. I don't know if this the best mind-set to have as it trickles down to every part of society. From overloading their buses and trucks on the rough roads to maximize profit for that day and not taking into account it will ruin their shocks and axle, and ultimately cost them in repairs. When you go to a restaurant or bar, it's common there are several dishes or drinks not available (It's funny when the waitress gives you a five-minute explanation of a dish and you say, "Great, I'll take it!" and she responds with, "It's not available."). I think many times no one takes inventory and only when it runs out, then it gets re-supplied. This "live for today" attitude has wider implications beyond economics. Take the spread of AIDS, where educating people about a disease that "could happen ten years from now" has been difficult. It's not often I hear parents speaking about their children's future. It's more of a survival, here and now stance.
Could this attitude come from a lack of winter? Whereas storage of food for the winter season has created a view of planning for the future in other cultures. Food seem abundant in South and East Africa all year round in the fruit trees, game and fish.
2) Africa is a daylight culture. People get up and get going early, when the sun arises around 6:00 a.m. The long distance buses and mini-buses almost always leave around 5:30 a.m. and at night, the dimly-lit city or town streets are mainly empty.
3) No concept of time. Most people don't have watches and I am always skeptical when they tell me we will meet at a certain time, arrive at this time or see them in some exact minutes. I can't count how many times, a mini-bus driver swear they are leaving right away, and we end up sitting in same bus station for two hours. As one driver aptly put it when we left late, "This is Africa, my friend. No hurry, pole, pole." (Swahili for slowly, slowly)
4)Ketchup comes in a radioactive orange-red liquid whose past life you hope was a tomato. Heinz has nothing to worry about.
5) There's no denying that traveling in Africa involves an element of danger. Whether it's catching malaria or some other nasty parasite, getting robbed in Jo'burg or Nairobi, getting close and personal with the wildlife, or stepping on a land mine in Northern Mozambique when you take a dump in the bush (During the civil war, Renamo would mine bridges, water tanks, roads, etc. Ferlimo responded by mining bridges, water tanks, roads, etc. to logically prevent Renamo from mining them. Of course no one kept a record of where the mines were placed and didn't stop both sides from mining the same thing.). Not to mention, the crazy kamikaze-style of driving here in the taxis, mini-buses, trucks, motorcycles, etc.
6) There is a lot of waste in Africa. Aid agencies zipping around in brand new land rovers and land cruiser when the battered mini-bus from China or Japan got me to the same place. Another example is the war trials of Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. The UN have occupied a whole high-rise building and a lot of parking spaces, and employed hundreds of people, and after close to ten years, they have only charged about 80 or so people.
7) Learned helplessness. Is that what has happened to the people of Africa? An expectation that the outside world will help. Why are no aid program self-running and needs to be constantly maintained. For example, the farmers in Sudan stop farming for crops due to aid relief air drops. Some of the begging is quite demanding and there is a strange feeling of entitlement. One Ethiopian truck driver complained the aid agencies were making his people dependent on hand-outs and expecting outside aid without trying to solve it themselves first.
A common compliant I hear from other travellers is that they feel the locals often be-friend them only because they can get something or make money. Take the crunchy with the smooth I guess. It's true, I have a long conversion and then get asked to sponsor them or help them with money. I was asked to take an Ugandan farmer's son to Canada only after five minutes. On the flip side, I do have some fond memories of being offered and sharing food with locals on long trips, spending a lazy afternoon learning and playing African boardgames, helping a fisherman with his capsized boat or simply joking around.
I have heard that if you do want to give something to the kids, don't give pens as they will likely sell them and thus encourage begging. Give pencils and notebooks instead, as it will be used in schools.
8) Corruption is tolerated. People in general just seem resigned their government, police or official is corrupt and getting slush money. Even in South Africa, the potential next president has been accused of corruption and making money from arms trades, and even accused of rape, and yet he's a leading candidate. It seems the attitude is that if someone from their own family, tribe, village, etc. gets into power, then they can get some special benefit. Whether this benefit is legal or fair is not considered.
9) There is no democracy in Africa (except maybe South Africa but there's a lot of problems there). I don't know if the Africans truly want or grasp democracy. Concepts such as free election, multi-party system, equal representation, open debate, free speech, rule of law, or accountability are often non-existent. Repeatedly in Africa, a majority party comes into power after an election and then absorbs the opposition to form an "one party" system. Or the government arbitrarily changes the constitution to increase the terms of the presidency or better yet, "president for life," and the population just seems to let it happen. About the only people who voice out is the opposition who want to get the power.
10) Africa has potential. Without sounding like a school teacher in a report card, from what I've seen of Southern and Eastern Africa it's rich in resources, minerals, and fertile land. With the exception of South Africa and the diamonds in Botswana, only a trickle of it is exported and if not all, under a company from a foreign country. Most of the farming is still sustentate farming and rarely any cash crops. I find the longer people work or volunteer in Africa, the more they tend to become cynical. Perhaps it has to do with this potential.
In many ways Africa is richer than Asia yet there is no industry here. We're part to blame for this, as the developed countries impose trade barriers that hamper or limit African exports and industry. For example, US Aid donates a certain amount of grain but has to give US grain so as to pay their farmers. Whereas more grain could be bought in Africa minus the expense of shipping costs while stimulating some the African economy.
11) The population is increasing at about 5 percent. Despite the civil wars, diseases, and health issues, Africa's population is increasing at this high rate and taxing resources, social programs, etc. Unlike Asia, where there are around 40% females and 60% males, Africa has 60% females and 40%males. It is common for males to have multiple wives or lovers and average families are around eight or nine.
12)Almost nothing is maintained. A two-year old car looks like twenty. Buildings and roads are run-down. Nothing lasts here because in large part, it is not maintained or fixed. They just use it, then over-use it until it absolutely completely breaks down. Trucks with dead batteries or starters... no problem, we'll just push start it and when it gets dark, we'll worry about that later. It seems there is a lot of equipment and vehicles that are simply replaced or just waste away outside. Africa is the perfect place for solar power. There's plenty of sun all year round, the energy needs are quite small per household and would curb the increasing need for burning wood. So why no solar power.... costs but I think, in large part maintenance.
13) Almost everyone has a cell phone. Every town has a cell phone store and their ads are plastered everywhere. People are even selling cell phones at bus stops along with fruits, live chickens, soaps and biscuits. It cracks me up when I see a woman carrying a stack of firewood on her head and talking on her cell phone.
14) Most African cities and towns are pretty ugly or at best just plain. Usually dimly-lit, run down and sprawling without much urban planning. There's really not much to see. Like the Ugali or Sadza (corn maize) to fill you or cane liquor to get you drunk without much thought for taste, the cities and towns are purely functional. Get your banking, Internet, supermarket fix and then get out.
15) Leave your Mastercard Credit Card behind. Africa works on Visa almost exclusively. It has something to do with their ability to approve cards. Mastercard uses a newer system that Africa doesn't have the technology to deal with. In other words, if you like to carry around a practically useless card in Africa, bring a Mastercard.
16) Africa is more expensive that I had thought. Getting around costs more than Asia and there are generally no overnight bus service in Africa. The tourist infrastructure is simply less developed. Things really start to add up when you do activities. Go on a trek, safari, bungee jump or river-raft. It's going to cost you.
17) Don't bring anything new or expensive to Africa. It will at best get "Africanized." Worn out, clogged with dust, banged up, stepped on, etc. At worst, it will get stolen, dropped from the top of the bus, or eaten by a goat. If you do, I highly recommend you get insurance because I have a theory, if you travel long enough and far enough, your money, camera, computer, cell phone, etc., will get stolen. Whether in your hotel room, getting mugged on the street, pick-pocketed, or taken from the bus as you sleep. I have heard (and experienced) countless stories of theft. On the other hand, if you take old clothing, shoes, or other things, you can bargain it for crafts or simply give it away.
18) The animals are simply amazing. Definitely one of the best things in Africa. The variety of birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles that can be seen in their natural habitat is hard to beat anywhere in the world. Whether it's watching a family of elephants crossing a river, gorillas carrying their young on their backs, half submerged hippos suddenly opening their mouths, cheetahs eating or giraffes nibbling on tree tops. Better than any zoo or documentary show, there is a raw beauty to the African wildlife and landscape.
19) AIDS is having a devastating effect on Africa. It's hard to fully conceive it's impact but the weekly funerals and grave sites, low average life span, AIDS orphans on the street is just a glimpse. Businesses having difficulty maintaining its' workers because they are dying. Unlike the developed countries, AIDS is not mainly limited to the "high-risk" group of I.V. drug users, prostitutes and Johns, and homosexual population. AIDS in Africa simply affects everyone. Initially, foreign aid just targeted this population but realized it effected all areas of society. In Africa, it is accepted or traditional customary for both males and females to take lovers (for the most part long-term), outside of marriage. Thus, a super highway for infection was in place that crossed all economic and education levels from politicians to beggars. The full affects of AIDS in Africa is yet to come. The costs and politics of AIDS testing and medication is whole another story.
20) Africa is for the experience. Don't come to Africa, if you want to relax, like personal space or have a strong aversion to rough roads, touts and beggars, nose picking, bug bites or catching packed buses before dawn.
Do come to Africa if you want to volunteer. But it will usually cost you as most of agencies charge quite bit or require long-term commitment. I think you come to Africa for the "experience". You will do activities no insurance company would ever insure and be put in situations not found at home. It's a wild ride, unpleasant at times but there's a sense of adventure here that I can't really describe. Hack it or get out!
That's all for now. I'm off to sip some coffee and read a little bit about Yemen.
posted by Louis at 4:22 PM
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