Serekunda is een stad

Greetings from Gambia! Or The Gambia, to be precise. I guess The
Smallest Country in Africa has something to prove. Legend has it that
the British sailed up the river, fired off cannons to either side and
drew the boundaries where the balls fell. Even today, this small strip
of Anglophone Africa stays afloat in the middle of French-speaking
West Africa with the support of its former colony. British tourists –
and particularly women – like to come here “to have a good time”. This
has resulted in a rather unfortunate reputation for European women
(and those who look like them). An entire industry has sprung up to
service these needs, and in military attire no less – all rather
intimidating, really. I will sit alone with my hibiscus juice in the
morning, but will not feel comfortable doing so with my JulBrew (a
local beer) once it’s dark.

Some of the delegates had dinner together tonight. I’ve had enough
shop talk for the day and decided rather to join a fellow traveller
from Sierra Leone for the African-themed buffet. So instead of shop
talk, we had small talk. And the Number 1 small talk topic among
semi-strangers in Banjul? The route you took to get here. Unless
you’re a British tourist, The Gambia is really difficult to get to.
Many of us now know what it’s like to transit via Nairobi, Dakar,
Accra, Freetown, Monrovia, Casablanca...

I started reading a book on my way from Cape Town, but struggled to
get into it. So, on recommendation of some famous author, I bought
another at ORT. At first Jeff’s pulpy exploits in Venice (pas de
sentiment, beaucoup de sentimes) seemed the ideal distraction for
hurrying-up-and-waiting in aeroplanes and airports. But then, it ended
oddly with the ex-journalist going off the rails in Varanasi! I’m not
sure I enjoyed it, but without much else to do, I finished it anyway.
On the way back, I think I’ll try to figure out the workings of my
first mini music device (MP3 player).

But first, I’m looking forward to seeing some more of This Gambia.
We’re going on a “field trip” tomorrow. I’m not sure where to, but it
will surely have something to do with fishes. I hope we’ll go wherever
via Serekunda (just because it’s in that Stef Bos song). Might go out
dancing, too (but only if my newest South African friend agrees to be
my on-call boyfriend/fiancé/husband for the night!)

Funny how travelling can be at once so exotic and so tedious!

(September 2010)

A quote a day in Luanda

"In Angola the line that divides dignity and arrogance is very fine" - this is Angola in twelve words, and the reason why one has to respect the people of that country.

"Luanda is like a beautiful woman: Everyone wants her, but no-one knows how to look after her. All most are interested in is being her master"

"The government might not know everything about policy, but they know a great deal about politics". Also, it was explained that in Portuguese the same word is used for 'policy' and 'politics'", which goes some way in explaining their deep-seated suspicion towards outsiders and all their 'impartial' advice.

"Angolans know what they want and they are excellent negotiators"

"Keeping information from its citizens is the oxygen that keeps the dictatorship going" - trust the Open Society Initiative to come up with this one. True to some extent, but it is also changing.

What can one really learn in a few days in a capital? Basically that things are changing there, and probably faster than anywhere else. There is a LOT of money and a LOT of challenges. And despite the negative tone of some of these quotes, it was a place that surprised me.

(June 2009)

Botswana

Gaborone was nice.

I believe places, like people, need an edge.

I am nice?

(woord)prentjies van 'n (afrika)stad

Ek het nie fotos geneem in Kinshasa nie, want 1) ons is aangeraai om dit nie te doen nie, en 2) ek wou nie heeltyd deur 'n lens na alles kyk nie.

So... Die ewenaar laat goeters groei. Groot mense (lank en skraal), groot bome met groot blare, groot rivier. Dis asof die natuur vasbeslote is om dit wat hare is terug te eis. Dis vervalle: locals spot: "Kinshasa la belle est devenue Kinshasa la poubelle". Hier tel die mense ook anders: soixante-quinze = septante-cinq. En "tombola" is 'n Lingala woord - soos in kerkbasaar tombola, ja.

Mense ry aan die regterkant van die pad. Meestal. Disoriënteer my heeltemal - alhoewel ek moet erken dit nie veel vat om die rigtingbeduiwelde m-l te disoriënteer nie! (Hoe spel mens hierdie woord - d-i-s-o-r-i-(e)-ë-n-t-e-e-r??). Die minibus-taxis is die kleure van die vlag geverf: geel, turkoois en rooi. 'n Verwysing na Jer 33:3 op 'n agtervenster - ek wou dit nog opsoek... Soos in baie ander Afrika-lande is die kerk groot. Mense hou van kleur. Dalk deel van ons Afrika-geit? 'n Hollandse kollega het dit oorweldigend gevind. Vrouens dra nie broeke nie - batik-laprokke en in die aand barbie-rokke in blink materiaal in PERS, GROEN of GEEL. Mans hou van pakke, ook kleurvol. 'n Definitiewe Kongo-styl.

Shack-winkeltjies langs die pad is geverf in helder Skol-bier-advertensies. Daar's apteke, bakkerye, sement-depots, grafkis-winkels en haarsalonne. O ja, en selfoon-stalletjies oral - daar is nie rerig 'n fisiese infrastruktuur nie, so mense kommunikeer met selfone. Hulle't op 'n manier oor sommige ou, duur tegnologie (soos landlyne) ge-leapfrog.

80% van die ekonomie is informeel. Die res is duur. Ontbyt in die hotel kos $30 (R320)! Alles is te koop. Mens kan selfs apies in hokke langs die pad koop :( Die mense is vriendelik :) maar buroktratiese romslomp is groot. Vermoed baie mense maak geld deur dinge te kompliseer. By die lughawe word mens se paspoort seker 6 keer gecheck, deur 6 mense op 'n keer. Die kaartjie word met die hand uitgeskryf. Ek is deeglik deursoek (om seker te maak dat ek nie diamante in my bra probeer uitsmokkel nie?). I wouldn't be surprised - I still get the idea that this is a place where dodgy men come to do dodgy deals.

Tog kom ek meer positief terug as wat ek verwag het. As jy derdehandse mondelinge feite vertrou, verskaf die Kongo Reënwoud 9-10% van die wêreld se suurstof. En, ten spyte van al die uitdagings, is daar 'n paar goeie dinge aan die gebeur. Van die top-mense is toegewy en op-die-oog af is die donors, ook. Ek hoop mense begin besef dat hierdie ding in ons almal se belang is, maar voordat ek te veel begin preek...

Ek sien uit na my volgende trippie, hierdie keer na die woud self. Interessante tye. Maar vir eers is ek bly om terug te wees, en trots op SA, ook 'n Afrika-land.