The City You Can't Breathe In

(home-sweet-home)

The past five days were spent in Nairobi. I’m glad to be back in Kisumu. Even though it’s much more hot and humid here, at least you don’t feel your lungs filling with bad petrol. Every vehicle visibly releases thick smoke as a result of cheap, bad oil. I could hardly wait to escape the heavy polluted haze. Anyway, it was a spur of the moment trip back to Nai’robbery’ (a valid title for various reasons including street vendors who will do anything to rip off a white person). When Fidelis realized that I don’t really know what I should be doing and I wanted to have time to learn from her, she kindly suggested that I come with her to Nairobi. It was a good trip as I was able to purchase a guitar for MICH (easy task/very little selection/decent YAMAHA/approx. $95), develop a work plan, have good conversations with Fidelis especially in regard to the politics involved with development and meet friendly people with similar passions and vision for a stronger Africa. Fidelis is gone for 3 weeks. She is off to Malaysia and Washington DC to speak at a global leaders forum and another development conference. Busy woman.

During our conversations with other people at the guesthouse we stayed at, we came to realize that art would be a wonderful thing to implement for the children involved in MICH. Many are orphans, are infected with AIDS or malnourished and plainly have little perception of self worth. While being predominantly agriculturally focused, the emphasis on children is great and I think that allowing children to express themselves with color on paper is a very effective way to communicate and increase self-worth.

Each Saturday I will go out to Maseno to sing and make art with the children. I’m excited about this part of my work plan. Two days of the week will be spent targeting 2 women’s groups in the Kisumu urban area with my Kenyan friend Helen. Our visits will involve evaluating their resource potential and encouraging stronger entrepreneurial skills. This in turn (we hope) will enhance their quality of life and become a pulpit for Africa’s development. It is hopeful to emphasize the importance of Africans taking charge of their economy through their own production of the abundant natural resources.

The other days of the week will be spent doing some necessary documentation for MICH. Apparently I have exceptional computer skills (a product of my wealthy educational history) and this is where MICH lacks. So I have a website, brochure, newsletter, stories, surveys, financial data, etc. to work on. Maybe not what I would hope to do while in Kenya, but I’m beginning to see more value in having the mzungo (white man) playing a background roll rather than being upfront and over-regarded (because of $$$$). I could write pages on the perception of white skin here, but overall, white presence in the past seems to have hindered more than helped Africa’s pro-activity. (MICH also tends to generalize Kenyans as Africans as it hopes to eventually spread throughout Africa.)

As I understand the history of MICH and it’s vision, I see everything around me as having the potential for transformation. I’ll admit that at first I felt that there was no way Africa could ever fix all of the problems pertaining to its immense poverty. I’m becoming increasingly aware of Africa’s abundance and the historical reasons why it has failed to bloom in so many ways. Don’t get me wrong, Africa is not lacking in spirit and resilience. I find it seems strong where the west is weak. The biggest problem MICH seems to be facing is the current attitudes towards work, especially among the “Luo” people (western Kenya’s main tribe, third largest in Kenya). Most of Kisumu is made up of “Luo’s” who apparently only want office jobs or jobs that don’t require much initiative and vigor. Fidelis finds this most frustrating. It’s not an easy task to motivate people who don’t know any different and therefore don’t care to improve.

Enough for now. Thank-you for reading, please feel free to post questions or comments about my thoughts (which are not meant to offend anyone). I need to go to town to find whatever art supplies are available.

Peace and blessings wherever you are.