Witnessing history...

This weekend Nigeria held elections for the Governers of the 36 states in Nigeria. It was a rare chance to witness the development of democracy in this Giant of Africa. Democracy is just 8 years old here in Nigeria, and next weekend’s election (for President) will mark the first ever handover from one civilian leader to another. It’s fascinating to watch it unfold.But then not all the details of history are recorded. I may have observed a huge leap forward in Nigeria’s political and civil development, but it would be hard to miss the massive election rigging, falsification of results and generally taking the p*ss. I guess history is less pretty close up.

Good marketing...

The thing I’m going to miss most after these elections is the ads. The good news is that whichever candidate is elected, everyone is going to be educated, healthy and rich by this time next year. Politicians are the same everywhere.It’s interesting to note that the only candidate using sex in his ads is the Christian pastor. His ads show a woman refusing to bring a child into this terrible world, but a quick pep-talk via the telly has her changing her mind. And her husband turns to give Reverend Chris a big thumbs-up as she drags him up the stairs. Now if I could vote…

Yet more about the elections...

Sorry, but the world has all but stopped here in Minna – the elections are ALL that’s happening right now.
So the reason for the mass rigging – more than 30 of the 36 state governors are in the sights of the economic crimes body, EFCC, due to mismanagement of state resources. Governors have immunity from prosecution while in office, but come the handover in May they are in trouble (a crack at granting themselves lifetime-immunity failed late last year). Thus the importance of replacing themselves with someone who is willing to continue hiding the skeletons. A colleague made an interesting insight yesterday – the reason the politicians don’t do anything for their constituents while in office is because the constituents didn’t actually vote them in. Its almost funny.

And in other news...

It’s hotttttt.
And sticky.
And hot

Hovering between worlds...

Being a VSO in Abuja can be a strange thing – living somewhere between the expat lifestyle and that of most Nigerians. VSOs may not get rich on their placements but we are very well-off compared to most of the population. So, I for one, live it up when I get to the city!
Comparing breakfasts: on Monday morning we had a very Nigerian meal of egg & bread. It is half a small loaf of bread sawn in two with a pepe omelette sandwiched in between. This is all prepared on a simple wooden table and open fire on the side of the street. Cost N80 plus N40 for a fanta. N120 total.
Then this morning I wanted to check out a new book shop in a pretty exclusive plaza, but it wasn’t opened by 9 so I had breakfast in style. A croissant and small juice box. N330 total.
It can be a bit disorienting having one step in each world, but the good news is that breakfast will set you up for the day in either…

Movie magic...

I went to Abuja’s new cinema last night to see The Last King of Scotland. I had been anticipating a surreal experience after listening to everyone else’s cinema stories of power outages, seat-switching and general mayhem. But it all went swimmingly, and I did actually get to watch the movie.
We had a brief power outage, and there was a surround-sound running commentary. Everyone in the theatre conversed loudly throughout the movie and there were a few really well-timed plot / narrative predictions. What really surprised me though was the Nigerian sense of humour. The high-tension bits of the film had folks rolling in the aisles. While I was terrified on the protagonist’s behalf, most of my neighbours couldn’t contain their belly-laughs. And then they cheered when things went well for the same hapless character! A fully interactive experience.

**spoiler ahead – watch the film before you read this! **
The Last King of Scotland was an interesting movie to watch in an African movie theatre. There were some uncomfortable moments – mostly the intrinsic importance of the White man in a Black country; the evidence of his life being more important than the lives of two of his more decent Black counterparts. Coupled with his naivety and arrogance, it didn’t always sit well with me.
Babel was another interesting movie in that it was able to articulate something that has been in my peripheral vision since I got here: the luxury of a backup plan. For me its one of the major things that separate my lives here and at home. Many people here struggle from day to day and so when things go wrong they have no resources/ability to cope. It may take time or effort, but by enlarge, Westerners can access the help we need to get out of strife (whether its money or information or time or professional expertise). In the absence of social welfare and transparent systems many folks here must rely on family. Which results in nepotism and corruption/stockpiling? All a bit simplistic maybe?
During the PIP training this week a speaker made an incredibly obvious statement – so obvious I needed to be told. 54% of the population of Nigeria live below the poverty line on less than $1 per day. If half the people of the country do not have enough to eat, how can I expect to feel completely safe and secure? Why would I have the right to feel so?

Through the looking glass…

One of the language tutors was talking this week about his experiences in a foreign country. The advice he was given when he visited London was:
Don’t greet everyone!
Don’t make eye contact with strangers.

I don’t know how any Nigerian survives in Europe. The training we receive before coming to Africa is:
Basic greetings for everyone
Prolonged greetings for those you know
The world may implode if you fail to greet properly

Guara Falls...

Finally got to visit Guara Falls last weekend. It's a beautiful place just an hour from Minna, but its a little off the beaten path so it took me a while to get there!

As it hasnt started raining properly yet, there was little water and we were able to swim. In a couple of months the water will have swelled to cover the whole area in which we sat and swimming will be out. Would still like to go back for a look though, I hear its quite a sight.

Not just the swimmers who will be out of action though, the little fishermen will be too!

PIP II...

Was back in Abuja this week for the second leg of the induction programme for the new volunteers. The volunteers who arrived in February had spent one month in placement and they came back together for 3 days. Its a great chance to chat about whats normal and whats not (yes you should have to take public transport, no you shouldnt have to wash in a river).
The standards of accommodation and the circumstances of work can vary hugely from placement to placement. Although there are minimum standards for accommodation - these arent terribly high and most employers do better by their volunteers than expected to (mine certainly did). But then some volunteers have to argue to get the basics. Its a tough time for alot of people - these first few months, but the volunteers are all doing really well. Feeling a bit proud of everyone, so I am!

Holiday season...

Public holidays seem to be a bit of a state secret here in Nigeria. Although rumours fly for weeks in advance, they are only announced at the last minute. So while everyone expected last Friday to be a public holiday, on Thursday the announcement came that it would be on Monday.
So lots of people were late for work on Friday and then spent the rest of the day reorganising their Monday plans...

Traffic...

Traffic in Abuja is crazy. We hit a go-slow during a lunch outing this week, so our taxi driver took to the footpath. However before long he was twarted by the 2 other taxi drivers who did the same thing. So at one stage there were 3 cars reversing on the footpath. All honking at the pedestrains to get out of their way.

Queen's Day...

The Dutch will celebrate their national holiday, Queen's Day, at the end of this month. But the festivities got under way this weekend with a traditional flea market.

Some of the volunteers are working with in this area and so there was lots of VSO presence! Thessa works with the gorgeous children of the DOC Hope Centre in Kubwa. The children make beads and jewelery, which you can see Helen inspecting below. Mart and Elly are working with cloth and originals prints - on t-shirts, tablecloths etc. My 'ba wahalla' (no problem) tshirt is on order! And Jenny works with a new NGO called Better Living for the empowerment of women. They make very beautiful jewelery.

All these organisations are truly good causes, and all make things to order if you are looking for a truly unique present.

Another farewell...

Asma'u has been my VSO Programme Manager since I arrived in-country and she finished work last week. So all the education volunteers came together to say a proper farewell!