Sunday, February 26, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
An ordinary day in Benin
I've been having fun with lists lately, here is a short list of some observations about daily life in Cotonou:
1. At restaurants, there is just one restroom with stalls for men and women.
2. Presidential Campaign tours involve buses equiped with DJ equipment, neon lights, disco balls throwing fliers and sometimes money into the street.
3. Funeral processions involve drums and dancing.
4. I asked my friend if he knew so and so -- he asked me, is he Black? Among Africans, ethnicity is not so much related to color, as in the US or Haiti. Color is just a descriptor -- as we have brown, dark brown, sandy blond and black hair -- West Africans have various skin tones... When they call someone Black it means that the person is SO black that they actually look black. Then there are light black, lighter and light people -- everyone else is either Chinese, Yovo (european, american) or Lebanese.
5. There are approximately 2,700 Lebanese people living in Cotonou. About 1,000 of them sell cars.
6. Prices in Benin are a box of chocolote, you never know what you are gonna get.Gas is about 4$ a gallon (from a gas station) and about $2.50 a gallon (Bootlegged from Nigeria I think -- bad quality), Cereal is about 8$ for a small box, taxi's cost about $0.20, and typical African lunch costs about $0.70 in the street. Clothing costs about $30 for a typical outfit. CDs cost about $2. Sandals $0.60. Internet costs about $90 a month for DSL. Cell phone calls are $0.50 a min in the same network, $1.00 - 3.00 a min for another network. Text messages are $0.10 a piece. Beer is $0.60 a bottle -- same as Coke.
7. When people give you your change -- they always set it on the counter instead of your hand. (this was a hard one for me to get used to as it can feel rude)
8. Lunch break is from 12:00 - 3:00 (Not for me, our office is "American")
9. There are endless beliefs and attitudes toward sex -- such as giant penis statues that they built in the square to promote condom use, people believe that wearing certain rings can make you impotent or that during certain times of the year special people are able to steal your zizi (or make you impotent) -- to name a few.
10. Much of the education happens informally through aprentiships. Young kids, after primary school, usually choose a trade and work for small money learning the trade. They can then become photographers, mechanics, woodworkers, tailors, etc.
1. At restaurants, there is just one restroom with stalls for men and women.
2. Presidential Campaign tours involve buses equiped with DJ equipment, neon lights, disco balls throwing fliers and sometimes money into the street.
3. Funeral processions involve drums and dancing.
4. I asked my friend if he knew so and so -- he asked me, is he Black? Among Africans, ethnicity is not so much related to color, as in the US or Haiti. Color is just a descriptor -- as we have brown, dark brown, sandy blond and black hair -- West Africans have various skin tones... When they call someone Black it means that the person is SO black that they actually look black. Then there are light black, lighter and light people -- everyone else is either Chinese, Yovo (european, american) or Lebanese.
5. There are approximately 2,700 Lebanese people living in Cotonou. About 1,000 of them sell cars.
6. Prices in Benin are a box of chocolote, you never know what you are gonna get.Gas is about 4$ a gallon (from a gas station) and about $2.50 a gallon (Bootlegged from Nigeria I think -- bad quality), Cereal is about 8$ for a small box, taxi's cost about $0.20, and typical African lunch costs about $0.70 in the street. Clothing costs about $30 for a typical outfit. CDs cost about $2. Sandals $0.60. Internet costs about $90 a month for DSL. Cell phone calls are $0.50 a min in the same network, $1.00 - 3.00 a min for another network. Text messages are $0.10 a piece. Beer is $0.60 a bottle -- same as Coke.
7. When people give you your change -- they always set it on the counter instead of your hand. (this was a hard one for me to get used to as it can feel rude)
8. Lunch break is from 12:00 - 3:00 (Not for me, our office is "American")
9. There are endless beliefs and attitudes toward sex -- such as giant penis statues that they built in the square to promote condom use, people believe that wearing certain rings can make you impotent or that during certain times of the year special people are able to steal your zizi (or make you impotent) -- to name a few.
10. Much of the education happens informally through aprentiships. Young kids, after primary school, usually choose a trade and work for small money learning the trade. They can then become photographers, mechanics, woodworkers, tailors, etc.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Things I've learned so far in Benin
1. How to walk through dusty roads in small sandals without getting dirty.
2. How to carry large items across town by moto
3. A number of banking tricks to move money where I need it.
4. How to cook on a stove that stays on high without burning my food (most of the time)
5. How to wash large loads of laundry by hand without rubbing the skin raw.
6. How to send text messages on my cell phone (quickly)
7. How to stand my ground
8. A couple of new languages (at least a few new words)
9. How to overcome the distance between myself and the ones I love the most
10. How to let go and let life happen
2. How to carry large items across town by moto
3. A number of banking tricks to move money where I need it.
4. How to cook on a stove that stays on high without burning my food (most of the time)
5. How to wash large loads of laundry by hand without rubbing the skin raw.
6. How to send text messages on my cell phone (quickly)
7. How to stand my ground
8. A couple of new languages (at least a few new words)
9. How to overcome the distance between myself and the ones I love the most
10. How to let go and let life happen
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Sunset in Cotonou
Here are some shots of the sunsets that I enjoy every evening. They take me away from all my day's worries to a still place where I am free.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
A tribute to the best cheeseburger in Cotonou
Last night in the course of all my busy work, I found time to clear a space to eat. I was working from Taranga, a Lebonese cyber cafe, restaurant and bar. Its great cause its like being able to order food at Kinkos -- real road warrior kind of shop. Anyways, I ordered a cheeseburger not knowing what would come. I must pay tribute. It was a mid-sized patty on toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, a different type of cheese -- like a cross between swiss and chedder -- coleslaw (not sweet) and thousand island dressing. It was a delicious mess that almost made me feel like I was at outback... my truly favorite burger spot. I miss hockey nights with AJ.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Witnessing a form of democracy
It's election season and the two countries that I am most in tuned with are holding elections -- Haiti and Benin. While cultural siblings, I find the manifestation of democracy and the general approach to government to be strikingly different.
In Haiti, carnaval (the biggest holiday of the year) celebrations have been canceled. UN peacekeepers are keeping watch with big sticks and mules loaded with voting machines are heading out over the mountains. Elections have been delayed now for several months due to low voter registration and lack of security. Most people are leaning towards the fact that Preval, an Aristide croney, will win and deeply, most people don't care that much. Its amazing to me how on one hand mass populations would rather just be done with the election business so that life could stabilize and on the other there are groups that insight violence and terror. Power without checks and balances can lead to very terrible things. I think in Haiti what we see a lot of is power without organized human capacity to balance that power among various branches of govt leading to democratically elected absolute monarchies who view the population not as constituents but as serfs. I hope that elections pass smoothly and that the newly elected official can at least bring the country back into a semi-stable peace that we saw between 2000 and 2004.
Benin on the other hand is vibrantly anticipating its election. People are glued to radios and televisions listening to campaign information and following candidates as if it were march madness. There were 37 candidates, reduced now to 25. The first round of elections will be held at the beginning of march further reducing the candidate pool to 4. From the 4 final elections will be held at the end of feb to choose the president. Candidates come from the various regions of the country and people hold political meetings to choose which candidate from their hometown has a chance. They then organize to send bus loads full of people back to the village to register to vote. Why go back to the village when you can vote in the city? Easy -- campaigning is down at the most grassroots level. People can't officially take down names and information about who is voting for who, but when you go back to your village to vote, its more evident who you voted for. The organizers can then prove that they got X number of people to vote.
Here's where it goes above and beyond. My friend tells me -- Elections are REAL christmas for Cotonou. Political candidates walk around to wads of 1 dollar bills representing a day's salary to most villagers and pass them out saying vote for me and get others to vote for me. Let me tell you, its way more effective than any radio campaign that I've seen. On top of that, many Beninese do not have ID cards or proper papers in the village -- some don't have birth certificates cause they were born at home. So, you don't really need ID to register to vote... You know what this means?? Political organizers go to neighboring countries -- togo, niger, bourkina faso and nigeria to get clansmen to participate in the election.
In some ways one would say that this election is currupt and flawed -- with non citizen voting and paying people directly for their votes. But is it less democratic than our system where companies and political machines are choosing the candidates, where voter turn out is low and huge sums of money are spent on campaigns. What I see here are constant meetings about how to strategize to decide on who people want to vote for and how to convince others to vote for that candidate. While this is mostly based on the hope that it will mean knowing someone in the govt and being able to get favors, it is still very participatory.
In Haiti, carnaval (the biggest holiday of the year) celebrations have been canceled. UN peacekeepers are keeping watch with big sticks and mules loaded with voting machines are heading out over the mountains. Elections have been delayed now for several months due to low voter registration and lack of security. Most people are leaning towards the fact that Preval, an Aristide croney, will win and deeply, most people don't care that much. Its amazing to me how on one hand mass populations would rather just be done with the election business so that life could stabilize and on the other there are groups that insight violence and terror. Power without checks and balances can lead to very terrible things. I think in Haiti what we see a lot of is power without organized human capacity to balance that power among various branches of govt leading to democratically elected absolute monarchies who view the population not as constituents but as serfs. I hope that elections pass smoothly and that the newly elected official can at least bring the country back into a semi-stable peace that we saw between 2000 and 2004.
Benin on the other hand is vibrantly anticipating its election. People are glued to radios and televisions listening to campaign information and following candidates as if it were march madness. There were 37 candidates, reduced now to 25. The first round of elections will be held at the beginning of march further reducing the candidate pool to 4. From the 4 final elections will be held at the end of feb to choose the president. Candidates come from the various regions of the country and people hold political meetings to choose which candidate from their hometown has a chance. They then organize to send bus loads full of people back to the village to register to vote. Why go back to the village when you can vote in the city? Easy -- campaigning is down at the most grassroots level. People can't officially take down names and information about who is voting for who, but when you go back to your village to vote, its more evident who you voted for. The organizers can then prove that they got X number of people to vote.
Here's where it goes above and beyond. My friend tells me -- Elections are REAL christmas for Cotonou. Political candidates walk around to wads of 1 dollar bills representing a day's salary to most villagers and pass them out saying vote for me and get others to vote for me. Let me tell you, its way more effective than any radio campaign that I've seen. On top of that, many Beninese do not have ID cards or proper papers in the village -- some don't have birth certificates cause they were born at home. So, you don't really need ID to register to vote... You know what this means?? Political organizers go to neighboring countries -- togo, niger, bourkina faso and nigeria to get clansmen to participate in the election.
In some ways one would say that this election is currupt and flawed -- with non citizen voting and paying people directly for their votes. But is it less democratic than our system where companies and political machines are choosing the candidates, where voter turn out is low and huge sums of money are spent on campaigns. What I see here are constant meetings about how to strategize to decide on who people want to vote for and how to convince others to vote for that candidate. While this is mostly based on the hope that it will mean knowing someone in the govt and being able to get favors, it is still very participatory.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Coming Home!
Hello all. I just wanted to drop a short note to say that I will be in the States from Dec 23 to Jan 6. I miss you all and can't wait to get home.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
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