Solar Eclipse

I get to mark one more thing off the list of things to do before you die. I watched a solar eclipse of the sun yesterday. It was a 98% eclipse, you needed to be about 100 miles north to get the full thing. However, it was still incredibly cool.

People here are still pretty traditional so they had to warn everyone ahead of time on the radio about what it was and why it was happening. Still, several people were either afriad or performed religious ceremonies.

I went with some people from work to the beach. I drew in the sand what was happening for some of the kids that came by.

At its most complete stage, all that was visible of the sun was a little sliver at the very bottom. Still this tiny tiny sliver, was enough to still make it impossible to look at without dark sun glasses. I was quite astonished how bright 2% of the suns rays are.

I took a picture for you all:

Here's what food aid looks like 

These dudes love this guys 

Here's the tour bus, loaded with groupies and music 

Groupies 

Notice the green dudes... 

International Woman's Day

To all the women out there, happy international woman's day. Here, the day was well celebrated at my job. All the women wore white to work. It was very beautiful to see. We additionally had a party at the end of the day. A guest speaker came to speak about civil law - birth, marraige and death. It was interesting for me to hear what Benin law and culture is regarding these life milestones.

Counting the votes

Cotonou was very quiet yesterday. Silently waiting for the elections to pass turning out a new president. The country was braced in case of violence. There was none. It was quieter than it has ever been since I've been here.

The polling stations closed late last night. I live next one of the mayor of Cotonou's Office (one of the candidates) All his people showed up about 12:30 or 1am to party the close of the election and the campaigning. It was the only noise I heard all day.

It will probably be a while before they figure out the winner. If in this election a single candidate was able to take more than 50% of the vote. He or she will be declared president. If not, the two top candidates will have a run-off vote in 2 weeks.

My guess is that we will have a run off vote.

The problem has been that the budget for elections was reduced and they didn't have enough voting cards or other supplies for voting stations. On top of that there was record voter turn out. As such, many people didn't get to vote.

Here's an article with more details.

Article about elections

Here's an article that describes well the situation here in Benin. Still working on getting pics

Elections coming....

Campaigns are in full tilt. In a day or so I will post a few pictures about how colorful it is getting. People dancing in the streets, music on buses all over the city, horns and all sorts of calamity.

The dynamics are very interesting. There are 26 candidates about 5 leaders. One of the leading candidates, Yayi Boni is a "Santos" coming out of nowhere and rushing to the lead. He has totally upset the apple cart. All the others have run at least 4 times and according to the way things have gone in the past, there is a pecking order -- this guy has never run before and has risen to the top.

A former director of several prominate banks, he preaches fiscal responsability and running the country like a business. A Ross Perot of sorts. He comes from the North, as have the last few presidents, which is a mark against him. People here vote from people from their region. So, this guy has a mountain to climb in reaching the southern vote -- but from what I see, he's getting the job done.

Among the other candidates are two sets of brothers from two prominate families. Each of them (and family members) have long served in the government. They are Kennedies and Bushes if you will. Same old same old, so people are tired of them. However, they feel that now that the current president is stepping down, they have paid their dues and it is their time.

On top of that, Benin has an age limit for presidency (not a bad idea). So one of the guys, if he doesn't get in this time won't be able to run again.

Another leading candidate is one of the richest men in Benin, who served as minister of finance, without taking salary -- to help the country. People know, however, that he is likely to use presidency to cut deals, etc etc.

Finally, there is a woman who preaches not feminism, but women's rights. Her platform of course is it's time for a woman to be president. She has, rightly, a large part of the female vote.

So that's Benin presidential trail 2006. Elections are this coming weekend. Pictures are to follow.

Hard at work 

Presidential campaign billboard - It will Change! Vote Yayi Boni 

The close of another ordinary day in Benin 

Boys will be boys 

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.

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

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.