Thursday, October 27, 2005
Niamey, Niger October 27, 2005
This is a broad sweeping apology to all of the people with whom I should be communicating. I was spoiled by the infrastructure of Ghana and slightly misled into believing that I would have frequent opportunities to charge my laptop and visit internet cafes to be connected with my friends and family. Those expectations are being dissapointed. My allotment of computer time is typically spent editing our articles and writing blogs; it doesn't leave time to prepare emails and the internet cafes of Africa are not ideal for banging out personal correspondence—especially with these bedeviled French keyboards.
Special apologies have to go to the people who don't sometimes call me to hear apologies in person. My Polish entrepeneurs I am neglecting. My doctoral candidates in the United States I am neglecting. Past colleagues and co-tenents of Gambia I am neglecting. I wish it wasn't so. My former students neglect me as often as I neglect them and that is as it happens to be. All the same though, I wish more of them would write.
Later this week I will have focused things to say about Niger, which New York Times columnist Nicholas E. Kristof recently called "the most wretched place on earth" after a visit that I've heard lasted little more than a week. American media on Africa tends to deserve profanity and suspicion. Perhaps I'll be prepared after a week or two of travel throughout Niger to make massive absolute judgments because my emotions have been tweaked by the sight of bony kids or dying mothers, but probably not. Long term residents uniformly doubt the necessity of the extreme media attention on Niger this year; more on all that later.
Now it is Ramadan and everyone is hungry most of the time. But Niger street food in Niamey, during Ramadan is nuanced, nutritious, extremely cheap, widely available and good.
This is a broad sweeping apology to all of the people with whom I should be communicating. I was spoiled by the infrastructure of Ghana and slightly misled into believing that I would have frequent opportunities to charge my laptop and visit internet cafes to be connected with my friends and family. Those expectations are being dissapointed. My allotment of computer time is typically spent editing our articles and writing blogs; it doesn't leave time to prepare emails and the internet cafes of Africa are not ideal for banging out personal correspondence—especially with these bedeviled French keyboards.
Special apologies have to go to the people who don't sometimes call me to hear apologies in person. My Polish entrepeneurs I am neglecting. My doctoral candidates in the United States I am neglecting. Past colleagues and co-tenents of Gambia I am neglecting. I wish it wasn't so. My former students neglect me as often as I neglect them and that is as it happens to be. All the same though, I wish more of them would write.
Later this week I will have focused things to say about Niger, which New York Times columnist Nicholas E. Kristof recently called "the most wretched place on earth" after a visit that I've heard lasted little more than a week. American media on Africa tends to deserve profanity and suspicion. Perhaps I'll be prepared after a week or two of travel throughout Niger to make massive absolute judgments because my emotions have been tweaked by the sight of bony kids or dying mothers, but probably not. Long term residents uniformly doubt the necessity of the extreme media attention on Niger this year; more on all that later.
Now it is Ramadan and everyone is hungry most of the time. But Niger street food in Niamey, during Ramadan is nuanced, nutritious, extremely cheap, widely available and good.
6 Comments:
i heard him (n.k) talk last year. he spent some time butchering the arabic that he'd 'learned' in his 6 months in cairo's ultra-protected auc program and then proceeded to make some sweeping generalizations about the arab world that (i felt) were not at all supported by anything other than a desire to Say Something. [sasha also wants to Say Something, but he's very overweight and also a cat, so it doesn't really get very far]. i wish they would replace the verb Say with Do or Show. africa is so rich in both its doings and showings that it could support a thesis that it is in fact the richest place on earth, and i guess that's what we're trying to present, non, mon topaz?
so good to hear a word from the wnd largest continent. can't wait for a view of niger through your eyeballs. parson mom
speaking as a doctoral candidate that you are neglecting i wish to offer a compromise: i shall forgive you in exchange for forgiveness for my cheaping out and sending music to you via the post office instead of a real carrier such as DHL as you suggested.
Your item left the United States from KENNEDY AMC at 10:49 pm on October 15, 2005. No further information is available for this item.
Your item left the cargo plane and fell into the ocean in the environs of Cape Verde at 11:52 am on October 31, 2005. We sincerely hope it washes ashore and some fine soul is able to appreciate the quality indie rock contained within.
Yours Truly,
The Post Office
Your item left the United States from KENNEDY AMC at 10:49 pm on October 15, 2005. No further information is available for this item.
Your item left the cargo plane and fell into the ocean in the environs of Cape Verde at 11:52 am on October 31, 2005. We sincerely hope it washes ashore and some fine soul is able to appreciate the quality indie rock contained within.
Yours Truly,
The Post Office
Your Polish colleagues offer forgiveness contingent upon a visit. You will receive a traditional kielbasa flogging at the border. Should you try to eat said sausage, I would remind you that, like me, you are a vegetarian. Daily transgressions notwithstanding. Comrade Everett...
An Update from Nate:
I got this via email, thought i'd repost it. sorry if you didn't want everyone to see it nate but i figured they might be wondering where you'd vanished to:
From Nate
First Friday in November
if this message reaches you it means a small miracle has just taken place. I have never been in an internet cafe this poor and miserable. i hate it. i stayed up all last night finishing documents and blogs that i was prepared to post and send. none of that work has proven possible.
the important thing is to let you people know, that i am heading off into the sahara for ten days or so. i will be totally out of contact. but everythihng is fine. the logistics of the trip have worked out well and we are excited about it.
check out Bilma, Niger online. that's where we are going, on the top of someone's truck. it should take about 4 days in each direction.
outside niamey the internet and telecommunications of niger have been dismal. in nigeria we should get everything back up and running.
I got this via email, thought i'd repost it. sorry if you didn't want everyone to see it nate but i figured they might be wondering where you'd vanished to:
From Nate
First Friday in November
if this message reaches you it means a small miracle has just taken place. I have never been in an internet cafe this poor and miserable. i hate it. i stayed up all last night finishing documents and blogs that i was prepared to post and send. none of that work has proven possible.
the important thing is to let you people know, that i am heading off into the sahara for ten days or so. i will be totally out of contact. but everythihng is fine. the logistics of the trip have worked out well and we are excited about it.
check out Bilma, Niger online. that's where we are going, on the top of someone's truck. it should take about 4 days in each direction.
outside niamey the internet and telecommunications of niger have been dismal. in nigeria we should get everything back up and running.
Hi Mate
I've sent details of your website to the BBC, I'll remind them again in a week or so.
I still reckon the NGO's/ charities etc are part of the problem in Africa, rather than part of the solution. As the continent gets steadily poorer, under iniquitous trade rules, and corrupt authorites, are 'we' really helping anyone except ourselves...?
keep smiling
Doug
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I've sent details of your website to the BBC, I'll remind them again in a week or so.
I still reckon the NGO's/ charities etc are part of the problem in Africa, rather than part of the solution. As the continent gets steadily poorer, under iniquitous trade rules, and corrupt authorites, are 'we' really helping anyone except ourselves...?
keep smiling
Doug
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