Sunday, October 09, 2005
Lome, Togo
Chaos is Today's Party
Military in riot gear stood nervously by the swelling crowd, fidgeting with their hefty batons. An hour back, motorcycles driven by impassioned men decked out in green and yellow ruled the streets. Now, huge mobs on foot had claimed their right to the highways. Cars honked futilely, with little hope of progress. Evening was quickly approaching. The growing fervor, showing no signs of abating, was instead rapidly escalating. This was our first night in Lome and at an internet café fifteen minutes from our hotel, Nate and I were simply hoping to get back to our hotel safely.
Explosions could be heard in the distance as fireworks burst overhead. Electronic music and hip hop, intermingled with pockets of traditional drumming, were blasted from innumerable locations, driving the crowd into fits as men and women danced feverishly in the streets. Togo had defeated Congo in a critical football match the night before and had qualified for the first time for the World Cup. The entire city, proud to be Togolese, was celebrating.
We had a front row seat to the festivities. Nate and I made it home without incidence, discovering that the road outside our hotel was the nexus of the city's celebrations. From a balcony on the third story, we watched as the crowd, astonishingly peaceful despite their unbridled enthusiasm, gathered in the street below. It was truly a national day of celebration and the Togolese reveling in the mob beneath our feet were not about to let anybody ruin it for them.
Chaos is Today's Party
Military in riot gear stood nervously by the swelling crowd, fidgeting with their hefty batons. An hour back, motorcycles driven by impassioned men decked out in green and yellow ruled the streets. Now, huge mobs on foot had claimed their right to the highways. Cars honked futilely, with little hope of progress. Evening was quickly approaching. The growing fervor, showing no signs of abating, was instead rapidly escalating. This was our first night in Lome and at an internet café fifteen minutes from our hotel, Nate and I were simply hoping to get back to our hotel safely.
Explosions could be heard in the distance as fireworks burst overhead. Electronic music and hip hop, intermingled with pockets of traditional drumming, were blasted from innumerable locations, driving the crowd into fits as men and women danced feverishly in the streets. Togo had defeated Congo in a critical football match the night before and had qualified for the first time for the World Cup. The entire city, proud to be Togolese, was celebrating.
We had a front row seat to the festivities. Nate and I made it home without incidence, discovering that the road outside our hotel was the nexus of the city's celebrations. From a balcony on the third story, we watched as the crowd, astonishingly peaceful despite their unbridled enthusiasm, gathered in the street below. It was truly a national day of celebration and the Togolese reveling in the mob beneath our feet were not about to let anybody ruin it for them.
1 Comments:
Hey there, don't know what part of Cameroon you'll be coming through in November, but my HWS group will still be in stage at that point. We're in Bandjoun, in the West Province, and we LOVE guest speakers who are actually doing real work! Please come see us if you can, even if only to get a drink and chat. You can email me for my number at eskimolinds@aol.com.
A bientot,
Lindsay
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A bientot,
Lindsay
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