Call me a nerd (I do it all the time!), but I found the infrastructure here one of the most fascinating things about Nigeria. Particularly when I was sitting in the dark with no electricity at all (ie most nights). It also made me realize how little I knew/thought about the North American grid system. Luckily, my brilliant electrical engineer of a boyfriend and many people here tirelessly worked on quenching my ignorance - for both countries. [View Full Entry]

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The day after Xmas, Calbar held its first ever holiday parade. I got a little camera happy and also took a number of movies, which give a fuller representation of the festive atmosphere. Just right-click on the link to download. Movie List (Left Click to download) These masquerade (or Ekpas) who often frequent the Calabar streets even when there isn’t a carnival going on, “scaring” people into giving them 20 Niria (~20 cents) [url=http://www.renewablenigeria.org/mon/movies/NorthCRSdanci [View Full Entry]

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Barry and I visited a bush camp run by the Centre for Education Research and Conservation for Primates and Nature (CERCOPAN). Definitely check out their website: www.cercopan.org MOVIE LIST (Left Click to download) Bike ride to Rokho Camp. Close Encounters with the dominant male of the Red Capped Mangabey group. Close Encounters Our guide clearing the trail on o [View Full Entry]

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Signs of Change? [View Full Entry]

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Other pics and movies of interest: Movies (Left click link to download) Xmas greetings from my Calabar family A little dark, but has interviews of many of the people I live with. Xmas Bike ride of the Calabar streets. The bike broke down shortly after. [View Full Entry]

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Warri to Lagos, passing chaos alongside the road. Through the marks of civilization, wooden frames empty and others filled with various dallies of cheap Chinese junk, together sheltered with the tatters of canvas stretched overhead. They were empty, so empty it's worth mentioning again: They were empty, derelict, dry like a Mojave ghost-town with their rotting planks of siding. Further, deeper into society; structure-free, a ranting behavior. Markets line the uneven curbs, congregating near potholes a foot and a half deep. Traffic slows to an imbalanced creep. One tire falls in, a jo [View Full Entry]

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Today, a second Peace Pole in the morning after a hot sweat throughout the night. Peace Pole panels for Mandagho, and then breakfast and photos, before more WAWA (West Africa Wins Again) with tardy boat drivers and their resistance to the idea of traveling to an Itsekiri village. Finally, we hopped on the early boat to such place with the supplies for the pole. Quickly, within the ghost-town of Mandagho, we erected the partner pole with the help of locals. Peter and I stood back and watched. Two hours later, left alone, two Americans in Mandagho to construct a Peace Pole [View Full Entry]

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An idea, the design, research on the Peace Pole Project, a new design—and then the chainsaw; a three and a half foot blade warped in a tooth of gnawing metal. We were supposed to have the materials, and the paints, but there were none. So we improvised, Peter Titcomb and I, finding resources, scouring the bush. And with the help of three large muscular black men of the Ijaw tribe in the Niger Delta, the engine hummed, filling a quiet room of books and cataloging. Wood split, poles shaved, materials produced. The Niger Delta Friendship Library Peace Pole of Oporoza within [View Full Entry]

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Rain, thunder, and lightning showered our Thanksgiving feast, blessing the coming together of Nigerians and Americans. "God has accepted our meeting." Nicholas Ijabor explains the significance of the storm as evening showers poured onto an above tarp. Earlier in the day, rains persisted and brought native talk among the locals. They fidgeted in their plastic chairs. Together, we were at a town meeting exploring the methods to preserve the library, and this inviting phenomenon seemed to enliven our purpose. "We have been blessed many this day," Nicky said over the roar of water. As [View Full Entry]

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The crowds continued to thicken on the day of our arrival in Oporoza. We felt welcomed, and may I add slightly overwhelmed. The festivals were abundant and the attention we received was immense. We were Kings and Queens, white stones upon a shore of black sand. More simply, we were a group of American and Nigerian delegates come to a small riverine village within the Niger Delta of Nigeria. We were there to help build a library and understand the issues they, and the whole region, faced. But for our arrival, it was purely entertainment. Dancing, singing, receptions, more culture, mo [View Full Entry]

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