Blogs from Nigeria, Africa - page 9
November 29th 2005
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 the Creeks of Nigeria was underway. The day was hot, bloody wet with beautiful cumuli in the sky. Their large thunderous heads rose high above an atmospheric layer, starry through a filter of Hollywood light. ... read more
November 25th 2005
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 the library project nears the day of commissioning, where local chieftains and government officials will grant us with their presence, we called a meeting of villagers to discuss its future. Books organized and catalogued, grounds swept clean and landscape around the empty ... read more
November 23rd 2005
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, more displays, the masquerades and the handshakes. And don’t forget the introductions and the photographs requested. Evening emerged as the highlight when to our surprise, it became our turn. It was our turn for the Africa ... read more
Warri-Town: In the Dark Bus (Location: Warri, Delta State, Nigeria)
Published: February 10th 2006Africa » Nigeria
November 22nd 2005
Just as it was with countries like Cambodia, India, and Nepal, Nigeria was real, it was raw, and it was dirty. Asked why, a simplified answer spoke of how the people and their land were utterly besmeared by the hands of humanity. Rounded up as slaves by an advancing world, sold, exploited, freed and once again colonized into a vicious cycle, it was their livelihoods and their land that received the brunt of destruction. Today, the culprit is called oil: The Blood of the Earth. And a market of big leaguers stuffing their pockets with cash continues to fuel. For more please visit url=http://cameronkarsten.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/warri-town-in-the-dark-bus-location-warri-delta-state-nigeria/Cameron Karsten Travel Writing... read more
November 20th 2005
Sweating, our backs glued to cloth, necks rubbed red, and strands of hair plastered to our foreheads. Albeit, with the fortune of the group, the late afternoon’s sun sunk nearer its horizon, shading the courtyard of the National Museum in Lagos. We were in the Federal Republic of Nigeria seated on plastic chairs, our feet sponging the crabgrass as we rested—patient, content. We waited for the showcase to begin; a showcase for us, the delegates of Global Citizen Journey. First, our day began in the city of Lagos, the once-capital of the fifth largest country in the world. With an estimated population somewhere between 10 and 15.5 million people, making it the second largest city in Africa (Cairo being number one), we drove across town with the hoards of traffic midst a slow crawl. Buses, vans, ... read more
November 18th 2005
Africa began with no call, no sign, no indication. The gate for boarding at Heathrow International Airport opened and that was the start. All rows, all seats, all passengers crowded like a Haitian voting-poll, but eventually formed into two snaking lines as black as a cobra’s sheen. A few white spots speckled the arrangement, I among them. Suddenly, the minority I sought was found—and it was me. Albeit, twenty-four hours in London proved as a pleasant coat of primer. As I perused Piccadilly Circus around its surrounding Tube stations, words from worldly tongues quizzed my ears. People everywhere. Cultures and their dialect were a circus of conversation unbeknown to my conscience. French, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic—the usual—then the sharp speeches of far Eastern Europe and the twisted consonants of the northern Netherlands. And then Greek? Could that ... read more
November 17th 2005
I can’t really describe what it is like to fly over the Sahara at 39,000 feet in a 747 jet. It is like empty space, yet I know I have never been there, or at least physically laid eyes upon it while floating freely in stupor—and I know most others have not either. It is like an open valley, or a calm sea with limitless horizons. There are no hills from above. Certainly no mountains. There are dunes which I can see, but only fingerlings of thirsting riverbeds, long ago dried, now swept by only air. They look like a swipe of a cloth cleaning with Windex and the immediate marking left behind on the glass. They look like a far-reaching snow-capped mountain, were few feet have ever lain, if any, scooping by fierce winds and ... read more
July 10th 2003
This, along with all my other Africa blogs, were actually emails sent to friends and family. I didn't know much about blogs at the time, but now I do. OK, so I know that some of you are deleting these emails by now, but for those of you that are still interested I'll give you one more piece on what I'm doing here before I get home. Things are so different here in Nigeria that in east Africa. When I got off the plane things looked a lot like Kenya and Tanzania except for the very noticeable fact that I think I was one of two white people on the plane...the other person being a catholic nun. At least in east Africa they have tourists. Also, everyone here wears traditional dress. The men wear long ... read more
February 6th 2003
From Benin we crossed into Nigeria and we have spent the past few days driving almost non stop to Abuja, stopping only for eating, sleeping and buying food. It was a long few days! Nigeria has been great so far, not that we've seen much. The people are awesomely friendly, especially the kids, but the adults too, shouting and waving whenever we drive past, kids jumping up and down, its great!! The kids would stop whatever they were doing and run to the side of the road, screaming and waving at us. We stopped in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, stuck in the never-ending quest for visas. Our passports visited the Sudan embassy, then Chad and Cameroon. So we had to sit around and wait. We didn't get up to much, shopping, eating out (we all ... read more
