Ministerial visits and pounding yam

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Well apologies for not having written for a couple of days, I have been working pretty hard over the last couple of days, and haven't managed to come to the internet café. But seeing as Saturday is finally here, I have managed to sneak away!

2 weeks into my little expedition. 1 week to go. I am definitely becoming more aclimatised to Togo. Getting into the rhythm of the day - waking up at 6:15, working til 12, sleep til 3, work til 5:30, sleep by 8. Still don't think I'm completely used to the heat though - this morning I went for a half hour walk around Avedji Cité, which is the area around the Social Centre. I got back at 9:30AM soooo hot and sweaty, and had to have my 2nd shower of the day. I'll probably get used to the heat just in time for me to go back to freezing cold Engand!

The sun's very powerful today as well, which means I am caking on the sun cream. Sadly that also means that the only part of me that is getting remotely tanned are my feet!

So, an update with work. Yesterday Bruno and I drove around to 6 different Government Ministries to deliver the monthy PDH Bulletin, which has all of the latest figures and facts in it. Due to the postal system in Togo being pretty much non existent, these all have to be delivered by hand - meaning by motobike. Therefore Bruno and I headed off the Parliament Avenue in Lomé.

Now, Parliament Avenue looks like a posh swanky village in the middle of Lomé with tall trees lining the streets and very impressive big white buildings with signs outside saying things like 'Ministerie pour l'Agriculture', 'Ministerie de Forestrie' and 'Ministerie de Santé' which is where we were heading. However, when you take a closer look, you realise that all of these buildings are in different stages of becoming ruins, and that the street itself is lined with beggars and starving people. I have to say it was a very strange place, full of juxtapositions. Here is the centre of Togolese politics, but as I will explain in a moment, it explains completely why Togo IS how it is.

So we visited some Ministers and civil servants in the Ministerie de Santé and gave them our bulletin. I was astonished that Bruno and I could just walk into these buildings, knock on someone official's door, and then just go in for a chat. No one asked us who we were on arrival, and noone asked for ID or anything. We visited one civil servant in the Ministerie who Bruno had met before. Let me describe his office to you, just to try and explain what I mean:

The 'office' (I use the word lightly) was freezing when we went in due to the air conditioning being on full blast, and the man was sitting at his desk with a big wooly jumper on. He had a very impressive flat-screen computer, and a TV and sterio all hooked up to eachother. However, when I looked round the room, there was no carpet, no curtains and several buckets placed around the room to catch brown-coloured liquid that was dripping from the ceiling. Also I noticed that he had piles and piles of folders and files on his desk, but no sign of a filing cabinet. The walls themselves had huge cracks in them, and the whole building looked like it was just about the collapse. And yet the civil servant sat there happily behind his desk, tapping away on his keyboard in his wooly jumper, not thinking anything of it.

I have t say, I have seen this quite a lot in Togo, and I can't really explain this. I have seen what-we-would-describe-as 'poor' people with swanky mobile phones, TVs and computers, but who live in tiny shacks built out of corrigated iron and cardboard boxes. I cannot explain, and I am still shocked by it. People cannot afford to send their children to school, but they manage to have the newest iPhone........

Anyway; my visit to the Togolese Government was brief, mercifully, and I found it intriguing but also incredibly worrying. And I'm afraid to say that I have absolutely no answers as to how it can be improved. As I have ,entioned in my previous blogs, Togo has huge unemployment issues - about 50percent of adult males are out of work. However, if the Minister for Jobs is as 'organised' as the man I met, then I do not think there is much chance of any change. Certainly not on any kind of large scale.

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Right, so to move away from political discussions. Life is chugging along pretty well. In the end I didn't end up going to the seamstress, she came to us! Rachel booked her to come to the house, and she measured me for my dress and took away the fabric. Apparently it will be ready for collection on Monday!

FABRIC = £1

SEAMSTRESS MAKING ME A DRESS = £2

COOL TOGOLESE DRESS THAT I DON'T THINK I'LL BE ABLE TO WEAR ANYWHERE = Priceless!

I am got good at pounding Yam as well. No, it is nothing dodgy. It involved chopping up bits of yam and putting it in a HUGE mortar, and pounding it with a HUGE pestle (bigger than me!). It is very hot work, and I can only do about 10 strikes before I have to give it back to Elolo, but it's definitely fun.

Yesterday I went with Elolo to a Togolese tailor to get him to make me some Togolese shorts out of some GREAT African-patterned fabric. Again:
FABRIC = £1
TAILOR TO MAKE ME SOME SHORTS = £1

Pretty amazing!

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So next week there is another volunteer arriving from Shveden, so I will have to share my bathroom (which has now got a shower in it!) and I'm going to be celebrating my birthday by giving little presents to OTHER people! How crazy!

So, until we meet again!
Lots of love, and keep the messages coming!
R

ps - Sarah and Ben - yes I can receive texts, but not on my normal number. Will try texting you on my Togolese number, but it doesn't work for everyone.
pps - just a warning to all of you who are expecting pressies when I get back - in short, you won't be getting any. Hehe. Unless you want a banana or some yam. Seriously there is no where near the Centre that sells merchandise, and I don't think I'm going to be going into the City again, apart from for work. So SORRY!!!!! I will make it up to you with my wit and good looks 😊

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Comments

[Emma]

:)
Looking forward to seeing your dress! Very interesting to read about your trip to the gvt buildings... There are no easy answers. Have a great final week :) love Emma x x x

[Rachel Butterworth]

Aww, thanks Clare! Shame about Natalie leaving :( she was a laugh! Do you know when you guys are staying til now? September, or beyond? Although I'm not adding a blog entry today, I will definitely do a couple more before I head back on Saturday night - flight is at 11pm!! Get back to England hopefully at 11am Sunday morning. Back to work on the Tuesday. Hope nothing has fallen apart while I've been away! See you next weeeeeek!!!

[christine]

so proud
of you Rach, sounds like you are enjoying the life of togo, defo interested in hearing about the political side of things when you get back. Keep enjoying it, all the best. Christine xx