Happy Christmas everyone! This will be my first Christmas spent away from home; as such it will be tinged with certain sadness and perhaps the onset of home sickness. To date though, I am still in a relaxed and anticipatory mode, maybe akin to the expectant child on Christmas morning, wondering what delights will Nigeria bestow on me over the coming holiday season and beyond? Plenty of palm wine is a distinct possibility.
Today, my predecessor Ronan left for Ireland. He has lived and worked in Nigeria for the past two years, and the people here have left an indelible mark on his soul. We will meet at a still undetermined time in a watering hole in Galway in the future. Based on current climatic conditions, my thinking that it may be on a floating bar. My brother informs me that it has rained for the last forty days in Galway; Michael, maybe it’s an ark you should be building! Surprisingly, it’s still sunny here.
Having a place to call home is something instilled in the human psyche. This is very true of the Irish as much as Nigerians. A home should offer some security, safety and sense of belongingness. Thousands of such homes have been destroyed in Abuja over the past few years, causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The reason for destroying the homes, simply put, they did not fit in the Master Development Plan for the city. While similar actions raised the shackles of the media when perpetrated in Zimbabwe, the actions in Abuja went largely unreported in the Western Media.
The signs of the destruction wrought over the city are not so visible now; the sites of homes are now covered by long grass, though one can still see particular buildings marked by an X, ready for bulldozing. One can appreciate that the federal government did not want another labyrinthine Lagos-like city to develop in the new capital, I guess it is important to remember though all ‘development’ is value laden, often determined by those with power.
So wherever you spend Christmas, appreciate where ever you call home and the people you share it with.
See you in 2007.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Back from Lagos
Time is moving on in its relentless fashion. Four weeks have passed since I left Autumnal Ireland for African soil. On Friday last, I visited Lagos. It’s a place like no other. Lagos and Abuja stand as testimony to the great contradictions and diversity of Nigeria. Lagos is loud, energetic, dynamic and more than a little wild; Abuja a calmer, safer, more prosperous but somewhat soulless city. How to bring some order to Lagos and life to Abuja, quite a challenge? Answers on a postcard please.
When you think of Africa what springs to mind? As I meet new people here in Nigeria, it is quite usual to be asked how long I have been in the country, what are my impressions, and have I been in Africa before?. As often as not, when I recount my experiences of South Africa (a magical country), you will be met with the retort that South Africa is not really Africa, it’s too developed or such like.
South Africa is as much African as any other country. It has a great diversity of people, boundless potential but enormous challenges to meet the needs of its people. As a country it can be a model for the rest of Africa it has good infrastructure (roads and telecoms), a growing economy (albeit without corresponding job creation) and a deepening democracy. Though, there is no escaping the enormity of challenges that face South Africa, reducing poverty and decreasing the yawning gaps of economic disparity in the country.
I can appreciate what people mean when they say such like about South Africa but really what do people envisage for the future of this continent. Will Africa remain forever in peoples’ minds a place of poverty, famine, war and other such ills? Maybe the future will mirror the present? What about my new home, Nigeria? Will it remain a great place to live if one is lucky enough to find a job or hold onto some levers of power or lines of patronage? Money though is not a prerequisite for happiness, for a new study of more than 65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. Cash rich, time poor Christmas shoppers of Ireland take note.
In the future, can Africa combines its diverse cultures and people, unforgettable sights and sounds with responsive government who work with and for the people? Will Africa emerge as a place where people are not forced to leave their country or rural areas because of poverty? The future is unknown; we are forever restricted by bounded rationality, for few Irish people in the 1980s could have foreseen the New Ireland of the Millennium.
When you think of Africa what springs to mind? As I meet new people here in Nigeria, it is quite usual to be asked how long I have been in the country, what are my impressions, and have I been in Africa before?. As often as not, when I recount my experiences of South Africa (a magical country), you will be met with the retort that South Africa is not really Africa, it’s too developed or such like.
South Africa is as much African as any other country. It has a great diversity of people, boundless potential but enormous challenges to meet the needs of its people. As a country it can be a model for the rest of Africa it has good infrastructure (roads and telecoms), a growing economy (albeit without corresponding job creation) and a deepening democracy. Though, there is no escaping the enormity of challenges that face South Africa, reducing poverty and decreasing the yawning gaps of economic disparity in the country.
I can appreciate what people mean when they say such like about South Africa but really what do people envisage for the future of this continent. Will Africa remain forever in peoples’ minds a place of poverty, famine, war and other such ills? Maybe the future will mirror the present? What about my new home, Nigeria? Will it remain a great place to live if one is lucky enough to find a job or hold onto some levers of power or lines of patronage? Money though is not a prerequisite for happiness, for a new study of more than 65 countries published in the UK's New Scientist magazine suggests that the happiest people in the world live in Nigeria. Cash rich, time poor Christmas shoppers of Ireland take note.
In the future, can Africa combines its diverse cultures and people, unforgettable sights and sounds with responsive government who work with and for the people? Will Africa emerge as a place where people are not forced to leave their country or rural areas because of poverty? The future is unknown; we are forever restricted by bounded rationality, for few Irish people in the 1980s could have foreseen the New Ireland of the Millennium.
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