Nigerian impressions

A few days ago I was writing in my diary: “I am willing to bet anything that there are many kind, gentle, smart Nigerians who are so irrespective of interest or duty. It’s just that I haven’t met them in the short time I have been here. However, I do see an incredible number of alfa males, with puffed-up chests and hard or arrogant looks. The violence is palpable- you feel it everywhere.” Well, I met the nice guys here in Abudja. But I have to say: Nigerians are something! Smart, very smart. But My God, what an ego!! But also many really good men and therefore also modest, kind people.
It is true that many of them have emigrated. A newspaper here was even saying that all intelligent people have left the country, leaving the country on the hands of cupid, greedy and violent leaders!
As New York is definitely NOT America, the same way Lagos is not Nigeria. At the end of my stay in Lagos, exhausted and exasperated I was writing: “Two days of driving in Lagos have opened a window into their character. It is not their abilities- most certainly not, otherwise there would much more people killed than the aprox. 200/month; NO. It is not the fact that they are not trained, because they are not- in Nigeria you don’t need training or pass an examination to get a driver’s license. You pay 5,000 nira (about $ 40) and you get it. It is the absolute DISREGARD for all the rest of the world you can AFFORD to disregard. If your car is tougher and you don’t care if you scratch it you disregard everyone and you drive wherever you see a space. Or stop in the middle of the road even if you discomfort hundreds others. And if they happen to be in an armored vehicle, then they weave and blast the horn for everybody to get out of their way because they are ARMOURED.”
The MACHO attitude is fundamental characteristic in Lagos. The ‘tough guy look’ is, it seems, a defense mechanism, still useful and an absolute necessity until very recently. A year , two ago , weapons and armed assault was commonplace in Lagos. An argument on traffic issues was resolved with guns being drawn out and often…used. The macho look ensured survival. A normal look meant you were a sure victim. You had to look the part. Many people became the part and cannot get rid of the role they played.
An interesting phenomenon: here few motorcycles have rear view mirrors. THEY DON’T NEED THEM. They don’t care if they discomfort you by cutting in front and they believe they are so fast and nimble you can’t catch them. Or that you will break not to scratch your car. And I have seen at least ten bykers pounding their fists on cars.
Nigerians seem to be very proud of their country. And more recently they seem to realize they also need to care about it. It is endowed, indeed, with great mineral resources and agricultural potential . But they mismanage in an exemplary way their resources. Actually I think the term ‘resource curse’ was coined on their situation… And it seems they have several million cattle but there are no Nigerian dairy products, and even the juice sold in stores is made from a concentrate imported from other countries…while their fruits rot…Although the biggest economy in West Africa they have a big issue on reallocation of wealth: 75% of the population is under the poverty level.
They are one of the largest oil producers, but their two refineries are out of business, and the fuel comes from refineries owned by Nigerian oligarchs but located out of the country! The local investment climate must be very unfriendly…! Actually it is estimated that out of the 1.3 trillion dollars sitting doing nothing in trust funds in the Channel Islands, a good portion comes from Africa and of course, Nigeria…
I try to discern, as part of my job, a possible civic movement on which to base an advocacy strategy for a better trade and transport environment. In Lagos I am regarded as a strange animal. No one here does ANYTHING if there isn’t an immediate profit. Nobody thinks in long term or civic duty…
In Abudja, things are more nuanced! Industries, businesses are here more mature, closer to the political center and the value of lobbying and a large power base is appreciated.
Same when I talk about the ‘legal way of doing business’. Sorry! You don’t get it! It all comes down to maximizing profit. To do business, legally or illegally you have to pay bribes!! The only rationale here is the quick buck: how much bribe versus how much profit. More than 80% of the containers arriving in Lagos contain contraband or even if not they are not cleared until a negotiation on the tax is achieved. And it can last weeks, months, depending on the demand for the product and storage costs… The best comes afterwards…the latest technique is to introduce in the container a prohibited item. The container is confiscated according to latest norms. Later it is auctioned and it gets awarded to the right guy, who pays for it less than the tarrif due.
Nigerians are proud of their ‘democracy’. Well… Poor Plato…Rule of law is somewhat of a mess. The Parliament hasn’t passed a significant law in the last 20 years!! For example the customs law is the same since 1958!! It is totally outdated, it doesn’t respond to any international agreement adopted by Nigeria. Everything works by ‘executive order’…And it is the same in all sectors…And their parliamentarians are paid huge salaries.
To work in this country you have to understand the system…A law or an international agreement, etc, doesn’t have the same value as in a rule of law country, in the sense that a law represents the expression of a political interest at a certain moment and that’s it. Next moment, another policy…

African tanker...

The mound of yellow plastic cans, which originally held vegetable oil is the latest technology in the smuggling of Nigerian oil. Believe it or not underneath there is a scooter. It will cross the frontier in Nigeria using a narrow beaten earth foot path and will return in Benin the same way, to sell the gas by the bottle, a few cents cheaper than the official gas station. It is a terribly hard way to make a living, dangerous ,etc. There have been voices raised against this practice. But it seems the President of Benin who comes from a very poor family originally was sent to school by his parents who earned a living and paid his schooling using similar means...He cannot forbid it now...
And by the way...coming in Cotonou I see a motorcade stopped in one of the slum areas: It was the president coming to visit his home and parents...I rather like the guy!

African wizards - Les sorciers d'Afrique sont bien vivants

I was thinking about informal communication vectors and I casually enter in a fascinating discussion with my driver, Richard, in Benin:

Richard, est-ce qu’il ya des sorciers ?
Oh, oui monsieur Dan, il y a en a beaucoup !

Comment on devient sorcier ? On va à une école ? On fait de la formation?
Non, la sorcière se donne…Quand on mange, le sorcier te donne a manger la viande d’un homme qu’il a transforme en poulet ou en autre animal. Et tu crois que tu manges du poulet mais tu deviens sorcier. Dans les familles ou il ya des nombreux sorciers, ils donnent aux jeunes pour qu’ils devienent sorciers aussi.

Comment tu connais qu’ils sont sorciers ? Ils ont des tatouages ?
Non…seulement si tu dors avec lui dans une chambre. La nuit, les sorciers s’en vont pour se rencontrer dans l’esprit. Ils ont leurs rencontres. Et la bas, dans la chambre il ne reste que la peau. Si tu touche la peau, il ne se lève pas parce’ que l’esprit est ailleurs. La ou les esprits des sorciers se rencontre.

Mais qu’est qu’ils discutent alors ?
Ils discutent qui tuer, qu’il faut transformer en animal, ainsi de suite ! Parce-que un sorcier peut-être veut la mort de quelqu’un qui ne lui a pas donne de l’argent mais l’autres disent que ca ce n’est pas bien et alors il ne le tue pas. Mais ils se rencontrent aussi quand ils se transforment en animaux. Chaque Sorcier se transforme dans un seul animal. Un en serpent, un autre en oiseau, et ils se rencontrent comme ca et ils parlent.

Les sorciers sont méchants ?
Non, pas toujours, si tu as fait quelque chose mal ou quelqu’un veut ta mort, le sorcier peut se faire serpent et il te mord. Dans mon village deux femmes sont mortes comme ca.

Mais l’église…qu’est qu’elle dit de ca ?
L’église catholique… C’est la que les sorciers et les hommes méchants vont chaque dimanche matin. Ils sont tous sorciers et ils parlent de leur choses mechantes.

Richard, ca s’appelle confession. Et les prêtres sont sorciers aussi ?

Non les prêtres sont bons. Mais l’église américaine, l’évangéliste, tout ca, c’est commercial, il y a pas des sorciers mais il ya pas d’esprit. C’est commerce…

African impressions (Romanian)

Am fost pina acum in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana si Benin, azi am ajuns in Togo. Este fascinant sa circuli pe soselele din Africa, care sunt cind asphalt cind pamint tare ondulat “tole ondule’ care-ti zdruncina matele si ficatii, cind praf si nisip, dar in fiecare localitate si mai ales la frontiere este un furnicar, o umanitate frematinda intr-o miscare browniana permanenta. Se face comert: cu marfuri, cu sex de orice tip, cu droguri si cu arme, cu bani de orice tip. Coruptia este institutionalizata : frontierele se trec cu pasaportul daca dai spaga cam 10 dolari, cu cartea de identitate si cu numai doi dolari daca nu ai maimulti si am vazut cum a trecut o femeie fara nici un act si cu numai un dolar… Eu cu acte, viza etc era sa-mi pierd aparatul foto pentru ca am facut o poza caschetei unde se stringeau banii… Camioanele ca sa treaca frontiera, cu toate actele in regula asteapta cel putin trei zile daca dau spaga mare. Altfel stau si cu lunile…

Am mai invatat ceva…loviturile de stat militare in Africa nu sunt de obicei rele. Ele sunt in general o expresie extrema a unei societati care daca nu se exprima violent risca sa se dizolve. Problema este ca dupa aia militarii nu cred ca altii pot sa guverneze mai bine ca ei…si nu mai pleaca. In Cote d’Ivoire se va intimpla in curind asa ceva : Vad cum sefii armatei vor sa faca curatenie pina nu le scapa trupa armata din mina din cauza coruptiei, iar sefii politici se opun. Cine crezi ca va cistiga pina la urma ?

Socanta si saracia de aici . Credeam ca vazusem cam ce se poate vedea despre saracie. Dar aici este o saracie amestecata cu aglomeratie, murdarie, promiscuitate. Dar este mai putin respingatoare decit ti-ai imagina pentru ca este si vesela, plina de energie, de spirit antreprenorial. M-am plimbat prin aceste cartiere, care sunt toate un fel de mare piata, fiecare vinde ceva in prag sau pe o taraba improvizata, isi lauda marfa, se cearta cu vecinul cu o vigoare latina aproape. Nimeni nu se uita urit la mine, cel mult ma striga sa ma salute, sa le vorbesc ceva. Sunt impresionat de faptul ca nimeni nu cerseste, nimeni nu ma agreseaza sa cumpar, etc…

Atitudinea asta este rezervata pentru tirgurile de artizanat pentru turisti…Vizitez unul : toti sar pe mine sa ‘Just look inside !’ Experienta anterioara intra in functie, doua trei vorbe si sunt lasat in pace sa privesc nestingherit. In general kitch-uri imprimate in Tailanda sau in Nigeria. Gasesc in Benin citeva picturi de arta decorative moderna africana. Bun gust nativ, coloristica interesanta, motive africane viguroase, tusa delicata. Cumpar arta de sute/mii de dolari cu citeva zeci. Ma simt aproape prost sa negocez dar stiu ca asta se astepta, stim amindoi pretul final dupa primele vorbe dar trecem prin ritual…

Misiunea in sine pentru care sunt aici a inceput in ceata. Am citit sute de pagini de rapoarte socio-economice si de comert ca sa realizez un pic ce se intimpla…Econometria nu minte…oamenii da ! Gradul de necunoastere este enorm, este intretinut cu buna stiinta. Ce se intimpla in proiectul asta intr-adevar exemplifica faimoasa vorba : ‘Somnul ratiunii naste monstrii’. Interesant ca atunci cind propun transparenta, dezvaluirea evidentei ca solutie, sunt intimpinat cu rezerve. Aici, a spune ca imparatul este gol este less majeste, nu bun simt ! Noroc ca am gasit impreuna cu seful echipei, o fosta colega de la biroul Bancii din Romania o posibila solutie care nu-mi stirbeste etica profesionala.

Africa ramine Africa. In cautarea mea de canale de comunicare traditionale am explorat si relatiile tribale, sefii traditionali. Interesante descoperiri : in general, cum oamenii au intotdeauna nevoie de modele, de sefi, de oameni de incredere care sa se serveasca de lideri, oamenii se uita cu sperante la liderii tribali care de cele mai multe ori se bucura de multa autoritate bazata pe traditie, de valoarea lor charismatica. Dar vai, foarte des si astia sunt corupti…adevarat insa ca sunt si omoriti mai usor, asa cum s-a intimplat in Ghana cind eram acum colo… un rege si noua ‘curteni’ omoriti de ‘succesiune’.

Spiritual Armenia

I returned from Armenia a few days ago. Part of the mission was a trip down south east, near Nagorno Karabah. On the way we stopped at two very special places: Khor Virap, an old fortified monastery where Saint Gregory is said to have been imprisoned for 13 years in a cave I saw. A sort of Oubliette in which you descended through a vertical pit. Stone walls blackened by candles and a cross.

The second was Noravank, another fortified monastery, in a wild gorge, and built on the site of a pre-Christian temple. The amazing thing about these places is that you could almost feel ‘the sacred’ the “holiness” of the place. And what is amazing is the sobriety of the churches. There are no decorations nearly. There are no icons, there is no gold and rich tapestries. There is only stone, some modest but moving carving in the limestone of the walls. A stone altar and a Cross. Candles and blackened walls. And the Holy Ghost which takes you by the hand. You feel humbled by the weight of the faith of all the people who have prayed there so intensely they left part of their faith embedded in those barren walls…
I attach a picture I took in the church of Noravank : candles…blackened walls, stone walls. But a picture cannot express the holiness , the sacred feeling of the place…you have to be there…
After I left Noravank, I was thinking about other Churches I know. Why do these Churches want to impress their congregations with the richness of their worldly assets? Large, rich buildings, sculptures, gold surrounding wonderfully painted icons…they pale when compared to the rich spirituality expressed by simplicity and soberness of the Armenian churches…