I've hesitated doing this for awhile but ... pardon the self-promotion for a moment!
In a world so very far away from my daily life in Nigeria --
Laura Greiner and I have a new Bible Study that is off the presses from Group Publishing. And we're working diligently to get the word out. And so, I finally decided that there are enough women who read this blog who are women in ministry and are looking for new tools for the gals in their groups that ... well ... I thought I'd let you know about it!
It's Rendezvous Bible Study: Where Women Love to Meet; Joy Ride: Philippians. It's a creative, interactive, energy-packed group study of the book of Philippians. The link below is for the leader's guide but you can click on the companion participant's guide, too. So, check it out!
I'm especially excited that it gets women connecting with each other and with the Living Word of God in lively and joy-full ways!
Believe me, there was a certain connectedness I felt with Paul (the writer of Philippians in the Bible) while writing this because Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from jail -- sadly, I have been able to relate! :-) However, I also can relate to the inexpressible joy that Paul held onto no matter what circumstances he was encountering. And that's the study's theme -- the joyride of life with Jesus!
You can find it at:
http://store.grouppublishing.com/OA_HTML/gpCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=14480
If that link doesn't work, just try www.group.com and then do a search for Rendezvous!
En-joy!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Nigeria: Failed Elections, Failing State?
For an excellent analysis of the current status of Nigeria, check out
www.crisisgroup.org and read Africa Report No. 126.
Just click on the title: Nigeria: Failed Elections, Failing State?
From my perspective, this is very accurate. Indeed, the next couple of months will be pivotal.
www.crisisgroup.org and read Africa Report No. 126.
Just click on the title: Nigeria: Failed Elections, Failing State?
From my perspective, this is very accurate. Indeed, the next couple of months will be pivotal.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Seasons and Sameness
It's Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S. and we didn't even realize it until a couple of days ago. You see, we've lost all sense of a calendar. There is no rhythm of the seasons, here. The only seasons are wet and dry and in our area even the dry season has a lot of rain so it's really just rain and more rain! And the sunrise and sunset times vary less than 1/2 hour during the entire year.
Being raised with extreme seasons, in Alaska, this is a difficult adjustment. I now realize that much of an Alaskan's life is spent in anticipation and dread -- anticipating the arrival of the favorite season and dread that it will pass on all too quickly!
So, from our background, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and time to plant flowers and gardens. The next anticipation is Summer Solstice and the night-long fishing trips! After that, my mother always says she can smell Fall in the air. Fortunate for her that she likes Fall. :-) Some of us don't like thinking about Fall in June! And the rhythm continues with Labor Day, falling leaves, termination dust on the mountains (that's what Alaskans call the first snows!), ice on the lakes, Winter Solstice, the days "feeling" longer by the end of January, melting snow and emerging mud in March, ice-freed lakes, the hint of pale green that appears on the tree branches in May ... and back again!
It's the sameness of everything here that robs us of any rhythm. Nothing to anticipate and almost nothing to dread.
... and that's what's taught me how very important is one little word -- HOPE! Hope is what gets us out of bed in the morning. It's what drives us to stay late at work. It's what gets us checking the stock market. It's what gets us into the malls in search of the perfect _______ (whatever!). It's what gets us to the gym and gets teams practicing. Something to look forward to ... to dream of ... something that motivates us to stick with it ...
Maybe the sameness of everything here is what causes so many Nigerians to have so little hope.
Today the new President was sworn into office. Same political party. Same leader still behind the scenes -- Obasanjo -- military general in the 60s and 70s, prisoner, emerging leader, president, and now, still, the leader of the PDP -- the controlling party. It's a lot of sameness. With so little hope.
But hope is a peculiar word. It can mean so many things. The best kind of hope is not the "wringing-my-hands-in-fear-that-my-dreams-won't-happen!" The best kind of hope is the confident expectations -- the anticipation that is built on certainty. Just like our certainty that, even with global warming, there will continue to be seasons in Alaska. There's our hope -- our certainty -- that God loves us immensely, that whenever we want to speak to him he is waiting, that he delights in our being delighted, that heaven is real, that as followers of Jesus our eternity has already begun, ... and that the best things on earth won't hold a candle to heaven!
Ted Dekker, in his book The Slumber of Christianity, says "Hope is far more than a flimsy notion. It's the engine of life. ... We humans are built for hope. Without it, we slumber and die. With it, we live and thrive." And check out Romans 5:1-5 "...we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ... and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
I've been thinking a lot about hope in the past three years or so ...
We can choose hope when we enjoy a fragrant blossom and the fragrance fades ... we could be sad at it's passing or we could smile at the reminder that heaven will be better than everlasting fragrances!
We can choose hope when we're still locked into our camp that strangely resembles a prison (even prisoners get TV and food!) ... we are confident that better days are on their way!
We can choose hope when people disappoint us miserably ... because only in heaven will sin not corrupt humankind and only in heaven will we be unaquainted with disappointment and pain.
Without HOPE, we might as well stay in bed all day. Without hope, we might as well live a decadent life and then die.
With HOPE, we have our mission to still accomplish on earth! With hope, we have heaven to embrace for all eternity!
Wow ... the power of seasons ... the ebb and flow of days and months ... variety ... sorrow and joy ... rhythms of hope.
Being raised with extreme seasons, in Alaska, this is a difficult adjustment. I now realize that much of an Alaskan's life is spent in anticipation and dread -- anticipating the arrival of the favorite season and dread that it will pass on all too quickly!
So, from our background, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and time to plant flowers and gardens. The next anticipation is Summer Solstice and the night-long fishing trips! After that, my mother always says she can smell Fall in the air. Fortunate for her that she likes Fall. :-) Some of us don't like thinking about Fall in June! And the rhythm continues with Labor Day, falling leaves, termination dust on the mountains (that's what Alaskans call the first snows!), ice on the lakes, Winter Solstice, the days "feeling" longer by the end of January, melting snow and emerging mud in March, ice-freed lakes, the hint of pale green that appears on the tree branches in May ... and back again!
It's the sameness of everything here that robs us of any rhythm. Nothing to anticipate and almost nothing to dread.
... and that's what's taught me how very important is one little word -- HOPE! Hope is what gets us out of bed in the morning. It's what drives us to stay late at work. It's what gets us checking the stock market. It's what gets us into the malls in search of the perfect _______ (whatever!). It's what gets us to the gym and gets teams practicing. Something to look forward to ... to dream of ... something that motivates us to stick with it ...
Maybe the sameness of everything here is what causes so many Nigerians to have so little hope.
Today the new President was sworn into office. Same political party. Same leader still behind the scenes -- Obasanjo -- military general in the 60s and 70s, prisoner, emerging leader, president, and now, still, the leader of the PDP -- the controlling party. It's a lot of sameness. With so little hope.
But hope is a peculiar word. It can mean so many things. The best kind of hope is not the "wringing-my-hands-in-fear-that-my-dreams-won't-happen!" The best kind of hope is the confident expectations -- the anticipation that is built on certainty. Just like our certainty that, even with global warming, there will continue to be seasons in Alaska. There's our hope -- our certainty -- that God loves us immensely, that whenever we want to speak to him he is waiting, that he delights in our being delighted, that heaven is real, that as followers of Jesus our eternity has already begun, ... and that the best things on earth won't hold a candle to heaven!
Ted Dekker, in his book The Slumber of Christianity, says "Hope is far more than a flimsy notion. It's the engine of life. ... We humans are built for hope. Without it, we slumber and die. With it, we live and thrive." And check out Romans 5:1-5 "...we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ... and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
I've been thinking a lot about hope in the past three years or so ...
We can choose hope when we enjoy a fragrant blossom and the fragrance fades ... we could be sad at it's passing or we could smile at the reminder that heaven will be better than everlasting fragrances!
We can choose hope when we're still locked into our camp that strangely resembles a prison (even prisoners get TV and food!) ... we are confident that better days are on their way!
We can choose hope when people disappoint us miserably ... because only in heaven will sin not corrupt humankind and only in heaven will we be unaquainted with disappointment and pain.
Without HOPE, we might as well stay in bed all day. Without hope, we might as well live a decadent life and then die.
With HOPE, we have our mission to still accomplish on earth! With hope, we have heaven to embrace for all eternity!
Wow ... the power of seasons ... the ebb and flow of days and months ... variety ... sorrow and joy ... rhythms of hope.
Of cockroaches and lizards
Sunday morning I got a concerned call from a new arrival. This is a rather large man -- looks like a bouncer. But no matter his size, after his malaria and security briefings (meetings that every new arrival must attend), this guy was more afraid of mosquitos than of militants! So, imagine his fear when, while in bed, a cockroach landed on his face! He wanted to be moved but I assured him that cockroaches could be found anywhere in the camp -- though I'd not heard of any landing on someone's face before! I arranged for the place to be sprayed and assured him that it probably wouldn't happen again.
That's when I remembered that just a couple of days ago, while Jim was in Lagos, I walked into the house in the evening and a small lizard scurried ahead of me across the dining room floor. It went under the couch and I followed him and sat on the couch -- without my legs up, even. It didn't even hit me until the cockroach incident -- I've grown quite accustomed to the little critters that live with us in our camp. I've found that lizards are our friends. They usually run as fast as possible when our footsteps approach, so they never bother us directly. And ... they eat the bugs that DO bother us -- the large, ugly, black, flying things that have landed in my tea cup, in my hair, and on my shoulder! Bring on the lizards! I don't want any cockroach landing on my face whilst I'm sleeping! But when they're just crawling around on the floor -- I hardly notice it anymore!
My how times have changed since I saw the first lizard and the first cockroach in our house and, in both situations, jumped up on the couch whilst shouting to Jim to please kill the thing!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Nigeria's "Historic" election period
We are fast approaching the historic handover from one civilian government to another -- the first in the history of this country! 29 May is the day for the transition to the new government.
However, celebrations are probably not the order of the day -- maybe thousands of protesters and hundreds of deaths ... but not much worth celebrating.
This had the potential of being a truly historic event and a true step forward in this country's "march" toward democracy. However, the actual facts taint the jubilance and show that this could be, in reality, a slither away from democracy:
-- the civilian handover is from one man to another WITHIN the same party -- the PDP.
-- Pres. Obasanjo hand-picked his successor and the new VP. The new Pres, Yar'Adua has reported kidney problems leading to some speculation that he won't live long. I actually heard one woman say she was not going to be forced to vote for a corpse so she wasn't going to vote!
-- Ah, the "voting!" Both our driver and our maid proudly told me that they voted. So I asked them if they had a hard time deciding who to vote for. In both cases, they said, "no" it was not difficult to decide because a PDP party official stood over them to make sure they put their thumbprint by the right picture! I tried to give a short lesson in free elections but they were so proud that they voted ... I couldn't burst their bubbles!
-- It is estimated that a few hundred people all over Nigeria died in attempts to guarantee a free election.
-- Reports abound that echo the experiences of our maid and driver.
-- In many cases, entire villages showed up to vote and were told that the ballots were already all used ... before the poles opened. PDP workers had already filled out each ballot and stuffed the ballot boxes.
-- Even 3 weeks AFTER the election, there are reports of PDP workers who have used (and are still using) their own thumbs -- maybe to save the people from the bother of getting their thumbs dirty! (I guess they want to guarantee victory in this "landslide" election.)
-- One presidential challenger is not going to take the election to court this time. Four years ago, when Obasanjo won re-election by a "landslide," this candidate took it to court and the case took 2 years to be considered ... and subsequently rejected. He lacks the money and years to question it again.
-- Other candidates and parties are going to protest the transition of power and are refusing to accept the new president. It is estimated that 20,000 protesters will be in one location in Lagos in a planned protest -- that could grow exponentially!
-- Criminal activity has increased since the election and MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the ones who are usually responsible for most oil-related kidnappings) has escalated their kidnappings and published a rather well-written statement condemning the elections as a farce.
-- The problems are not limited to the Federal positions. The same issues occurred in almost every state with many governors and others being elected in similar "landslides!"
So, most expats are staying locked down in their homes or compounds during the days around the transition day. Many Nigerians are also planning on avoiding the streets and public areas.
There is great hope amongst the educated and illiterate, alike, that the new president will take matters into his hands and actually deal with the militants and criminals that are crippling the oil industry and, therefore, the entire economy. It's a shame ... the average person who was already so very poor is now barely surviving because their income level has dropped in conjunction with the reduction of expats in the oil-rich areas and even in the country at all. Some companies have already pulled out of Nigeria. Michelin is pulling out, leaving thousands without work. But hands are tired at the mercy of the militants and the "area boys" or cults --- what we would call gangs and thugs.
The average southern Nigerian (in the "Christian" part of the country) pulls out their "God card" and says that they know God will restore their country and help the new president. When I try to explain that God will not force repentance and decency on individuals or a nation, that humans have free choice, ... I realize that I'm just trying to burst a bubble that refuses to be burst! If one individual can't comprehend that they are responsible for their own behavior and that God's not going to protect them in their scamming schemes just because they sang and tithed in church last week ... how will a whole nation get it?
However, celebrations are probably not the order of the day -- maybe thousands of protesters and hundreds of deaths ... but not much worth celebrating.
This had the potential of being a truly historic event and a true step forward in this country's "march" toward democracy. However, the actual facts taint the jubilance and show that this could be, in reality, a slither away from democracy:
-- the civilian handover is from one man to another WITHIN the same party -- the PDP.
-- Pres. Obasanjo hand-picked his successor and the new VP. The new Pres, Yar'Adua has reported kidney problems leading to some speculation that he won't live long. I actually heard one woman say she was not going to be forced to vote for a corpse so she wasn't going to vote!
-- Ah, the "voting!" Both our driver and our maid proudly told me that they voted. So I asked them if they had a hard time deciding who to vote for. In both cases, they said, "no" it was not difficult to decide because a PDP party official stood over them to make sure they put their thumbprint by the right picture! I tried to give a short lesson in free elections but they were so proud that they voted ... I couldn't burst their bubbles!
-- It is estimated that a few hundred people all over Nigeria died in attempts to guarantee a free election.
-- Reports abound that echo the experiences of our maid and driver.
-- In many cases, entire villages showed up to vote and were told that the ballots were already all used ... before the poles opened. PDP workers had already filled out each ballot and stuffed the ballot boxes.
-- Even 3 weeks AFTER the election, there are reports of PDP workers who have used (and are still using) their own thumbs -- maybe to save the people from the bother of getting their thumbs dirty! (I guess they want to guarantee victory in this "landslide" election.)
-- One presidential challenger is not going to take the election to court this time. Four years ago, when Obasanjo won re-election by a "landslide," this candidate took it to court and the case took 2 years to be considered ... and subsequently rejected. He lacks the money and years to question it again.
-- Other candidates and parties are going to protest the transition of power and are refusing to accept the new president. It is estimated that 20,000 protesters will be in one location in Lagos in a planned protest -- that could grow exponentially!
-- Criminal activity has increased since the election and MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the ones who are usually responsible for most oil-related kidnappings) has escalated their kidnappings and published a rather well-written statement condemning the elections as a farce.
-- The problems are not limited to the Federal positions. The same issues occurred in almost every state with many governors and others being elected in similar "landslides!"
So, most expats are staying locked down in their homes or compounds during the days around the transition day. Many Nigerians are also planning on avoiding the streets and public areas.
There is great hope amongst the educated and illiterate, alike, that the new president will take matters into his hands and actually deal with the militants and criminals that are crippling the oil industry and, therefore, the entire economy. It's a shame ... the average person who was already so very poor is now barely surviving because their income level has dropped in conjunction with the reduction of expats in the oil-rich areas and even in the country at all. Some companies have already pulled out of Nigeria. Michelin is pulling out, leaving thousands without work. But hands are tired at the mercy of the militants and the "area boys" or cults --- what we would call gangs and thugs.
The average southern Nigerian (in the "Christian" part of the country) pulls out their "God card" and says that they know God will restore their country and help the new president. When I try to explain that God will not force repentance and decency on individuals or a nation, that humans have free choice, ... I realize that I'm just trying to burst a bubble that refuses to be burst! If one individual can't comprehend that they are responsible for their own behavior and that God's not going to protect them in their scamming schemes just because they sang and tithed in church last week ... how will a whole nation get it?
Saturday, May 12, 2007
South Africa In Review ...
Well, we're back in Nigeria and we're living on our fantastic South African memories. Here are some thoughts in review.
If it weren't so far away from all of our people (like Nigeria isn't far or something!) we'd move there in a heartbeat and stay there forever! There is another reason to hesitate and that is that the economy is declining and corruption is increasing -- a topic I'll get back to in a minute!
The things we loved the most?
Of course the astounding beauty! And the fact that the terrain and vegetation changed every few miles -- savannahs, rocky beaches, cliffs, rolling hills, cacti and palms, pines (not native), eucalyptus (also not native), rivers, streams, deserts, ... always something new to appreciate!
The friendly people -- everyone -- blacks, Afrikaaners, British, tourists.
The shopping :-)!
The amazing restaurants with incredible food for give-away prices! Beef fillet that you could cut with your fork! It was more meltable than chocolate, ... truly!
The cleanliness ... wow ... amazing contrast to what we usually see!
The pace -- everyone seems to appreciate where they live and takes the time to sit by the pool, enjoy the view, climb on the rocks to watch the sunset over the ocean, enjoy a good meal for 3 hours, ...
The amazing Guest Houses and B & Bs and hotels we stayed in ... we are very spoilt folks!
I am totally incapable of choosing my favorite area of this incredible country! I could EASILY live in the Kruger Park area and I could EVEN MORE EASILY live along the coast in Victoria Bay (along the Garden Route) or in Camps Bay or the like. And I could JUST AS EASILY live in the stunning Stellenbosch valley, shopping and eating my way down the charming streets! Probably we would not choose the Joburg area and the western coast -- northwest from Capetown.
Of course, Victoria Falls was spectacular but that's not in S. Africa, so ... it can't go in my list!
All-in-all, God was shouting at us from many vistas. His presence was impossible to miss!
So, did we have any negatives?
The politics is a bit worrisome. I definitely left there feeling very conflicted. Obviously, apartheid was a terrible thing -- inhumane for sure! We visited Robben Island -- where many political prisoners were kept, usually separate from the criminals. Nelson Mandela was there for many years, along with many other good people who were on the wrong side of apartheid. However, since the change in government in 1994, things have gone downhill.
I risk sounding like a racist and I thought whites that lived in Africa were racists before we moved to Nigeria so I will totally understand your concerns. But ... I'll say it anyway. When things are left in the hands of the blacks, corruption increases and quality decreases. This is consistently what has happened across this continent and S. Africa is a stark example. The reason that it is so obvious there is that it was a very developed nation. It still is considered to be the most developed nation on the entire continent -- even more so than Egypt. So, with the whites in control -- though in totally hideous ways for sure -- things prospered. And now, with the blacks taking over most public sectors -- it's going down hill. The police cannot be trusted, I guess; it's much like here in NGA. White flight and brain drain has begun in a huge way as whites are moving to other countries -- Australia being their top choice.
Yet it's sad to still see the hold-overs from apartheid. Whites only make up 10% of the population and blacks 80% (coloureds and Indians and others are in the other 10%). We rarely saw a poor white and we rarely saw a middle-to-upper class black. "Townships" are areas where thousands of blacks are crammed into dumpy shacks that remind us of Nigeria. Many still lack electricity and running water.
And so that's why we feel so conflicted on the whole race thing. The major reason that the nation is so fantastic is the many generations of contributions from the Europeans -- especially the Dutch. That was followed by the English influence when it was a British colony. Infrastructures were put in place. Quality construction has caused buildings to withstand time. Educational systems progressed. If only ... if only they could have embraced the indigenous people groups who lived there instead of using them as cheap laborers and never educating them. But the solutions that are being utilized today are not real solutions -- throwing money at a problem never takes away the problem and just requiring reverse discrimination doesn't help either. The whole "teach a man to fish ..." thing still holds true! So ... the economy is going downhill and corruption is rising. And what appears to be segregation is still the dominant culture.
I have no solutions to offer ... only a sense of sadness at yet one more reminder of man's inhumanity to man and the fallout that often comes from attempts to repair history's damage. God is certainly long-suffering with the whole of humankind!
Back to Nigeria ---
So, we've now visited the northern-most part of the continent and the southern-most part of the continent yet unfortunately we find ourselves stuck living in the armpit of the continent! The northern most, the tip of Tunisia, was gorgeous. We stood on the southern most point of the continent and were wowed by the beauty -- not the Cape of Good Hope but Cape Agulhas (we were at both points but Agulhas is further south.) Of course I am intentional in that statement about the armpit -- wherever you go on this continent, people really hate Nigerians. They are the scammers, the drug dealers, etc. They are being blamed for introducing all sorts of trouble to other countries. Amazing, but we totally agree!
If it weren't so far away from all of our people (like Nigeria isn't far or something!) we'd move there in a heartbeat and stay there forever! There is another reason to hesitate and that is that the economy is declining and corruption is increasing -- a topic I'll get back to in a minute!
The things we loved the most?
Of course the astounding beauty! And the fact that the terrain and vegetation changed every few miles -- savannahs, rocky beaches, cliffs, rolling hills, cacti and palms, pines (not native), eucalyptus (also not native), rivers, streams, deserts, ... always something new to appreciate!
The friendly people -- everyone -- blacks, Afrikaaners, British, tourists.
The shopping :-)!
The amazing restaurants with incredible food for give-away prices! Beef fillet that you could cut with your fork! It was more meltable than chocolate, ... truly!
The cleanliness ... wow ... amazing contrast to what we usually see!
The pace -- everyone seems to appreciate where they live and takes the time to sit by the pool, enjoy the view, climb on the rocks to watch the sunset over the ocean, enjoy a good meal for 3 hours, ...
The amazing Guest Houses and B & Bs and hotels we stayed in ... we are very spoilt folks!
I am totally incapable of choosing my favorite area of this incredible country! I could EASILY live in the Kruger Park area and I could EVEN MORE EASILY live along the coast in Victoria Bay (along the Garden Route) or in Camps Bay or the like. And I could JUST AS EASILY live in the stunning Stellenbosch valley, shopping and eating my way down the charming streets! Probably we would not choose the Joburg area and the western coast -- northwest from Capetown.
Of course, Victoria Falls was spectacular but that's not in S. Africa, so ... it can't go in my list!
All-in-all, God was shouting at us from many vistas. His presence was impossible to miss!
So, did we have any negatives?
The politics is a bit worrisome. I definitely left there feeling very conflicted. Obviously, apartheid was a terrible thing -- inhumane for sure! We visited Robben Island -- where many political prisoners were kept, usually separate from the criminals. Nelson Mandela was there for many years, along with many other good people who were on the wrong side of apartheid. However, since the change in government in 1994, things have gone downhill.
I risk sounding like a racist and I thought whites that lived in Africa were racists before we moved to Nigeria so I will totally understand your concerns. But ... I'll say it anyway. When things are left in the hands of the blacks, corruption increases and quality decreases. This is consistently what has happened across this continent and S. Africa is a stark example. The reason that it is so obvious there is that it was a very developed nation. It still is considered to be the most developed nation on the entire continent -- even more so than Egypt. So, with the whites in control -- though in totally hideous ways for sure -- things prospered. And now, with the blacks taking over most public sectors -- it's going down hill. The police cannot be trusted, I guess; it's much like here in NGA. White flight and brain drain has begun in a huge way as whites are moving to other countries -- Australia being their top choice.
Yet it's sad to still see the hold-overs from apartheid. Whites only make up 10% of the population and blacks 80% (coloureds and Indians and others are in the other 10%). We rarely saw a poor white and we rarely saw a middle-to-upper class black. "Townships" are areas where thousands of blacks are crammed into dumpy shacks that remind us of Nigeria. Many still lack electricity and running water.
And so that's why we feel so conflicted on the whole race thing. The major reason that the nation is so fantastic is the many generations of contributions from the Europeans -- especially the Dutch. That was followed by the English influence when it was a British colony. Infrastructures were put in place. Quality construction has caused buildings to withstand time. Educational systems progressed. If only ... if only they could have embraced the indigenous people groups who lived there instead of using them as cheap laborers and never educating them. But the solutions that are being utilized today are not real solutions -- throwing money at a problem never takes away the problem and just requiring reverse discrimination doesn't help either. The whole "teach a man to fish ..." thing still holds true! So ... the economy is going downhill and corruption is rising. And what appears to be segregation is still the dominant culture.
I have no solutions to offer ... only a sense of sadness at yet one more reminder of man's inhumanity to man and the fallout that often comes from attempts to repair history's damage. God is certainly long-suffering with the whole of humankind!
Back to Nigeria ---
So, we've now visited the northern-most part of the continent and the southern-most part of the continent yet unfortunately we find ourselves stuck living in the armpit of the continent! The northern most, the tip of Tunisia, was gorgeous. We stood on the southern most point of the continent and were wowed by the beauty -- not the Cape of Good Hope but Cape Agulhas (we were at both points but Agulhas is further south.) Of course I am intentional in that statement about the armpit -- wherever you go on this continent, people really hate Nigerians. They are the scammers, the drug dealers, etc. They are being blamed for introducing all sorts of trouble to other countries. Amazing, but we totally agree!
Stellenbosch and Franchoek areas of S. Africa
My camera batteries were giving me fits while we were in our last days at the coast so I'll load some photos from Jim's camera of those areas. After solving the issue, my photos continued for our last few days. Here are some typical historical houses and the "same ole boring beauty!" in this area -- first developed in the late 1600s by Dutch and French. Jim got tired of hearing me say "I could be happy here!" :-)
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Water ...
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