CULTURAL CORNER - Good Morning and Thank you

A trip from Kenya to Central America is more than just a long journey…

Recently I made a worldwide trip of my life across 3 continents. I set my eyes on places I had forgotten from my geography. Recall the longest river in the world: the Mississippi River. I could not help but marvel as it meanders for so long before it meets the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans. That is all in the land of George Bushes.

It was an 11 hours’ flight in a crowded economy class. However, the most irritating thing was the fact that I was the only black in the plane of about 500 whites. Imagine the penetrating glances thrown at me when I stood up to stretch or went to the bathroom. I experienced how minorities feel endangered - and honestly I was intimidated by the loneliness.

Where do you come from? I was asked by very few who were not scared by the only black spice or were social enough. Then I got nervous to answer, not because I am ashamed of my country but because I assumed these people are so ignorant they never studied geography like me or they have no regard for such a poor region. So I replied that I come from Africa. I tell you their response was laughable, but I didn’t dare do that. “My entire dream is to come to your country”, exclaimed one woman sitting next to me. Yes, she wants to come for a holiday to the country Africa! In her mind, the president of this country is Nelson Mandela. Well, I did not even attempt to disagree, for I felt she would be confused when she hears of another country in Africa. Soon after came a beautiful, well-travelled (I presume) airhostess with a broad smile. “Where do you come from sir?” I don’t hesitate “Africa”. Instantly her eyes glow with love, “Ooh you have a beautiful country!” So none of them are learned, I thought in my mind. I threw the blanket over my face, pulled down my chair and pretended to dose. Maybe I shouldn’t have under-rated the capacity of these people to know at least Nairobi if not Kenya.

My real shock was when I landed in Guatemala and woke up the following morning and took a taxi to the city centre. Every security guard, the likes of our own John at our office gate, had a short and a long gun. A bread van comes to drop a few loaves of bread and it’s guarded like it’s carrying the entire safe from Barclays Bank. I felt our Nairobbery was safe for once. Guns were all over the city. The Guatemalan PO who was hosting us was gun-pointed just when she left us for home and her mobile phone was taken.

There were few street boys in Guatemala and El Salvador. They should have been many, but it’s rumoured the police round them up and execute them secretly. That has not been rumoured in this country called Africa as far as I know.

But I kept wondering at the level of activism in Central America. While I was there, three people were killed when they clashed with police who broke up a nation wide demonstration against free trade in Guatemala. But people still want to die more. “No more demonstrations, we want war!” is their message – that was really inspiring! Their neighbourhood to the world perfect USA has made them suffer so much as all deposits from US are dumped there as trade. Their governments and parliaments pass laws in favour of the US policies even before it’s passed in the US itself – talk about domination!

More than anything else, I was disoriented by the time difference. As soon as I was there, I had to adapt to a situation where our daylight was their night time and since my head wasn’t used to this, I ended up with many sleepless nights – and got quite tired…

Then for survival there, I learnt two basic Spanish words ‘Buena Dias’ and ‘Gracias’. The former means ‘Good morning’ and the other ‘Thank you” – but funny that I kept confusing them such that when a waiter served me dinner I would tell him ‘Buena Dias’ instead of ‘Gracias’…

Adan Kabelo is Programme Officer MS Kenya