Kwaheri : Goodbye

June 27th, 2010

After much consideration, I have decided not to continue my fellowship here in Nairobi. Unfortunately the working relationship between BLECH Nairobi and I has been very challenging, and in some ways that has made my decision much easier. I am heading back to NYC today, with an optimistic view of Kenya and positive attitude of my experience. Despite the challenges, I was forced to learn a lot about myself and the ways in which I can and cannot do work.

I am hoping to continue working with the South African branch of BLECH once I return to NYC. I have developed a rebranding proposal which could keep me busy for the rest of the summer. Thanks for your support throughout the past month and encouraging me to stay strong. you all rock.

see you on the other side.

a-dawg

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“racial profiling” or “sex, lies, and handcuffs”

June 25th, 2010

As i sit in the Maputo airport, waiting for my airplane (which at the moment is going to be delayed about 6 12 hours) I thought I would reminisce about last nights activities. Because honestly, there is nothing else to do here.

Being in Africa, I stand out. I’m white, and very obviously do not blend in with the majority population. In Nairobi, I haven’t really seen it as being a problem, other than being constantly pestered by people wanting money. But last night in Maputo, the color of my skin was an issue.

This guy Fabio, who was helping facilitate the technology in the advocacy conference I was leading, showed up at my hotel around 9pm. We had talked about him taking Sali and I out on the town, as he is very proud of his country and wanted to show us around. I was really excited about his enthusiasm and generosity, and was up for anything. Last night was a exciting night for the people in Mozambique, as today is their Independence Day. So lots of people were out and about celebrating. We began the night by going to a local pub and watching the Japanese play some killer football. Fabio recommended that we go to a local strip club, to see some hot girls dance on polls. Sali was very excited about the prospect of seeing woman almost naked shaking their stuff…I on the other hand smiled and nodded.

The subject of my sexuality hasn’t really come up in my time here. I get a sense that being gay is still really looked down upon, and is not widely accepted in the African culture. So I’ve approached the subject rather sensitively, not saying I’m gay, but not saying I’m not gay. When I’ve been asking if I have a girlfriend I say “No.” They never think to ask if I have a boyfriend. I guess it is kind of like i’m in the army, “Dont Ask Dont Tell.” So, when Fabio suggested the strip club, I just went along with it. I’m not opposed to strip clubs, I’ve been to them before and find them amusing, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

So we walk down this street in the downtown area, and it is filled with prostitutes. It was early too, I was told, so the streets were rather mild. These girls were mostly younger, with the short skirts exposing their hoo-hoo’s and haa-haa’s. The three of us walk by and they hoot and holler. Fabio told us that prostitution is relatively dismissed here in Maputo, and it happens rather freely. For about $20 USD you could get a lady and room for an hour. Or if you didn’t want to pay for a room, there were lots of empty streets which the girls would be happy to take us to. I made it very clear that I was not interested in partaking in any “loving”.

Unlike the strip clubs that I had been to in the states, the placed is filled with hookers. I’m telling you, like swarming with girls looking to make a buck or two. They are get up on a stage and casually dance with one another while looking in the mirror (these girls aren’t the stripers, mind you). Then once they get their mojo going, they starting walking around the place looking for a man. In the hour that I was there I had so many women coming up to me, putting their arms around me, rubbing my chest, trying to entice me into making a purchase. Feeling uncomfortable was an understatement. I was soooo not in my element. But I noticed very quickly that these woman weren’t going up to Slie or Fabio, only me. I assume that they thought 1. this white boy loves these Mozambican girls 2. this white boy has got tons of money….boy were they wrong, on so many levels. One young lady Linda, who looked like she was carrying a whole bunch of contagious surprises, was very persistent and was not interested in taking no for an answer. I just found the whole thing gross. Then the main dancer came on. Clad in a skimpy top and bottom she got on the platform which housed 3 poles. She spent the next 20 minutes jumping from pole to pole shaking her coochie all up in everyones faces. It was at this point where I decided I had had enough and was ready to go.

On the way back to the hotel, we encountered the exact same scenario THREE times. Fabio, Slie and I were stopped by policemen. Now there were lots of people walking through the streets, and we were the only group that was stopped. It was obvious that it was because I was white, the foreigner. Thankfully we had Fabio with us, who speaks Portuguese, otherwise we would have been in deep trouble. The cops would ask us for our identification. I have only been carrying a photocopy of my passport around, for fear of having it lost or stolen, so that’s what I gave them. They all did not accept it as valid ID, because the copy wasn’t certified, mind you Slie didn’t have his VISA on him at all. The cops were only concerned with me. It was obvious that they only wanted money. I guess it is pretty common for them to instill fear into visitors, threatening to arrest you unless you pay them off, but Fabio was not having it. The cops were telling him and Slie to leave but they weren’t going to leave me alone with the cops. Fabio said fine, take him to the police, knowing that they wouldn’t because I hadn’t done anything illegal. So finally after 10 minutes (which each set of police officers along the way), we made it back to the hotel.

Fabio was really embarrassed about the ways the police officers were harassing me just because I look different. It was the first time in my life where I really felt mistreated/misunderstood/judged because I’m white. It was really intense and really enlightening and the same time. I’m glad I had the experiences that I did last night, as these things are a reality. We are so quick to judge and draw conclusions about one another, but when it comes down to it we are all just the same. It’s just skin.

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so far so good

June 25th, 2010

Overall my time here in Mozambique has been pretty good. I spent most of the week working on my presentation on the incorporation of New Media and Advocacy. This presentation was one part of a 4 day workshop on developing and building advocacy strategies/messages for NGO’s in Mozambique. The entire focus of these NGO’s work in HIV/AIDS related, mostly in terms of access to treatment, and human resources/rights.

The format of the conference was very new for me, and I was unsure if I would be able to pull off a 4 hour presentation. Surprisingly enough, it was very successful. Although I am very comfortable with the subject of New Media and Technology, framing it from an advocacy perspective was something very new to me. The 14 people in attendance all seemed to very engaged and interested in the content that I was sharing with them. Most importantly, they found it useful. They majority of the participants were very new to this concept of “new media”, and were excited to learn more about web tools such as: blogging, facebook, and twitter. It was important for me to realize, that in many of these communities access to some of these technologies is extremely limited, therefore they have no idea that some things exist. Consequently, there is fear around utilizing it. One woman told me that she was afraid to accept friends on facebook because she thought that they would then have access to all the files on her computer! Overall, they all agreed that these types of technologies have the potential of being very successful in their particular advocacy initiatives.

After the workshop yesterday I rushed back to my room to watch the end of the USA soccer match. I was very excited to see that they won and are moving into the next round! I have never been into sports, but I have been so excited about the world cup, trying to watch it whenever a game is on. It’s also been amazing being in Africa with the world cup being held in South Africa. Everyone is into it, and when a game is on people congregate on the streets watching on television screens in windows. Literally everyone watches, its amazing.

After the game, Sali and I went went one of the workshop participants to see some of Mozambique. He picked us up 45 minutes late which is pretty typical here (everyone runs on Mozambique time which is “I get there when I get there” time). He took us a to a local bar, and then drove us around the city for about an hour. We drove through the less developed area which reminded me a lot of Nairobi. The streets are all dirt, and are lined with people sitting on the floor selling fruit and random items: shampoo, tupperware, knick knacks. It was explained to me that these items are normally bought from the people in this area, as they cannot afford to shop at stores. These items area normally expired or rejected from the factories and sold at lower costs at a used market for these individuals to sell. The other part of Maputo, where I’ve been staying, is very well developed. They have beautiful architecture, malls, lots of restaurants, and even expensive clothing stores like HUGO BOSS and NIKE. I was very surprised to see this type of commercial presence. The weather here is amazing. It is right on the cost, and feels almost like I’m in southern California. I will take this weather over a hot and humid New York summer any day!

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A Mozzy Update

June 22nd, 2010

Camera swiped from my hotel room today. Gosh I’m loving Africa. )

Let’s see how I can document the process of filing a police report here…I’m sure it will be a whole adventure in itself.

On a lighter note, I was introduced to another member of the BLECH team. Sanlindile, works in the South Africa office and is here to support Rose and I for the advocacy conference. He is awesome. We spent today talking about our cultural differences, education, interests, etc. He also was able to talk to me about his work with BLECH, and where he feels they could use my support. He agreed that developing a new branding and collateral initiative, as well as redeveloping the website, were things that BLECH could really use. He said because they are so few in number, it is impossible to spend time on this kind of work. He is really glad i’m on the team.

The conference has been going well. I was failed to be informed that the entire thing would be TRANSLATED! I knew that the language spoken in Mozambique was Portuguese, but I didn’t realize that the conference participants wouldn’t speak English. So we all sit there with headphones on, speaking into microphones, while the translators outside, translate everything we say. It is so strange to have one voice for a room filled with people.

My presentation is tomorrow and I’m still working on the ppt. Will upload a pdf of it when it’s done so everyone can finally see what I check off my list.

ok for now…staying optimistic. a-dawg

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up up and away

June 19th, 2010

im off to mozambique in the morning to go to my first BLECH advocacy conference. I’m not sure what the internet situation will be like there, but hopefully I will have decent access to internet…maybe even in the hotel.

some things im looking forward to: a tv in my room, the beach, cashew nuts, a mini bar??????

i will hopefully be uploading the presentation i’m going to give in the next day or so, and it would be great to get some feedback before I present on Wednesday. let me finish it first!

ok for now.

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over the weekend…

June 17th, 2010

I know it’s Thursday, and the post is long over due, but better late than not at all.

Over the weekend, I went with Lien’s host family (Jacinta, Omwanza, and their two daughters Aisha, and Zahra) to lake Naivasha, which is about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi. We were initially planning on going to Massai wedding, which is a pretty rare occurrence. Massai is one of the many tribes of Kenya, and their weddings are supposedly filled with many ancient traditions from the dancing to the food to the clothes. Unfortunately, there were several preparations that were not ready so the wedding had to be postponed. Perhaps the groom didn’t ask the right elders for his wife’s hand? I have no idea, but I can’t ever imagine postponing an American wedding the day of! It would never happen.

So we got into Omwanza’s car not really sure where we were going, but he promised it would be beautiful. The drive to the lake was great. We passed this beautiful scenic overpass, that looked over the entire valley. Massai Mara (the famous safari land of Kenya) was out in the distance, along with giant mountains. It was the first true greenery that I had seen since I had been here. There was a little tourist shop, selling trinkets and such, and of course we were hassled to buy things. Buy I didn’t need a cow hide hat or a soap dish with a map on the back.

When we got to Naivasha lake, we pulled into a beautiful spa/resort. I assume people come here to spend the weekend to relax, see wild life, enjoy the country side. The space was filled with these giant hut like houses, where apparently at night you can see hippos and giraffes grazing outside your window. We had a tasty lunch outside by the pool, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to jump into the water. The temperature by the lake was much hotter than in Nairobi.

After lunch, the 6 of us walked around the grounds of the resort, towards the actual lake. We came across a pack of zebras, just hanging out in the middle of the afternoon. Lien and I tip-toed as close as we could to take some pictures, without disturbing them. When we got to the actual lake, I walked out onto a long not-so sturdy looking dock. Looking around I realized I was definitely in Africa. It just looks unlike anything I have ever seen before. I was really just so beautiful.

Omwanza took us to another spa right next door to watch the football game between (I don’t remember). Ha. Me and sports. Regardless it was pretty exciting. I’ve found a strange interest and enjoyment to watching the world cup while I’ve been here. After the game we drove back, so tired from the eventful excursion outside of the city.

Here are some pictures, finally!

Sunday was spent at Java, editing budget reports….so not much to report from that. All I can say is, track changes up the wazoo.

Will update more soon.

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How different is different?

June 17th, 2010

i’ve been working on this post a while and decided to just put it on the blog, rather than continuing to add to it, i’m sure i’ll have another one before i leave

Over the past 10 days (I can’t believe I’ve already been here that long), I have been comprising a list of the blatant cultural differences between the lives of people here in Nairobi, and the way we do things back at home. I’m sure as my stay continues, I will become aware of the more subtle nuances, but for now here are some things that I’ve thought my people back at home would find interesting.

THE TRAFFIC:
Now traffic is bad in New York, and it is especially bad in Los Angeles, but even the traffic in Chicago doesn’t compare to the traffic in Nairobi (and it isn’t because they drive on the other side of the road). One can sit in traffic for up to 3 hours just to go a few miles from one part of town to another. One must be very careful when the choose to travel, and I’ve noticed that many people with flexible schedules choose to go to work a little late and leave just a little early to avoid the “jams”.

I think the most obvious reason for all this traffic is because there are no traffic lights or stop signs! Driving is a constant navigation of letting other cards pass and cross. I have never seen anything like it. The streets are filled with roundabouts, giving cars a semi-safe way to pass intersections, but I find the overall driving dynamic completely terrifying. Me behind the wheel here would be an absolute disaster.

CROSSWALKS:
No such thing. Pedestrians must navigate their way through the insanity of cars, being careful not to be smashed by ongoing traffic. I’ve found that crossing the streets here, is much like a real life version of the game Frogger. I’m pretty good at it; I haven’t died yet.

SHORT TIES:
I’ve noticed that most of the younger guys, probably in their teens, wearing these miniature ties. They are rather silly looking and below the sternum on the chest. Maybe it’s a hot fashion statement. I will most likely be bringing some of these ties back to the states, as I have an idea of several friends of mine that would LOVE to rock these “kiddy” ties out. (Phill Retuta, you’re one of them!)

STREET VENDORS:
Much like the oranges sold on the freeway exits of Los Angeles, or the incense sold on the sidewalks of New York, Nairobi also has a bustling street vendor community. On my walk into town, down a steep dirt road, there are countless vendors selling everything from sausages to sneakers. I’m not to the exact demographic they are hoping to sell to, as the road only gets limited foot traffic and no cars, but they are there every day. In addition, these vendors fill the street, weaving in and out of traffic trying to get people to purchase these various items from their cars. Probably some of the strangest things I’ve seen so far dangling from these vendors arms: globes, anatomical maps of the human body, power strips, and bicycle tires.

MY DRIVER:
I have a personal driver, and his name is Michael. This is very common here. Basically the idea is you befriend a taxi driver, and they become your right hand man. Now that I have used Michael mostly every time I need a ride, he doesn’t take advantage of me, and gives me a fair rate. It is also nice, because you can’t just hail taxis like you can in NYC. All I have to do is give him and call and he usual there in 5 min to pick me up. This has proved to be invaluable; being stranded at night here is not something I am interested in experiencing.

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i’m still standing…yea yea yea

June 17th, 2010

I know I’ve really blogged in almost a week. There really wasn’t much for me to update on, as the situation with my NGO was pretty much static. I did have a positive conference call with Rose, Theresa (Rose’s boss in Cape Town), and OSI. I was able to formally address my concerns about the current work and lack of direction.

As a resolution, it was decided that I need to take initiative and spear head a rebranding proposal. I had always assumed that this would be the type of work that I would be doing here, but until this call there was no mention of it. The BLECH offices are extremely busy preparing for their upcoming advocacy conferences and the AIDS conference in Vienna, so I was told that there isn’t much support I could get from the team. In other words, I need to do this solo and then share it with everyone. I’m sure that most of the information about the mission and intent of the NGO is available on their site, so I will use what I can to try to create an accurate representation of them for their new branding. In addition, I need to suggest a plan of action for redesigning and reorganizing their website. This is all coming a little late in the game, but I think it will all work out.

In terms of the workshops in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, I have decided that I will still attend these with Rose. I realized that it is a good opportunity to see the kind of work that BLECH does, as it might help me in my branding initiative. I’ve also begun working on a new media for advocacy presentation…so if anyone has any suggestions/ideas of things I should include, let me know. I’m also looking for several case studies of highly effective uses of new media for advocacy regarding access to treatment (ie: the stop stock outs from last years fellows).

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letter to the higher ups

June 11th, 2010

I wrote a letter to the organization which has partnered with Parsons to send me on this fellowship. Below is what I sent them:

I am writing you to update you on the current work I have been doing
with BLECH, as well as some concerns that I am having.

Over the past week I have spent most of my time working by myself on
materials for BLECH’s upcoming advocacy training conference to be held
in Mupto and Harare. Initially I was under the impression that I would
be working with Rose on designing this presentation, but it seems that
her expectations of me are to develop the content for a 3 hour
workshop which I will be leading. The focus of this workshop is on the
development and delivery of strategic messaging and media advocacy. I
am expected to create the content, develop relevant examples based on
budget reports from the country we are presenting in, and to structure
workshop activities.

I am by no means opposed to assisting BLECH in areas where they need
help, however I do not feel qualified to be solely creating in
addition to presenting advocacy-based material. In addition I have
been assisting Rose with the editing of reports, fixing grammatical
errors and sentences which need clarification. I was under the
impression that I would be assisting BLECH in areas related to design,
and so far there are no expectations for me to do any work which
caters to my strengths or the purpose of this fellowship. I voiced
this concern to Rose, and she responded that I could use this as an
opportunity to learn, leaving me skeptical as to her needs for any
design related work.

In addition to the concerns I have about the work expected of me,
there seems to be little work for me after June 18th. While Rose and I
are in Muputo and Harare, the only expectation is for me to deliver
the three hour workshop on the second day of the conference. When
asked what is expected of me when we return on July 5, Rose told me
that I could help her around the office and edit reports. In addition,
Rose is attending the AIDS conference in Vienna on July 16th. She told
me I could consider the time from July 10 until the time I leave (July
21) as “free-ish” time. Also I know we have 100 hours allocated for
support work from August – December, and this leaves me curious as to
what I’d work on after my time here.

I feel that my time and skill sets are not adequately being used. I
have spent most of my time this past week waiting for direction. I
have mostly been working by myself, in either my room or a local
coffee shop, as Rose has been busy writing important reports. I would
take initiative and try to find the areas in which BLECH could use my
assistance, but Rose is my only contact (as she is the only member of
BLECH in Nairobi).

I hope that we can find a resolution to my concerns quickly as I am
eager to do the work that I was initially proposed.

Best,
Adam

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the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

June 11th, 2010

I’ve realized that when I google my NGOs name, my blog is one of the first hits of the search. Therefore I think it is best that I change their name, mostly so I don’t get into any trouble.

From here on out….it will be BLECH.

Time to go through all my previous posts and do some minor edits.

;o)
xoxo.

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