Return

Apologies for the blogging drought. I'm back in D'kar as of Monday, fresh from the Princeton in Africa retreat in Nelspruit. Never heard of Nelspruit? Not to worry. It's a small city near Jo'burg, close enough to a major airport to make transport easy, far enough from anything interesting to ensure that all of the fellows stayed put during the retreat. And close to Kruger Park, where the post-retreat safari took place. It was guided by the inimitable Crazy Dave, proprietor of the Old Vic backpacker's inn, and a double-shot of local flavour.

I hadn't been expecting the shock of being in a group of other Princeton kids, for the first time since graduating... I'd forgotten what it was like. Can't escape it, still enjoy it, still feel a bit bamboozled that I went there. Overall, though, the other fellows were fascinating and intelligent, and I think I got a lot out of their company. It seems that the Princeton in Africa mission - to foster an interest and sense of empathy for Africa in the "young leaders of tomorrow" - is alive and well, with the 08-09 fellows presenting an impressive potential for Tomorrow's Leadership. I count myself well out of that category, but I think that as a whole the PiAf fellows will do a lot of good for Africa from their future positions of power and influence. At least, they'll try. As we discussed during the retreat, it's maddeningly difficult to figure out what is "good for Africa," and even harder to implement. Disillusionment with foreign aid and development work is rampant.

Princeton in Africa's emphasis on developing the fellows so that they can help Africa in the future - rather than solving problems during the year of the fellowship - may seem arrogant (YES! We went to Princeton! We will all become senators and UN officials and SOLVE the world's problems!) but I think it is pragmatic. To me, it's admitting that you can't get much done in a year - or even two. It's reasoning that the greatest influence isn't going to come from the work of idealistic volunteers with foreign NGOs camping out in Africa for a couple of years, but from the decisions made back at home, in the government offices and banking headquarters and start-up businesses that determine where all of that aid money goes. Where it doesn't go. How much there is. When it stops. Most importantly, these "future leaders" can help determine how foreign governments and businesses deal with African governments and businesses, because in the end, the aid ought to stop, and our influence should be limited to our interactions with African institutions. The starry-eyed American youngsters handing out rations from the World Food Program to the poor, starving, African children? They shouldn't be there. The government should be providing that service, and I think that most foreign aid is doing NOTHING to get African governments closer to being able to provide these services to their people.

Bottomline, I think it's a great idea to try and produce leaders that will hang out in North America (or wherever) while thinking seriously about Africa's problems, because the place for those leaders is NOT in Africa. Africa needs room for its own leaders - corrupt and horrible as many of the current leaders are, there are bright young Africans waiting to step into those positions, and the crutch of foreign aid must be kicked out. Quite simply, it isn't working.

Currently reading "Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa's Future," by George B.N. Ayittey, so perhaps I'll have some miraculous solutions to share with you next blog. Fingers crossed.

Back to the retreat, I FINALLY saw a leopard during the Kruger safari. I've spent literally hundreds of hours driving around in the bush at all hours, and I'd never seen a leopard - but on our little two-day speed-safari, in the last five minutes before we left the park forever, at the highly un-romantic hour of 9:30AM, there he was. Sleek and hypnotizing, elegant in every movement, aware of us but uncaring - the indifferent sophisticate of the savannah. He walked parallel to the road, marking his territory. Even that crass lifting of the tail was somehow the picture of grace. From previous encounters with lions, I've always had the feeling that they ignored the car because they knew they could devour us in an instant - nothing was a threat. They'd look over every once in awhile as if to say, "if you put a finger out that window - good luck. Ha, ha." With the leopard, he simply didn't care. We were beneath his interest, not relevant to his world in the least. He couldn't even be bothered to eat us. (I'm sure he could be, actually, but it didn't seem that way.)

Great weekend in Jo'burg, but more on that later.

QUICK UPDATE ON LIFE IN D'KAR:

Garden is healthy. Spinach and rocket are doing well. Cantaloupe, surprisingly, has also sprouted well. All but one of the tomatoes are stunted, but I'm hoping that a quick transplant into a shadier area will bring them back to life. It's funny to see the new growth in D'Kar - there are these daisy-like yellow flowers that have sprung up everywhere, but they grow within a sharply delineated border of shade under the acacias. Not a petal dares grow in the full glare of the sun. They're like shipwreck survivors huddled closely on their life raft, adrift in a flaming sea.

Kittens are also healthy, and ridiculously cute.