The collateral effect of war is the full immersion in an immense bathe of rhetoric. The Ivorian TV is working hard in this way, with a nonstop show of politicians and dignitaries disseminating their stories with no embarrassment. The interminable catalogue is interrupted only by the ‘variété patriotique’, an ensemble of dubious singers and dancers chanting the country and the government. The UN radio represents the other interference, with its improbable appeals to “not panic” and its absence of information. To have a rest we watched “the good girl” and “le voleur de vies” with Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke. PS the mechanician sent an SMS to give his support. Nice thought.
Evacuation
This is the word for today.
Some friends has been evacuated, some other is too far to be reachable.
It remembers about the difficulties in evacuation for people with a lazy ‘digestive machinery’.
And remembers about moving of ancient populations.
And about the MedEvac, ghost of any difficult mission.
For the moment however, here we stay.
War
War is a word I never thought I would be obliged to use in relation with my personal circumstances.
I considered it a concept of history to study in the books or news from faraway, to watch in the TV.
Here the war is beginning (again) ‘normally’ with no emphasis and no tragedy.
The same as it was when Italy participated in the Kosovo war.
Once again, after many years. Or perhaps not so many.
Alloco
One of the local dishes is the fried banana that you may admire below.
It’s good, it’s sweet, it’s fried and oily and wouldn’t be welcomed at the annual lunch of the World association of nutritionist.
Fried food is common on the Ivorian table, banana, igname, potatoes and any sort of meat.
Sometimes, to have a break, I have dinner with an apple.
it’s hot
OK, here is Africa, therefore it’s hot. But until now the weather was kind, not warm not fresh, and it was understandable to expect the same for the following weeks.
But not. It is hot, perhaps not as hot as in N’djamena, neither as some months in Cambodia, but quite hot. Hottish.
Luckily my new car (I have got it now, see it below) has got la clim, so that, challenging the notorious weakness of my throat, I can survive. So far.
new car
Thursday night I invited the friends out for dinner, to celebrate the purchase of my new car.
We went to the Lebanese restaurant and the food was very good. We had chicken marinated in garlic and lemon, the meze and some desserts.
The place was nice, the people pleasant and everything was OK.
Except for the fact that I had no new car.
After a long wait, and having in my hands the car’s documentation and the photocopy of the owner’s ID with photo, I noticed that that man was not the same I had in front of me.
He said he was a representative, I could speak with his wife, I could visit his home.
Surprised for my surprise the man left to get hold of the owner.
They are not back, so far.
Mister Bonaventura
Mr. Bonaventura was a character of Italian cartoons at the beginning of 1900. The stories ended usually with the protagonist getting a one million cheque for same reason (later on, with inflation, it became a one billion cheque).
Bonaventura best friend was a mule, called la Checca who’s main feature was an irresistible impulse to kick anything at reach.
I had a book with some of those stories and I read it many times.
And this is my version of Mr. Bonaventura.
PS I realise now that I was confusing Mister Bonaventura with another character, ‘Fortunello’. He was the friend of the mule, but my sketch is rather inspired to Mr. Bonaventura, the ‘millionaire’.
it could have been any of us
That’s the first thought. They were doing something decent.
In a country were me, as many others, would not go for ‘political’ reasons (and we are not so intransigent anymore) and for security reasons, they went for a good cause and stayed in spite of the risk.
Let’s hope reason would prevail.
PS it has
‘Les pagnes’
At the market most of the women still wear the colourful pagnes, contributing to an extraordinary human patchwork.
Nevertheless, also here the local manufacture of cotton fabric is endangered by the cheap productions from Asia, often under the administration and property of European companies.
Faso Fani the legendary factory of Thomas Sankara’s land of incorruptibles has been closed under the pressure of the stabilisation policies enforced by the international economic institutions.
Consequently, Africa loose not only one of the rare opportunity for industrial production (and jobs) but also an important instrument for the construction of national identity.
Togo, Malawi and many other countries do not produce any cotton fabric yet.
Abidjan market’s retailers react with surprise when asked for local materials, and only Woodin, an upper market production destined to a wealthy public, has got some reputation.
You may see some exemple below.
One month
One month has passed without harms. I do not know better the town neither the people, but I keep feeling at ease.
Today is raining and I have not solved any of the logistical issues I should have tackled, I hope tomorrow the sun will shine.
I have some projects, but any program requires energies.
One task has been accomplished. I am the happy owner of a ping pong table (with a carton-paper net).
MC7858attitude 