And naturally - we're still ok. No worries.
security update - Ouaga back to normal
Just a quick update - concerning last blogpost: Ouaga is back to normal. Traffic all over, shops are getting repaired and fuel stations are opening again.
Under siege II (a different perspective)
The setting.
I’m in the Villa 43 outside the city centre; Belinda’s in her apartment at the heart of the city. I’m asleep, she’s not. It’s 00.45.
The events.
Woken up by my phone ringing. Hearing Belinda explain - trembling voice - ‘there’s gunfire in the centre’, she doesn’t know what’s going on. I’m walking outside on the terrace, hearing it too, quite a lot of gunfire, quite a lot of places it’s coming from. She doesn’t want me to come over. I'm telling her that I’ll go outside into the streets to have a look, see if I can get some explanation and a promise to call her back. Neighbors on the streets. Apparently a battalion of soldiers got into town to create some uproar, in order to defend their colleagues who got sentenced to a bit more than a year for attacking a civilian - and from there the sources are different: some say it’s because some soldiers attacked the civilian as a revenge for a relationship with a wife of one of the soldiers, some keep it to a dispute which went out of control.
A civilian jeep driving through the main road, front window smashed, probably stolen (confirmed later), filled with soldiers, firing in the air, stopping just outside here. No more fuel. They get out, start yelling too, the neighbors and me start running and seeking cover. Eventually they disappear.
About 45 minutes after the first call, after a lot of talks to and advice from the neighbors and a couple of phone calls to Belinda how the situation is in the centre, I decide to take the risk to go out to to the apartment on my motorbike, avoiding the main roads as much as possible. One last phone call to her to inform on the last things I’ve heard and to ask her how she’s doing; a promise give her a call in 30 minutes for an update. Enough time to get to the apartment. No way I’m telling her at this stage I’m coming over.
So I head off. Can’t avoid all main roads. Just on the first main road I need to take, I see some soldiers attacking a civilian, a local guy on his bike, and a severe beating it seems, but I don’t stop. After 1km I get halted by a soldier who puts himself behind me on the motorbike, and orders me to start driving. Luckily after about 500m he decides it’s enough, tells me to stop, asks me ‘ca va’ and says I can go on. The next part of the route towards the apartment I can take using smaller roads. No street lights, and almost nobody outside.
On the last part of the route where I can’t avoid the main roads again, I am less lucky, as 4 soldiers stop me - their weapons pointed at me, ask me where I’m going, and start shouting ‘on veut de l’argent pour l’eau’ (we want money for some water). The first 5.000 CFA (enough for 5 liters of bottled water) doesn’t seem enough, and while one of the soldiers has taken the key of the motorbike, there’s no other option than handing him over the rest of the money I got with me. I don't care. They are satisfied with the 40.000 CFA. Finally, I get my key back, and start riding again. The last intersection I cross with blind eyes and high speed - a soldier wants to stop me but is too late, and finally I arrive at Belinda’s apartment, lock the bike, and get into the building. 5 minutes before I promised to call back, I give her a call to ask her to open the door of the apartment.
We’ve spent the next 3 hours sitting on cushions on the ground in the hallway - to avoid any possible risks, there’s still too much gun fire. Most of the time we hear them in the streets next to the apartment, talking, yelling, but mostly firing in the air. At a certain point they smash a window of a shop, we hear the glass break and from that moment, every now and then we hear new soldiers arrive, stepping on the broken glass, probably to see what's left to steal. Sometimes we hear them banging on a metal gate a bit further down the street, they seem quite determined to enter. At some moments when it gets a bit more quiet - well, the gunfire we hear is from further away - we have a look through the windows, still hiding in the shade, to get a better idea of the situation outside. We see there’s a soldier walking back to the military camp holding a computer screen in his hands - and some young guy being harassed by a couple of soldiers on a motorbike.
Finally, most of them seem to have returned to their camp - mostly passing by the streets next to the apartment, still firing their weapons and shouting. The shop with the broken window still causes soldiers to halt. The gunfire eventually subsides. We go for a sleep round 05.00.
The conclusion.
What strikes me most is how the military acted against it’s population, the population it is part of, brought terror and fear in the city, smashed windows and looted shops. The small stalls of the market in the centre, aiming their weapons on them, destructing the possessions of people just trying to take care of their families and make a living. The clothes shop next to the apartment, smashed window, the till in bits and pieces - probably no money found, but lot's of damage created. The petrol station next to the villa, the owner not being able to open up in the morning because all windows are smashed and there’s nothing more inside. A jeep stolen from civilians, still in the street, with it’s front window broken, doors open. And many many other damages which I haven’t seen - in other sections of the city.
It seemed like being back in Kashmir - far worse even.
I’m sure that there are more events like this you don’t hear about, where the news has no time for, and the newspaper no pages.
Today the sun rose again, the city came to life, a bit quieter than usual. People expect tonight will be quiet. Within a couple of days, the windows will be replaced, and life will continue like before.
I sure have landed in a country where there's a lot of work to be done.
NOTE: There has been communication with the VSO staff on security matters, they follow the situation, and we follow their advice. Currently we’re staying at the Villa 43, outside the city centre, safe and sound.
I’m in the Villa 43 outside the city centre; Belinda’s in her apartment at the heart of the city. I’m asleep, she’s not. It’s 00.45.
The events.
Woken up by my phone ringing. Hearing Belinda explain - trembling voice - ‘there’s gunfire in the centre’, she doesn’t know what’s going on. I’m walking outside on the terrace, hearing it too, quite a lot of gunfire, quite a lot of places it’s coming from. She doesn’t want me to come over. I'm telling her that I’ll go outside into the streets to have a look, see if I can get some explanation and a promise to call her back. Neighbors on the streets. Apparently a battalion of soldiers got into town to create some uproar, in order to defend their colleagues who got sentenced to a bit more than a year for attacking a civilian - and from there the sources are different: some say it’s because some soldiers attacked the civilian as a revenge for a relationship with a wife of one of the soldiers, some keep it to a dispute which went out of control.
A civilian jeep driving through the main road, front window smashed, probably stolen (confirmed later), filled with soldiers, firing in the air, stopping just outside here. No more fuel. They get out, start yelling too, the neighbors and me start running and seeking cover. Eventually they disappear.
About 45 minutes after the first call, after a lot of talks to and advice from the neighbors and a couple of phone calls to Belinda how the situation is in the centre, I decide to take the risk to go out to to the apartment on my motorbike, avoiding the main roads as much as possible. One last phone call to her to inform on the last things I’ve heard and to ask her how she’s doing; a promise give her a call in 30 minutes for an update. Enough time to get to the apartment. No way I’m telling her at this stage I’m coming over.
So I head off. Can’t avoid all main roads. Just on the first main road I need to take, I see some soldiers attacking a civilian, a local guy on his bike, and a severe beating it seems, but I don’t stop. After 1km I get halted by a soldier who puts himself behind me on the motorbike, and orders me to start driving. Luckily after about 500m he decides it’s enough, tells me to stop, asks me ‘ca va’ and says I can go on. The next part of the route towards the apartment I can take using smaller roads. No street lights, and almost nobody outside.
On the last part of the route where I can’t avoid the main roads again, I am less lucky, as 4 soldiers stop me - their weapons pointed at me, ask me where I’m going, and start shouting ‘on veut de l’argent pour l’eau’ (we want money for some water). The first 5.000 CFA (enough for 5 liters of bottled water) doesn’t seem enough, and while one of the soldiers has taken the key of the motorbike, there’s no other option than handing him over the rest of the money I got with me. I don't care. They are satisfied with the 40.000 CFA. Finally, I get my key back, and start riding again. The last intersection I cross with blind eyes and high speed - a soldier wants to stop me but is too late, and finally I arrive at Belinda’s apartment, lock the bike, and get into the building. 5 minutes before I promised to call back, I give her a call to ask her to open the door of the apartment.
We’ve spent the next 3 hours sitting on cushions on the ground in the hallway - to avoid any possible risks, there’s still too much gun fire. Most of the time we hear them in the streets next to the apartment, talking, yelling, but mostly firing in the air. At a certain point they smash a window of a shop, we hear the glass break and from that moment, every now and then we hear new soldiers arrive, stepping on the broken glass, probably to see what's left to steal. Sometimes we hear them banging on a metal gate a bit further down the street, they seem quite determined to enter. At some moments when it gets a bit more quiet - well, the gunfire we hear is from further away - we have a look through the windows, still hiding in the shade, to get a better idea of the situation outside. We see there’s a soldier walking back to the military camp holding a computer screen in his hands - and some young guy being harassed by a couple of soldiers on a motorbike.
Finally, most of them seem to have returned to their camp - mostly passing by the streets next to the apartment, still firing their weapons and shouting. The shop with the broken window still causes soldiers to halt. The gunfire eventually subsides. We go for a sleep round 05.00.
The conclusion.
What strikes me most is how the military acted against it’s population, the population it is part of, brought terror and fear in the city, smashed windows and looted shops. The small stalls of the market in the centre, aiming their weapons on them, destructing the possessions of people just trying to take care of their families and make a living. The clothes shop next to the apartment, smashed window, the till in bits and pieces - probably no money found, but lot's of damage created. The petrol station next to the villa, the owner not being able to open up in the morning because all windows are smashed and there’s nothing more inside. A jeep stolen from civilians, still in the street, with it’s front window broken, doors open. And many many other damages which I haven’t seen - in other sections of the city.
It seemed like being back in Kashmir - far worse even.
I’m sure that there are more events like this you don’t hear about, where the news has no time for, and the newspaper no pages.
Today the sun rose again, the city came to life, a bit quieter than usual. People expect tonight will be quiet. Within a couple of days, the windows will be replaced, and life will continue like before.
I sure have landed in a country where there's a lot of work to be done.
NOTE: There has been communication with the VSO staff on security matters, they follow the situation, and we follow their advice. Currently we’re staying at the Villa 43, outside the city centre, safe and sound.
Work and RIP Pauline - anyone seen Paulette ?
Last time I wrote was on my first day (last week monday - getting used to a chair and desk). Since then I had the experience of 3 full working days.
2 days I've spent with colleagues and mayors in Koudougou (last week thursday and friday), working on the strategic plan and budget of 2011 - this year. A very good way of starting to understand the work involved with this organization - as well as a start of understanding how decisions are made in this country.
The third day of work was yesterday: arriving at work while there's a power cut, and finding a colleague waiting patiently at his computer for that power to come back, in order to finish the strategic plan and budget - which must be printed and diffused for the meeting of the 'Assemblée Generale' next week monday. Since I have a laptop and draft versions were available on a memory stick, we worked together on finishing these documents. Until the battery of my laptop was completely drained. Luckily, somewhere in the afternoon there were sparks of electricity, and in the evening we finished these documents, as well as a powerpoint version. My role during that day was no more than 1. helping to find ways of cutting back the proposed budget from last week to a reasonable amount, and 2. do the typing myself - somehow people should be aware of the fact keys on a keyboard do not randomly change, so there's no need for checking them every time.
Though my deepest respect for the courage my colleagues have and the effort they put into their work seen the tremendous challenges - and minimal resources they have to work with.
Then, Pauline and Paulette: 2 chickens I got from a market nearby. One white (Pauline), the other gray/black (Paulette). We made an agreement: we would give them food, water and a nice garden to find some extra worms, and they would provide eggs.
After being here for 3 days, Pauline made some awkward noises while I was having my morning drink on the terrace. 2 seconds later she fell down. Dead. Didn't go for breakfast that morning. That evening I came home after dark, so I assumed Paulette was having a sleep in the lemon tree. I could assume alot more from there, but fact is: she disappeared. And is still missing.
Don't think I'm in the right country to start hanging up flyers for a missing chicken.
2 days I've spent with colleagues and mayors in Koudougou (last week thursday and friday), working on the strategic plan and budget of 2011 - this year. A very good way of starting to understand the work involved with this organization - as well as a start of understanding how decisions are made in this country.
The third day of work was yesterday: arriving at work while there's a power cut, and finding a colleague waiting patiently at his computer for that power to come back, in order to finish the strategic plan and budget - which must be printed and diffused for the meeting of the 'Assemblée Generale' next week monday. Since I have a laptop and draft versions were available on a memory stick, we worked together on finishing these documents. Until the battery of my laptop was completely drained. Luckily, somewhere in the afternoon there were sparks of electricity, and in the evening we finished these documents, as well as a powerpoint version. My role during that day was no more than 1. helping to find ways of cutting back the proposed budget from last week to a reasonable amount, and 2. do the typing myself - somehow people should be aware of the fact keys on a keyboard do not randomly change, so there's no need for checking them every time.
Though my deepest respect for the courage my colleagues have and the effort they put into their work seen the tremendous challenges - and minimal resources they have to work with.
Then, Pauline and Paulette: 2 chickens I got from a market nearby. One white (Pauline), the other gray/black (Paulette). We made an agreement: we would give them food, water and a nice garden to find some extra worms, and they would provide eggs.
After being here for 3 days, Pauline made some awkward noises while I was having my morning drink on the terrace. 2 seconds later she fell down. Dead. Didn't go for breakfast that morning. That evening I came home after dark, so I assumed Paulette was having a sleep in the lemon tree. I could assume alot more from there, but fact is: she disappeared. And is still missing.
Don't think I'm in the right country to start hanging up flyers for a missing chicken.
images
Just finished work - will update with writing next time, just now some image-inserts.
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| some of the creatures luring round the Villa 43 |
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| the bike - Chinese import, runs well, avoids taxi-bargaining and ... just fun to ride |
day 1 at work
So here I am. An office - desk, chair, some shelves, an airco (yeah! - hail to the inventor of these machines), a window which gives me a view on the 'Hotel du Maire' - build with German funds on the premises of the AMBF. And an internet connection. Think I've got everything to start working now ... except something to do.
Went to work this morning at 8. Had a chat with the boss, received a copy of the strategic plan, we went to see my office, and they made arrangements to get it cleaned. So I went back home, had some nice tunafish salade (brand name: made-by-Belinda) with bread and some coffee, read the document, and came back. Feels like I've got the day to get used to this desk. Tomorrow is a bank holiday - and we've arranged for a meeting on wednesday to see how next weeks will go.
So now, being 11.50, it's time to head back home again. The 'femme-de-menage' started this morning, and will be waiting for me to leave.
---
14.00: Back at work. Well, ok, back at the office. The house (or so called Villa 43) is clean again; including the garden - and from now on, every monday the garbage will be collected. Things are getting organized.
Which is something I can't say bout my state-of-mind. So many new experiences, and so little knowledge of how to proceed or act. Last week has definitely been a challenge and a tremendous exercise in accepting-what-goes-on-or-happens-as-you-see-and-go-with-the-flow. It's like being in a boat, no means of any steering, and lots of changing winds. All I am able to at the moment is to undergo - which is, seen the fact that I've landed here only 3 weeks ago, just the way it's probably supposed to be.
Just to end this post, a picture - many thanks for the comments on last post! I'll try to reply to requests.
Went to work this morning at 8. Had a chat with the boss, received a copy of the strategic plan, we went to see my office, and they made arrangements to get it cleaned. So I went back home, had some nice tunafish salade (brand name: made-by-Belinda) with bread and some coffee, read the document, and came back. Feels like I've got the day to get used to this desk. Tomorrow is a bank holiday - and we've arranged for a meeting on wednesday to see how next weeks will go.
So now, being 11.50, it's time to head back home again. The 'femme-de-menage' started this morning, and will be waiting for me to leave.
---
14.00: Back at work. Well, ok, back at the office. The house (or so called Villa 43) is clean again; including the garden - and from now on, every monday the garbage will be collected. Things are getting organized.
Which is something I can't say bout my state-of-mind. So many new experiences, and so little knowledge of how to proceed or act. Last week has definitely been a challenge and a tremendous exercise in accepting-what-goes-on-or-happens-as-you-see-and-go-with-the-flow. It's like being in a boat, no means of any steering, and lots of changing winds. All I am able to at the moment is to undergo - which is, seen the fact that I've landed here only 3 weeks ago, just the way it's probably supposed to be.
Just to end this post, a picture - many thanks for the comments on last post! I'll try to reply to requests.
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| Jazz/Rock at CCF |
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| at goat farm (with excellent food) near Barrage de Loumbila - on first motorbike trip |
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