Sherkole in June

So I have failed to updated this in 2,5 months... mea culpa but I began having problems accessing the actual blog URL... must be what some censorship for indeed I have tried accessing other blogs to not avail... Besides there was nothing too exciting to report from Addis where I have been spending most of my time...

My time... it has been over three months since I arrived here... I am more than half way through my stay!

My impressions are better than when I was here a few months back. For one it has started raining so although the roads are muddy, nature has reacquired its "greenness" and everything is so lush its beautiful. I have been to two coffee ceremonies in Mabaan zones in the camp. Mostly attended by women and children these ceremonies serve to inform the population... Women's time is limited as they often have to do a lot of the chores the information is brought to them :) !

I figured I would share a small collage of photos I took recently ...In the photos you can see women at the coffee ceremony, refugee children playing football, fetching water, some photos of people and the tukuls (huts) you can see on the way to Sherkole from Assosa...

I've been in Sherkole since last week following up on repatriation activities as well as writing reports and more excitingly trying to generate communications materials like success stories, get photos and write an article for World Refugee Day which will take place this coming Wednesday. I am looking forward to the celebrations, there will be football matches, dramas, cultural performances, and even a place where products made by refugees will be displayed... so who knows maybe there will be some "shopping" involved (the frivolity of the activity should be lesser than in the city)!

The days here have been busy... trying to get as much as I can into my visit since I fly back to Addis on Thursday... at least in theory... IF it rains and the runway becomes too muddy I'll just have to wait until it dries up enough for the Fokker to land! [Gotta give it to the Dutch for such memorable name ;)!]

Anyways, I better get back to my report... I will try to post something else next weekend... when/if I am back home... In the meantime I will continue taking photos to share...

Cheers

Still Picture

The journey started around mid morning and lasted about one hour. Once we reach the end of the tarmac road its pretty bumpy but at least the car had good suspensions. Ahead of us an endless blue sky with some scattered clouds.

the panorama is arid best described as a sea of alternating patches some are dry and yellow vestiges of vegetation, then there are the dark burnt esplanades bearing the corpses of what was once trees, then there are the red dashes where shy bushes covered in a thin red layer of dry mud become an extension of the bed in which they lie... and then there's the hopeful green space with trees, bushes and bamboo that have overcome the heat and the "terre brulée... Mountains piercing the surface and joining together the earth and the sky ... Life perseveres

Halfway through our journey to Sherkole I can't help but to realise that if it weren't for the burnt land and some sporadic circular bamboo and mud huts which blend in perfectly with the arid surroundings, you could very well think yourself thrown back in time... but as we approach the camp location more trees seem to have kept their foliage and one finds oneself back in reality...

Looking around I can't help but to feel in a movie. The white Land Cruisers driving past raising a trail of dust in the air, with some logo on the door; the humble constructions, people colourfully dressed trading along the side of the road... This is probably 100 times (if not more) better than the conditions some refugees live in other camps or even better than what they'll find upon returning home.

In the afternoon, the sun is high and the heat rises over us all, the time would be ripe for a siesta if the breeze blowing over the camp were cool... As I contemplate the view outside a light cloud of orange dust whirls in the wind. The roaring of the electricity generator fails to drown the birds calling from surrounding trees.

On the journey back, contentedly sitting in the backseat of one of these infamous Land Cruisers, I look out the window. The level of comfort I am travelling in, plus the bubble I am transported into by the music blasting from my earphones... it all clashes with the austerity I see around me. The huts, the dirt road along which children walk accompanied by small donkeys, the women carrying loads of wood...

One would never guess to find so much, to absorb the richness of the scenery... Amidst the dryness, and man-made/maintained human misery there is beauty; that is if you choose to see it and dare I say, enjoy it?

Frannie

First time around...

So it has been almost 2 weeks since I left and I have made it back in one piece from my first visit to the "field". I didn't make it to Sherkole this time but to Assosa which is a larger town close to Sherkole, population about 50k, few paved roads, prone to electricity and water shortages and about 90 km from the Sudanese border.

Arrived there on Sunday last week, the plane ride was about 3 hrs long and I met a very friendly English guy, Ken, who works on a bamboo forest management project. From the air and at this time of the year you would swear it impossible for there to be a bamboo forest anywhere near or around Assosa but there is one. Apparently they are planning to build the world 5^th largest pulp mill in Assosa, with the sole customer being China! I asked about the bleaching and I was told it would all be environmentally friendly chemicals... let's hope!

As we arrived we dropped out stuff in the IRC guest house and then went straight into the newest hotel. Had lunch... I took only some rice, and then headed back to the guest house. The training started on Monday morning. It was an interesting experience. I was attending a Training of Trainers on Facilitation and Civic Education. Participants, apart from one of the facilitators and I, were only men. All Sudanese refugees living in Sherkole, either Civic Ed facilitators or Information disseminators (they are suppose to go around the camp and ask people what they know about the situation in the region they are intending on returning to in Sudan and either complete, update and or correct it). I was told that for some of them they had been former combatants...

The aim was to provide them with skills in facilitation of civil education sessions, as the returning refugees need to become aware of their duties and responsibilities in a Sudan working on the consolidation of a peace agreement (North and South only, the West -Darfur- and the East are not quite being tackled by this programme). There are so many concepts that they need to learn before they can even pass them on... One of the problems with democracy is procedure. What happens when you have not been involved in the idealisation of a concept (participatory democracy/good governance)? You don't own it.

Try to apply it: what you get is a democracy à la carte where people change the recipe and alter some of the defining characteristics of the concept because they conflict with current practices... so already democracy is far from perfect add to it unorthodox practices...

Sometime around Monday afternoon, after lunch (which for me was more of the same rice as the day before - the meat is very grossly chopped and not very enticing to the eyes or nose) I eat sometime that disagreed with me, cramps and spasms followed during the following days. As a result I decided against eating anything else for the rest of my stay, LOL just to be on the safe side. I think I will bring some dry lentils and powder spices, maybe some soups and grains ... the food is just too meaty and fatty and not balanced and since I don't have to stick to that diet I don't see why I should adopt it... perhaps I might try some dishes later on but I think that I rather try local food in Addis rather than in the middle of nowhere, where there is not always water and where hygiene is different from what I am used to, specially when it comes to fresh vegetables.

The training went fine, though they could certainly use some more follow-up and further training. They were all very friendly... I think I will probably see most of them again when I return to the camp although I still don't know whether I will be staying there or in Assosa (visiting the camp a few times a week). I think considering circumstances, cultural and social contexts being friendly is a good thing, but I still think at times maintaining some distance is a good way to avoid misunderstandings due to ambiguous understandings... I can deal with some ambiguity but at this point I think I have enough challenges on my plate to last me a while to add socio-cultural particularities as a variable.

Aside from that, the other inconvenience I encountered... is I lost my camera. I don't know if I dropped it or misplaced it (and then it disappeared)... so I ordered a new one to be delivered to my little brother in Paris and he can bring it when he and Eline (his fiancée) arrive in a couple of weeks... I think I should hang it or permanently attach it to myself I better not lose this one!

So after four days, of 2 where without water (so NO SHOWER) the check in and the airport... all done manually, even the baggage inspection, went fine! I met another very pleasant South African-Belgian- English guy on the ride back, Olivier, luckily he is talkative and friendly :) A water and sanitation engineer intern working with the IRC as well at least for a couple more weeks...

Internships/volunteering... the new cheap HIGHLY SKILLED labour...

Anyways, my stomach is doing better after three days of "forced self imposed fasting" I was craving Mexican food but settled for pizza! My pants are growing around me... and my belts aren't going to hold them in place for much longer... and I who thought I had enough "reserves" hahaha...

Back in the office... still don't know exactly what it is I am supposed to be doing... maybe by the end of the day!

En stor björn kram från Addis

Addis: Getting my bearings!

So I am still in Addis, getting my bearings? Mmm well let’s say that my parents’ house, my dad’s office and the IRC office are all on the same road (Bole Road – me thinks!). There are about 4km between the house and the IRC office which happens to be like 350-400m from the airport. I have a perfect view of it! I walked back from work today… still short of breath due to the altitude but I think I did pretty good timing considering the conditions: I think it took me 25 minutes to walk abt 4k in wedges hilly terrain… Not doing so bad I’d say!

At some point I shld ask my mum where she gets stuff like good quality fresh produce. There are a few “supermarkets” where you can get imported goods but they are pricey, besides getting the fresh produce from smaller shops contributes to the local economy! The process is not quite like hunting and gathering but it does requiring browsing…J

Otherwise I have been reading on the return and reintegration project for refugees once they get back to Sudan. This is so “cool”. Since the repatriations remain voluntary, while still in Ethiopia they are informed about the current situation in Sudan.

The project has two components:

1) Informed Return which aims at presenting the potential returnees with information regarding the situation in the regions where they would like to return to, access to services, employment, security, etc.

2) Sustainable reintegration whereby the refugees are provided with training so they are capable of income generating activities, not only helping themselves but also contributing to the development of their country.

IRC’s long-term goal is to improve the Sudanese people’s ability to exercise their fundamental rights, access basic services, and manage their own livelihoods. Enabling individuals and communities to work towards an accountable governance, stability, and security through an active civil society is a priority. Among some of the capacity-building being carried out are modules in: peace building, human rights declarations, violation of human rights, GBV, the Women’s Convention, human political, cultural, social and economic rights.

I requested a map of the Sherkole region and across the border into Sudan from Getu, who is one of the two persons working on developing mapping tools. I want to learn about the geography human, physical and political or the area in question, also because I have been reading about these places and I would like to get an idea as to where they are.

Yarenja is closing at the end of the month and at this point I am uncertain as to whether I will make it there or not. My dad said that after the 20 March repatriation there will not be anything there.

This is all very exciting… well to me it is!

Coffee is special, they have coffee ceremonies, which are meant as a way of socialising, at least back in the day. Coffee is strong and blended with cinnamon and cloves (if you have the ground coffee then its not too complicated to make, I’ve asked) giving the coffee a subtle, perfumed taste. I think I will not drink it too often though, I am out of practice and it does give me a headache; besides why develop a vice? ;-)

I am actually getting a chance to see the camp this coming week. Leaving on Sunday coming back on Thursday so I will definitely have LOTS to say next Friday… stay tuned!

Shalom

Transit notes: from London to Addis

So here I am again… might as well write as often as I can while I still can…bare with me I promise more exciting postings in the near future... and I WON'T forget the photos...

Well finally made it… I must admit my arms and neck are sore from pulling suitcases up and down and my knees are bruised from trying to command my suitcase into baggage compartments in buses and up staircases…
I am still excited and a bit apprehensive about the next few weeks and months, it all does not seem quite real … yet! It’s like knowing you are riding a roller coaster but seeing it from outside… the feelings are not quite as intense… as though a think glass were buffering any awareness of the being! Tomorrow is the first day at work and I feel like I am starting at a new school, it's a scary-good feeling...

After about a 7-hours flight I made it to Dubai. The airport was like a big shopping mall, but more like a turn off! I watched three and a half movies on the plane... more than I saw in London in 8 months!! Needless to say that I did not sleep, I can seldom sleep on planes… I waited for five more hours before I could get on the plane to Addis. I was in a wired tired state of mind, my head throbbing and I resisting somnolence...

During the months to come I will attempt to put my beliefs on hold, not that it will take me to the depths a metaphysical quest (I am no Descartes) but enough to satisfy my craving for understanding. Then again sometimes understanding only widens the array of variables.
Including more variables will inevitable affect the solving of the equation. And whether the range of answers will present us with a more precise set of solutions or vast series of them –all equally valid but requiring filtering- nobody can tell…
On the one had popular “wisdom” says that ignorance is bliss? But on the other hand there is an inherent responsibility to try to sharpen the image of reality so it can encompass more of its nuances… failing to do so would be a betrayal to ourselves… I think!

Where that came from I don’t know. I am tired and blabbering… I have been trying to go online all day and it is proving quite a challenge for my patience and I can be very patient and persevering ;-)
If is not the internet connection playing tricks is the electricity playing hide and seek… or my computer going kaputt on me. At this rate the next 8 months announce themselves to be long… but I don’t give up easily and I have been known to "swim against the current". Masochism? No, more like determination!

long kiss goodbye...

So my Ethiopian adventure starts in London... I can't seem to leave this city! The whole situation is laughable considering I have been saying goodbye for a week! I thought I was finally on my way but the powers of be decided otherwise... my e-ticket failed to materialise... try getting around Heathrow with two suitcases and a backpack... definitely a workout! Tried canceling my reservation and getting a new one only to find out that I could not pay it because my card does not have a chip... AAHH!

Thank goodness for family... now I am booked on a flight via Dubai departing tomorrow (Sunday) and arriving Monday at noon... if nothing else happens... Never been to Dubai airport, got five hours to kill... It has to be better than 12 hours in Nairobi! LOL! Oh well "que sera sera"... for tonite I will just enjoy one last nite in London! Salad and marshmallows (Thanks Lucie you were right, they saved the nite!) I guess I should start getting in to the whole TIA (This is Africa) mind set "Pole Pole", tomorrow is another day...

Bisous

Still in London

Jeez...

I would never have thought that getting immunizations would take so long... I guess I am here at least until Wednesday since I won't get my immunizations till around then... I think! I feel like I am on speed and I think I have dropped at least a pant size since I found out I was going from the excitement of course!

Anyways for those of your curious as to the actual location of the refugee camps, you can refer to the map below (courtesy of UNHCR, for a full view of the map go to http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/4541b7164.pdf) .

From what I know I will be working in both Yarenja and Sherkole. Yarenja being the smaller camp only 1,886 people left then there is Sherkole which is a bit bigger.

I was told that it was about 26 hours by car to travel between Sherkole and Addis... I will have to ask again, though I doubt I will be actually doing the journey by car very often! For now this view of reality will have to suffice but I PROMISE that I will take photos and try to render reality a bit more human and less "political" ;)

Frannie

Set up test

OK peeps!

I know I am getting a bit ahead of myself but I have my reasons... I am already dreading the internet connection at my parents' which will no doubt have made this process PAINFUL and SLOW... and I am by no means a masochist!

So this adventure does not start for a while... I think I am leaving London at the end of this month but I still have not seen a itinerary or ticket and I need those before I can head to the Embassy and then I wonder how long it will take them to give me a visa...

Otherwise I have started the much dreaded packing... you would think that having started moving from here to there and everywhere since I was I would be used to it... alas 'tis far from the case. My room's contents will fly all over the place and the debris will settle down a good 2-3 times (if not more) before I can say I am packed... and that will have to happen within a week's time... I want to cry!

But I am looking forward to this adventure... and maybe you will accept to share my joys and tears (I am taking the liberty to pre-empt this possibility)...

ANyways, I am not gone yet and I still have internet access for at least a week... though I will prolly be online whilst in Addis... subject to powercuts and a very capricious internet service...

This is only the beginning you ARE stuck with me!

Kramar
Fran