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October 14, 2003

Kpalimé, Togo

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on writing an email update, and it’s taken me 3 weeks to sit down and bring all these little pieces of writing and ideas in my head together. It’s truly been a whirlwind ride, and I feel like I barely have enough time to take things in.

To give you the basic outline of what I’ve been up to:

- spent my first 4 days in the capital Lomé . It’s kind of a crazy place. It’s huge, yet there are no street names, nor public transit. You get around in taxis and moto-taxis, and you tell them the “cartier” where you want to go, along with the nearest major landmark. To give you an idea, my host mom in Lomé wrote out the directions to their house so I could find my way home on my own: go to cartier “Totsi”, to the “pharmacie de la paix”, right where the old marché (market) used to be, where there is a Baobab tree now!!!! And of course, every taxi driver knows exactly where this non-existant marché is!

- From there I took the bus up to Kpalimé. The bus is basically a rickety old van, stuffed as full as possible with passengers. I was with Tim (the other Canadian working at Vivre Mieux) in a van that normally should seat 13 people; we were 17 plus a baby!! Also, the military has set up these roadblocks – which they call “douanes”, which translates in English to “customs”. Now who ever heard of customs within the country. Basically, it’s a way for them to get some money through bribing whenever they see fit; I don’t think they have much else to do except sit there and look scary and important with green uniforms and big guns. And the fear tactics do work. Tim didn’t have his passport on him, and, being a “yovo” (white) we tend to draw attention to ourselves. Just a little nerve-wracking…

- Kpalimé really is absolutely gorgeous. There are mountains and palm trees all around. The city is much smaller than Lomé, and feels cozier. Within my 2nd day I was able to find my way around a bit (while after spending 4 days in Lomé, I barely knew where my host-family lived relative to anything else in the city!).

- There are a lot of yovos here, as the American Peace Corps does their 3 month training here every year, and there are other international volunteers in the city and the region. Nonetheless, it seems that every child, from the moment they can say the words, sings the “yovo chant” wherever I go: ‘Yovo! Yovo! Bonsoir. Ca va bien? Merci.’ Basically, Yovo is the term used for white people. I was warned about this little song long before entering Togo. At first it was cute. However, now as I walk the same way to work 4 times a day, and some days it’s hard not to get sick of smiling and saying hi to everyone who yells out ‘Yovo’. And it’s adults too! At the market today, whenever I bargained for anything, the vendors complained: “oh, those yovos!” J Bon, what can you do, but smile and wave?

- Work life is really great. I’m working for an organization called Vivre Mieux (translation: To Live Better). (more details on that below) I told Tim that this feels like my dream job… except in my dream I get paid…!

- My director sent me to Lomé for 2 weeks to participate in an intensive workshop on HIV/AIDS education and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. There is a nationwide network of NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) that work in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and support, which is called RAS+TOGO. It is made up of 10 associations. At this workshop, there were participants from each of the 10 organizations from across the country. I met some really amazing people who do amazing work. I had the opportunity to visit 3 NGO’s in Lomé, dealing with medical care of people living with HIV, women’s empowerment, and a theatre troupe. I was really embraced by the group, and it felt so nice to make new (African) friends, and have a social life again! Now I have contacts all over the country, which is great for the work I’ll be doing, as well as for getting some traveling done.

- My eyes are being opened to the realities around AIDS in Africa. In Togo, the percentage of people living with HIV is 6%. This is not as high as some African countries. Yet it is disconcerting. Due to the lack of any efficient health care infrastructure (especially in the remote areas), these statistics are likely not very representative of the extend of the pandemic in Togo. Also, there are so many cultural barriers that keep people from seeking medical treatment, limiting high-risk sexual behaviour, and accepting a “prevention mentality” with regards to sexually transmitted diseases. What really gets me, is that so many people here know of someone who is living with HIV/AIDS or has died of it. It’s strange and frustrating for me: how many people have to die before people will understand what’s really going on?

For all the little cultural quirks, my co-worker and fellow Canadian, Tim Berezny, has created a website for his own adventures, with photos and all (I’m in some of the photos!).

Also, Tim has just put up the beginnings of the Vivre Mieux website. You can check it out at: www.berezny.com/vivremieux

I’m really loving it here. Already I feel stretched in all aspects of my life and how I view the world. Definitely though, my last year of counselling training has strengthened me in ways I could not have imagined. I encounter myself (I meet myself face to face) with all of my prejudices that I thought were neatly tucked away. I see how I cling to my identity as a Canadian, and am not 100% willing (yet) to open myself to the people, the poverty, the illness, the sadness, as well as the strength, the hope, and the joy in spite of it all. I see how I have blinders on in many respects. I am willing to let them go; and I see how I still want to cling to them (isn’t this the original paradox of life?) I’m confronted with people who ask me if I will continue to work with the issues in Togo and help them win this battle against poverty and AIDS. They are frustrated with foreigners who just come for a short time and then go back to their lives in the North; and with foreign donors who only give aid for a short time and then pull out because the socio-political climate is unstable. They see it as though right when they need help the most, the rest of the world is pulling out of the country. And I as a YOVO represent all of these things to them. And I feel guilt.

And this brings up, at yet another deeper level, the questions: who am I? what am I doing here? What are the things I cling to? I’ve come face to face with plans I’ve made that, until now, I didn’t realize were so rigid, and defined so much who I am. Can I let those plans go and be open to where Life takes me? Can I Trust? In people? In love? In Life? I’ll leave you with this for now. I have another section I want to mail out, but I’ll put it in a second email. I realize that some people don’t necessarily have the time to read long travel-emails, so no worries if you can’t follow all my updates (and please let me know if you don’t want to receive them – I will understand).

The weather here is getting hotter and hotter (I hear things have really cooled down in Ontario?). I heard there was also an election…yah, I truly was not following provincial politics, even while I was still in the country.

Okay; I could go on for days writing – and I know I will! Take care all of my dear friends. You are the people who have helped me grow, and have been a part of the process that has lead me here.

Love,

Yawa

(my African name – for a woman born on a Thursday. Isn’t it beautiful?)

October 20/03

Mon anniversaire ... style Togolais!!

26 years old ! (Also my dad’s birthday back in Canada – happy birthday dad !)
This was a birthday I will NEVER forget.

Some friends (Togolese and Canadian) drove up to Kpalimé (from Lomé – about an hour and a half) Saturday night. My friend Arsene’s family comes from a village on the Mount Agou (the tallest peak in Togo). He had arranged for an evening of traditional drum playing in the village. However, as things tend to happen in Togo, we were late, and showed up at the village at 22:00. Everyone was asleep. They had played all evening waiting for us, and then went to bed! That was a bit disappointing – but these guys always seem to have an alternate plan so I wasn’t too worried.

Clubbing in Togo

We ended up going for drinks and then “en boite” (dancing) at Kpalimé’s “Hotel Crystal” – I think the one and only club in town. I went dancing in Lomé a few weeks ago, and it’s kind of a strange experience. There is African music, then the latest pop/rap/hiphop from North America. The women in the clubs dress better, and more “western” than I do. Being told to try and fit in like the locals, I have a whole slew of long skirts; and no club clothes! The first time I went out I felt so out of place that I wanted to go shopping! Then I realized, that I never really fit in here in how I dress and in the colour of my skin, so who cares. I’ll just dance and have fun!

New Wardrobe Additions

*** Speaking of new clothes, I received some beautiful birthday gifts (I was really spoiled). My friend Richard gave me this beautiful, funky dress; and Arsene gave me a sun hat (it looks Mexican actually!) and a matching pants and top outfit. I call them pyjamas – mostly men wear them here, but apparently women do as well. They are so comfortable, however, I feel kind of lost in them – not much form. They really are like pyjamas! I wore them to work this morning, and I felt so weird in them that I expected everyone on the street to comment on the yovo wearing African clothes. But no such response. In the end, I gave in to my need to see the shape of my body and changed into a pair of Capri pants this afternoon (I kept on the pyjama top)!!

Food, food, and more food...

Went and ate Fou Fou for lunch. I tried a sauce – Richard asked me if I liked animal organs (I said sure I liked liver). Once the sauce was in front of me, I recognized many organs that I had only seen when dissecting a pig fetus in highschool biology! Thank goodness, he switched sauces with me (he’s taken care of me that way several times now!)

Then, we went back to the village on the mountain where there had been a marriage ceremony earlier that morning. We were invited to meet ‘the family’ (who’s family, I’m not sure), and were served ‘la pate’. (This was within half and hour of finishing a large meal of Fou Fou.)

I Dreamed of Africa...

Next, all the women were driven up the mountain to another village; the men would come next. We were greeted by more welcoming people, and walked up a path to find what seemed to be a dream come true: basically, we came up the last step to the sounds of African tamtam drums, music, singing, and a whole community dancing and celebrating!! It was incredible. I can’t even put it into words how beautiful and exotic and exciting it was! There was a large cirle of close to 75 people – from small children to “les vieux” (the old). In the middle of the circle was the band of drummers and a couple of brass and other types of instruments. Then, a circle of children dancing; and the women and teenagers in the outer circle. All of this was highlighted by an incredible mountain view, friendly welcomes, laughter, smiles, palm wine, sodabe (their local, very strong alcohol), and the energy of the music and dancing.

Just Dance!

After sitting for about 30 seconds, my fellow Canadian girlfriends (Chelsea and Fredeline) and I looked at each other and said: we HAVE to dance!! And up we got, into the circle. I ended up beside this wonderful, beautiful woman named Yvette, who taught me all the different dances – a different one for almost every song. Could she shake her booty!! As could the 70 year old woman to my left, the 16 year old smiling at me across the cirle, and the tiny 4 year old in the bright red shirt who put J.Lo to shame! Africans say that the ability to dance is in their blood. I’m starting to believe it!

We danced and danced! Eventually the men made it up to the village and served us palm wine (a carbonated, rather “yeast-y” tasting beverage). And we kept on dancing. I was hot, sweaty, and red faced. A couple of times the women told us to sit down and rest; and that only lasted a few minutes until the next invigorating rhythm took us over!

And Oh! the little ones!

As the dancing and music died down, the villagers came to mingle. At one point I had about 10 small children swarming me, touching my skin and hair. They didn’t speak French so I didn’t know what they wanted. Yvette explained they were asking for presents. I had nothing with me! She scattered the children; the next thing I knew, my Togolese friends Richard and Marc had about 30 children in front of them, singing a type of ‘call and response’ song and dance. Richard was dancing and Marc had the tamtam. It was incredible to see how they brought all these children together. It was pretty amazing to see.

We headed back down to some houses, and were served ‘la pate’. After all that dancing we were pretty ravenous! I had all of these villagers asking me where I worked and lived in Kpalimé, saying they would come and visit me; my African friends freely handed out my cell phone number! Looks like I’m going to be having some visitors…

Suffice it to say, I have an incredible life! I have made some incredible friends who know other amazing people. I have always felt that wherever I go in the world, it is my friends that make up my “family”. I am a happy, happy girl!