Back to Dublin

Tricky times for me in Dublin. There are big changes happening at work, and my colleagues and I are reasonably stressed, angry and frustrated. So the days at the office are very different than what I experienced before. I work with incredible people, committed, passionate,... and they feel like they don't really control the situation. Rather unpleasant.

 

So after work, i much preferred a pub-evening to a TV/ email night in the B&B.
Dublin's pubs are amazing. People talk. People tell their stories, of their family, the incomprehensible political affairs or passionately mumble interesting series of sounds expecting me to understand. I can get if it is Irish or not. Then, if the accent is too strong and the person describes places and people, I smile and sip my beer, then I nod and smile again.
In Ireland I am the simpleton. 

In this pub I witness the win of Whitlock on TV, quite an amazing darter. I would recommend checking him out, registering in his fanclub and supporting him unconditionally. The guy does things with darts, surgically puts them in the right places, at the right time. It almost feels sad for his opponents. 

  

Walking on the pier in Dun Laoghaire puts ideas and priorities in place. The two first weeks of October where incredible, warm and clear, with only little wind. loved it. 

I must have mentioned it before but I do not like the sketchbook I have at the moment. I still cannot get around the paper. It's drinking too much and does not dry quick enough, botching. Drinking too much, and I cannot work my ink with water as much as i want. doesn't dry quick enough and the paper remains moist. impossible to work on wet, nor dry. 

I could have guesses, it is, after all a pencil sketchbook, but still. I like to complain: I got the book to try other medias, and just don't do it.

We went walking in Glendalough, a couple of hours walk, an hour outside of Dublin, with spectacular sceneries. The walk was lovely, through an oak forest, then pine trees then the grass and blueberry bushes, tiny purple flowers and unconcerned deers. The mountain (aka hills) went from bright orange to dark green, resting on the two lakes.

Then, in the distance are the ruins of an ancient monastic-town, which used to be an intellectual hub back in the days. As much as intellectual and 12th century Europe can relate. One feat of the place is a long, pencil shaped tower, with a door that is high above ground. Some say the tower was designed to protect the population and warn of invaders, the raids of the vikings were not pleasant or accommodating towards monks.
When I saw the tower, I knew better. I had seen it before. I have watched Rapunzel, and can recognize the tower she was locked in. All my kids have confirmed about it too. I was very glad to have made it to my first real-life fairy tale princess castle. Missed her by a couple of centuries, happens.

 

actually these pictures were taken in London, in the pub down the road of my very good mates Rob and Ange. Nothing to do with Ireland. the beer looks like a Guinness, but it is not. It's actually a Pressed Rat and Warthog. Great name for a beer when meeting Zimbos in the UK.
the picture looks good here.
Slainte!

London in ales

September, October,I just got to spend a couple of days in London and in Ireland for work. It has been over a decade since I last was in London. A very faithful city, where changes are measured by the ticketing system of the tube, and the clothes people wear. Very different from the drastic transformation of neighborhoods, roads and communities we can see in Nairobi, Addis or Kolkata. London peacefully breathe when others blow fire!

It was very pleasant to get there, a comfortable feeling to be back where I left.I guess that is Europe for me, comfortably numb, predictable and faithful. Really pleasant.

I also got quite a great news: the Urban Sketcher crew asked me to be one of their correspondent! I am really chaffed, but realized that I had kind of failed to open my black books since early June. I am not a consistent blogger, which is expected. So: room for improvement, and an extra motivation boost on my side. 

I often have grand plans. I can see really clearly things to do and how to do them in my head, but I struggle to make them real. If I give birth to one project for every 100, that is good. Just for Octobre I was planning to go on the Inktobre challenge, learn how to use a hashtag, try to update my blog, to sketch roads and places in London and Dublin, to do some cartoons illustrating the holidays, to paint my daughter’s bedroom (bucket list for over a year), to make a hundred swords (and shields) for my son to sell, to start a comic book,… I guess there are too many things, and too few hours/ days. And I need to accommodate a full time job I love, be present for my family and socializing, discovering new things, walking, breathing.

That would bring me to the pub.

It’s outside of working hours, there is food, socials, pints of beer and the comfort of a place where to sit, talk and sketch. It is the way I cheat, trying to pack as many things as possible in one moment.    

 Pubs in Paddington, pints of ales and English bitters, versatile pub-food and people speaking dozen of languages appreciating the same piece of English heritage, a pub-quizz with mates, ageless carpets and the constant ballet between the gents and the door, for a quick fag and chat.  

 Funny how a drawing tells me stories. This sketch was done after I prayed with a pirate and his wife, on a boat rolling with rum and wine! A couple of hours spend on board of a boat on the canal, invited by a couple to discuss life on the water and sharing stories.

Cheers!
 

Meeting in Kenya

From a quick trip to Kenya in June, for a meeting, not much time to sketch, a couple of plane-faces, beautiful clouds and a quick stop on the side of the road going to Naivasha. 

Sierra Leone

There is nothing comparable to the first steps out of a plane and being greeted by heat and humidity.
First trip for me to Sierra Leone, always special to go somewhere for the first time.

 

EBola: 

No touch policy. 

No gathering of people,

Everything is closed after 6 pm.

My trusted plunger broke. 

It might have been the best thing that happenned: Lacking cafeine, my brain started working, looking for solution to get access to the drug. It so happen that I have been watching MacGuyver when it was the hottest serie in the universe, and learned my lesson. I was building a cellphone with my knife and the beer I was sipping, in order to call my wife and have her send me a replacement plunger. Half way through the screen modulation, I realized that the diameter of the plunger and of the can were exactly the same. Bingo!  Did not have to build the phone.

Now I have another good excuse to drink beer. A cerveja in order to have coffee. Sounds good to me. 

And it truely is an amazing news: I don't have to stress no more about the fragile glass, to clean the   recipient etc. And coffee is tastier with a hint of hops.

  

 

On independence day (27th of april),  I went for a night in the forrest, a stone throw away from freetown. Tacugama is a chimpanzee sanctuary, fostering orphaned chimps and trying to get them to socialize and get prepared to go back in the wild.

Problem is that their natural habitat is disappearing. Deforestation is shocking, and in the remaining forrests there are poachers. So the future of the 90 odds apes might be bleak.

 

I guess I have to put a line or two about Ebola, since Sierra Leone unfortunatly is synonymous to the disease and everyone I met before/ there/ after going to SL is speaking about it. Yes, SL is much more than a virus, it has spectacular sceneries, amazing people and most stunning beaches. No, I did not catch it. Yes, it is still around.
It is one of the most gruesome disease: you catch it by close contact - by people you love and who love you- then, literally, you implose. If you get to an emergency treatment centre you'll be cared by people in astronaut suits and if you make it odds are that family members did not have your chance, and your friends and community will look at you warily. Not the best PR for the ministry of tourism. 

Today the epidemic is still not finished, more than 3000 people died from it, but the impact is yet to be felt. One Ebola year and the health system is on its knees, staff died, people don't trust health posts so attendance dropped for malaria, birth and every other issues, the economic development stalled, schools just resumed... people want it over and get back to normality.

The great thing about my line of work is that I get to meet admirable human beings. And many who left the comfort of their home and family to take the risk and respond to a very mortal disease. I got to meet fellow Zimbabweans, staks of kenyans, ethiopians, sudanese, congolese, europeans, americans... people from all over.  Among them, a lot of sierra leonians who migrated to flee the war, got a life, jobs and family in europe or the states and dropped everything to come back in SL to help. Always in the worst places, at the worst of time that you meet people carrying humanity with a smile.

Ireland

New job; induction time in Dun Loaghaire (to pronounce Don Leerie -don't ask, just say it like that), on the outskirds of Dublin. I had some hours to spend in the city, walking around and stopping for a pint or two. It's really a beautiful place and the people are very friendly. Got offered a couple of Guinness whilst sketching people at the counter. Good vibes.  

The city, the water, the buildings, the people, the beer, my kind of thing. 

I got to visit the Guinness storehouse and graduated as a perfect Guinness pourer. Haven't added that skill on my CV yet. I need to update it as soon as possible, one never know really what recruiters are after these days.

To top it up, my sister came to see me for 2 evenings, which is really cool since we don't meet too often, her living in Belgium and me in Harare.

Zimbabwe Historic Victory against Australia

Yesterday, I have been watching History. 

Zimbabwe won their cricket game against Australia, for the first time since 1983.

Since I do not understand anything about this thrilling sport, It is a bit difficult for me to explain how they won, by how much and why it is historical. 

I know that we spend the day on the cricket ground, in Harare Sports Club, I was so drawned to the game that I sketched it most the time, there was copious amount of beer (I also won a Castle T-Shirt for drinking the beer in the classy way I am reknown for), boerie rolls, the kids had a blast sliding on cardboard, smoking sugar cigarettes, running amok with flags and meeting heaps of new friends. 

The sports club was full, people in high spirits, cheering their team, obviousely understanding what I was missing, really good moment.

So my day was great, I have been witnessing THE victory - which makes me feel a bit more zimbo, and we even managed to go back home with only one kid - we scored big on that one-, the others preferred to stay with their mates. 

For those who are looking to understand a bit better the game and weight the victory, here is the BBC article. Even if BBC is an evil media run by the devious western government of the colonial Great Britain, they got that victory right.

 

Article from: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cricket/29006085

Zimbabwe beat Australia in one-dayer for first time since 1983

One-day tri-series, Harare:

Zimbabwe 211-7 (48 overs) beat Australia 209 (50 overs) by three wickets

Captain Elton Chigumbura hit an unbeaten half century as Zimbabwe defeated Australia for only the second time in a one-day international.

Zimbabwe, chasing 210 for victory, won with 12 balls to spare to claim a famous three-wicket win in Harare.
It was the team's first ODI win over Australia since the 1983 World Cup, their first ever meeting.
Since then Australia, world champions four times, have won 27 meetings, with one match abandoned.
However, Zimbabwe won on the only occasion the sides have met in Twenty20 internationals - a five-wicket success at the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007.

Zimbabwe's international record against Australia
Format	Games	Zim wins	Aus wins	Draws/ties	No result
Tests	3	0	3	0	0
ODIs	30	2	27	0	1
Twenty20	1	1	0	0	0

Sunday's match was the fourth game in a triangular ODI tournament that also features South Africa - and Australia won their previous match against the hosts by 198 runs.
South Africa, who play Australia in the next match on Tuesday, have won both of their games so far.
Australia had won the toss and elected to bat, but found it hard going as Zimbabwe's spinners claimed six of the nine wickets to fall.
Returning skipper Michael Clarke top scored with an unbeaten 68 but suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury and retired hurt in the 43rd over before briefly returning in the last over of the Aussie innings.
Australia announced after the game that Clarke would take no further part in the tri-series, and would return home to Sydney on Tuesday for scans and further assessment.

"Zimbabwe have been waiting 31 years for this. This is a very special day. If you could see the jubilation in the crowd with singing and dancing in the stands you would understand just how important this win was both for the players and the people of Zimbabwe. "By playing series like this against two of the stronger teams in the world - South Africa and Australia - is the only way Zimbabwe are going to improve and get back to the way they once were." Zimbabwe cricket commentator Dean du Plessis

The visitors had been reduced to 97-5 before Clarke and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin added 50 for the sixth wicket, and they eventually finished on 209-9.
Chigumbura, who came to the wicket with Zimbabwe struggling at 106-5, struck his unbeaten 52 off 68 balls, including four boundaries, to steer his side to victory.
He added 55 in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 55 with Prosper Utseya, who made 30 not out.
In Zimbabwe's last ODI series, they drew 2-2 with Afghanistan.

One-day tri-series
	Played	Won	Lost	Tied/NR	Net RR	Points
S Africa	2	2	0	0	+0.813	9
Australia	3	1	2	0	+1.130	5
Zimbabwe	3	1	2	0	-1.665	4

Windhoek in July

I had the opportunity to work for a week in Windhoek last July, which was really excellent. But because it was for work, there was little time to do something else, such as walking around, meeting new people etc. Nights are falling too early in winter for outdoor sketches and Windhoek is not a very busy place. It actually seemed rather quiet, the type of stillness of a small city... the light joie de vivre of a German town in the middle of the desert. 

And the feeling is enhanced with poetic street names such as LudwigvonBeethovenStrasse, buildings carved with the true art of bavarian architecture, a sense of order and decent beer. Namibian Breweries are trying hard to match Belgian brews, and it is appreciable.  

  

I did manage a day to walk around and do some sketching of the place. The capital seems to have grown a lot over the past decade, there are new malls, big towers, shops... Lost in the middle of the concrete newbies the old city still stands, a bit like Lilli Marlene surrounded by Star Academy contenders. 

It feels absolutely odd.

 

  This church (Christuskirche) is a landmark of the capital, and is surrounded by many old buildings, including the museum, old fort  (here under). The church has been build and shipped in parts to Namibia, back in the days. There was a wedding happening .

 This fort stands were the German troops held camp (Alte Feste Fort). The Fort is now hosting the national museum, interesting to understand the liberation struggles, the fights of the Herero against the Germans, the organization of the firsts concentration camps (Shark Island...) between 1904 and 1907,  the struggle that led Namibia to become the last country to take its independence in Southern Africa.

 Thank God, all these old buildings collecting dust and acting as a reminder of the colonisation are now dwarved by a brand new piece of wonder, a type of shiny barrel-looking building. 

It not of everyone's taste,  I can understand the need to mark the place and, as a symbol, to show that the German colonial presence is something from the past, but I do question the artistic- pertinence of the golden barrel standing between the church and the fort.

I went once or twice to the cardboard box backpakkers for a couple of drinks.(http://www.cardboardbox.com.na/cardboardbox.html) My hotel was just next door but had no bar. I also sometime prefer to talk with travellers on a shoestring who have 10.000 tips and stories to tell, including one involving a bus driver who - going off the bus to pay his road-fee,  came face to face with a smiling lion and ran back to his seat faster than Ussain Bolt.
It is pleasant to hear stories and not having to discuss the foreseen consequences of the economical crisis on the pecan-nut  market and the compared competitiveness of a Namibian prawn fishermen compared to Mozambican one.
I also went to a groovy spot in town, but I have no ways of remembering its name. The music was great, and good company as well. It was on the left side of town. good spot, I recommend it.

Posts from Maputo and Beira

Beira Marginal, its own version of the Promenade des Anglais, the mighty Marina.

The sketch below was made quite early during the evening, before the sun sets, which is why it is so empty. After dark, and until midnight, the beach road gets packed: ladies selling beer and refrescos from their cooler boxes, car parked with youngsters sipping booze and flirting, a 2 way traffic jam of cars, windows open, each one trying to cover the music from the other cars. For the people who are standing and enjoying their drinks on the side of the road, the car festival can only be compared to a  one year old discovering the radio, having found the sound button (up up up) and now pressing the channel button with great joy. Car with blue neon under the chassis plays full blast Passada, Deu me Amor pink honda spitting south african techno, '95 mazda pick up with 10 teenagers in the back blasting Shakira, Oh a quite corolla, then an Angolan-dance-boombox on wheels, a toyota hilux proving that Bon Jovi is also popular here, boum boum boum tchakalaka boum boum boum, Crash! (that is Bon Jovi kissing the arse of Shakira, failing to recognize her hidden break lights)- The traffic stops, Castel-Light-loaded drivers jumps out, eager to kill each other, then finding that they are, in fact, cousins and should continue their ride and let their dads sort the damages later...

People drinking, people watching, people driving, people getting deaf, and some working too, the cooler-box sellers, the cigarette and chewing gum vendors, the kids watching after cars, the portuguese Sporting-Fan selling his hot dogs, the chinese take-away guy busy cooking his  Mozambican dishes /Cantonese style, the tchopela (tuk-tuk) drivers offloading some sailors,... on a big night half Beira meet up on the 100 meters between the hot dog stand and the Mira Mar bar. It is busy. 

Small sketch done in Maputo. On Ave Lumumba there is a small old house, escondida between two blunt styled concrete towers (the type that inspired generations of architects building low-income-tower and making sure people living there feel as bad as possible). There are still such surprises in Maputo, where in the middle of eye-sores one will see some type of wonders that make it interesting, and gives its charm. This old house is one of those. Could pass 10.000 times in the street without noticing it, then one day, you are brought there. It is nice. As well they are doing food, prato do dia, no gourmet dishes but good food.
That is a great thing about Mozambique, and the west Africa I had the pleasure to know, is that there are hundreds of small hidden places to eat and drink out. A lot of chicken chopped, millions of potatoes slaughtered and fried, fish scaled, and salad dug. I do hope it can stay that way for a bit more time.
Oh and in that small old house, they also had WiFi. The house is falling down, but does it in style:  connected to the world. Now that is cool.

  

And last one from Maputo was done in Mundo's, a thatched place with international food and pizzas. It used to be full of south africans, now its a bit more mixed, still a lot of foreigners. When I draw I seem to be able to listen better. So during the hour at Mundos, I had the pleasure to hear two frenchmen talking NGO stuff and their relations with the ministery of health, an American lady pushing a Spanish guy in sharing his sex life stories with her (and detailing hers in the same time), a group of noisy Portuguese getting upset with the waiter, an English family laughing together, a women missionary reading her kindle, a mozambican  couple sharing their silence, a table full of businessman getting pinted after a sealed deal, and me in the middle

Beira's Bars

Leaving Harare for Beira tomorrow and going back to spending a good amount of time in bars and restaurants, patiently waiting for my orders to eventually be ready.
The following sketches were made last time I travelled there. Mira Mar, disgusting food, peculiar and mixed clientèle, is a great place to sketch, there is always something to catch, people having a drink, the ballet of friendly girls, the band,... Unfortunately now the beach front has been blocked by large canvas, so it's not possible anymore to sit and sip whilst looking at the sea, the sellers and courageous joggers. Will try to get it next time, from beira bar then.  
 

These two next sketches were made @ bambu bar, recently opened by Fidelina. Its unfortunately difficult to find for it is hidden in a back alley of the Ponta Gea market and there is absolutely no indication about it on the door... which stays closed because of the aircon running. Then again, one feels like a guest there, sharing the secret of a shadowy place.
 

 A quick face caught at the Esplanada bar. I don't even know its name, its on a type of mirrador in front of the central hospital of Beira. Was having a small beer with Martin there, who seems to be a frequent customer there for as soon as he parks his jeep, the waiter opens a small 2M, prepare an ashtray and trains his smile. That day, Sheila was enjoying the hospitality of the Hospital Central of Beira, giving birth to a big boy. Because Martin was not welcome in the delivery room, we had to stay at bay, close enough to be able to hear the screaming and smell the iodine, but at a reasonable distance not to be seen with a beer and samusas. Women in labour have little sense of empathy. 

 

 This one was done at Solange, although the coffee and pastel de nata were taken the next day at So bolos.
Moz imports a lot of things from Portugal, and Delta Coffee seems to be a must for all coffee places in town. I don't want to disrespect the delta corporation nor the great portuguese industry behind it (or Sagres beer), but there are other alternatives, and Zimbabwe is producing great beans. 

Speaking of Sagres, it is sold in 20cl beer bottles. How ridiculous, looks like one of those you will receive in a plane. So sitting next to the natives of the algarve, full of saudade of their home country, sipping minuscule droplets of Sagres, you will find any other connoisseur  with common sense, going for the local cervejas that not only taste good but as well is made for the climate in 33 or 66 cl.
I recently discovered that in the one dry restaurant (Churasqueira on the independence place with the Samora Machel statue), they started selling the 20cl Sagres. To me its either because they think it is a joke, because they appreciate the effort of putting so much package for such a small contents or because they see it as halaal. In any case, when a dry place serves Sagres, water and juice, there is something fishy.  

Another good spot, the 9to9 bar. Good food, good drinks, good prices.
And here he was, in front of me, El Père Noël in person, sipping a draft, talking business, in a blue overall.
I always found the HoHo-man a bit too much: Who in his right state of mind would be pretending to have a healthy relationship with deers and gnomes, only wears red fluffy coat and trousers, speaks with a US-accent and above all lives in the pole and drinks coke instead of the aquavit (that is the only way to keep blood from freezing). It did not look anything else but fake and every christmas, I have to lie, and lie and lie  and lie to my children. It's a torture.
Now I know better, he pretends to do that, probably for adverts reason, but in real life, he lives on the beach in Beira, does not drink Sagres, specializes in radiators and even speaks australian. Now I've got something with substance to tell my kids when I lie to them about who is piling presents under the Christmas tree, it will make me feel less bad.
I hope I'll see the Easter bunny in one of Beira's bar next month.