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!
 

South Sudan

South Sudan is an interesting place to find yourself in.
Curfews, stories of violence, of fights, stories of survival, stories of disappointments.
I spend most of the time in Goal's compounds in Twic and Agok, a few hours by plane north of Juba, at the border with Sudan.
Very far from anything. In Twic there is no coca cola nor pepsi. That is how remote it is.
I visited nutrition centers and hospitals, met with women groups, discussed about childhood and access to adulthood with community members... great.
Interesting for me, a few weeks before I was in Ethiopia, in the refugee camps of Gambella, populated by South Sudanese Nuer. Here I was in South Sudan, with the Dinkas.
Nuer and Dinkas are the two main groups fighting against each-other, with horrible stories of massacres, mutilation, hate. The Nuers I met all had nasty stories about Dinkas. For me it is difficult to truly understand how different they are, and what is the base of so much hate. They seem to be so similar.

The country I have seen lives thanks to Humanitarian aid. From the airplanes in Juba airport, the presence of blue-soldiers, the logos on hospitals, schools, the branding of houses... evidence of the presence of NGO and the UN is everywhere. And they are certainly running a lot of social, education and health services.
It should costs the world 800 millions a year, to assure peace, survival, education and health in this war-thorn country. Half has been raised in 2015. Whilst I was there people were looking at the options to shut down operations, lack of funds means to close nutrition centers, delivery rooms, community support...

When I came back someone asked me if it would not just be better to stop the humanitarian aid, stop accepting refugees and leave the people to sort their problems out.
A watch and see attitude.
Behind it is the opinion that Humanitarian aid can fuel or help maintain conflict. I didn't really knew how to respond and make sense of my position. Yes, maybe, humanitarian action and human kindness are giving an option to people that are suffering to seek shelter, hospitality and help. And that might not push them to fight back, and maybe sort out the problem.
And continue the cycle of violence.
And enable the strongest, with the most weapon, cash to destroy the others. And the most vulnerable are children, women, old people. The past, the future and the creators. 
It's like telling a kid that has been raped or beaten to sort his/her shit out with his/her abuser.
It is siding with the bully. I feel it is not good.
So why is humanitarian aid so essential? Because it remind us to embrace that this world deserve to exist in a multi-cultural way, where all have the right to exist.

Today, in Paris world leaders are discussing Climate change and environment. It is a great challenge for humankind, I am happy it is a growing concern.
One of the other challenge that not many are addressing is the systematic cultural diversity destruction that is happening. Languages, ways of living, cultures are permanently removed and with them our human identity.
We destroy the environment, but we are even more efficient in destroying ourselves, and destroying those who do not thing like us. If people think differently, have other ways to eat, pray, relate... I think to myself  "wahw, they are showing me a new way to be human". And they deserve respect and the right to exist. 


So, is the country under Humanitarian-dip? For sure.
Does it have negative impact? Yes probably.
Does it cost a lot? 80 USD per year per South Sudanese.
What is the impact? Life-changing. Enabling people to survive, to live better and to build a future, not only for the people of South Sudan, but for all of us, and our human diversity.

Fascinating thing in South Sudan is the bird diversity. Small colorful bee-eaters, vultures, kites, eagles, to big crested cranes. Its a great place to see those flying things.
And cows. Everywhere, with their massive horns. Beautiful..
And very, very tall people. I'me average size, some of the Nuers and Dinkas tower me from two heads above. They are majestic in the way they walk, the scarification on their faces and bodies, the bond they have with their cattle, it is very strange and beautiful. And often beyond my capacity to understand.
The relation with the cattle is very difficult for me to get. I see steak, they see an extension of themselves, wealth and respectability, honor, spirituality, I don't know.

Ethiopia

I came back from 5 weeks working in Ethiopia and South Sudan, and with a short trip to Nairobi.
Exceptional countries for many different reasons. Unique.

I Ethiopia I mainly worked with Goal's teams in Gambella's refugee camps; welcoming people fleeing South Sudan, and with organizations responding to unaccompanied children on the move: street children, immigrants...
 
In Gambella alone there are over 120'000 refugees. Only 10% of them are men. The Men are mostly still in South Sudan, trying to save their cattle, fields and property. Women, children and old people have moved to seek security and to ensure survival.
They feel that life in a camp is better than life at home. Says it all.
It was very powerful to be there when Europe was -finally- opening its eyes on the people choosing to move out of their homeland and seeking refuge in a foreign land. It felt as if the Old lady woke up after a huge binge-drinking bender, with a headache and somehow surprised about "What the hell is happening?".

There are an estimate of 60 millions refugees and internally displaced people in the world today, among which 19 millions are refugees and asylum seekers. In 2014-2015 the USA welcomed 121.000 of them,  Russia 274.000 and the entire European Union member states 695.000.
On one side people are debating their hospitality and hosting ability, they are wondering what makes it impossible for the migrants to stay in their homeland. They are fearing for their comfort and respond with hate. They are showing the worst: locked doors, fear, hate, racism etc. True pollution.
On the other hand, some opinions shared publicly are showing compassion, empathy and the best human can give: love and care.  
Anyway.



Ethiopia revealed itself to me by the kindness and hospitality of the people. Without understanding the languages, discovering a society so truly fundamentally different than mine, I felt hosted and welcomed by all. From the coffee ladies, the bar-customers, the social workers or the people sitting and looking whilst I am drawing, I really felt a true interest in being with me.
Very uplifting indeed.
 
I loved being there, experiencing the polychomatic world of diversity, having my soul strengthen, and my comfort shaken. I love feeling the togetherness. It is cool.
 

Nothing much to say. You need to go to Ethiopia to feel for yourself.

 

x

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.

Twala

I kinda missed posting this one.

Twala is a great place to go out for a pic-nic with kids, small orphaned animals (from squirrel to lions), a dam where to fish, and many friendly furry, scaly and feathery things roaming around, for the delight of the little ones. Great opportunity as well to follow some of them, outside bars. Gives a sense of wilderness. 

Tamed one do. 

 

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.

What I do in airports.

I had the opportunity to travel earlier this month. The plane ride took me from Harare to Addis, to Rome, to Madrid, to Almeria and finally to Dublin. 

A long journey. 

A lots of movies and some sketching of people.