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"praise to God"
As I stare my final week in Kenya in the face, I'm finally doing a lot of things that I always meant to do and never got around to. This weekend one of those things was going to church.
Lukas and I arrived in the middle of a 5 hour long service and left after less than 2 hours. Preparing for the worst (I'd heard tell of exorcisms and speaking in tongues) I was surprised at how normal it seemed, how enjoyable it was. A little more evangelical and energetic than what I'm used to - at times it felt more like a dance club than a church service - but not so different from the Baptist churches I have attended in Madison. The prayer was also intense; rather than a silent prayer, the 5-10 minute long prayer sessions just featured everyone chanting their prayers to "Baba Wetu" (our father) with instrumentals and singing in the background.
Maybe the most remarkable thing about the service was that although the congregation totally filled the big barn-like church building, there were 2 other equally crowded and loud churches within listening distance. It really resonated (ha, ha) with me after reading about what a destructive impact Belgian Catholic priests had in the perceived ethnic divisions that led the Rwandan genocide; it's quite clear that the missionaries before and after the British colonization left a long-lasting mark on Kenyan culture as well. It's hard to believe that a religion could spread so quickly and pervasively, and remain so firmly rooted in local culture after the disappearance of its proponents. (Maybe this is why China won't allow tourists to bring multiple Bibles?)
As I was marveling over the strength of their collective conviction, I realized that before coming to Kenya I hadn't even realized that people in rural Kenya would be Christian. Much less had I realized it would be a definitive force shaping their everyday existence! Which prompted a list of pieces of "common" knowledge that I must remind myself I did not know before February of 2009...
- One goat is worth 4-5 chickens (depending on the size)
- Grafting plants can result in the strongest, most resilient root system and sweetest fruit
- Swahili is a mix of Arabic and Bantu languages
- The first throw on a frisbee field is called a "pull"
- Typhoid and malaria aren't any worse than Western diseases, if you can afford the treatment
- Maize seeds should be planted 25 centimeters apart, in rows 75 centimeters apart, for maximum yield
- One goro-goro is about 2 kgs
- One bag of maize is about 90 kgs
- Indigenous African cows can be identified by their humps
- A bucket bath requires less water than flushing a toilet
- All the decent Kenyan coffee goes for export
- Shampoo and conditioner for African hair works just fine for mine, too
- One bean seed should be planted in a hole half as deep as your hand with 1/3 of a bottle cap of fertilizer
- Hakuna matata really means "no worries"
- Throw-away clothes in the US are recycled and sold at Kenyan roadside clothing stands
- People can speak 3 or 4 (or more) languages and still be poor and minimally uneducated
- There is not a single McDonald's in East Africa
Yes, definitely, knowledge is cultural.
What a day.3 pm: Meet with Kisaka, the director of Soko hewani (agricultural market show on West FM, where we would appear), and Patrick, our field director. When Kisaka's father visited the office and I broke out my the few Kiswahili phrases in my small repertoire, they convinced me I should go on air as well, broadcasting in my mzungu accent.4 pm: Make final revisions to script and print three copies. Practice saying "project coordinator" in Kiswahili.5 pm: Kisaka calls - there is a problem. Or rather, a couple problems. First, apparently in the past we had a couple farmers lodge complaints with West FM about some of the seed we provided. Second, three different representatives from One Acre Fund had already gone to West FM headquarters to negotiate pricing for an ad. (REMARKABLE considering I told the single Kenyan staff member I worked with not to do this...) When our staff visited to inquire, the West FM crew had requested that we first take care of the seed issue. Unfortunately, no one from OAF followed up - not about seed, not about ad pricing. Conclusion: There was no way they would let us go on air for free, even on Soko hewani.5:30 pm: I get in touch with the manager of West FM, Shakira. She confirms: there is no way we can go on air unless we pay. Director's decision.5:40 pm: I speak with the director. He is busy - in the car on the way to the Bungoma office. So, I get on a boda (bicycle taxi) and go to the office myself.
6:00 pm: Dr George, the director, arrives in the office. He finds me there already talking to Shakira, but asks her to leave the conference room, closes the door, and sits down at the other end of a long table. Our conversation begins... I empathize with his negative image of One Acre Fund, given his limited exposure. I tell him about what we do, explain that I am a volunteer, make clear that One Acre Fund serves small farmers and currently has no promotional budget - I'm not authorized to make any payments to go on air. Unfortunately, we have already told our 4,000 Kenyan farmers that we will be on air tonight. I actually get a little teary-eyed at one point, and after about twenty minutes I can tell he's starting to feel sorry for me.
6:30 pm: Dr George announces that he can tell I'm caught between "a hard place and a stone." So, it is okay, at least this one time, for One Acre Fund to appear for free. Not only that, but he adds that he is grateful that the issues have arisen because now we were able to meet and West FM and One Acre Fund could have a positive relationship going forward.
6:40 pm: I call Kisaka and tell him the good news. He is shocked by Dr George's decision, but also pleased - after all, it's his show that would be missing a guest speaker.
7:15 pm: Pick up Patrick and head back to the studio. The crew of West FM DJs gather in the studio with great interest as to how on earth I convinced Dr George to let us appear, and is it possible that a mzungu is going to say something on air in Kiswahili?!
8:00 pm: We're on air! After the stressful evening leading up to the performance, I'm feeling like I could do just about anything. Which is lucky, because the boundaries of my Swahili knowledge were definitely pushed. At the end of the few short minutes when they featured me ("Nafula" - my Bukusu name - in Bungoma, and "Amba" in the USA) I was shaking my head furiously to stop asking me questions. But I did okay, and Patrick did great. Apparently the DJ also dedicated a few songs to me during the evening.
8:45 pm: Home, at last, to hang out with Simi - who arrived during my crazy afternoon - and bask in my post-performance glory (and by "glory" I mean "relief").
A Kenyan man stands on top of one of the rocks - gives perspective on their size! (don't worry, Mom, I didn't climb this one)
Andrew leaps from one boulder to another... the fate of One Acre Fund is suspended over the chasm...
Jake, Lukas, & I atop one of the boulders. Yes, I'm barefoot.
Farmland
