Burundi is having elections today for their President. It's uncontested - and turnout is low. Opposition was encouraging people to boycott the polls. (By the way, did you know that voting is compulsory in Australia? It means that there's a much higher level of political awareness, though some wonder about how democratic it is to force people to vote.
Things in Rwanda are looking fairly tense at the moment. A journalist has just been killed, and many think it's because he was looking too closely into the death of a former army chief a few weeks before. There's concern about intimidation of the media in the run up to Presidential elections in August.
Congo is celebrating its 50th anniversary of Independence on Weds. The President has called a holiday tomorrow afternoon, Weds and Thurs, so it'll be nice and quiet in the office.
Monday 28 June 2010
Friday 25 June 2010
Ephesians
22nd June
Hmm… Haven’t been amazing at updating my blog recently. However, I’ll blame that on the lack of internet access we’ve had. The internet tends to be dependent on the electricity, and when a tree falls on the line somewhere, it tends to be off for a few days. However, due in large part, I suspect, because of the necessity of having electricity to watch the World Cup, the repairs were done remarkably speedily.
In our Fellowship group on Sunday night, we’ve been looking at Ephesians, which has been really interesting. There’s a lot in there about turning from your old way of life and taking on a new way of life. There’s quite an emphasis on truthfulness, which I’ve always taken as being quite a given for anyone, let alone Christians. Yet being in Congo has casted a new light on reading this passage. I think that in the UK we sometimes take for granted our Christian heritage, and what that has meant for the standards and norms in our society. In Congo, truthfulness is not something that is rooted in the society. There’s a general attitude of ‘I’ll say what I need to in order to improve my life’, which, as you can imagine, has quite a wide impact! For example, on CVs people will write what they think the employer wants to hear, not necessarily their experience, and create certificates to back it up. If discovered and challenged, e.g. at an interview, then the response is bemusement that you even have to ask - ‘well how else was I going to get the job?’ In reporting what work has been done or how much something costs, it’s really hard to know whether the person is actually telling you what’s happened or telling you what he thinks will work out best for him. That’s quite cynical, I know, but when you know that it happens it’s difficult to know what you can trust the person or not.
If this was happening in the UK, the people would (hopefully!) quickly learn that ‘creative’ reporting just isn’t done. And if people lied, it would be assumed to be deliberate dishonesty. However, because lying is not widely perceived as dishonest in Congo, it’s difficult to determine their motivations, their awareness that it’s not acceptable, or their character. Tearfund are very clear in our inductions, briefings and processes but you can’t overcome deeply engrained habits of a lifetime that quickly! Not that we’ve had major issues here, but I am aware of how much we expect from our staff in terms of standard of behaviour. It’s reasonable, and necessary (and the norm in the UK), but as an employer I think we’re seen as very demanding! In some ways, it feels as if we shouldn’t be coming into another culture and imposing our own expectations and norms. However, I also feel that things like truth are vital in building a strong society, and that part of our role in being here is not only help 4,500 households increase their agricultural production but to model working with professionalism and integrity.
To return to Ephesians and the emphasis on a change of life and behaviour once you know Christ… I think a lot of people (UK, Congo and anywhere else) see becoming a Christian as a one-off thing – ‘ok, I’ve believed in Jesus, had my sins forgiven, done and finished’. However, Jesus talks about following him, loving him, obeying him – all continuous actions in the present tense. And if we’re living for him that’s got to result in a change our attitudes and behaviour. I believe that some of this comes about naturally, without our design, simply as a result of asking God to work in us. Other things require a recognition that this or that behaviour is not consistent with living for Jesus, and a determination of will that we’re wanting to change (God can then give us a measure of strength to help). If things are so deeply engrained in society, then recognising that a certain behaviour or attitude is harmful is very difficult. I think it’s possible for anyone, through reading and reflecting on the Bible, our behaviour, and the consequences of our actions, as well as spending time with God. However, most people don’t do this and the behaviour continues.
Apart from things like untruthfulness, as mentioned earlier, sexual immorality is also something that’s so engrained in the culture that people don’t even question it. Our friends who teach at the Bible School have described how they teach on sexual purity and highlight all the passages on being faithful to your spouse. For the majority of students, this is the first time that they’ve realised that their behaviour is contrary to the Bible. Cue questions such as ‘that only applies if my wife is well, right?’ or ‘how long does it mean for – after 2 weeks away from home that no longer applies I assume?’ of ‘how do you expect us to go for a whole term without having sex?’ Quite a challenge for them… And if this is true for students at a Bible school, imagine how much more it’s true for the general population. Apparently most of the students do go away and recognise that if they do want to be wholesale for Christ they will have to change their behaviour.
Maybe you’re reading this thinking ‘Christianity shouldn’t be enforcing their own narrow ideas of behaviour on people’. I agree, to an extent – I have no right to enforce my standards of behaviour or ‘what the Bible says’ on another person, though if I can see that someone’s behaviour is harming themselves or others I am going to care about their well-being. But if somebody is actively professing to worship Christ, then I think they have a responsibility to reflect on any behaviour that they discover may not be what Christ wants for them. If, after investigating, reading, spending time with God etc. they come to the conclusion that it is contrary to following Christ then they also have a responsibility to change. Maybe they reflect and decide that actually the behaviour is fine – that may well be true, though I’d also be cautious of how strongly our self-interest can want that to be the case. This is the advantage of having others around us who we trust – they tend to be a more neutral third party!
Paul was a Jew, brought up in a culture where the laws of the land encouraged truthfulness. He was writing to the Ephesians, a culture which hadn’t been based on such norms, which meant it was necessary to write what he did (Whereas when he writes to the Jews it often tends to be about their legalism and lack of grace). I wonder if he found it as surprising as I do to look at the culture and realise that the things he had previously taken for granted were not actually givens. Being here has given me an added appreciation of Ephesians, and a greater understanding into the importance of the things he was writing. Maybe I find it more obviously applicable to the culture here, where there are stark differences. But living in another culture also reveals the deficits in your own – which you haven’t noticed because you’ve always grown up with them and you don’t know anything different. For example, take “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food, and you say ‘go, I wish you well’ but do nothing about his physical needs – what good is it?” (James). Africans would be (and are) horrified by our lack of hospitality and lack of community and regard for family. Let’s not deceive ourselves into believing that we’re a civilised society without fault!
So read Ephesians (all of it, but particularly chapters 4 & 5) and reflect on what it really means to put off our old self and ‘live as children of the light’…..
Hmm… Haven’t been amazing at updating my blog recently. However, I’ll blame that on the lack of internet access we’ve had. The internet tends to be dependent on the electricity, and when a tree falls on the line somewhere, it tends to be off for a few days. However, due in large part, I suspect, because of the necessity of having electricity to watch the World Cup, the repairs were done remarkably speedily.
In our Fellowship group on Sunday night, we’ve been looking at Ephesians, which has been really interesting. There’s a lot in there about turning from your old way of life and taking on a new way of life. There’s quite an emphasis on truthfulness, which I’ve always taken as being quite a given for anyone, let alone Christians. Yet being in Congo has casted a new light on reading this passage. I think that in the UK we sometimes take for granted our Christian heritage, and what that has meant for the standards and norms in our society. In Congo, truthfulness is not something that is rooted in the society. There’s a general attitude of ‘I’ll say what I need to in order to improve my life’, which, as you can imagine, has quite a wide impact! For example, on CVs people will write what they think the employer wants to hear, not necessarily their experience, and create certificates to back it up. If discovered and challenged, e.g. at an interview, then the response is bemusement that you even have to ask - ‘well how else was I going to get the job?’ In reporting what work has been done or how much something costs, it’s really hard to know whether the person is actually telling you what’s happened or telling you what he thinks will work out best for him. That’s quite cynical, I know, but when you know that it happens it’s difficult to know what you can trust the person or not.
If this was happening in the UK, the people would (hopefully!) quickly learn that ‘creative’ reporting just isn’t done. And if people lied, it would be assumed to be deliberate dishonesty. However, because lying is not widely perceived as dishonest in Congo, it’s difficult to determine their motivations, their awareness that it’s not acceptable, or their character. Tearfund are very clear in our inductions, briefings and processes but you can’t overcome deeply engrained habits of a lifetime that quickly! Not that we’ve had major issues here, but I am aware of how much we expect from our staff in terms of standard of behaviour. It’s reasonable, and necessary (and the norm in the UK), but as an employer I think we’re seen as very demanding! In some ways, it feels as if we shouldn’t be coming into another culture and imposing our own expectations and norms. However, I also feel that things like truth are vital in building a strong society, and that part of our role in being here is not only help 4,500 households increase their agricultural production but to model working with professionalism and integrity.
To return to Ephesians and the emphasis on a change of life and behaviour once you know Christ… I think a lot of people (UK, Congo and anywhere else) see becoming a Christian as a one-off thing – ‘ok, I’ve believed in Jesus, had my sins forgiven, done and finished’. However, Jesus talks about following him, loving him, obeying him – all continuous actions in the present tense. And if we’re living for him that’s got to result in a change our attitudes and behaviour. I believe that some of this comes about naturally, without our design, simply as a result of asking God to work in us. Other things require a recognition that this or that behaviour is not consistent with living for Jesus, and a determination of will that we’re wanting to change (God can then give us a measure of strength to help). If things are so deeply engrained in society, then recognising that a certain behaviour or attitude is harmful is very difficult. I think it’s possible for anyone, through reading and reflecting on the Bible, our behaviour, and the consequences of our actions, as well as spending time with God. However, most people don’t do this and the behaviour continues.
Apart from things like untruthfulness, as mentioned earlier, sexual immorality is also something that’s so engrained in the culture that people don’t even question it. Our friends who teach at the Bible School have described how they teach on sexual purity and highlight all the passages on being faithful to your spouse. For the majority of students, this is the first time that they’ve realised that their behaviour is contrary to the Bible. Cue questions such as ‘that only applies if my wife is well, right?’ or ‘how long does it mean for – after 2 weeks away from home that no longer applies I assume?’ of ‘how do you expect us to go for a whole term without having sex?’ Quite a challenge for them… And if this is true for students at a Bible school, imagine how much more it’s true for the general population. Apparently most of the students do go away and recognise that if they do want to be wholesale for Christ they will have to change their behaviour.
Maybe you’re reading this thinking ‘Christianity shouldn’t be enforcing their own narrow ideas of behaviour on people’. I agree, to an extent – I have no right to enforce my standards of behaviour or ‘what the Bible says’ on another person, though if I can see that someone’s behaviour is harming themselves or others I am going to care about their well-being. But if somebody is actively professing to worship Christ, then I think they have a responsibility to reflect on any behaviour that they discover may not be what Christ wants for them. If, after investigating, reading, spending time with God etc. they come to the conclusion that it is contrary to following Christ then they also have a responsibility to change. Maybe they reflect and decide that actually the behaviour is fine – that may well be true, though I’d also be cautious of how strongly our self-interest can want that to be the case. This is the advantage of having others around us who we trust – they tend to be a more neutral third party!
Paul was a Jew, brought up in a culture where the laws of the land encouraged truthfulness. He was writing to the Ephesians, a culture which hadn’t been based on such norms, which meant it was necessary to write what he did (Whereas when he writes to the Jews it often tends to be about their legalism and lack of grace). I wonder if he found it as surprising as I do to look at the culture and realise that the things he had previously taken for granted were not actually givens. Being here has given me an added appreciation of Ephesians, and a greater understanding into the importance of the things he was writing. Maybe I find it more obviously applicable to the culture here, where there are stark differences. But living in another culture also reveals the deficits in your own – which you haven’t noticed because you’ve always grown up with them and you don’t know anything different. For example, take “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food, and you say ‘go, I wish you well’ but do nothing about his physical needs – what good is it?” (James). Africans would be (and are) horrified by our lack of hospitality and lack of community and regard for family. Let’s not deceive ourselves into believing that we’re a civilised society without fault!
So read Ephesians (all of it, but particularly chapters 4 & 5) and reflect on what it really means to put off our old self and ‘live as children of the light’…..
Back in Kindu... a long time ago
12th June 2010
I’m now back in Kindu, and have been for a week. Ended up having 2 weeks in Bukavu for training, R&R (rest and relaxation) and then some work which was easier to do there than here. It was really good to have a change of scene – and I particularly enjoyed the luxurious food. I even got to eat pizza! My passport was still in Kinshasa getting it’s work permit (I understand it’s back now) which meant that I couldn’t exit the country for my R&R. I didn’t actually mind too much – I was happy to stay in Bukavu and not deal with all the stresses of travel and trying to get used to a new place. Bukavu is by the lake and I spent most of my afternoons on a patch of grass reading, and then watching the sunset over the lake and the mountains. I was definitely ready for my R&R – I knew I needed a break but it’s only when you stop that you realise quite how much. For the first day or two I felt really drained, both emotionally and physically, and not at all sociable. Enjoyed the break, and returning to work, though it was a definite shock to the system having to get up at 7.30 again…
The return to Kindu amused me somewhat. We normally can only fly to Kindu from Bukavu on Mondays and Fridays. However, the flight was delayed from Friday to Saturday this particular week because there was a big UNHAS (United Nations Humanitarian Air Services, or something like that, which is who we fly with) meeting down in Kinshasa to discuss the future of MONUC in Congo – you may have seen on the news that there’s been a decision to reduce by 2,000 the number of UN personnel in the country. Don’t yet know if that’s going to be impacting Maniema at all. Anyway, Benoit and I, along with one of the logistics guys, drive to the airport on Saturday morning. We haven’t left enough time according to the time we believe we’re leaving (left the house at 8.40, 45 minute drive, flight at 10.30, supposed to be there 2 hours before… you do the maths) but it turned out not to matter. We lugged out our bags (and box of food…and plastic bag of bread….) and sat in the waiting room along with 12 Egyptian UN soldiers. After waiting a long time for our logs guy to come back after finding out what happened, and no-one else around, we decided we may as well do some work, and got started on my probation appraisal. One official comes by but looks doubtful that there’s any plane to Kindu. The Egyptian soldiers leave on another flight. Then suddenly we’re ushered through the bag check/weighing/check in and left in a bigger waiting room. We get started on my appraisal again. 40 Egyptian UN soldiers come trooping in and sit down. Two minutes later it turns out they’re in the wrong place and troop back out again. Someone comes and tells us that our flights arrived. Benoit and I hop into the back of a landrover, where we find our luggage, and drive out to the plane. Except it’s not our plane – it’s going to Kalembie instead. We get told that we’re the only two people travelling to Kindu today, so we’ll have to wait and find out if there will be a flight. Back we go to the waiting room, and restart the appraisal. Then a cleaning lady comes and asks us to sit outside. We move outside and restart the appraisal. And finally, we get told that our plane (the actual one this time) has arrived – there are 4 others on board who have come from Goma – and we fly to Kindu. United Nations organisation strikes again….
You may be interested to know that we continued my appraisal on Mon evening down at Vero beach, having a drink by the waterside. But then we had to leave because we had to be back before curfew (more on that below). So we restarted my appraisal back here, and pretty much finished, but we’ll probably need a seventh session to finalise objectives. The good news is that I’ve passed my probation and am allowed to stay…
For the past week or so, there’s been a curfew at 7pm. Apart from the case above, it hasn’t particularly impacted us, and it finishes tomorrow. The reason was the election of Maniema Province’s new Governor. The last Governor was really unpopular with people, and basically got chased from town. It took a couple of months of him pleading his case down in Kinshasa, but eventually he got removed from his post and there were celebrations on the streets of Kindu. Yesterday, elections took place for the new Governor. There were two candidates, one of whom is a businessman friend of Kabila. The President of Congo came to Kindu personally to show his support – Benoit and I were having a couple of minutes break after lunch and wondered what all the noise was outside, there was so much cheering and singing (far more tuneful than in the UK). Then a large cavalcade of cars when past our front door, and we learned that Kabila was in town. Didn’t actually get to see him though. Anyway, the vote was taken by the Parliament in Kinshasa, and the favourite candidate was elected. It will be interesting to see whether having a Governor makes a noticeable difference in Maniema – there hasn’t been someone in post since I arrived.
I’ve found the past week quite difficult. I think part of it was returning to Kindu after a couple of weeks in Bukavu, and finding the food quite unappetising in comparison. I’ve also had low energy and been quite tired (which may be linked to the fact that I haven’t eaten quite as much as normal) which has meant that I’ve struggled to find the motivation to work. We’ve also had issues within the team – some rumours going around which have caused friction in relationships, and some work that was not done properly (but very creatively…) which has meant a lot of time re-doing the work and investigating what happened. We’ve got to the bottom of it now, but it hasn’t been particularly pleasant, and my first (but probably not my last) experience here of being disappointed by a staff member that I thought was trustworthy. We’ve now managed to redo all the work, but it’s delayed us by about a week, when we’re already really busy doing recruitment (still). And in recruitment we have to walk the line between recruiting people locally (who may not have the capacity needed) and recruiting people from outside Maniema (which may not go down well with the rest of the team / local population. So likely to have some difficult decisions in the week ahead as well.
Time to go to bed I think. Benoit is watching the Germany vs Australia match – he tells me that I’m going to be seeing quite a lot of football in the next couple of weeks. Apparently there’s some big competition on or something.
Addition: 24th June – still haven’t had a chance to post this. Still finding the food unappetising (though Elizabeth cooked a lasagne on Sunday which was AMAZING) but have recovered some of my energy. Decisions to do with staff issues have been quite difficult, but a decision (which I believe is right) has been taken and the situation can be finished with. Am glad that I’m only in a support position at the moment – I can practice separating my emotions from my ‘head’!
Addition: 25th June – I went to the internet café yesterday and was just about to post this when the electricity went. So I’ve come again, and I’d just opened up google when the electricity went. I’ll contact you all some time….
I’m now back in Kindu, and have been for a week. Ended up having 2 weeks in Bukavu for training, R&R (rest and relaxation) and then some work which was easier to do there than here. It was really good to have a change of scene – and I particularly enjoyed the luxurious food. I even got to eat pizza! My passport was still in Kinshasa getting it’s work permit (I understand it’s back now) which meant that I couldn’t exit the country for my R&R. I didn’t actually mind too much – I was happy to stay in Bukavu and not deal with all the stresses of travel and trying to get used to a new place. Bukavu is by the lake and I spent most of my afternoons on a patch of grass reading, and then watching the sunset over the lake and the mountains. I was definitely ready for my R&R – I knew I needed a break but it’s only when you stop that you realise quite how much. For the first day or two I felt really drained, both emotionally and physically, and not at all sociable. Enjoyed the break, and returning to work, though it was a definite shock to the system having to get up at 7.30 again…
The return to Kindu amused me somewhat. We normally can only fly to Kindu from Bukavu on Mondays and Fridays. However, the flight was delayed from Friday to Saturday this particular week because there was a big UNHAS (United Nations Humanitarian Air Services, or something like that, which is who we fly with) meeting down in Kinshasa to discuss the future of MONUC in Congo – you may have seen on the news that there’s been a decision to reduce by 2,000 the number of UN personnel in the country. Don’t yet know if that’s going to be impacting Maniema at all. Anyway, Benoit and I, along with one of the logistics guys, drive to the airport on Saturday morning. We haven’t left enough time according to the time we believe we’re leaving (left the house at 8.40, 45 minute drive, flight at 10.30, supposed to be there 2 hours before… you do the maths) but it turned out not to matter. We lugged out our bags (and box of food…and plastic bag of bread….) and sat in the waiting room along with 12 Egyptian UN soldiers. After waiting a long time for our logs guy to come back after finding out what happened, and no-one else around, we decided we may as well do some work, and got started on my probation appraisal. One official comes by but looks doubtful that there’s any plane to Kindu. The Egyptian soldiers leave on another flight. Then suddenly we’re ushered through the bag check/weighing/check in and left in a bigger waiting room. We get started on my appraisal again. 40 Egyptian UN soldiers come trooping in and sit down. Two minutes later it turns out they’re in the wrong place and troop back out again. Someone comes and tells us that our flights arrived. Benoit and I hop into the back of a landrover, where we find our luggage, and drive out to the plane. Except it’s not our plane – it’s going to Kalembie instead. We get told that we’re the only two people travelling to Kindu today, so we’ll have to wait and find out if there will be a flight. Back we go to the waiting room, and restart the appraisal. Then a cleaning lady comes and asks us to sit outside. We move outside and restart the appraisal. And finally, we get told that our plane (the actual one this time) has arrived – there are 4 others on board who have come from Goma – and we fly to Kindu. United Nations organisation strikes again….
You may be interested to know that we continued my appraisal on Mon evening down at Vero beach, having a drink by the waterside. But then we had to leave because we had to be back before curfew (more on that below). So we restarted my appraisal back here, and pretty much finished, but we’ll probably need a seventh session to finalise objectives. The good news is that I’ve passed my probation and am allowed to stay…
For the past week or so, there’s been a curfew at 7pm. Apart from the case above, it hasn’t particularly impacted us, and it finishes tomorrow. The reason was the election of Maniema Province’s new Governor. The last Governor was really unpopular with people, and basically got chased from town. It took a couple of months of him pleading his case down in Kinshasa, but eventually he got removed from his post and there were celebrations on the streets of Kindu. Yesterday, elections took place for the new Governor. There were two candidates, one of whom is a businessman friend of Kabila. The President of Congo came to Kindu personally to show his support – Benoit and I were having a couple of minutes break after lunch and wondered what all the noise was outside, there was so much cheering and singing (far more tuneful than in the UK). Then a large cavalcade of cars when past our front door, and we learned that Kabila was in town. Didn’t actually get to see him though. Anyway, the vote was taken by the Parliament in Kinshasa, and the favourite candidate was elected. It will be interesting to see whether having a Governor makes a noticeable difference in Maniema – there hasn’t been someone in post since I arrived.
I’ve found the past week quite difficult. I think part of it was returning to Kindu after a couple of weeks in Bukavu, and finding the food quite unappetising in comparison. I’ve also had low energy and been quite tired (which may be linked to the fact that I haven’t eaten quite as much as normal) which has meant that I’ve struggled to find the motivation to work. We’ve also had issues within the team – some rumours going around which have caused friction in relationships, and some work that was not done properly (but very creatively…) which has meant a lot of time re-doing the work and investigating what happened. We’ve got to the bottom of it now, but it hasn’t been particularly pleasant, and my first (but probably not my last) experience here of being disappointed by a staff member that I thought was trustworthy. We’ve now managed to redo all the work, but it’s delayed us by about a week, when we’re already really busy doing recruitment (still). And in recruitment we have to walk the line between recruiting people locally (who may not have the capacity needed) and recruiting people from outside Maniema (which may not go down well with the rest of the team / local population. So likely to have some difficult decisions in the week ahead as well.
Time to go to bed I think. Benoit is watching the Germany vs Australia match – he tells me that I’m going to be seeing quite a lot of football in the next couple of weeks. Apparently there’s some big competition on or something.
Addition: 24th June – still haven’t had a chance to post this. Still finding the food unappetising (though Elizabeth cooked a lasagne on Sunday which was AMAZING) but have recovered some of my energy. Decisions to do with staff issues have been quite difficult, but a decision (which I believe is right) has been taken and the situation can be finished with. Am glad that I’m only in a support position at the moment – I can practice separating my emotions from my ‘head’!
Addition: 25th June – I went to the internet café yesterday and was just about to post this when the electricity went. So I’ve come again, and I’d just opened up google when the electricity went. I’ll contact you all some time….
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