I decided to write this post in a kind of first person narrative to try to express the kind of working conditions that are necessitated out here. It's also a hell of a lot longer than my typical posts so, you know, if that bothers you then probably don't read it. In grass roots development you can't come in all business, calling meetings, professional settings, schedules, dates, plans, info packets. You just kind of exist as one of the "buddies" and you just work when you can, mess around most of the time, and usually do the two at the same time if you really want to get something done. Out here I've found my niche among a group of guys highlighted by the one and only Christophe Sawadogo! He's my community homologue and one of my best friends in village. He's the owner of one of our villages four bars and he also serves on a number of village committees which makes him a very well placed individual for moving projects along because he knows all of the right people. I never ask him to meet with me officially because that would be boring so I usually hangout at his bar every third day for the Market and any evening that I feel like mossying on over there. This being the case I am also well accepted amongst Christoph's family (Seven brothers, it's a blast) and all of the bar's regulars which includes people from simple farmer/masons to tailors or even the occasion local Chief. The local Chiefs are huge for establishing myself in village because Mossi culture is extremely hierarchacal so being in with them places me in very high local social groups and they are well placed for condoning my projects or giving favors. I usually spend my time here being a goofball and would you believe it? My village is full of people just as ridiculous as myself and by making a scene whenever I go out in public they tend to gravitate towards me on their own. I make exagerated salutations to market vendors, shout about how delicious their food is in local lang, we use funny voices while we greet each other at the bar, add exagerated dance moves to express just how content we truly are, and buy each other tasty snacks and beers. So this is my office, my place of work, the think tank where my project ideas are injected into the community and the place where I wait for people to come back with questions at which point I am always happy to divulge agriculture factoids and make plans to go to their house and install some tree or compost pit. One afternoon I was there on a market day to talk to Christophe about choosing a location for a moringa plantation and the next step in our Farmer's Co-Op and it went down something like this.
*All quotes have been changed from Moore to facilitate you the reader's better understanding*
It's creeping up on 14:00 so it's about time to head to the bar, I lock up the house, put my solar lamps out, and promise Manchu that if she promises not to dig up Dad's new plants she can have some tasty fish when I get back. She agrees. I grab my helmet from the hook and unnecessarily bike the 30 seconds to Christoph's place of work. I pull around the corner, and there are all the guys, posted up in their local made reclining chairs under the hangar. I power slide my bike to stop in their midst while dismounting and throw a fist in front of my mouth in the manner one might if they had just seen something entirely too ridiculous and they are going "damnnnnnnnnnn". I shout out in Moore
"Whuddup!!! The Nassara has arrived!"
They all respond entusiastically "Whuddup!! Our Nassara!!!"
I then toss my helmet on my bike and go to each person and perform greetings following the general format
Me. "Yo how are things??"
Dude. "No problems!"
Me. "And work?"
Dude. "Very nice"
Me. "VERY NICE! How's the sun?"
Dude. "Damn, it's hot"
Me. "Super hot"
Dude. "How's your dog?!"
Me. "She's on form! She's just back home working out"
and so on and so on.
After I've hit everybody, danced with one of the masons, dapped Bidari a few times, and told Francois that if he hits anyone today I'm going to have to kick him out, they offer me a chair in the high traffic area and I flop into it next to Christophe. Can't talk about work yet, that would be lame, we just exchange news, how's my work at the school going, how's my dog (again), what do I need at the market? Let's go get it!
*Insert market wandering and bartering*
I've got all my goodies and we're walking past the snack stand where two of the brother's wives work (Since I have become one of the brothers they are also my wives so I can technically give them any work related command and if anything where to happen to a brother I would be part of the support group that helps her out with raising the kids, families exist here like tiny interconnected support villages inside of a larger yet still small interconnected village) and one shouts out,
"Nassara! How are you?"
"I'm so good! Wait, I'm TOO good"
*laughter*
"Come and eat one of my snacks! (tasty fried bread with salt and chili powder)"
*shouting* "What?! For me?! Very Nice!! (kind of Borat-esque)"
*Ryan noms a tasty snack*
Now the other vendor starts laughing to,
"Wait, Nassara, eat one of my snacks!!"
"No way?! You are too kind"
*Noms second snack, more laughing"
now we have a small crowd because I have been making a scene of this and everybody loves watching the white guy do stuff, now another vendor comes out of the crowd,
"Nassara! Eat my snack too!!"
Ryan noms more snacks*
I thank everyone, shout a benediction to everyone, and make my way to the bar. Once back I toss my purchases in the back room and ask Christophe if he wants to talk about projects? Sure does, we swoop two chairs a little more removed from the action and he orders two beers. We start talking about little stuff, I list off some of the stuff we will need to do, never everything all at once because we will just forget, usually one or two important bullet points like "So before the rains we are going to have to clear that land" or "I'm about to start negotiating our Sesame Seed deal, what kind of price are you shooting for" and then leave it there. And these bullets don't get delivered in quick succession, or even all at once such as is the case today.
I open with a mention of our moringa plantation, someone bumbles in so we have to do all the greetings, ask for news, share some, he's gone. Little pause, moringa again, land. Then in the middle of my sentence Christoph shouts
"Ryan look!!! Its my pet rat!!" (so this guy went out in a tiny village where rats are all over the place destroying stuff and pooping in houses and somehow buys a domestic rat that has burrowed into the wall of his bar and he feeds it snacks from time to time)
Well the distraction has been raised, you can't ignore it, just go with it until the conversation flows back to agriculture
"Ah it's your rat!!" I bust out laughing, laugh every time I see that thing, too ridiculous not too.
Francois comes running into the room
"Where's the rat! *Jokingly* I'm gonna kill it!"
Christoph "No! don't kill it!! Ryan!! Don't let him kill my rat!!"
Me: "Francois not the rat!! I told you no hitting today, that goes double for killing rats!"
Francois: "No I want to kill it! Its a rat!"
Christoph: "No no no! Save the rat!!"
Me: "Don't worry, the rats safe"
Francois: "No it's not, because I'm about to kill it"
Me: "Francois"
Francois: "Yes?"
Me: :"No rat killing"
Francois: "Ok Ok fine"
Christoph: "ha ha! that's right, can't kill my rat!"
At this point Francois laughs and leaves and Christoph thanks me again for saving his rat and we finish our beers and sit for a bit. After a few minutes I turn to him
"so...moringa?"
We're back on track, nail out the important details, and I head back home to make dinner. Next morning Christoph swings by my house to let me know that they will get the land cleared by the end of April and gives me an asking price for the Sesame. See? Everything worked out great. The trick out here is figuring out that there is no real delineation between work and leisure time like there is in the states, your life is your work so you are always working. Problem is, if you treat your life like work you might crack, I find it more enjoyable to treat my life like leisure that gets work done and it's been working out great so far. Until next time my ravid readers!
Go Ner's
Go Hawks
