Central Africa Republic

In the past 6 days, I have met so many remarkable people. Bangui is a town which shows the terrible effects of war and the destruction it causes.  The people live in fear of attack and are " ready to run ".
I have visited refugee camps, schools, churches where people are housed, Paediatric hospital where there is such a shortage of  equipment, a school of Art offering wonderful workshops for youth - cane-work, jewellery making, forging metals, sculpture, painting, calligraphy and printing on fabric,  and other arts as well as academic work in languages, geography, maths.
 The gallery at this school boasted beautiful, skilful works of art - difficult to sell as no tourists and people not willing to beautify there homes as not sure what tomorrow will bring. Again the difficulty of purchasing the materials needed to produce the crafts.
Yesterday we had the honour of meeting the Minister of Culture and the Arts. She is so keen to get art therapy centre open and available for all the victims of the war. She hopes for art therapists to bring their expertise and teach the local teachers/people to become therapists. Or is there a place that they can send suitable people to be trained.
I met a group of men and women Youth and Women for the Development and Human Rights. Working with the youth to establish a sensibility towards women and women needs, protection and respect.
The youth in this group were mostly young men and the women more their elders.
Here one feels the urgency to act immediately as the day is today and the act is done now.
All are open to collaboration and learning, building bridges, moving forward.
Friendly, respectful and generous.  We have been housed, fed and transported from place to place all day with goodwill and kindness.
A traditional healer shared some of his wisdom but as he knows over 200 plants that heal we only covered a few.

All at the  Boali Chute Waterfall

                                                                       
                                                                            Janet and I

                                                   
                                                    A school in the rural area of Boali

                                            Meeting the doctors at a Paediatric Hospital

 
                                                                 And visiting the wards

                         Meeting the Youth and Women for Development and Human Rights
                                                                          JFDDH

                                                     Viviane the President of JFDDH

     Visiting the Clinic where Cedric our remarkable Host and Programme Organiser is working

                       
                                            Dr. Cedric Quanekpone in his consulting room

                                                           And the Sisters at the clinic

                       Meeting the Minister of Art and Culture in her office at the Ministry

                                                                   
                                                                   School of ART

Central Africa Republic and meeting the Fellows of Mandela Washington Fellowship

I have arrived in Central Africa Republic and have been so very well received by a group of young professionals, all Fellows of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Programme, a flagship of Barack Obama,  Meeting Janet has been a heart-warming experience and I love her enthusiasm for the project.
We were taken out to a Refugee camp where up to 10,000 people who have lost everything in the war, homes, land and all their possessions, are being camped. Some have found family to return to.

This refugee camp now gives tent dwelling to about 950 families and there were about 2000 children.
The hope is that they can re-establish an independent life-style and are helped by being given a shelter.
What was remarkable for me to see was how a community was being formed in a peaceful surrounding, in a sense a sanctuary and yet extreme poverty, having lost everything.
I will add pics when I have a stronger WiFi line.
I have since learnt that more than half (over 2 million) of the population of CAR have been displaced and homeless due to the war.  There is a strong will to resettle and reintegrate.

GRATITUDE

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who are helping me on this journey.
1. Firstly to my sponsors Medical Section of the Goetheanum through Michaela Gloeckler on behalf of IPMT - International Post-graduate Medical Training AFRICA.
2. Next to Bernadette McCabe who has accompanied me through thick and thin, joys and woes and been a wonderful companion. Her expertise, care and commitment to the project have not gone unnoticed.
3. Now the journey continues and my gratitude goes out to Janeth Manoni Mbuguni, my new companion on this journey.  Through her, and her contacts throughout Africa, I have managed to get most of the needed visas.

Cedric Quanekpone - Central Africa Republic - Cedric Zouave- Jeunes et Femmes pour le Développement et les Droits de l'Homme
LilianNgwana Banmi - Obstetrician/Gynaecologist - Cameroon- Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital
Dr. Wasiu Adedayo Sonibare(Phd) - Geologist - Nigeria - Senior Geoscientist & Geoscience Team Lead - whose letter of invitation along with
Dr. Aminu Abdulrahmen Ahmed - Nigeria- Multiple Synergies Ltd  WHO PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS AND HELPED ME GET MY NIGERIAN VISA
Benin - no visa required - GOOD FOR THEm
Hombe B Kafechina - Togo - still in process
Ankamah Joseph and Francis(Cosmos) Kyere Boakye - Ghana - Cosmos Centre for Children with Special needs
Omer Jose-Landry Guehi - President of RAVCI - Ivory Coast
Elijah M. Kwaytah - Rural Dwellers Empowerment Concept, Inc. - Republic of Liberia- thanks to Shannoh
Shannoh Alusine Kandoh - Rokel Community - Waldorfsl. - Sierra Leonie
Rev. Raphael Sagno and Therese Sagno - Guinea - though unfortunately the Embassy/Consulate would not process the visa due to a late application and all my other documents were not in French.
Sukai Cham  - Gambia - On arrival
Dr. Mamedou Sy - General Practitioner - Conception Programme - Senegal
Morocco - Marco Palmieri - not sent invitation yet so ? if I will get to Morocco
Tunisia - no visa needed
Christine Arlt - Sekem - Egypt

I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING ALL THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHOM I HAD TO CONTINUALLY ASK FOR MORE AND FOR THEIR WILLING HELP.

So my itinerary above for next 3 months and hope you all FOLLOW MY BLOG
I will keep it posted.

THANK YOU

 

VISAS

Please excuse a lull in blogs as at present in Cape Town trying to get more visas for next step but please continue viewing.  It feels so good knowing that there is interest in this journey.
I will leave Cape Town on 7th October.  The next phase will consist of the following countries:
Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leonie, Guinea, Gambia, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt. If still time, I will complete work in Uganda and Ethiopia before I return to Cape Town. In January I will complete the journey through Southern Africa.
Happy viewing

Different Homes in Tanzania

I have been struck by the different homes in Africa and discovered that the home is built in accordance with the tribe you belong to. There are about 46 tribes in Tanzania and each build their homes in a unique style.  I would love to show you the interiors as well but did not photograph many. But here are a few examples

Little more of Zanzibar

I had done so little sight-seeing in all my time in Africa but SEEING so much so as I had two hours before ferry home, I hopped on a little boat out to an island - the only 10 minutes in true African sale took over half an hour and I was still to get back in time so a fleet visit on the island and look what I found