The remainder of the conference went well. We had opportunities to interview lots of insightful people, including Jesse Jackson and Chris Tucker. having 'Charter Delegate' and 'Press' passes allow us to be pretty much anywhere at the conference center. There is a reception every night with dinner, entertainment, and an open bar.
Last night was our second formal State Dinner (much more enjoyable than the first). The Summit had gathered around half a dozen heads of state from various parts of Africa to participate in a Presidential Plenary, so they were all in attendance at the dinner. They had set up a huge tent with a big state, live music, and buffet tables all around the outside. The speeches were blessedly short and to the point, which helped make everyone cheery and good-spirited for the rest of the evening.
At this point, I haven't checked my email or been online in five days. It's liberating. The people who know I'm in Africa understand that Internet access might be hard to find, and so assumed I would not be in touch. Actually, there is a computer center at the lodge (you have to pay), but I've decided against using it too much. I came to Africa to be educated about the continent and culture, not be tied to my own.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Summit
The Leon H. Sullivan Summit started today in downtown Arusha, about a 20 minute bus ride from our lodge. Opening remarks and forums started at 10, but we missed all that.
It wasn't because we were late (we were actually on the first bus), but because the registration process was unorganized and crowded. Charter Delegates, which we are, had to get special name badges to allow us in to lunch and other events. We stood in a sweltering tent with the public for half an hour trying to get our passes. There was no semblance of a line, and it was taking forever. The heat and humidity didn't help matters, and we had an additional "Press" credential line to stand in. Four hours later and a lot of patience and direction from a number of people, we had our necessary credentials and badges.
Interestingly, the Summit is being held in the same building as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, proceedings there were being held while we were in the building.
We participated in the Youth Forum that afternoon, which invited school children from the community to talk about issues important to them and discuss solutions with world leaders and youth advocates. One child spoke about how he was especially talented in tennis, but there was no way for him to advance his talent and make something of it. He said it is often the same academically. Opportunities to better yourself are hard to come by, if not non-existent.
The evening was the opening ceremony, which we believed to be a short welcome. We were all anxious to have a meal at the reception which was scheduled for after the opening remarks. The opening remarks, however, were more like speeches, and lasted on the long side of three hours. By the time we were allowed to proceed to the reception, we were tired, irritable, and just wanted to sleep. it had been a long day, so we skipped the reception and its promise of dinner.
It wasn't because we were late (we were actually on the first bus), but because the registration process was unorganized and crowded. Charter Delegates, which we are, had to get special name badges to allow us in to lunch and other events. We stood in a sweltering tent with the public for half an hour trying to get our passes. There was no semblance of a line, and it was taking forever. The heat and humidity didn't help matters, and we had an additional "Press" credential line to stand in. Four hours later and a lot of patience and direction from a number of people, we had our necessary credentials and badges.
Interestingly, the Summit is being held in the same building as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, proceedings there were being held while we were in the building.
We participated in the Youth Forum that afternoon, which invited school children from the community to talk about issues important to them and discuss solutions with world leaders and youth advocates. One child spoke about how he was especially talented in tennis, but there was no way for him to advance his talent and make something of it. He said it is often the same academically. Opportunities to better yourself are hard to come by, if not non-existent.
The evening was the opening ceremony, which we believed to be a short welcome. We were all anxious to have a meal at the reception which was scheduled for after the opening remarks. The opening remarks, however, were more like speeches, and lasted on the long side of three hours. By the time we were allowed to proceed to the reception, we were tired, irritable, and just wanted to sleep. it had been a long day, so we skipped the reception and its promise of dinner.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Trees of the Future
Our "Trees of the Future" tour was suppose to leave at 7:15, and we thought we'd missed it by the time we went to check at a quarter 'til eight. Luckily, Ethan, our guide, hadn't left let and we got the opportunity to go. I'm so happy we did, because the experience we had that day was amazing and emotionally challenging.We visited an area where deforestation had eroded the land around a Maasai village. We were planting threes there to try to stabilize the soil and make the village more ecologically sustainable. The powerful part of all this was the children who met us upon our arrival in the village. There were probably 60 kids dressed in their tattered but matching school uniforms who sang to us as we pulled up in the buses. We spent a long time after planting the trees just talking to the kids and taking pictures with them. They loved being bale to see themselves on the camera display and would rush over to see it after you had taken their photo. They were even more excited about the video camera I had once they saw themselves on tape.
From there we headed to another, ecologically stable Maasai village, where, again, children met us and sang their greetings, chasing after our bus as we drove by to meet with their teachers. Kids are kids, but African kids are especially sincere and good natured. They were excited to talk to us and show us their school. One thing we noticed in particular about African children: they take school very seriously and are excited about learning. Not all children in Africa get the opportunity for an education, so if the opportunity is provided, it becomes extremely important to them. American children, I think, take their elementary education for granted. The African children we met were more than happy with their dirt floor classroom and painted wall for a blackboard.
On the way back into Arusha, we passed by the town dump. Not a landfill, mind you. A dump. A fenced-in area full of trash. The most heartbreaking part? Children were walking amongst the trash, looking for things of value to sell.
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