First Impressions
Africa is another world. Everything is covered in lush green vegeration, in any corner that something can grow. There is a harmony in the jungle, there is an order and a symbiosis which is fascinating to observe and try to understand. People are accustomed to technology and you can see a frequent use of phones, but time runs differently. People devote time to each other for a chat, they sit in their balcony – which is the ground located in front of their houses – without always doing something. They observe, contemplate, discuss. In the village I first stayed in, Machame, the kitchens tend to be outdoors, in a separate small shed. Most people cook in wood, not in gas, and on the floor, with only some light penetrating in from the wooden ceiling above their head.
The Kids
The kids’ curiosity and their playful eyes struck me. They quickly feel comfortable with us and start running to come up to us and hug us. They follow us around laughing and pointing at us. The girls love my hair and I have the pleasure of having my hair braided! Sometimes when they look at us I get the feeling that it’s as if they are looking at aliens.
Some of the kids at school wear crocs, sandals or are completely barefoot. I can see a lot of uniforms full of holes. And yet, they are happy to sit there for 2h after their school day has finished to devote attention to us, without any complaining or any nonsense.
The Banana Forest
We live in a banana forest, where little paths take you everywhere, if you know how to navigate them of course! The butterflies are camouflaged into their leaves, and nature is inviting you to explore it, embrace it and engage with it on a deep level.
Not many people use cars, only motorbikes occasionally. I don’t think I will ever forget the headteacher’s office in the local school I am spending my time in. A bare trodden wooden table in the middle of the room, with a dusty cloth thrown hastily over it, over solid ground on the floor. The library a room full of used notepads and books, with a single bookshelf. All the notice boards and student’s records handwritten on boards on the side of the walls.
The Life in the Banana Plantation
Chickens roaming free, monkeys on the trees, the coffee plants spreading around, the unique hand pollination of vanilla, and the extraordinary banana trees. Our dinner is mostly vegetarian, always with a lot of avocado and banana, and some other vegetables I don’t recognise. I am shocked when I learn that a banana tree produces a single chunk in its life – they are evolutionary fascinating plants, with an ingenious system of directing the water inside them. Similarly, a vanilla tree can take 8-10 months to produce after pollination, and then it takes a month of daily preparation for it to be usable, through washing and drying.
The Concept of Time
Here, every plan and destination is fluid, and it always involves time to enjoy nature, to cherish the moment, to have a laugh.Time here becomes about value, connection, shared moments. Endless rushing around doesn’t exist. I wonder, can one break free from their environment? Can one adopt this mentality, or at least the fundamental principles of it, in Europe. To connect, to help. I have been aiming to do that ever since I can remember, but there is a deep contentment and peace here that surprises me to see.
If you have been to Africa, what were your first impressions of this incredibly diverse, vast and beautiful place, with complicated history and stark contrasts?