Lessons from The Poisonwood Bible

Spencer, the previous JF in Lawra district left this morning. He is headed first back to Tamale for his post-placement debrief, and then will journey onwards towards Accra, then finally Canada. I almost wish that I was in his place. No, I totally wished that I was in his place this morning. Last night, in fact, I dreamed that I was at the Accra airport, and was headed to Canada (via Johannesburg, for some reason), on an incredibly advanced plane (Boeing should take note of the awesome design I dreamed up), but I digress. I came to Africa knowing that I would be taking myself far from my comfort zone, that I would be living in a place so different from what I was used to in Canada, that I would have to adapt, and quite frankly, just be strong and make it through. But I didn't realize that it would be so hard. Ok, so I've barely been here a week, and most of that week I was sheltered in guesthouses as I slowly made my way up to the Upper West, but nevertheless, I wake every morning asking myself "what have I done?". I've traveled to Egypt before, and while I was there under the pretense of a Western tourist, I thought that I fared quite well in adapting to the cultural differences. But this is different. I am not here for two weeks, I am here for four months. I can't shop at Carrefour. I don't have running water. In the grand scheme of things (especially if you look at it from a work timeline) four months is nothing, but right now it seems like eternity.

However, whenever I am out, whether I am walking to my bush-bathroom, walking through town, or going to work, I see crops planted on little mounds, rather than on a plane surface. This serves as a constant reminder for me that Africa isn't bad, it's just different. I think of The Poisonwood Bible (novel by Barbara Kingsolver) and how at first the father was adamanent that crops should be planted on a flat surface, but then the rains came and washed the seeds away. Eventually, he accepted this fact that Africa is different (at least in agriculture), and planted his seeds in mounds.

On a technical side note, I have learned that planting on mounds, especially for subterranean crops, such as ground nuts (peanuts), actually substantially improves yields, in addition to reducing washout during germination. Furthermore, when the mounds are tied together, it creates reservoirs of moisture and improves self-irrigation.

"Aid agencies, Western celebrities, rock stars and politicians cannot save Africa. Only Africans can develop Africa. Outsiders can help, but only if they understand it, and work with it."
- Richard Dowden

And so I will try to understand it. And I will work with what I have.