At the African UN headquarters in Nairobi. Focussing on sustainable development.

Tekst...

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Grt
Sawa na pole kwa usumbufu

The second day...Africa puts your feet back on the ground

The second day started early.  Financial planning and reporting,  it takes time to convince everyone of the sense of multiple quotations in tendering contracts ;-). Common sense - farmer’s logic - is often quoted.  Recognizable.    In the late afternoon a walk to Kenya conference center for a view over this city of 4 million registered inhabitants.   The contrasts have been strengthened.  The throne pretendents in Kenya keep on struggling.  A ban of plastic bags - think green - opposed to a lack of investments in public transportation.  Incredible traffic jams at any time of the day.   Who invented roundabouts with traffic lights and police control to create total anarchy ?   We were invited for dinner at Stefan and Charlene’s place, great Thai soup and the best avocado’s ever.  And of course Zuri was entertaining us, I’m glad that she immediately adopted the Koala I bought her  ;-).  Contrasts.  Seconds ago I  received bad news while I was posting this...a phonecall from Jo...back in their hotel they were confronted with forced hotelroom doors, stolen laptops and valuables.  S**t is what we call this. They are waiting for the police.   A serious setback after the hard work.  Reality can be hard and harsh, Contrasts, and again contrasts.  Africa always puts your feet back firmly on the ground.  But we’ll manage and find solutions.

Ortwin 's First day in Nairobi

First day in Nairobi, and a heartwarming 28°C. I was lucky that a taxi driver was waiting at the exit of Jomo Kenyatta with my name on a cardboard. But the next phase was a traffic jam : 2 hours in the petrol fumes on our way to the hotel in the city centre. Gary Numan’s album “Savage” accompanied me during the annoying taxi ride. It’s breathtaking to see how the city expands in all directions. Indeed “Ghost Nation” Gary ! The monitoring and planning sessions are organised in a hotel familiar to quite a lot of my FB friends : Chester House. Vera and Jo have already been working here with the KEWU colleagues since monday. No sign of Hakuna Matata in their eyes or behaviour yet. Today was hard, plans, ambitions and finances have to match. After a lockdown finally all jigsaw pieces fell into the right place. Tomorrow is conclusion time ;-). And now : dinner. Ortwin

On my way to Kenya ...Ortwin Magnus

On my way to Nairobi, Kenya.  For the Monitoring of the project that we started in 2006 with our partners Kenyan Engineering Workers Union.  It's been a few years since my last visit.   The colleagues from East Flanders and ISVI follow up the project closely.   During our last visit and after evaluation, we decided to prolong our support to the project unto 2021.   HIV awareness, emancipation, building a stronger metalworkers union as a counterweight to the raw capitalist behaviour in booming East Africa, is a natural match of humane solidarity. In my memory Nairobi fits perfect in “A Tale of two Cities” but even more in “A City of billions of Tales”.  Contrasts between Savannah, slums like Kibera, fancy tower buildings, the few rich, the many poor, equal in traffic jams, but just and only then....Politicians fighting eachother in a strive to favourite their few, instead of working together for the many.  I’m curious to witness some changes ;-).   And of course looking forward to meeting our union comrades and my friend Stefan, his wife and daughter living in Nairobi.   Zuri is the name of the girl I’m going to meet for the first time, and she’s 2 and a half years old.   Time flies.     But for now it’s still Amsterdam Schiphol, waiting for my flight to Kenyatta airport.   When I wake up tomorrow morning : Jambo Kenya !
Ortwin Magnus