Building Pyramids

[aggienaut]

I. Nigeria
   "The king is really looking forward to meeting you!" I'd been told, before I even got there. "He's been looking forward to it for months in fact!" He had apparently heard of my previous work in the neighboring city of Ibadan.

   It was a long journey from Australia, via Dubai and Egypt, with Egyptair wasting a day by marooning an entire planeload of us Nigeria-bound passangers in Cairo. By the time I arrived in the broad hot plains of Nigeria my digestive tract was in complete disarray (due, incidentally, I believe, to some "texas style chicken" in the Dubai airport).
   Nevertheless I received a warm welcome from my colleagues at The Organization's Abuja office and that evening the beautiful and elegant Princess (actual princess) Nwaji came to hang out with me despite my being practically bedridden with intestinal distress.
   It took two more days to get to "Shakiland," a sprawling village of ramshackle-looking houses of rough-brick with tin roofs, one large royal palace ("large" being relative, many a lawyer or doctor in the West may live in bigger mansions), and one local government headquarters on top of the hill that look looked like imposing concrete fortress out of Star Wars, jutting above everything else like some kind of dystopian tower.

   On the leafy sun-dappled grounds of the state development agency the next day we had an opening ceremony for the development project. Local dignitaries in suits spoke, and what was said in English was translated for the many farmers sitting in their colorful robes. The seating area was large, but many of the seats were empty -- I was informed we were missing a large number of people because the king had died just the day before.

   The work began immediately, every day a frenzy of trying to visit as many sites as possible between the five principal villages of Shakiland. Year-later impact reports from earlier projects had indicated a 60% increase in community income from the projects ("and we can now afford to send our children to school"), and this one seemed even more successful than usual. The beekeepers were so enthusiastic, hungry for knowledge and energized to put it into effect immediately. I'd have also really liked to work in another visit to my previous project site in the Nigerian state of Nasarawa, but there wasn't enough time. I had to hurry to my next project in Egypt.



II. Egypt
   After the frenzy of Nigeria, a five hour flight to Cairo, and I walked out of the terminal to be met by the (Different) Organization's driver, who had a manila envelope for me with keys to the guest house and a note that said "See you on Sunday!" It was Thursday evening. I had rushed out of Nigeria, where I could have accomplished some very much appreciated work with some extra days, only to cool my heels in Cairo for two whole days.
   In the guesthouse, a flat on the seventh floor of an apartment building in an upscale part of Cairo, I met some other agricultural consultants, a potato expert, a tomato expert, and a citrus expert. All of them told me the same story -- "there's already three PhDs working on the operation I'm here to visit, I don't know why I'm here!"

   Over the next two weeks in Egypt, I spent nine days working and five frustratedly trying to enjoy this thing called "free time" that they expected me to enjoy. The beekeepers a I met with were among the more affluent members of their communities, they exported bees throughout the region, they had taken over the formerly Australian-serviced market of selling bees to the Arab peninsula (bees don't survive year round there), and were even exporting bees to the former beekeeping powerhouse of Turkey. One beekeeper proudly showed me the cards of the previous three beekeeping consultants aid dollars had sent to him from America.
   Walking through a tightly packed enclosure of 500 hives, all jammed side by side, the beekeeper looks hopefully at me for comments on his hives. The sun is hot overhead. At the other end, his two employees, working for a pittance, clad in bee suits, are busy with their daily work in the hives. I tell him they look very well maintained, he looks disappointed, he wants something he hasn't heard before. I tell him he should spread them out, he tells me it isn't practical. I tell him he should let them expand to be bigger hives, not split them every time they get big enough to be what I'd call a strong colony. He laughs and tells me I'll never convince an Egyptian beekeeper to do that, and takes a long drag at his cigarette.



   I have a theory about the projects in Egypt -- I think aid money is shoveled on them regardless of whether they need it, because the US wants to say it's spending X amount on their dear allies the Egyptians. I also have a theory that I'm not getting invited back to Egypt. But the Nigerian people have bestowed the name of Oyeyemi Omowale on me, "our son has returned," and the Chieftaincy title of Soyindaro -- "maker of honey into wealth," and I look forward to returning. In the mean time, next month: Guinea in West Africa!


Related
Project Nigeria 251 (/ photo set)
Project Egypt 2013 (/ photo set)
All development project entries

Comments

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

What a superb entry for the prompt.

You should be selling these articles as a set. I hope that you are.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Well this one I can't publish because it casts The Organization and Egypt in a bad light, but it would be nice to get more of the others published somewhere! So far the only thing published is an article about Nigeria and Ethiopia that I submitted to the American Bee Journal

[frozendoll.livejournal.com]

How sweet & wonderful the Princess is to come to your bedside to hang out. She's gorgeous too.

I have to tell you, I don't always comment, but I love reading your posts and seeing your pictures. Thank you for taking me through your adventures and allowing me to live vicariously for a bit. :)

[reckless-blues.livejournal.com]

Do they have other methods of pollination in that climate, aside from the bees? -interested-

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Oh there's lots of things that pollinate, from butterflies to the wind. Bees aren't used for commercial pollination in Egypt in fact ... farmers universally there expect payment from beekeepers for hosting their hives, so the beekeepers are only in it for the honey.

[jexia]

This was fascinating.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks (:

[rayaso.livejournal.com]

I loved your Chieftaincy title. This was very well done, and I enjoyed the photographs. You are right about the Princess. It's too bad you couldn't have spent more time in Nigeria, where they really wanted your help and would have benefited from your advice, rather than in Egypt, where at least the one beekeeper didn't seem at all receptive to what you said.

[eternal-ot.livejournal.com]

This was nice to read about...lovely pics adds to the story..:)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I'm a firm believer that every entry should have pictures (:

[karmasoup.livejournal.com]

I look forward to more tales of your experiences in Nigeria. My family has strong ties there, and my dad has traveled there some, though the last time he went, dehydration nearly took him from us, and the family insisted that from now on his support work has to be in stateside roles that do not involve direct contact (my dad is in his 70s now, and was born and raised in Memphis). The reception you received in Nigeria doesn't surprise me... they are a people so dear to our hearts. Though, to be fair, Egypt is not all that surprising, either... Egypt is, well, Egypt. Loving these, though... as always, thanks for sharing.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

I also have a theory that I'm not getting invited back to Egypt.
Hahahaha! They didn't seem to be prepared to receive help, that's for sure.

This sounds like a wonderful mission and adventure, and you've clearly built some lasting friends in Nigeria. :)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Not that there weren't some nice people in Egypt, but yes there are many wonderful people in Nigeria I would just love to see again.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

A fascinating insight

[kajel.livejournal.com]

I really enjoy the stories of your travels.

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the contrast here between the two countries.