7.26.2010

Tasty Nigeria

Nigerian food is not so bad.

With a life in a hotel (hostel in accurate expression) in a location far from the town center, I tend to rely on street food venders for sustaining my energy and nutrients. Chili called Pepe is in almost every food, spicing up and giving me power to survive hard life here. I feel this chili based food diet may have been developed here with poor sanitation condition. I feel this chili is killing around germs and bacterias before they reach to my stomach... the flavor is a bit closed to Kimuchi when it is used for soup or meat stews. White bread is also nice here, definitely better than factory made cheap bread in USA. It contains a bit of sugar and oil, tightly made and has a good volume.
I, almost a vegitarian when I was in USA, now eat meat everyday. And my body changed amazingly. In USA my stomach really couldn't take animal protein or too spicy food. Here it is as if my body knows the reality that anything coming down to the stomach should be digested well for the survival. My stomach is very well conditioned and has no complaint with this sudden change of my food diet. I feel so much gratitude to my body which supports my life.




To show some of my dinner menu here..




Maize, tomato, grilled meat and banana. Too wild and simple? I am doing my best to balance nutrient!


BTW this maize's texture is amazingly wild, I mean so hard with few moisture in the seeds... it is almost like peanuts! But this hard and chewy creature is seriously addictive. That is (kameba kamuhodo ajiga deru.) Now I feel I am eating something more substantial than soft and sweet corn in USA or Japan and want to eat it almost everyday...


Pepe soup with meat, pepe soup with fresh fish (no alternative than Chili taste..) wrapped stuff is called Amara (lightly fermented cassava cake). This amara tastes very much whole grain and I feel it may be more nutritious than white rice. (No brown rice is available here.. ) The green colored sticky Okura sauce mitigates hot taste of Pepe.

Also in my village research, I am encountering fresh and nice (and safe) food supply time to time. Fulani, nomad comes to sell their fresh cheese which is very good. Villagers today gave me a sort of Kinako dango (sweet cake made by bean powder and some other grain powder) again tasted with Pepe.. this one is seriously addictive (sweet spiced with chili is always nice). Small fun can decorate a simple life lot.

7.24.2010

特別であること

通勤で使っている(調査アシスタントのS氏が運転)バイクの不調で、修理屋に立ち寄った。



修理屋といっても雨よけにヤシの葉がのっけてある、看板も壁もない一角で若者が営む、その日暮らしの商売。

彼らは直す事を知っている。バイクの部品なんか、ちょいちょいと分解してしまう。体で覚えたことを商売にして、



時間をかけて直してくれたお代は60ナイラ(40セント)。ぼることもしない。カメラを向けるのもはばかられるが、お願いして撮らせてもらう。






























その横で何にもせずに横たわっている別の若者が、ピーナツ俺に買ってよこせと言った。あげてもよかったけど、何でおまえに?と思い無視。ふくれていた。このように人によって、無心する人としない人がきっぱりとわかれる。


今日宿に戻ったら、昨日からとなりの部屋に女性を買って呼んで騒いでいる、政府勤めだというNigeria人が表でごろごろしていた。Nigeriaの役人は民間人よりだいぶ信用できない。俺にはヘルメットくれないのと言った。本気でもないがひとまず無心するのがここの一部のかたがたの習慣らしい。

ついでに君や僕みたいな特別な人間はどーたら、と話しかけてきた。ちょっと、イラッときた。

(Nigerianのスーパースローペースには、まったくいらつかない私であるが。)

この国で特別なのは40セントでこつこつまじめに暮らしている修理屋の彼みたいな市井の人じゃボケ。と言いたくなった。




アフリカは貧しいと人は言う。


豊かな国の我々は生活にさして関係のない享楽に金をつぎ込んで、それを豊かさと呼んだりしている。


すれ違っても挨拶しない、隣の住人も知らない。



水が出るだけ、電気が来るだけ、雨が降って食べ物が実るだけ、寒をしのぐ衣服と建物があるだけ、

それだけでありがたいと感じられる事はとても大事だと思う。教育と医療、交通や通信などのサービスが手に入る事が豊かだと思える事も。


という事自体を思い出すことのできる機会を持つことは、大事だ。


村では子どもたちが農作業を普通に手伝って、姉が妹の子守をする。兄が弟の面倒をみる。


すれ違うと時間をかけて丁寧に挨拶。ようこそお越しくださいました、旅はどうでしたか、お疲れ様です、どうもお疲れ様です。


知らない私に食べ物を差し出してくれる。あぁどちらの心が豊かなのでしょうか。


7.21.2010

Where cultures meet

Nupeland should have had Arabic influence before.

This house has an Arabic caligraphy on the wall.




They say they can speak Arabic because it is the language of Colan

but I think there should be a time when Arabic tribe came down to transcend the language.


Where tribal society remains, culture is so locally unique.

7.20.2010

Farmer's life and Nomad's life

Village visit started from yesterday.

Life in villages are in another world from one in the town of Bida, which they say carries almost 1 million population! Town people enjoy benefits of modern life (although sewage system doesn't exist electricity is commonly available.)

In villages, time stops. Few machinary is used for cultivation and processing. Villagers cultivate fields with hoes and coas.

Cool breeze pass through this beautiful landscape of highland. (about 1000m in altitude) Sky is high and trees are fresh green. Children cheer looking me foreigners "Nasara".




Today I saw hipsters of Nigeria, Fulani - a Nomad tribe. Their crazy fashion sense is almost a fashion model. Shiny pink pants, pierce and neckless, leopard shirts- worn by boys. Their woodstick for managing cattles make them further look stood out among others. They don't speak so loud and wear some mysterious atmosphere. Nomads... no wonder many researchers are absorbed to study about them. I am more already being fascinated with knowing secret of their life more than farmers!

7.16.2010

Letter from Nigeria 2

友人Mさんより、日本語で書けとのクレームを受けましたため、読者層を踏まえ今後ちゃんぽんにさせていただきます。

昨日の朝に南部のIbadanを出発し、Ife、Abujaと移動し、総計16時間ほど車に揺られお尻がすっかり痛くなったあげく、今日の夜にとうとうBidaに到着しました。

道中の写真などは、追ってアップします。でこぼこ道も、一泊した首都のAbujaでの12時間もなかなか興味深いものでした。

Nigeriaの州の中でも割と大き目のNiger州(Niger川が真ん中を流れる州です)の二番目に大きいらしいこの町Bida。

人口も1万ぐらいは軽くいそうな雰囲気です。

Ibadannより、背の高いパームツリーなどの茂る熱帯林を通過し、目に涼しい高地の山地を通過し、Abujaあたりから風景はSavannaに変わっています。

Savannaとはいえ所謂黄色い大地の広がるイメージとは異なり、ここNiger州は米の一大産地らしく緑が豊富。

(雨季のためもあるのでしょうが)、平たい大地に木々や畑・田の緑が青々と広がる、それは美しい農村地帯です。

なにか、日本の田舎で見たなつかしい風景とかぶります。

大都市を通過する中で、ごみの山また山、人の海を見てきたため、ここNiger州の心洗われる風景にはほっとさせられます。

私の滞在地は特に政治宗教関連の衝突や犯罪もない町なので、リラックスして滞在することができそうです。

今まで接したところでは、Nigeria人自体の印象も結構よいです。(物事は前に進みづらいが、そう悪気を感じないというやつ)治安についても新聞やネットに載る情報と現実の乖離を感じると共に、自分自身での安全情報収集が大事だなと思う次第です。

基本海外ではホームステイで現地の人の生活に入り込むのが基本の私としては、受け入れ先の国際機関の安全規定によりホテル(というかぼろいホステル)住まいが辛いところです。。。

次回インターネットカフェに来た際に、写真などはUPしようと思います。

7.12.2010

Letter from Nigeria 1

More than 1 week passed since I arrived at Nigeria.


In contrary to the image of life I was depicting within my mind before the departure, life here is so peaceful. A large swimming pool with clear water is in front of me. I can see tennis court, well maintained lawn and tropical trees and flowers from my sheet.. aw paradise Nigeria.


Well. in fact I am evacuating temporary in a facility of an international research institute in Ibadan, which was established by government assisance of America (that is, of course a swimming pool and lawns equipped. In fact about 1000ha of this huge research station maintains the most beautiful landscape in Nigeria in American way) in order to cure my bad cold I got BEFORE the plane landed the Lagos airport.. shame. I couldn't communicate with humans for a week with my voice lost. According to a family of a researcher who kindly accommodate me here in their house tells me, though, most of students coming in Nigeria are sick when they arrive here since so many physical and mental stress were BEFORE they get in...(because of the tough preparation)

So I am so much looking forward to getting out of this sanctuary to face so called REAL NIGERIA, the world in the other side of huge walls iron wires separating it from this unrealistic place.




























This photo I took in the town of Ibadan, the second biggest cities in Nigeria next to Lagos. And as you may or may not know, Nigeria has the biggest population in African continent as far as I recognize (0.15 billion) People are so fashionable and women especially look so beautiful here.

As I am used to live in unclean towns with unstable electricity or other modern facilities, Nigeria is for me quite a "developed" place in terms of economy. Everyone use mobile and commerce is active. (that is, they have a cash income) The town I will stay in Niger state has a hospital hotels and internet cafe.


Also I found myself being quite comfortable with being among colors (though it seems I am stood out among others as an Asian). Almost since childhood I always have felt that the world and lifestyle built upon the value system of "westerners" or "wanna-be-western society and economy" makes me feel uncomfortable. Why? I guess because it kind of letting us chase only the surface of western society without thinking the meaning of culture, community and even individual life we could appreciate in a fairer way, if without such strong influence.


Although western civilization is deeply built within my life and myself as I am typing this keyboard to express my opinion to my friends and families, I also regain a part of myself by putting myself in an another side of the world. This is the comfort I felt in many places, in India, Panama, Indonesia and several other places. I feel comfortable of knowing there are lives and values different from the mainstream, that we don't well understand unless we are exposed to it.
Well I am a person who cannot be settled within a mold made by somebody or, by a system in a society I belong to. So I should think the same thing toward Nigerian society if I am raised here.


By seeing other's life with a totally different shape but with a common components as mine, by seeing their life with a sharp sensation since unnecessary surface decoration is not attached to it, I retreive somewhat a sense of life. This is one of the reason why I always like to travel and live in so-called "developing countries".