Entering a new phase

Reflections on doing work in Africa:

Yogi Berra, who had a great way with words once said “nobody goes there anymore….it’s too busy.” Another of his sayings which I’ve used many times is “when you come to a fork in the road….take it.” Beyond the humour there is a lot of truth to what he says in that particular phrase and Marilyn and I have come to many forks in the road in Africa. I doubt many NGOs are created and run by just two people and few are ever self-sustaining. In our case, we have no choice but to earn the money necessary to keep it going. We don’t have the funds ourselves nor do we have a large donor community such as the David Lewis Foundation.

It is interesting to reflect back on the various decisions we made and the goals we achieved only to discover another ‘fork in the road’ or perhaps more accurately it is not a road at all but rather a path covered with dense vegetation. By this I mean we have often met a goal we set for our Foundation but the results aren’t what we expected.

Some would say T.I.A. …’This Is Africa’ which is a common expression in these parts. Generally it is used to explain away why there might be a long delay in expected accomplishment, the bureaucratic nightmare which exists without technology, the lack of quality workmanship or needed supplies, or adjustments required in a system with a very different work ethic. Personally, we like to avoid this phrase and never use it. Still there is a reality in Africa which is very foreign and probably misunderstood by most people in the developed world.

Take for example our school sponsorship program. We have been blessed with wonderful friends in Canada who help us sponsor 28 vulnerable children in school. However,  when we discover one of the young girls we are sponsoring has been shipped back to the village to get married or a boy is removed to work in the fields, it can at first be frustrating. That’s when you realize T.I.A. We are forever adapting to this local culture.

The best (or worst) example, depending on how you look at it is our school borehole project. Last year we found a good welder to construct the water tower and there just happened to be a well drilling firm in Livingstone we were able to hire to drill the borehole. In anticipation of having everything completed in a few months, the teachers and students hand tilled a large section of land and planted a vegetable garden.

First, we were promised a 5000 ltr water tank at a reduced price as long as we could pick it up some 150 km from Livingstone. Each week for more than two months I spoke to the man offering it and was promised the arrangements would be made for me to pick it up. In the end, there was no water tank and we bought one at full price from a local dealer.

There was another delay in getting a submersible pump from Lusaka and the discovery that we needed a special ‘control box’ which didn’t exist anywhere. In the end we had one made for us but this too took several months. Finally, I hired a plumber/electrician to complete the work but one type of pipe to connect the pump to the tank is not available anywhere in Zambia. We have been waiting for our order to be shipped for three months. Obviously, the school’s vegetable garden dried up during last year’s dry season, to my great disappointment, but what is one to do….. T.I.A.

On Culture

Hey! Don’t get me started (ha ha). Although the promotion and preservation of culture is valued in all countries of the world, it is often expressed verbally but seldom in tangible ways. Pierre Trudeau once said being neighbours with the United States was like sleeping with an elephant… “no matter how friendly and even tempered is the beast, you notice every twitch and turn”.  Despite Canada’s attempts to define itself we know that we are tremendously influenced by the Americans.

In Zambia, the level of unemployment and poverty leads to a different consequence for cultural initiatives. Groups of cultural dancers form to sell their product and make a few dollars to support their families. However, they compete amongst each other for the few jobs available and mostly end up being paid very little. Meanwhile, large corporations, donor societies, and governments throw money at big festivals which are often as much political affairs as cultural celebrations.

LiPAF has set itself apart from other groups in several ways. First, we employ full-time performers. This job security which allows our cast members to gain a sense of economic security also gives us the opportunity to schedule regular rehearsals and develop new show material. It has been a struggle, however, to stay true to our roots which are music theatre shows. We are constantly being asked to perform for 15 minutes here or there and usually offered less than it would cost us to transport our staff to the event and pay their daily wages.

Secondly, we aim not to compete with the many other dance groups and often recommend them to anyone wanting something other than our show. We allow these groups to use our offices for meetings, access the internet, and even hire them from time to time to teach our cast members dances from the various provinces. In 2009, during the world economic crisis, we lost money each and every month. We knew what was needed to generate larger audiences but have been continually frustrated by the lack of assistance in marketing our productions. We realized early on ‘we were on our own’.

Throughout it all, we are growing as people which is a wonderful benefit when you reach my age. Both Marilyn and I enjoy getting up each day to do our work and are constantly evaluating and revaluating our operations.  It would be easy to pack it all in and return to Canada but we aren’t homesick at all for our past way of life. We do miss family and friends and our past social life but each day we are motivated by the fact that we are making a difference in so many lives. We truly enjoy the greetings from our many new friends when we pass on the street, the weather is superb, and we laugh a lot.

The Next Phase:

So it is with optimism that we embark on a new phase of our operations here in Livingstone. So far, in 2010, we have managed to generate enough revenue to pay our bills but we are ‘stuck’ so to speak as we depend on others to provide us with a venue and don’t feel we will expand under the current conditions.

Last week we signed a lease on a building which was a former restaurant. It has two large rooms, one with a bar and the other ideal for a 100 seat theatre. There is another fairly large room where we will soon relocate our office, a spacious dressing room behind our stage area with access out back to a courtyard for our staff, and several smaller rooms. Outside we will have a fenced garden area with tables and chairs and music playing.

Marilyn has formed a committee with several artists who are extremely positive about the potential of our ‘Arts Cafe’. There will be activities six days each week which demonstrate various cultural activities from drum workshops to basket making to cooking traditional Zambian food. We will have different bands playing in our garden for two hours each day leading up to our shows. We envision this as a great location for tourists to spend some time and meet and mingle with our local patrons.

Marilyn and the cast have also been working on a new show which will be our third. We hope to bring back African Shoes and together with Dancing Around Zambia and our latest production we can offer a variety of music theatre experiences which celebrate Zambian culture. If all goes well, we will be like other places in the world, where we become a ‘must see’ experience as people plan their vacation.

It’s all a bit scary because we must invest a fair bit of money to renovate the building. But money has never meant that much to me and even less to my wonderful and creative partner. What price can we put on this adventure we are so lovingly experiencing together? We know this trip we are on isn’t found in any travel brochures and isn’t available at any price whether you have money or not.

Still, we’re not interested in becoming totally bankrupt and have recently partnered with an NGO called the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV). They have steered us to some potential grant agencies and are offering to pay for the services of a marketing consultant to promote the Arts Cafe internationally. Will it all work……we think so…..we hope so. So many lives depend upon it.

Visitors:

On another note we have been blessed to have some wonderful visitors this past month. Kelly stayed with us for several days while she was waiting for her accommodation to be ready as coordinator of the ‘Book Bus’ project she runs. The day she left, Sue, Ben, and Dana arrived from Canada. What a pleasure to have them as guests. Now, we are awaiting Ryan’s visit on Sunday May 16 (his birthday).

Marilyn and I are driving to Lusaka to pick Ryan up at the airport. We’re going up on Saturday and staying over. Marilyn has not been to Lusaka and is looking forward to it.  We’ve booked a trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana with Ryan on Tuesday May 18 and he wants to visit some schools to set up some science projects. Of course, we can’t wait to take him to our show and enjoy sitting around talking which is always a joy with Ryan who so insightful, interesting, and compassionate.