Questions Google Cannot Answer...

As I reflect back on my experience in Africa recently, there are so many questions I have that for now have to go unanswered. I call these "Questions Google Cannot Answer." Here is just a sample for you:

1. Why is it that in spite of such severe trials, with the weight of the world on their shoulders, people from the C.A.R., and particularly the women, conduct themselves with an air of nobility, a sense of presence that speaks of so much pride for who they are? Why do they look so exquisitely stoic as they go about their daily tasks?

You see this even among those who have to work close to the ground, like the ladies who lower themselves to serve a sweet that they carry on a tray and walk all over town to sell in order to make a couple of bucks, if they are lucky. You see this in the way people dress up to church. You see this among the people who have to conduct any kind of business with the government. I never saw so many people dressed up in full suits and fancy dresses as I did in the two weeks that I was there.

And this happens whether it was early in the morning, when there is a little breeze and the cool air fools you into thinking that perhaps you are in a Mediterranean country, as well as mid-afternoon when all your hopes of a mild weather day have vanished. Obviously, you see lots of people who are wearing tattered clothes, but even them don't have the look of soldiers who have surrendered the battle. There is something about these people's resolve to fight against their odds that ought to be studied and taught in our schools of learning. I wish my children and their children would grow up with this kind of resolve. But I wish they would learn to smile so quickly as so many in that impoverished nation are pronged to do.

2. Why would this boy who was selling goodies in a makeshift marked on the side of the road refused to smile while I took his picture. I tried to interact with him but while all the other children were having a blast as I took their picture and then showed to them, he just sat there, impassive, looking like a tough kid. If you notice, his right hand is touching a little container, which I believe may contain sugar, as if indicating that he was protecting his property. He seemed to be very uncomfortable with adults, or maybe with foreigners.

Even now I close my eyes and think of him and what his story might be. Tears come to my eyes as I go through this in my mind. I estimated that he could be 15-17. Who knows whether he was robbed of a childhood because some relative may have forced him to sit by that stand every day to sell those kids. Perhaps he resented the fact that I was just a foreigner, a passerby who was aloof about his real plight and that of his family. Maybe he was an orphan or perhaps someone near him was nearing death. Oh if he only knew how much I wish I could know and how much I wish I could help him. If he only guessed that if I knew how there is nothing more I would want to do than to care. Perhaps I will have a chance to see him again.

Some other questions have to do with injustice:

1. So many incredibly smart and competent people in the C.A.R. will never be given a chance to show the world what they are capable of. They could help dispel the notion that some ignorant people have that Africans are simply not as smart as we are. If people only knew how wrong this is...

2. Families with 8 or more kids of their own one day find themselves with an equal number of kids living in the same household. This is happening due to kids being orphaned by AIDS. It is the poorest of the poor that inherit this burden, not the wealthiest of the wealth.

Some questions have to do with the practical side of life:

1. Why do people chose to overdress in a country where humidity is almost always at 100% and the scorching sun never seems to go down even at night? I admire the fact that women in general are not going around showing their bodies, but in general they use so much fabric to cover themselves with, in some cases the dresses are so elaborate, so full of intricate details, and the headdress (not to speak of the hair) so meticulously matched with the outfit.

I watched men on Sunday morning services with their suit drenched in sweat. A few fans all the way up in the ceilings were not enough to keep the buildings cool. The men looked like they just got out of the shower. They think nothing of it, yet what a scandal it would be if a pastor showed up to preach in shorts... Men walk around in full suits any time of the day and they don't seem to mind. If this suit-crazed society inherited this from the Europeans or the Americans, I should add that to the list of ways in which we've messed up countries in this world -- not to mention the fact that we made their wardrobe budget a lot higher than what it should be!

I was also amused by the music played in the churches we visited. I had observed this in 2006. A long time ago there were drums and sticks in the church services and more traditional music was played. I have heard stories about how at the time of the offering the Africans sang and danced at the sound of their drums until missionaries started complaining that the whole thing was getting out of hand. Now I was not there so I can't speak for certain about this, but the fact is that at least in the churches we visited this year and in 2006, there were no traditional instruments or traditional music. All you get is this sort of modified Caribbean-like sound that anybody can generate out of an electronic keyboard. In fact, if missionaries were still in charge, they might ban this kind of sound from the church too!

Well, I could go on and on, but you get the idea. If anybody has any thoughts on these questions, please, send them my way.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org