will not be easy to write after such a long time but memories, the faces and voices are now too many and too strong. I'll help a healthy blues and pleasant evening breeze that prevails even on the fly thick wrapping my room of an unusual coolness. The inspiration may be disturbed only by moustiques found that despite the barriers to enter the crevices and buzzing in the ear without peace, and the chaotic celebration a deuil strongly suspect that will go on until dawn.
As they say in these parts, goes on faire avec .
The months are passing quickly and I'm already in July. The Africa you eat, you consume, you suck as a timeless abyss. This only continent in the world and the hands turn the pages of calendars they go without us if you may realize, a paradox that this feeling is so strong in a place where the agendas are so poor and where commitments to the days pass' shadow of a nymie waiting for someone or something Atrophy break the patina that envelops most of the people. The truth is that Here the future is so uncertain that a concept in people's heads every day lives and dies with himself, the prospect of never looks to the future, and time seems to stump the most distinctive feature, the continuity.
My parents and my sister came to visit me in Garoua. A big thank you for having decided to spend part of your holiday here, for having had the desire to share this experience with me and congratulations to all three for their ability to adapt. My mother escaped the most dangerous snake in the area that is passed to the side of the flip-flops, my father spoke during the Milan-seeking consensus on the faces of the doubters native, my sister has had to contend with the countless marriage proposals collected in less than two weeks.
And my fate would have arrived in Garoua on the day on which it was planned the trip for our family reintegration of street children. So they all made fun of me and I said that that day would have been reinstated in the family: I came home not like them, but the house was coming from me.
Meanwhile, the rainy season is entering its full course: May 20, National Day of Cameroon, the grand parade of students and military town with a lot of hymns and para-fascist posters of His Eminence Paul Biya, was abruptly interrupted by a shocking shower (with a heaven to Donnie Darko) who ruined the event, but not prevented the protesters clustered in a bar downing fizzy 33 express toasting the independence of the country. Since then it has rained almost every Sunday and sometimes during the week.
Garoua live choral moments. Ordinary ones, just as the 20 ever, and extraordinary ones such as the arrival of indomptables lions in the city. The news was in the air for some time, given the unavailability of the Omnisport Stadium in Yaounde, the national team would play here a qualifying match for the African Nations Cup 2008 against Rwanda. News confirmed exaltation collective, and the beginning of the hunting business. Sunday, June 17, the day waiting for a lifetime, the streets were impassable and the stadium, the legendary sciabà (the hottest sector, in every sense) from eleven in the morning the head of a solitary Nassara stood curiously among all the others. Five hours of waiting under a scorching sun, armed with the sardine sandwich and juice Foster I hailed the Lions, I saw Nganda (an obese cosmic painted in red green yellow for years is the number one supporter of the team) and dance Cameroon win. Old man in a sweaty undershirt hugged me with unbridled joy to each of the two goals. And I was the man happy in the world.
the work progresses. A Saare Djabbama, I greeted the kids before they leave with an evening at the base of termites in which I was forced to answer any questions they had about Italy. Awesome to hear some thoughts from a child of ten or twelve years old used to sleep in the street. Many have amazed me for the insight and relevance of the questions on the environment, family and habits, while others raised their hands just to make a bit of consideration and come out with pearls like: in Italy there sandals ? there are females in Italy? Do you have cows?
Now our shelter because it works at low speed without tenants, and I spend a lot less time Saare Djabbama. For this structure the challenge in the coming years is, in my opinion, to find a closer collaboration with the public welfare. The valuable work of recovery is done on a child throughout a year would be useless if at the same time does not make a serious way with families of origin. Once reinstated, the child will find the same situation that has escaped, and the possibility that there will be back on the street around the corner, not considering that the work of foreign NGOs should not replace that of salaried civil servants who sit down to play cards, knowing that both street children think about the Italians. It 'a step as difficult as it is essential to continue to work towards a voluntary co-operation that is not eternal but left a legacy of a professional model and exploitable over time by local staff.
If the Enfants de la Rue is taking a little breath before starting a new cycle, the Maison des Jeunes is still in business and that is where step almost the integrity of my days. With the money from sales of the first production of bags we could well fund the murals, which after a long work is coming to its final phase, and a part of the gain, were purchased Pagnes others that are already in the form of grants on the Italian market stalls. The Minister of Social Affairs came to visit the MJC and has appreciated the project "En chemin vers l'autonomy" by making a picture with one of our aprons and encouraging them to continue.
As for the murals, before we begin the sketches on the wall workers aware of the importance of visual communication with a training course entitled "The walls speak" which was a themed walk from cave paintings through to Keith Haring batik, we discussed and chose the theme (Faadah Me-den: large ensemble), we did make children their sketches, we have set out and voted, and elected a winner who is now collaborating with artists painting on the wall. On 14 there will be a launch and I can already tell you who is coming off a wonderful job ...
In any case, the greatest satisfaction comes from experience with the infant group "Eban Ivoire," a 'hodgepodge of desperate people who have started to sing less than three months but, with so many tests and a performance characteristic were able to win the coveted prize of the Music City. We have already celebrated the trophy to duty, carry it around the city would miss the World Cup, we give you the opportunity to hear the piece that led us to victory.
Sometimes I feel Allen's Zelig (this actually happened in Milan) but it is true that osmosis is making me a po'camerunese not forget any of you and I can not wait to see you in a couple of months to tell you a voice many adventures. It will not be the shade of a baobab to make the setting for these stories, but I'll try to sing on a couch or a stage this Africa that knows how to take your belly and heart.
