Amie in Africa Box Set 1

by Lucinda E Clarke

  “Hello. Welcome to Togodo,” she said as she got up to greet them. “Richard tells me you’ve just arrived.”

  “Yes, a few hours ago,” said Amie as she sat down at the table. “It’s all so bewildering, so hot and so crowded.”

  “Yes. It can be quite a culture shock, especially if you’ve not been to Africa before.”

  “This is our first visit,” said Amie. “It’s so very different and yet some things seem the same!”

  “Like this menu,” laughed Diana, “exactly the same stuff you can get back home. We’ve even got a McDonalds on the other side of town.”

  “Goodness, really!” exclaimed Amie.

  “Yes, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is like home. Just as you settle in your comfort zone, something reminds you that you are in Africa. Your home will be an oasis of England, on a very hot day of course, but venture outside and you’ll notice the difference. Will you be staying in Apatu?”

  “Yes,” replied Jonathon. “The desalination plant is going to be just north of the capital, at least that’s the plan.”

  “We badly need a more regular water supply. At the moment, it’s piped down from the mountains and the infrastructure is so old the water is always leaking out. In many places the locals deliberately break the pipes so they can siphon off the water to irrigate their crops,” Richard remarked.

  Amie gasped. She couldn’t imagine that happening in England.

  Richard continued. “Where will the company house you?”

  “We don’t know yet,” replied Jonathon. “Drenton suggested we find somewhere to rent, but they booked us into this hotel for three weeks to start with.”

  “Try to move out as fast as possible,” Richard advised. “It costs for just about everything, and you’ll get through money like water.”

  “We’ve already discovered that,” said Jonathon. “We had to pay a bribe before they ‘found’ our room reservation, and we’ve had to pay to have towels sent to the room as well.”

  “That’s a favourite one,” said Diana, “they do that on purpose. Everyone is on the take.”

  “But isn’t that bad for the economy?” asked Jonathon.

  “None of them even gives the economy a thought,” answered Richard, “here, it’s every man for himself, or herself. No one looks at the global picture. As long as the average African has food, clothes, booze and a woman for today, then that’s all he worries about. Tomorrow can take care of itself.”

  “My dear, I should warn you,” said Diana, turning to Amie. “You will hear a lot said about the locals that will shock you. You’ll be convinced we are all terrible racists. I can assure you all the values and opinions you were brought up with will be out of the window in short order.”

  “There’s an old joke,” said Richard. “What’s the difference between a tourist and a racist?”

  Amie looked puzzled.

  Richard continued, “The answer is twenty-four hours.”

  Amie was still puzzled.

  Richard explained. “People travel with all kinds of preconceptions, and they judge another country by the standards, morals and values from their own country, and what they’ve seen on television, of course. So, it doesn’t take long for them to criticise what they see as bad behaviour, and then they’re accused of being racist. Take the bribe you had to pay just for the room. The receptionist sees nothing wrong in lying and saying she has no reservation for you, she simply sees your arrival as a way to make some extra money for herself and her family. She doesn’t give a thought to the people who employ her, or the good name of the hotel, or allowing you to know she’s lying. There’s a whole new set of rules to learn.”

  “Yes, I see. Well I think I do,” said Amie slowly.

  “Africa is still a wild and savage place, despite the new high-rise buildings and the computers and the modern look of the place,” added Diana. “We’re not here to scare you, just as you’ve arrived, but only to give help and advice.”

  “Yes, and we really appreciate that,” said Amie. “We … well I … feel totally lost, like Alice, as if I’ve just stumbled through the looking glass, or down the rabbit hole!”

  Diana laughed. “Let’s order first and we’ll see how we can help you.”

  That evening, Amie and Jonathon listened as they learned where to look for a suitable place to rent, and the suburbs to avoid, especially the downtown areas. Diana told Amie never to put her handbag down, but always keep it on her lap and hug it tightly when she walked.

  “They think nothing of cutting the strap and snatching it. And, although I don’t want to frighten you, if you’re held up at gunpoint or they wave a knife in your face, then give them what they want, don’t put up a fight, it’s not worth it. Life is cheap in Africa, and they’ll think nothing of committing murder. In theory, there is a justice system here, but I wouldn’t rely on it being fair. There is also a police force, but again, it’s unlikely they’ll come if there’s any trouble. They always tell you they have no transport. We’d advise you to employ a private security company to guard the house and if there’s a problem, then you press the panic button and they’ll send out armed guards. But it’s something you have to pay for.”

  Amie gulped. “It all sounds so dangerous,” she said.

  “Yes, I know,” Diana replied, “but I’d feel guilty if I didn’t warn you, and you got hurt. Look it’ll probably never happen, but you must be aware. I’ve become so used to being on guard all the time, even if I walk down the road. I know who’s in front of me and who is behind me at all times. I keep a careful watch in the car, especially near traffic lights and stop streets, and when I’m coming in and out of the house.”

  “Look, the majority of the locals are good, decent people,” she continued, “but we can only just understand their levels of fear.”

  “But why are they afraid?” said Amie. “What have they got to be afraid of?”

  “Well, people here are jealous of success, and those that do get ahead are viewed with suspicion. Surely you must have noticed presidential cavalcades, you’ve seen them on the television at home?”

  Amie nodded. “I thought they were just showing off.”

  “Of course, there’s that too, but those in power are also very afraid, that’s why they surround themselves with bodyguards and friends and relatives generally from the same tribes. That way, they feel safer and they can hold onto their power.” Diana paused. “The best way to explain is, say we have elections at home, free and fair of course, and the best or most popular man gets in. The loser puts on a brave face and accepts defeat and the worst he’s likely to do is slag off the winning candidate in the press. Here, when you lose an election, the automatic response is to fight back, literally, with guns or whatever it takes. So, winning candidates surround themselves with plenty of protection. It just depends on how strong the opposition is – if it’s worth the men in power killing them off, or if they have very little support and can safely be ignored.”

  She continued. “The next time it comes to elections, if the powerful ruling party think they might not get in again, or have a big enough majority, then they make quite sure the votes are not counted correctly, most of the ballot boxes are tampered with. If that doesn’t work, the opposition party candidates are beaten up and killed, or their supporters’ houses are set alight. Practically anything goes to make sure the man in power never loses his job and all the perks that go with it.”

  “It all sounds so brutal,” Amie shivered.

  “It is, my dear, it is. And yet, there is something so endearing about the Africans who are not among the hierarchy – the ones, and there are plenty of them – who simply want to live normal lives; marry two or three wives, have a crowd of children and a large herd of cattle. What more can a man want?”

  “I’ve already seen that women are not very high in status here,” said Amie, remembering the fuss at the airport.

  “That’s very true,” said Diana. “Women have a long way to go on this cont
inent to get the equal status we’re used to, and which we deserve. Sure, you will see women working in banks and shops and driving cars and so on, but, if their male relatives say ‘jump,’ it’s ‘how high, when and where?’ Yet despite all this, the average African has a lovely sense of humour, is quite happy-go-lucky and has the patience of a saint. You wouldn’t catch me sitting waiting all day out in the blazing sun to see the doctor and accepting it with a shrug if he can’t see you today, and that’s after walking miles to and from the clinic. Generally, Africans are quite fatalistic most of the time they simply accept their lot in life. It takes a lot to upset an African but once he is upset, watch out. But, my dear, I must be boring you with all this.”

  “No, not at all,” said Amie. “I’m absolutely fascinated. I’ve never even thought about this sort of stuff, and it’s interesting. I really want to understand the people, especially if I’m going to be here for two years. I kept meaning to do loads of research on the Internet, but with all the packing and the sorting out and saying goodbye and all that, I didn’t have time to delve very deeply, only the main sites and they didn’t tell me all that much. It all happened so quickly. Are the people here so very different?”

  Diana nodded. “I don’t think any of us have really got inside the heads of people with such a different culture. And this is an important thing to remember. I’m talking now of Africans. Don’t be confused and think I’m talking about all people with a black skin, that’s not the case. There are plenty of black people who live in Britain who think and behave like us; they are as British as we are. I’m talking about culture, a totally different way of looking at the world with different rules of behaviour and a totally different viewpoint. For example, anyone with white skin here, is thought to be extremely wealthy. We don’t think we’re well off, but then we’ve never lived in a mud hut with a leaking roof and no water or electricity. We have cars, so we don’t have to walk for miles. But we’ve always had these luxuries right from birth, along with indoor plumbing, and electrical appliances and so on. So, what we take for granted they aspire to.”

  Diana paused. “Anyway, I think that’s quite enough for one night from the podium. Let’s look at more practical things. We must meet up tomorrow and I’ll show you some of the best areas to look for a house. I’ll get Richard to provide a car and a driver and we’ll go exploring.”

  “Thank you so much,” said Amie, “you are really kind – I never expected …”

  “It’s not a problem! I’ll enjoy it, and I’m not so old I don’t remember my first few months in Africa and how I wished someone had filled me in on the local scene. It would have made life so much easier.”

  But if Amie thought she was going to have an easy life in Africa, she was very much mistaken. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined the challenges she would face.

  3 SETTLING IN

  Amie had been wrong in judging Diana to be about ten years older than her; she was in her mid-forties, almost twenty years older. She laughed when Amie mentioned this the next day and commented that perhaps it was due to not wearing makeup.

  “It runs and melts in the heat,” she explained, “and despite the hot sun, without all that stuff on your face, I really think it makes you look younger, besides which I save an awful lot of money not buying cosmetics. If you’re wise, you’ll wear a hat at all times out of doors, even in the rainy season, and it’s not good for either your complexion or your skin to let it get too tanned, skin cancer is a real problem in Africa. You can even get badly burned in cloudy weather as the sun’s rays are so much stronger.”

  Amie smiled when she thought about Sam coming over to get a good tan.

  Diana picked her up at the hotel at eight o’clock, just after breakfast, much to Amie’s surprise. She was soon to learn in Togodo, the day began early and shops, offices and services already had their doors open by eight every morning. It made sense while it was still relatively cool.

  They drove down the main street, with its high-rise buildings on each side. The road was wide, with enough space for a centre island hosting a profusion of flowers. Amie recognized several well-known banks and familiar company logos but no department stores. She wondered if the whole population of the capital was in town, as the pavements were already crowded with pedestrians and the buses were all full. There were plenty of suburban taxis, minibuses which appeared to carry at least twenty or more people at a time. These stopped to pick up and drop off passengers when and where they wanted. Amie even saw one parked on a roundabout, as several large ladies with even larger shopping baskets squeezed their way inside. The traffic backed up behind them and there was much hooting of horns and screaming, but it lacked aggression.

  Most of the people looked happy and relaxed with smiles on their shining black faces. No one moved quickly, the whole pace of life was slower. While a few of the people were well dressed, most of them looked poor. Their clothing was clean but faded, and everyone was carrying at least one plastic bag advertising one of the local supermarket chains.

  As soon as they left the main street, and went down the narrow side streets, there was more rubbish lying around, the shops were smaller, many looking decidedly seedy. The tarmac road had sunk in many places and their driver had to weave from side to side to avoid the worst of the sinkholes.

  They passed a local market where concrete slabs were piled high with a variety of fruits and vegetables, many of them unfamiliar to Amie. At the far end of the market were baskets of chickens and a small herd of bleating goats in pens or tethered to posts with bits of string.

  Amie wondered at the cacophony of noise, and yet no one moved quickly and many of the people were sitting doing nothing at all. Past the ‘down town’ area as Diana described it, they followed the road out of the centre which led to the residential areas.

  Amie was enchanted by the suburbs. They were now in a different world. The roads were laid out in a square grid pattern, and alongside the pavements were grass lawns and flowerbeds in front of most of the residences. All the houses looked enormous in comparison to those back in Britain, much, much larger than their parents’ homes. They certainly could never afford to rent a place this size in Europe. She also noticed no two houses were the same, each one was individually designed and quite different to the neighbouring houses. The streets were wide, and quiet with none of the bustle and chaos of the city. There was a young black man walking a dog on the far side of the street and around the corner came a black nanny pushing a baby in a pram with a small white child holding her hand.

  “It’s a world away from the centre of town!” exclaimed Amie.

  “Yes, it is. You know it takes a fair bit of water to keep a lawn going,” said Diana, “but we Europeans like a grass lawn, it’s what we expect in a garden. You need just the right sort, like Kikuyu grass, to grow in this climate, even then you must give it litres and litres of water, and we still persist, even though the water supply is erratic and expensive!”

  “The gardens are beautiful,” said Amie looking at the brilliant flowers and bushes.

  “This area is called Spring Glen, and it’s one of the suburbs I would recommend. We’ll go on over to Brianwood later, that’s on the north side of town, and you can see the houses over there, they’re bigger and more expensive, so it will all depend on your budget. If possible, although it’s a lot of work, I would recommend you get a place with at least a small swimming pool, it’s a real help in cooling off in the hot weather. The first year I was here, we didn’t have one and I spent a lot of time sitting in the bath and taking showers.”

  “Goodness I never thought about having my very own swimming pool before!” exclaimed Amie, “that sounds very posh indeed. And the Brianwood houses are even larger than these?”

  “Yes,” Diana laughed. “You’ll get used to it, and a swimming pool is really more of a necessity than a status symbol,” she added as the car swerved to avoid some local children playing in the road.

  “They look so poor,” m
urmured Amie.

  “Many of them are, but the government is far too busy spending money on important things like palaces and new government buildings and armaments and, they’re also planning to spend billions on a new airport. Lots will change in the next couple of years since rumour has it the Americans have found oil just off the coast, and the country is already awash with the money the oil companies paid for permission to look for the oil. No, that’s not true, let me rephrase it. The ruling hierarchy is awash with money, but none of it has seeped down to these little ones and their parents.”

  Brianwood turned out to be an even smarter suburb, though like Spring Glen, all the houses were surrounded by high walls or steel fences topped with barbed wire.

  “Yes, I know, they look like very upmarket prisons and to some extent I guess that’s true,” Diana remarked.

  “They’re watering the grass over there,” Amie pointed over to the left.

  “Garden boys, or I suppose we must learn to call them gardeners, though not one of them knows one plant from another,” commented Diana. “The trick is to employ a guy who’s been working for other Europeans, at least that way he won’t dig up all your roses and leave the bindweed to flourish.”

  “Employ a gardener? I’d never thought about that either,” said Amie.

  “It’s expected, we do our bit in employing at least two or three of the locals, even though they’ve become much more expensive these days. Your maid will probably live in and it’s wise to pay her the going rate, even if you think you’re paying her peanuts.”

  “A maid!! Goodness!! How much would I pay a maid?” asked Amie.

  “The going rate is one hundred and fifty Togodo dollars a month, and then of course you pay for her food, her accommodation and her water and lights as well.”