Oddly, when the last posting, Group Think, came out I was at a United Nations meeting outside Nairobi. I say oddly, since it was about as opposite an experience from group think as you can imagine. There I was, the only US citizen…and one of only four white people…among a collection of Ministers and other senior people from around Africa.
Attendees came from across Africa, including from some of the island nations. Their backgrounds, education, first language, and interests ranged widely. Then there was the fact that “outside Nairobi” actually meant a conference hotel on the edge of Roysambu, a poor and dusty town 20 or 30 kilometers from Nairobi.
One afternoon I had some time so walked the kilometer or so into town. There I was, the only while person around, wandering through the dust in the midst of many others too poor to own cars. If you happen to be lucky enough to own a car, you get it repaired in the open air repair shop pictured above, jacked up on a pile of old tires with parts strewn about. The mechanics are amazing as they work with just a few tools, no manuals, and a random assortment of parts and supplies.
From my perspective it all was an exceptional opportunity to expand my horizons and hear a huge variety of ideas, opinions, and stories about life around Africa…and in Roysambu. I talked to many people, asking lots of questions and sharing my thoughts in return.
I returned with much to think about and new perpsectives on things such as climate change and food security. Spend some time speaking with Ministers from island nations if you want a ground eye view of the impact of rising sea levels. Or listen to people living in the midst of unending drought that covers whole countries, has ended agriculture while killing entire herds of cattle and goats, and caused hundreds of thousands if not millions to flee on foot, searching for food.
Suddenly much that wealthy westerners view intellectually gains substance. Your perspective shifts, your understanding expands. Or for some…they go home and forget it all.