Evening walk

Kavita accompanied me on this evening's walk. When we reached top of Snapper Hill, we met some kids exercising with their mothers. Of course, we joined them. 

Gbagba by Robtel Pailey

While out walking with Kavita, I bumped into Luca who was on his way to Miami Beach. He told me there was a children's play being staged at the Monrovia City Hall. He would send me the e-mail about it and, encouraged me to take Kavita with me.

So, I went to City Hall today and, sat next to Luca and Leslie. Kavita was being picked up from school in Sinkor by our office manager who needed to submit some paperwork to a client. I asked her to drop Kavita at the City Hall. 

Luckily, the programme had not started and, I met Janneh at the front and brought Kavita back to the auditorium. Kavita was quite excited to see so many children in the hall and in fact, the organisers were waiting for more school children to arrive. 

The event finally kicked off and, it was quite enjoyable despite the non-functioning air conditioners. 

As I've said before, cultural events like these are too few and, it's always a pleasure to attend them. 

Robtel, the playwright herself, introduced the event, how she transformed the book Gbagba into a play and, all the support she received in bring the play to the public. 

The play was fantastic because it was being performed by children who were really very good! It was so cute and adorable to see them enacting the typical scenes of deceit, bribery, 'sifarish,' and thievery. For sure, there is a powerful message and aim here: to educate children against the destructive nature of corruption because there is more hope in children than older generations. 

At the end, Robtel had the audience pose questions to the actors. It was a good session and, during one exchange, the actor responded that police would stop taking bribes if their salaries were increased. At the very beginning, Flomo Theatre (they had trained the kids in their acting) did an amazing skit to warm up the audience that was an allegory for stealing. The conclusion was that in Liberia, greed is crippling society and seems to have no limits. Even a highly-paid official continues to steal. 

I think the play was a good place to start talking petty bribes and corruption which we see in the every day scenes of life in Liberia. Even an outsider, someone with privilege and buffer to the every day struggles of life in Liberia, is a witness to how bribery, corruption, favours and dishonesty permeates life. The play was fantastic in how it portrayed these on point scenes! 

However, I missed the more nuanced understanding of how and why corruption works in Liberia. Is it because there is poverty, inequality or just a leadership and power structure without a moral compass?  Maybe this could also be explored a little, in a subtle manner. Because at the end of it, what's the real toxic and diseased impact? A police man making hardly $ 200/month that takes petty bribes of a few Liberian dollars or the excess, corruption, and bad policies at higher levels? But perhaps this complexity cannot be explored/debated at a children's level. Let the children understand and passionately defend against dishonesty of all types, big or small. 

I found a TED video of Robtel explaining Gbagba which means 'trickery.' 

I really loved watching the play and, how much it resonated with the audience. The play was simple but extremely clear in terms of how corruption weaves its way in every day life. 

Although it was being performed by children, Kavita was more engrossed in playing games with the girls sitting in the row in front of us. 

While we were going home, she complained that they had not let go on stage. 

A rainy evening walk

Haresh dutifully accompanied us to the evening walks but recently he's been dodging them. 

These are photographs of a particularly wet evening walk. As we turned left to go towards Mamba Point, it started pouring and we stood under an entrance to wait until the rain stopped. 

Afterwards, I asked the security guard to take a few photos of us. I mean, why not? Then, the elderly security guard also posed for a photo with Kavita. 

Everyone seems to be so enamoured with Kavita's conversational skills. Folks I met when I am out and about remark, "She got sharp mouth!" 

How to think about the state in Liberia

Part 1 of my How to think about the state in Liberia got published in Bush Chicken: http://www.bushchicken.com/op-ed-the-challenges-of-the-liberian-state/. Check it out! I hope Part 2 will be published soon. 

School blues

Have I become the annoying, interfering parent being cited by Memes, cultural commentary, and popular representation in film and TV? 

I found myself in a heated discussion with the principal of Kavita's new school. I had made the decision to change her school because I believed this school's creative arts approach would benefit Kavita.

The fees are slightly higher at this school ($ 362.00 compared to $ 300.00) and there's a separate Activity Fee of $ 75.00. There was also a registration fee of $ 200.00. We also have to pay 2 months in advance at least. Not only that, we are asked to bring in paper, pencils, glue, napkins, etc. Just to enrol her, we have to produce $ 999.00 and this only covers 2 months of schooling from 9 AM to 1 PM. $ 999 is 105,279.62 Pakistan rupees. This is a fortune - only for a 4 year old to cover some play time, a little bit of ABC's and numbers. 

The first morning I dropped off Kavita, I was surprised to see only 4 children in her class and, 2 of them were throwing tantrums. The teacher was meek and appeared not very different from Musu, our Nanny. They had laid out toy fruits for the 4-year old kids to play with. 

Kavita was at Kid's Nest from February to June earlier this year during my stint with International Alert. The monthly fee was $ 300.00. We only paid by month and we did not have to bring in toilet paper although they had insisted I bring in baby wipes for her. I told them to help wash her hands instead of using baby wipes. Her class had about 10 or 15 kids, I can't remember. 

Of course, providing feedback on the second day might have been too early but I did explain to the principal that I was just providing my knee-jerk reactions. I was surprised to see so few kids in her class and, so far, I didn't find Kavita's teacher to be dynamic. I had to tell Kavita's teacher to make sure Kavita finishes her lunch and be strict with her! Sounds like an annoying parent, doesn't it? 

This conversation happened at school but the founder of the school later called me to discuss these concerns. I know the founder for some time and, have used her services for professional photography shoots for my IT company. Kavita also attended the summer camps before. The founder and friend explained all the hard work that had gone to set up the pre-school and she had explained to Haresh earlier in July (when the 2017 summer camp was in session) that the pre-school would only have very few students. And they were using a different approach to pre-school. I understood all that and, said that I had just not realised there would be so few students. I also said that I was not very happy to see that 2 of her classmates were throwing tantrums! I might as well have kept her at Kid's Nest where it was a bigger class and, even if there were tantrum throwers, there were some children who were as mature as Kavita. 

My friend explained I didn't need to worry and, Kavita would flourish in this environment. She would learn French, yoga, piano, etc. She had in fact dreamed of starting this school for her own daughter when her daughter when she still lived in Monrovia (now her kids lived in the US). Now, she was happy to start this for other children. 

I was told that I shouldn't be so hard on other kids if they were throwing tantrums because the first day can be hard. I was also reminded that not everyone is as mature as Kavita.

I was also told that it's the first time they've heard of a parent complaining of a smaller class. Smaller classes are good and, the teacher can focus on the children individually. 

I've been mulling over the exchange and my reactions to my own decision to put her in school.

I'm the example of someone who enjoys the privileges and comforts of her class but yet rails against it. I am shocked that my daughter is, in the end, at quite an elitist type of school, hardly 4 kids in her class. I have to dish out $ 362.00 per month for hardly 4 hours of play time, drawing pictures, a little bit of music and (gasp!) yoga. Yes, the amount of money pinches me. On top of it, the school has asked to bring in supplies. What the heck are the fees for, then?

We who live in societies where public school systems are only for the poor are forced to shop for education.

I am not only reacting against these conditions but also the acceptance of children's bad behaviour in public.

This is the time to start appreciating our parents - they spent good money on my education. Without too much complaining about the exorbitant school fees of international American schools. I need to stop whining and suck it up. 😉

Evening walk

These past couple of months, I've really returned to a regular and invigorating routine of evening walks with Haresh, Kavita and Bijli. It's a good feeling to be have a regular rhythm. 

I don't think I had such a stamina for a long walk at Kavita's age but she has kept pace with us and, walks as long and fast as we do. Moreover, she also runs laps up and down Snapper Hill. 

I love how familiar a walking route can be and, even if it is repetitive, it doesn't get boring. Opposite the new TM Mall, the security guard greets us enthusiastically. He has one of those very kind and sweet faces. 

The owners of the souvenir shops opposite the Mamba Point and Cape Hotels are all known to me and, always greet me and request me to stop to look at their shops. But I politely tell them, not now. In fact, I've made friends with a carver from Ghana who carves masks and tables himself and, even beads them. 

Past the shops, there is a lady who calls out to me, "Suzanna." She has known me since the days I used to live in the former Carter Center office in Mamba Point. We usually stop and chat. 

When we reach this point, Kavita says, "We are almost there." "Almost where, Kavita?" I say. "Almost to the hill, " says Kavita. 

We keep going and reach almost to the gates of the old American Embassy where there are 21 yellow short poles/barriers which Kavita and I count in Urdu: "Eik do teen char panch...." 

When we finally reach the top of the Hill, we feel so good! There we rest and then begin some exercise. 

Evening walk

Family Evening walk

Looks like we are on a roll and not even missing one day of the evening walk. 

Recycling and evening walk

I asked Aaron to come over with some plants and flowers to plant in my empty Nido and yoghurt cups. 

I know Aaron Sannah since my UNDP Liberia days. He used to bring $ 5.00 bouquets to one's desks. I was out of touch with him for a while until I was re-introduced to him through another UN former colleague. 

Aaron has a farm in Tubmanburg and, I went to visit it with a few friends last year in September. 

Anyway, he brought over some of his workers with him and planted some flowers and plants in the empty containers. I placed these on a rackety metal shelf our neighbours Monroe Chicken had left behind. 

Later that evening, we went for an evening walk straight from the office. These days, I come to the office dressed in walking clothes 3 times a week. Haresh has to go home and change his attire. 

So, here are the snaps of the evening walk. 

And, then we went shopping for groceries at Exclusive Supermarket and made lasagna for dinner.