Rainy Monrovia

Good afternoon from Monrovia where the rainy season has started....leaky roofs, constant dampness and humidity, white muted light and many many cups of tea!

Let's Make Liberia Better parathas

 

Settlers of Catan

We have created a Catan monster. Kavita played Catan three nights in a row and won every single time. Haresh dream to ever win a game is crushed. (He never wins in Ludo either). 

"Eid Mubarik to whoever is celebrating"

I don't know who started "Eid Mubarik to whoever is celebrating" but people copy it without thinking as humans copy and act before they think. If you want to acknowledge an occasion you cannot selectively greet the people. You have to send your wishes and salaams to everyone.

So, I loved this Tweet from Subhashini who I follow on Twitter:

Pakistani iftar in Liberia

We enjoyed an amazing iftar at Amna and Qasim's home, our Pakistani friends who live in Bushrod Island. I met Qasim through Liberia Expats Google Group back in 2014 or so when I was looking for Pakistani folks to celebrate either Independence Day or 23rd March. Later, he married Amna and we also met her. We've been steadfast friends since. 

Needless to say, one of the main attractions of being friends is that we'll always get extremely delicious food at their place and literally the best tea in town. What else does one need? 

After spending a few years in Pakistan, I was missing iftar. I can safely say Kavita missed it too. 

Amna had made samosas herself and they were so light ! We had pakoray, fruit chaat, a date sherbet, and mutton for dinner. 

My living room

I truly feel comforted being surrounded by my books, my collections, tea mug and tea pot collection, and all the things I have loving acquired over the years. 

I can't imagine not being surrounded by my books or ever losing them. 

For anyone who understands what a feat it is to have a collection of books in Liberia! One has to buy them regularly from abroad and bring them back in luggage.

My books will always be precious to me. 

Iftar on Carey Street

Broke fast and prayed with a small community of Muslims in central Monrovia. I was surprised that dates were not available without which Ramadan is inconceivable. People broke fast with bananas. The area was humble but strong sense of community and, it's nice to be reminded the role faith can play. 

It's also ironic too in a country where Muslims are a minority, where Christianity came as a colonising religion, whereas Islam existed centuries ago! Liberian state and society is overwhelmingly Christian that gives no space/identity for Muslims, not even a token public holiday. In Pakistan, we treat our minorities like this! Irony! And, reminder of what a corrosive entity the state is!

By the way, Kavita and I enjoyed the fufu!

Kavita my walking companion

I'm so proud of Kavita and her companionship. I enjoy my walks with her so much. 

Just as we left the Morris Dennis Compound gate, I met these two men on the motorcycle. I said hello and one said "I'm Rambo and this is Commando."  See: I'm Commando he's Rambo. 

There is so much garbage everywhere! 

Stretch stretch stretch

Can you believe it , this is a group of pregnant women walking up and down the hill?

I was so impressed! 

See Kavita trying jump rope 😩. 

See balcony with lush bougainvillea! The only one around! 

Two girls and a dog on an evening walk

Another one of our friends, Malkah, joined us on the evening walk. She met us on the Hill. After we were done, we all walked back to our flat, put Bijlee back in the balcony, and then took a keke to Malkah's place where we had tea and learned how to write letters.

This week is Easter break so all the kids are at home. 

I can always turn any moment with children into a classroom! 

Good evening

Kavita's classmate Rose also joined us for our evening walk. 

I took photos of the garbage. It's enraging how dirty the capital is. 

There's so many levels of rage: corruption of the state that does not perform its basic functions to keep a clean an aesthetic urban space. Hygiene and cultural modern aesthetics don't belong to the elites and gat communities and capitalist spaces which are kept clean and beautiful. 

I know that donors have paid for landfills, garbage collection trucks and supported the technical bureaucracy to oversee garbage collection. I'm witness to it as I worked in the same unit which implemented urban works in the early 2000s. 

When we live in the Master Trading building own by Rajen Dhaliwal, a Ghanian company was operating in the same building, contracted to pick up garbage. I think the World Bank was (still) funding it. 

Then, there's the environmental rage and anxiety we get when seeing so much garbage everywhere. Plastic anxiety makes one feel angry, hopeless. 

We went really early and it was hot! We cooled down by sitting in the shade, our back to the Big Bad American Embassy wall. Wish these walls would come down by us leaning on them and, we could end American imperialism. 

Hello Kavita and Bijlee