2010-07-26
Back in Time to the Pryamids
So, I've promised myself that I would keep putting up some blog posts with pictures while I have the free time (and no job...anyone have a job for me?). I just went and saw Despicable Me this weekend and had to laugh to myself at the opening scene set at the Great Pyramids of Giza cause I was just there! Can you believe that? I know I can't. It was oddly correct in the representation...which was even funnier.
Kyle and I essentially went to Cairo as a means of seeing the pyramids. I mean, who gets to see the pyramids, right? We had the luck of having a great hotel who set us up with a driver and a guide to take us around Cairo and to Giza to see the sites. We also went to Sakkarah and Memphis to see some of the lesser known artifacts, pyramids and the alabaster sphinx.
We started off cutting through Cairo center and getting to snap some good pictures of the skyline there. Who knew that you could see the pyramids right from the city center?
We pulled up in our car and our driver introduced us to another man. I was kinda confused at this point but quickly ascertained that he was the owner of a pyramid tour company and that we were in for more than just seeing the pyramids. We asked us if we wanted a long or short trip and we quickly decided that the long trip was the answer...I mean, come on, how often are you chilling in the Egyptian desert to see the pyramids. So we go on a camel and horse, respectively. You can see our friendly camel with Kyle on his back below. We had yet another guide, who seemed too young to know his way around the mall let alone the pyramids, and off we went through Giza towards the pyramids, which loomed in the background in front of us.
We came through a security checkpoint where our guide clearly paid off the guard. He went through our bags and inspected us. Someone also put those head-thingies on us (which we didn't realize - of course - that we had to pay for). The guide who looked fifteen chastised us for taking the things and instructed us not to take anything from anyone on our journey...which was good advice to take not just for Cairo but the rest of our trip in Africa. The security guard was enamored with my three pens and gestured if he could have one. I said no, because I was suddenly afraid of getting taken advantage of. Looking back perhaps it wasn't the best decision I made on the trip given that this guard with machine gun wanted my fifty cent pen.
Our guide made us do ridiculous things that I am sure the tourists just eat up. Again, totally represented in Despicable Me (good movie, check it out). So we held the pryamids in our hands, pushed it from the side and jumped off the group like the fools we are:
Here's some final pictures of the sphinx and the pyramids up close:
Kyle and I essentially went to Cairo as a means of seeing the pyramids. I mean, who gets to see the pyramids, right? We had the luck of having a great hotel who set us up with a driver and a guide to take us around Cairo and to Giza to see the sites. We also went to Sakkarah and Memphis to see some of the lesser known artifacts, pyramids and the alabaster sphinx.
We started off cutting through Cairo center and getting to snap some good pictures of the skyline there. Who knew that you could see the pyramids right from the city center?
We pulled up in our car and our driver introduced us to another man. I was kinda confused at this point but quickly ascertained that he was the owner of a pyramid tour company and that we were in for more than just seeing the pyramids. We asked us if we wanted a long or short trip and we quickly decided that the long trip was the answer...I mean, come on, how often are you chilling in the Egyptian desert to see the pyramids. So we go on a camel and horse, respectively. You can see our friendly camel with Kyle on his back below. We had yet another guide, who seemed too young to know his way around the mall let alone the pyramids, and off we went through Giza towards the pyramids, which loomed in the background in front of us.
We came through a security checkpoint where our guide clearly paid off the guard. He went through our bags and inspected us. Someone also put those head-thingies on us (which we didn't realize - of course - that we had to pay for). The guide who looked fifteen chastised us for taking the things and instructed us not to take anything from anyone on our journey...which was good advice to take not just for Cairo but the rest of our trip in Africa. The security guard was enamored with my three pens and gestured if he could have one. I said no, because I was suddenly afraid of getting taken advantage of. Looking back perhaps it wasn't the best decision I made on the trip given that this guard with machine gun wanted my fifty cent pen.
Our guide made us do ridiculous things that I am sure the tourists just eat up. Again, totally represented in Despicable Me (good movie, check it out). So we held the pryamids in our hands, pushed it from the side and jumped off the group like the fools we are:
Here's some final pictures of the sphinx and the pyramids up close:
2010-07-25
Raising Voices // Center for Domestic Violence Prevention
!! A quick note that some of the pictures and description below are of an informational drama about domestic violence and potentially could be triggering for survivors or others sensitive to these issues. !!
One of the most memorable and intriguing things that happened on the trip was getting to visit two sister agencies in Kampala: Raising Voices and the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention. It was especially interesting to me given how much work I have done States-side around DV. I thought I would write a bit and load some multimedia about this experience.
We were feeling rushed at lunch because the agencies were expecting us soon and the food was running on Ugandan time again. That is to say that the food in Uganda tends to come at what can be described as the opposite of "fast food." We had sat down about an hour and a half ago to order lunch at this nice little place near the British Embassy. I was still waiting on my chicken tikka massala when Hugo began to organize the group towards the vans so that we would make it on time. Only as I stood up to leave did I quickly get handed my food and a take out container to take it in.
I just want to mention here how amazing the Indian food was all trip. Apparently there are large numbers of Indians who migrated to the Horn of Africa to set up businesses and resettle their families. This means that every other meal that we at while in Kenya and Uganda was Indian...delicious, delicious Indian. And an even further aside is that this is not an un-political issue. Indeed, Hugo was describing how Ida Amin expelled many of these Indians during his rein; Indians who were actually Uganda national citizens, many of whom were born and raised in the country. Only recently have reparations been made to these families who were pushed out of their own country.
But anyways...back to the story...so I'm running out of the restaurant, chicken tikka massala in hand. We took a short drive in our vans over to the two DV agencies, somehow miraculously arriving only five minutes late. We were introduced to two leaders of the agencies mentioned above who described their jobs and the work that the NGO's do. I think it was about this time that I suddenly had one (of many) epiphanies on the trip. Here I was in the global south, in a country considered to be developing...and yet I am hearing two NGO's talk about how they are doing AMAZING domestic violence work. Not just on par with what we do here in the States but even better. The way that they these two organizations focus on prevention as a means of utilizing very scarce resources was a testament to the leaders running the agencies. I asked the presenters about what guides their work and what they see as the root cause(s) of domestic violence and their answer seemed profound after years of struggling to come up with my own answers. They said that as much as power and control are definitional of domestic violence they are also the root causes...that is to say that power differences within a culture can be manifest through violence. When that violence is with close relationships we tend to call it domestic violence. This definition seemed so unhindered by the first wave feminist understanding that much of the DV orgs are hampered by in the states. It seemed so much on the forefront of what we are struggling with here in the US. A truly feminist and queer-sensitive understanding of domestic violence...
I was blown away to say the least. Susana and I chatted about this in the van later. We both have done work with mainstream DV agencies in Boston (Respond and T-House, respectively). We both talked about how we were shocked by the progressive nature of their understanding of DV and their novel approaches to addressing not only services but prevention! I think we both wished we could have heard them talk more because we wanted to bring back their knowledge to apply it back here in the USA. The van, and our two guides, took us through a winding tour of the city of Kampala and eventually found us in the center of a small village of homes. A small dirty and foul-smelling creek cut through the center, collecting trash and debris as it trickled along.
We were all a bit confused about what was going to happen. We had only heard that there would be a drama from the SASA group. We had learned that this is an all-volunteer group of people in communities who are trying to raise awareness about DV and do prevention work in the communities where there are problems. Craziest of all is that this organization is running an experimental design with this new drama group, with a control group with the standard intervention materials offered by the other DV agencies in the city.
We waited around the edge of this little square wondering what was about to occur. We wondered aloud if it would be another performance FOR us, where we would be treated like royalty coming to visit them. This, by the way, is a very strange feeling. It's odd to have people regard us twenty-somethings with such esteem without even knowing us. It undoubtedly has much to do with the color of our skin and the privilege of money that we carry with us. As we chatted, dancers began to perform and draw a crowd of passers-by:
It certainly drew in the people, including children and families who were home for the day. The little kids were too cute. Exhibit A:
And Exhibit B:
Here's a picture of the people starting to assemble:
The drama itself was fantastic. The all-volunteer troupe began to act out the story of a woman (below and right). (I should note that the drama was in what I think was Lugandan and we didn't understand...but the leaders of the agency translated for us as the play was going on.) Against the will of her husband, she gets tested for HIV only to find that she is positive. She comes to the home of a friend and confides in her. As she is telling this friend and receiving support, her husband (below left) comes home very angry. He begins to become verbally abusive and chases the woman's friend away. We later learn that in the process this woman breaks her leg trying to escape. He returns to his wife and begins to attack her physically. This portion of the play was really difficult to watch. The actors took great care with their parts. The woman seemed really scared and the man seemed really out of control. At points during the play a man with a bullhorn contraption would stop the action, the actors freezing in place. He would pose questions to the audience like "Was she right to get tested for HIV against the will of her husband?" The audience was very active in responding and openly discussed their feelings. At the start many were very leery of this woman who was going against the will of her husband. The play continued...
Seemingly out of the blue two other people came rushing onto the impromptu stage (below far left and far right), yelling and screaming and making noise. It was so startling that at first I thought it was someone making fun of the group or trying to disrupt the drama. But it turns out that it was very much part of the performance. These were two neighbors who ran off the abuser and provided support to the wife. Again the action would pause as questions were fired off towards the crowd. The mood began to shift and with prodding from this man with a bullhorn people were beginning to defend the woman. It was amazing how they were changing people's minds and hearts right as we watched...and with no props, no money, and an all-volunteer crew.
It was just so fantastic to see and organization using it's known resources in such a creative way to really create change. These young kids were there absorbing this important information, not just about DV but also HIV/AIDS and the importance of getting tested. It's hard to describe everything I was feeling and thinking but I hope this begins to convey some of what I think I learned and cherished from this amazing experience.
Cheers! Nathan
One of the most memorable and intriguing things that happened on the trip was getting to visit two sister agencies in Kampala: Raising Voices and the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention. It was especially interesting to me given how much work I have done States-side around DV. I thought I would write a bit and load some multimedia about this experience.
We were feeling rushed at lunch because the agencies were expecting us soon and the food was running on Ugandan time again. That is to say that the food in Uganda tends to come at what can be described as the opposite of "fast food." We had sat down about an hour and a half ago to order lunch at this nice little place near the British Embassy. I was still waiting on my chicken tikka massala when Hugo began to organize the group towards the vans so that we would make it on time. Only as I stood up to leave did I quickly get handed my food and a take out container to take it in.
I just want to mention here how amazing the Indian food was all trip. Apparently there are large numbers of Indians who migrated to the Horn of Africa to set up businesses and resettle their families. This means that every other meal that we at while in Kenya and Uganda was Indian...delicious, delicious Indian. And an even further aside is that this is not an un-political issue. Indeed, Hugo was describing how Ida Amin expelled many of these Indians during his rein; Indians who were actually Uganda national citizens, many of whom were born and raised in the country. Only recently have reparations been made to these families who were pushed out of their own country.
But anyways...back to the story...so I'm running out of the restaurant, chicken tikka massala in hand. We took a short drive in our vans over to the two DV agencies, somehow miraculously arriving only five minutes late. We were introduced to two leaders of the agencies mentioned above who described their jobs and the work that the NGO's do. I think it was about this time that I suddenly had one (of many) epiphanies on the trip. Here I was in the global south, in a country considered to be developing...and yet I am hearing two NGO's talk about how they are doing AMAZING domestic violence work. Not just on par with what we do here in the States but even better. The way that they these two organizations focus on prevention as a means of utilizing very scarce resources was a testament to the leaders running the agencies. I asked the presenters about what guides their work and what they see as the root cause(s) of domestic violence and their answer seemed profound after years of struggling to come up with my own answers. They said that as much as power and control are definitional of domestic violence they are also the root causes...that is to say that power differences within a culture can be manifest through violence. When that violence is with close relationships we tend to call it domestic violence. This definition seemed so unhindered by the first wave feminist understanding that much of the DV orgs are hampered by in the states. It seemed so much on the forefront of what we are struggling with here in the US. A truly feminist and queer-sensitive understanding of domestic violence...
I was blown away to say the least. Susana and I chatted about this in the van later. We both have done work with mainstream DV agencies in Boston (Respond and T-House, respectively). We both talked about how we were shocked by the progressive nature of their understanding of DV and their novel approaches to addressing not only services but prevention! I think we both wished we could have heard them talk more because we wanted to bring back their knowledge to apply it back here in the USA. The van, and our two guides, took us through a winding tour of the city of Kampala and eventually found us in the center of a small village of homes. A small dirty and foul-smelling creek cut through the center, collecting trash and debris as it trickled along.
We were all a bit confused about what was going to happen. We had only heard that there would be a drama from the SASA group. We had learned that this is an all-volunteer group of people in communities who are trying to raise awareness about DV and do prevention work in the communities where there are problems. Craziest of all is that this organization is running an experimental design with this new drama group, with a control group with the standard intervention materials offered by the other DV agencies in the city.
We waited around the edge of this little square wondering what was about to occur. We wondered aloud if it would be another performance FOR us, where we would be treated like royalty coming to visit them. This, by the way, is a very strange feeling. It's odd to have people regard us twenty-somethings with such esteem without even knowing us. It undoubtedly has much to do with the color of our skin and the privilege of money that we carry with us. As we chatted, dancers began to perform and draw a crowd of passers-by:
It certainly drew in the people, including children and families who were home for the day. The little kids were too cute. Exhibit A:
And Exhibit B:
Here's a picture of the people starting to assemble:
The drama itself was fantastic. The all-volunteer troupe began to act out the story of a woman (below and right). (I should note that the drama was in what I think was Lugandan and we didn't understand...but the leaders of the agency translated for us as the play was going on.) Against the will of her husband, she gets tested for HIV only to find that she is positive. She comes to the home of a friend and confides in her. As she is telling this friend and receiving support, her husband (below left) comes home very angry. He begins to become verbally abusive and chases the woman's friend away. We later learn that in the process this woman breaks her leg trying to escape. He returns to his wife and begins to attack her physically. This portion of the play was really difficult to watch. The actors took great care with their parts. The woman seemed really scared and the man seemed really out of control. At points during the play a man with a bullhorn contraption would stop the action, the actors freezing in place. He would pose questions to the audience like "Was she right to get tested for HIV against the will of her husband?" The audience was very active in responding and openly discussed their feelings. At the start many were very leery of this woman who was going against the will of her husband. The play continued...
Seemingly out of the blue two other people came rushing onto the impromptu stage (below far left and far right), yelling and screaming and making noise. It was so startling that at first I thought it was someone making fun of the group or trying to disrupt the drama. But it turns out that it was very much part of the performance. These were two neighbors who ran off the abuser and provided support to the wife. Again the action would pause as questions were fired off towards the crowd. The mood began to shift and with prodding from this man with a bullhorn people were beginning to defend the woman. It was amazing how they were changing people's minds and hearts right as we watched...and with no props, no money, and an all-volunteer crew.
It was just so fantastic to see and organization using it's known resources in such a creative way to really create change. These young kids were there absorbing this important information, not just about DV but also HIV/AIDS and the importance of getting tested. It's hard to describe everything I was feeling and thinking but I hope this begins to convey some of what I think I learned and cherished from this amazing experience.
Cheers! Nathan
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