Rounding up 2019

My biggest lesson in 2019 has been that it is not and should not be all about you!

It's not like I have not always known this but it has hit home so much harder through the year.

I lived in Central African Republic all of 2019 where the country has been totally run down by selfishness. I cannot and may not have accurate analysis so I'm stating very clearly that this opinion is personal.

The sun setting over Bangui

When people speak of the good old days...(I wrote a little about that here), I always ask what changed. When you dig deep, it boils down to selfishness; the need for power and control, people thinking only of themselves and what benefit they can get. I'm sticking to the everyday little things that have led to me draw this conclusion.

Being "African"

I was out with friends and it was an informal gathering, so of course we were all free to tease each other. We jumped from one topic to the other, and the banter just went on. We were on the topic of food and milk came up, I mentioned that I hadn’t had milk in a while.

 In response to all the whys, “I am lactose intolerant and I have irritable bowel syndrome”. I got such an incredulous stare from some of the people I was having a chat with. What do you stand for or who are you really, some stares seemed to say. Then there was a barrage of comments and questions. “I thought that was only for white people?” “With you, I only hear sicknesses that I hear on TV.” “And it’s not just her but in her family, some people are allergic to sea food, nuts and other things.” “What kind of food do you eat apart from all these oyibo dishes?” “You do not eat enough, you don’t eat pepper, you eat all these salads and vegetables.” “You are too punctual and exercise too much when you are not even fat!”

Thoughts on humanitarian action...

Humanitarian action normally has the aim to save lives, reduce suffering, poverty and help to maintain human dignity. Well, that's the summary for me from working in the humanitarian field.

I've noticed that when humanitarian action is mentioned, just like development assistance, it is mostly tailored to the Middle East, Africa and in some cases, South America. A good number of the organisations leading in this field are from Western countries, these countries would like to save the world albeit being wishful thinking.

All humanitarian assistance is worthy and directly impacts lives. I can say that for a fact as I work in that area. The joy derived from witnessing the emotions of a beneficiary is PRICELESS!

However, in the light of recent attacks, it is slowly dawning on everyone that nowhere in the world seems to be safe these days... There have been constant attacks by armed groups in different parts of the world and the Western countries are targets for various reasons.

Some of the "holy wars" that are being fought might not make sense to some of us, but the ones in it are willing to die for the cause for which they fight. Unfortunately, we all are caught up in it - innocent, guilty, old and young, every living thing!