25.7.2007
The Shadow in Paradise - Kjartan Jonsson
The Shadow in Paradise by Kjartan Jonsson
(Friends of India)
Translator: Olafur Thor Eiriksson
http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/doorsrofkafkaaeel.mp3
At half past six on Christmas Eve´s morning I awoke by a peep from the mobile-phone, in this part of the country it only served the role of an alarm-clock.
I was staying at a hotel in Rongo, a small town in East-Kenya, me and my companions Ken Amittou's last stop, on our road from Kisumu, Ken's hometown, to Sindo, a small town by Lake Victoria.
From there the plan was to cruise out to the island of Remba. The purpose of the trip was to visit groups of volunteers from the Humanist-movement that Ken is working with.
The Road to Sindo
The road from Kisumu was driven in a ,,Matatu", a Toyota van with seats for 19 passengers and happens to be the most popular way to travel in Kenya. Ken probably didn´t appreciate my look at the end of the first day, because I was given a chance to sit in the front where there´s more space for the rest of the trip.
On our second last stopover I noticed an old woman approaching the car. She was followed by a swarm of flies, reminding me on a hobo-figure in a cartoon. After a lot of fuss she was finally allowed to come into the car, all windows opened and then we carried on.
When we arrived in Sindo, there was a short stop there before we stepped into an open boat with an outboard motor and sailed out on the lake. By that time a representative of the locals in the movement had joined the group; a young fisherman named Johanes who steered the boat very skilfully, along with Eric Obama, the head of social affairs in Sindo. We were enjoying a nice sunny weather out on the lake, the temperature a little under 30 degrees but a cooling breeze against us while sailing by beautiful islands, squirming with birds. After an hour´s sailing we glimpsed the resting-place straight ahead. Half an hour later we landed the boat up on the shore of the island Remba.
Remba
The island Remba lies in Kenya´s territorial waters, a short distance from the borders of Kenya and Uganda but is considered a part of both countries.
By sailing a few kilometers to the south one enters the waters of Tansanya. Most of the islanders come from Kenya but quite a few from Uganda. Every islander is connected to fisheries in one way or another, fishermen and their families. When there´s most fishing, during the top of the season, over 300 boats are used every single night.
There´s a police-station on the island where two policemen are standing each shift, one Kenyan but the other from Uganda. Every fortnight they are joined by policemen from Tansanya for checking out.
A walk around the island, where we looked at its districts; low unpainted houses made of corrugated iron, ended on a small superstructured pier, used for receiving and weighing catch. There we had a meeting with some islanders. In my speech I talked about the fishermen-island Iceland, recapitulanted the two years I´d spent on the sea and received wide smiles and applause and thus being accepted into the holy brotherhood of the fishermen.
Around five o´clock, when we were preparing our departure, the first fishing-boats were heading out on the lake. One of them was keeping shores short from land, and they seemed to be having some trouble, which ended with the outboard motor cutting loose and sinking into the lake. The fisherman put his hand quickly into the water and then was able to catch it and get it aboard anew.
The time for fishing is from sundown to sunrise. During the day the fish is in the deep but returns at night to the surface for the pupose of feeding. Even though it was Christmas-night there was no break, even though most people there are Christians.
Fishing-Administration in the Lake Victoria
On the way back the evening-breeze was in our favour while Johanes explained for me the administration of the fisheries in Lake Victoria. A few years ago all fisheries based on following the fish was banned and thus all trawling. The spawning-season takes place in a three months period each year and then no fishing is allowed, except for minor personal use. Then the fishing close to the shore, where the young fish tend to be is not allowed. The biggest problem is the great shortage of ice. One hast to sail a long way for it to Kisumu, a six hours trip. When they have ice they can sell and transport the fish to markets far away and even for export. That gives them considerably more money, than the receive for local sales.
The evenig sun cast its rays on the beach when we were approaching Sindo. We sailed by a high point of land on our right. Its shadow was cast over half of the town, but over the other half the last sun-rays casted an adventurous light on this natural paradise.
There was twilight when we came to the private school in the place, where another meeting was waiting for us. Among the members of the meeting was Philip, the principal of the school. He informed us about the schooling, obviously giving it all his ambition. It seemed to trouble him though that the running of the school had been becoming more and more difficult these last years. The number of orphans has been increasing each year and therefore the families´ necessary support for the schooling has decreased.
After the meeting we received dinner; chicken and Ugali, a maize-stew which is the main prosperity.
,,Our Music Kills"
After the meeting me and Ken visited "Hótel Bedrock" in Sindo where we slept. The hotel is one-storey, some rooms you can enter straight from the restaurant and probably wouldn´t even get half a star anywhere in Europe.
When we entered the hall a few guest were already there. Ken introduced me to Edwards, the commissary of health care in the place, who happened to be there. The two of them had met before because of the intended campaign against malaria that volunteers of the
Humanist Movement are planning to start. Their goal is to educate people about prevention, ways of infection and the use of drugs and the dispersing of mosquito-nets to children and pregnant women. They are planning to raise money in Iceland to buy nets.
Besides malaria AIDS is the biggest concern, in Kenya the average of HIV infected is 14% and by Edward's stated that the average is even higher in this area. He´s a young man, in his late twenties and just like many others on this Christmas Eve, he´s had a few beers.
,,Promiscuity is common around here" he said. ,,I try to encourage people to use condoms, telling them thus they will be protecting their spouses. But researches show," he said desperately, ,,that only about 25% of people use condoms and even fewer, or about 15% know how to use them." In the background we could hear the native Benga music, originally from the Luo and Kikuyu tribes, but has been influenced with music from all around. One beer later Edwards had become gibberistic, stood up under the enchantic music and danced sluggishly. ,,Our music kills" he said,,it arouses the passion."
I got a peculiar feeling a little later, when I had a look out through the room´s window at the incredible starry sky on this Christmas Eve, thinking about my children and the Christmas back home and put down the first words in this article.