Procrastination for Africa

Procrastination for Africa 

On December 13, 2009 I was offered an opportunity through the publisher of the Columbia Star and ERA- USA, a local non- profit organization, to spend a month of my summer living, working, and experiencing in the country of Guinea. I was to further research on the Faranya Project, reconnect with lost contacts, and hopefully help a Guinean acquire an American Student visa.

Though I had no previous knowledge of the country or any experience to qualify myself for the various goals I was to accomplish, I excitedly agreed to go and gave little thought to the dangers of working in a West African third world country.

I was quickly reminded of the unstable political system in Africa when the dictator of Guinea for 24 years, President Lansana Conte, passed away on December 23, throwing the country into political unrest. The power vacuum he left was filled by a military coup headed by the current President Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.

While Capt. Camara has promised to hold democratic elections in Guinea by the year 2010, he has dissolved the Guinean Legislative body, made laws prohibiting the assembly of political groups, and threatened prosecution to anyone who disagrees with him. While Guinea, a French colony until 1958 was taken over by the military jonta, I prepared for my scheduled arrival on May 6.

Map of Guinea

To say that I was prepared for my trip to Africa would be a sad joke. I had been given a full six months to prepare for my departure that I believed would give me plenty of time to acquire a passport, visa, shots, and even learn a good deal about the history of the country that would be my home. I even had this silly idea that I would have time to learn enough French to carry on modest conversations with the local population. I might have also thought I would have time to learn how to fly the plane across the Atlantic.

It was no surprise to either myself or my friends that the night before my flight I had yet to put the first article of clothing in my bag. My previous semester of classes at USC and various weekend wars had left me little time for any preparation other than the absolute necessary.

Though I had applied for and received my passport by the middle of January, taken my spring break from school in Washington DC to attain a Guinean visa, made multiple trips to the doctor's office getting vaccinations for everything from Hepatitis A and B, all the way down to Typhoid, assuring my sole survival should an outbreak of yellow fever strike the Midlands. The day before my departure I had yet to purchase clothes, shoes, or emergency medical supplies. Fortunately and not without the invaluable help of one of my very good friends, I was able to perform all the final and highly necessary tasks that needed to be done before I left for Africa. I never would have expected the events that I was about to experience.

Captain Moussa Dadis Camara

Questions or comments, please email JacobW@sc.rr.com

Next week: The JFK 10k

Guinea facts and figures

Official name Republic of Guinea Capital city Conakry Population 9,690,222

 

Languages French (official), and

local dialects

Official currency Guinea Franc Religions Muslim, others

Land area 245,860 square km

Leaving from Charlotte

(94,926 square miles)