Churches and China, in Liberia...

Monrovia December 17 2008
well, I guess I have a little time for writing on a very overdue blog. Sam is on one of his trips, he went across the road to get a block of ice for the cooler about 30 minutes ago. And when I say across the road, it is nothing more than that... But I guess that is just him.. what do I expect... Anyone of you who ever meet him will know that he has a tendency to ”disappear” from time to time. Anyway it leaves me time on my own, and that can be used on my blog, as I don't want to eat alone...
Well I guess I need to sum up what has been going on for the last week plus. I have been to church!!!! And, a great thing as it is for me, here it requires SO much more effort than most anywhere else (here being an African setting, because I don't think it is for Liberia alone). Anyways service started only 30 minutes late, so that was quite something. It lasted 4 hours!!!! So we were out by somewhat around 14.30... what a way to spend a Sunday morning, very enjoyable.. NOT! One reason is that church often is rather boring. But what gets me in this case, as always when visiting a church here, is the money thing. I mean, I know it, I have seen it before... But ohhhh. I got so angry that I almost cried... See this church, is a pretty nice church, it has windows (real ones), a wooden ceiling and chandeliers down the isle, it has 8 large fans with lamps on them over the benches and several fans along the walls, all of this being a fairly new thing, the fans were installed last year. But guess what they needed money for. Yes USD 18000 air conditions!!! Because many of the members lived in AC houses so coming and worshipping in the heat just wasn't acceptable! Seriously. I am telling you. And the reason the AC has to be so expensive is that if they get the ones standing at the walls the coolness still wont reach the isle... Who is sitting in the fucking isle???
Do you know what USD 18.000 can do here. The church is in one of the poorer areas in town, I mean I would not be so outrage if they would collect money for a community sanitation project, or school books or even to buy bibles to be used in church. But air conditions... AND the way... Argh. They had a Rally. But after the first round, and we sat for 15-20 minutes waiting for them to collect money, they decided it wasn't enough, so “go again”... and after the second time, it still wasn't enough.. So guess what, yes the baskets were send around on all the benches... After this they were satisfied. And we could move on to the regular offering.. Where a different basket is send round the benches... They raised more than USD 1000 in 45 minutes... That is the rent for this place in a year! 45 fucking minutes in this area, and you could have done so much in that neighbourhood... But no, they need air conditions. What was it that Jesus said about greed and money???
I went to a programme in our neighbour girls church one day. There the priest even looked a Seanan and me and said “if you have USD you can go to the back of the church and change it”. Again did Jesus not “ban” the money changers??? I mean I haven't ever read the whole bible, but I am sure I remember something like that... But “this is Africa”, right...
Ok enough raging against the churches, I just now need to find a way of getting out of going to church on Sunday, because I get so upset, and that upsets Sam. So it is a very bed thing for me to go to church here. Church in this country has nothing to do with Christianity, at least not the Christianity I know.
Besides from that, I am now restricted to live for less that USD 10 a day until I get to Ghana... That is somewhat of a challenge, especially because we are 2 having to live for that amount. And this is counting selling my phone to be get money to go to the airport.
I have promised to hold a farewell/Christmas party on the 25, I have now come to buying food and drinks for 30 people for less that USD 80. We are not going to get overwhelmed with drinks, or food, but I think it will actually happen... That is crazy, but I have no choice, I have made the promise and I also want to see people. So that leaves me with less than USD 100 till next Saturday..
We can do it, but it is not going to be a very fun and full of experiences week. Unless you count going to the market to buy food a lot of fun. And here I was hoping for some very nice food to leave on. Well at least I have Ghana to rectify that in. But I don't know what I am going to do with Sam. Maybe if I am good, the money for the phone will go to him... That should leave him with 20-25 USD.. That is also money...
Oh God I hope he gets a job soon. We are praying for a job at IMC for some time now. Yes I am praying! So you know it is serious. But I really think he has a chance. So send all your good energy and plenty good karma this way.
OK, he is back, and light is now on... though not to stable, the generator thing... Oh well..
Food.. yey, rice and clear soup...
Ok, back and taken advantage of the generator.. My battery ran out...
I forgot to tell you. Have discovered a new “favorite” radio station here... CRI China radio International. The newest, as far as I know, of the 5 radio stations China has in Liberia. But, why do I like this station... Year year, some will say I was always a communist... But that is not the case. They provide news, from the world, they have 2 rather fun radio show hosts AND they play ROCK music... Actually I think it is these two guys show I like, and they are the ones playing rock and presenting the strange news. They don't heavy severe rock, but Nickelback kind of rock.. That works for me. Rock practically do not exist here. It is all pop, R&B, hip hop kind of things. Like P. square (Nigeria) and Shaggy, oh year and of course 50 cent. Aren't I lucky. I don't mind this music, but all the time. The 15 songs that are being played I now know from end to another. And I actually bought a CD holding these numbers, so now you can enjoy them when I get home...
Besides from that, to look at the political aspect of the 5 radio stations china now has in Liberia... china is in the part of Monrovia called Congo Town, the area where I live... year year year. And the US embassy is at Mamba point, right in the centre of town, and the most expensive part for that matter... and apparently there has earlier been quite a palava over where the Chinese embassy should be, because the US didn't want it anywhere near them. I don't know if this is true, but it is the rumour on the street. The same street where the word is that the US is getting a bit uneasy as Ellen (the president) is too friendly with the Chinese. Hehe, but then what are they to do? Because if they threat to move their support Ellen will just make more use of the Chinese on the other hand they cannot give more support, just to push out the Chinese... A taxi driver asked me, about a second after I got in the car the other morning, “why do you think G.W. Bush says Liberia is not safe?” Oh well open with an easily approached theme... but maybe that is why, there are to many Chinese people here... It has nothing to do with the war... That was his idea anyway, maybe he is right.
But all in all, you have to love the fact that anyone, and I mean anyone, here as a political opinion. Everything in everybody's lives is political. To think of Denmark where we can get all the info we want at any time we want it, but very few gives a , well, they don't really care. Here... well everybody knows what happened when, a lot of info is transported via an oral channel, from person to person, but also the radio is a very used channel of information. Most people here knows exactly who said what at the TRC. I know this is their lives, but still. How many of you have to think about what TRC stands for... Most people at the camp, and many here knows different UN conventions, and how the politicians are not living up to them. The trouble here is, that people don't believe they can do anything about it. In DK, few cares, but the minute something comes up, they will definitely move to do something about it. I guess we, as peoples, can really learn from each other.