Ebola update...and illegal chickens

This is one crazy country. I checked the online news before going out this evening and was delighted to read that 'Nigeria announces containment of Ebola, 2 more discharged, last patient stable'. Then when I was out at supper, my friend received a phone call to say that the government had just announced on TV that all primary and secondary schools in Nigeria are to remain closed until October 13th. October 13th! That's almost 7 weeks away! Alex is already climbing the walls after being back in Abuja for a week and I am desperate for school to start - the new academic year is due to commence next Monday. (And before I say any more, I recognise the contradictory nature of my position as before the summer break I was literally counting the hours until the end of term when I could take Alex out of school and stop worrying about the possibility of getting caught up in a Boko Haram attack. And now I am aghast that schools are not being allowed to open. Just shows what this place does to you).

What has incensed me is the utterly irrational behaviour of the government. On the same day that the Minister of Health annnounces that Ebola is basically under control, the Minister of Education declares that all schools will remain closed until 13th October. And this is all schools. Not just schools in Lagos, the only city in which there have been cases of the virus, but all schools in Nigeria. It is totally bonkers. The official statement said that the reason for the closure was 'to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in our schools throughout the Federation' and to allow time for two teachers in every public and private school in the country to be 'trained by appropriate health workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola and embark on immediate sensitization of all Teaching and non-Teaching Staff in all schools on preventive measures'.

So, having decided that the Nigerian government was actually handling this whole Ebola outbreak quite sensitively and sensibly, I have now revised my opinion somewhat. One sure way to create panic within a population is to close all the schools. And the edict makes no sense. Ebola is very hard to catch - you have to have contact with bodily fluids of an infected person and an Ebola sufferer is actually only contagious when they develop the symptoms (which are hardly difficult to spot, even by untrained staff; I imagine a child suffering from severe fever, intense weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding from the eyes might catch the attention of even the most unobservant teacher). The incubation period is from 2 to 21 days, but people are not contagious during this time. There is absolutely no reason why schools need to close. Imagine the inconvenience for millions of parents. And if schools, then why not universities, or cinemas or hospitals? I honestly don't know why I'm surprised; given that the federal government's security strategy for the World Economic Forum in May involved ordering a complete shutdown of Abuja for three days, this news should hardly come as a shock. And taken in the context of a dysfunctional education system where universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Educations regularly shut down for months on end due to strike action, a mere delay of 7 weeks to the start of term is small beer. (The Colleges of Education returned to class in late July after a 7 month strike; the polytechnics returned on 14 July having been on strike - for 10 months - since October 3rd. And this was hot on the heels of a dispute at the public universities, where staff were on strike for 6 months during the second half of 2013). So despite the frustrations of the school closure, we should spare a thought for a Nigerian student trying to pursue a tertiary education course here (not to mention a harassed mother of two small children trying to work on a research project within the Nigerian higher education sector).

But this is Nigeria and I have realised that the way to cope with life here is not to take anything too seriously. This is actually relatively easy to do when the headline of the second most important item of news on the Nigerian agenda tonight reads: Deputy Governor Of Enugu State Impeached For Running A Poultry At The Government House.

Salt Water and Sheep Dip

I was supposed to be giving a presentation at a conference in Lagos today but instead spent the morning at a 'Coffee morning & Ebola Briefing' (now there's a sentence I didn't imagine I'd ever be writing) here in Abuja. Such are the vagaries of diplomatic life. Or at least diplomatic life here in Nigeria - I don't remember attending too many briefings about fatal diseases during our posting in Washington DC. It probably says something about my relaxed, post-holiday state of mind that the words 'coffee morning' grabbed my attention more than 'Ebola briefing' but I was really excited to have the chance to catch up with friends after a summer away - there's a great community at the High Commission here and it was fun to see everyone again.

Despite the continuing terrorist attacks in the north of Nigeria whilst we were away (including a suicide bombing at Kano state polytechnic, one of the institutions at which our research assistants are collecting data for the British Council research project I’m working on), Abuja itself feels relatively relaxed at present - I think partly because the media is currently more focused on the threat from Ebola than terrorism. (When we were transiting through Addis last week and were asked where we were travelling to, we received several ‘Good Luck with Ebola’ wishes, which made a pleasant change from the previous default response of ‘Take care with Boko Haram’). There have been five deaths so far from Ebola in Nigeria, all in Lagos and involving people who had direct contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who brought the disease to Nigeria. Contrary to expectation, the Nigeria government has been pretty responsive to the threat and appears to be taking significant measures to ensure that the virus is contained. When we arrived at Abuja airport yesterday we were asked to stand in a line whilst a security guard wearing a face mask and gloves pointed a gun at our temples and fired a red laser at us. I think he was trying to take our temperatures. 

The biggest problem the authorities face is lack of education. When the first cases of Ebola were reported in Lagos, millions of text messages were sent out instructing Nigerians to bathe in and drink large quantities of salt water, preferably before a 4am deadline, in line with nonsensical advice issued by the Attah of Igala. Several people died as a result of consuming too much saline liquid. 

We are lucky in that we have access to a good health clinic and an inbox full of advice about avoiding the disease. The risk of catching Ebola is miniscule, but it doesn't stop friends worrying about us. We have just been back to the UK for my god-daughter's wedding in Suffolk. Having clearly received a text directly from the Attah of Igala, the friends we were staying with offered to install a sheep dip at the end of their drive for us to pass through before entering their house...

Tanzanian Tales

We’re back home tonight after a wonderful three weeks away in Tanzania. This was the first time we had taken the children to East Africa and it was absolutely fantastic to introduce them to our favourite country. We spent most of our time visiting friends down in Mufindi and Iringa, before finishing up with a few days relaxing on the beach near Bagamoyo. 

We stayed with our friend Sion in Dar for a couple of days at the start of the trip and had great fun catching up on several years' worth of news whilst the children made themselves at home in the playroom. Some aspects of the city have changed significantly since I was last in Dar 5 years ago. The traffic was much worse (it took us a full two hours to crawl from the airport to the Peninsular), the supermarkets are swankier and the High Commissioner's Residence (my future home - I am seriously thinking of applying for the job of High Commissioner's wife regardless of whether Simon ever bids for the role of High Commissioner) has been painted a very odd shade of mustard yellow.

We travelled down to Mufindi via Mikumi national park, where we stayed overnight at Stanley’s Kopje, with its stunning views and canvas cabins. After the drive down from Dar, the children were a little tired as we entered the park. Freya slept throughout the 2 hours that it took us to reach our camp, missing a close encounter with 4 staring buffalo (I was too scared to take a photo) and a glimpse of a family of elephants which even prompted Alex to look up from his colouring for a second and breathe a quiet ‘wow’. I’m not sure that Freya completely understood the concept of a visiting national park in Tanzania. When we asked her on the guided game drive which animal she’d most like to spot, her reply was instantaneous: ‘a sheep’. 

Fortunately for Freya, we headed off to Mufindi the next day to visit friends at the wonderful Highland Lodge, where there were plenty of farmyard animals of all descriptions to engage with. Her wish was granted and she fed a lamb – and a rather greedy calf - from a bottle. Mufindi is rapidly becoming our second home – it is stunningly beautiful and very close to our hearts. This is where we have planted a small plantation of pine trees - the objective being to harvest them in 10 years' time and start building the dream home (well, Simon's dream home - my heart is still set on the High Commissioner's Residence in Dar). Mufindi is also the location of the Igoda Children's Village project with which Simon has been closely involved with for almost a decade, and it was great to have the chance to catch up with developments in person. The community has been ravaged by AIDS but the charity is making a huge difference - from being on its knees ten years ago the community is now much more robust and able to support itself. We took the children to visit the nursery school affiliated to the project, I toured the sewing school and Simon visited the hospital at Mdabulo, which has been transformed since our last visit. Our friends Geoff and Jenny have been running the project for the past six years and now have two children of their own (the fabulously named Twilu and Tuke, two auburn-haired dynamos whom Alex kept referring to as 'the orphans' until I explained to him that Geoff and Jenny were actually their Mum and Dad).

We were incredibly well looked after by the entire Fox family and the children managed to fit in several firsts during their stay in Mufindi: first time sleeping in bunk beds; first time on a horse – Freya looking particularly impressive on her mighty steed, she has fabulous posture and no fear at all; first time on a quad bike; first attempt at fly-fishing and first time making a bow & arrow. I took the children to the trout hatchery to watch a rather messy process that I'd rather not describe (suffice to say that I now feel slightly queasy whenever Freya, who still has difficulty pronouncing her ‘k’s, asks for ‘milt’ to drink).

Upon leaving Mufindi, we made the journey – three hours by road – to Banawanu, a tiny village near Iringa, where our dear friend Christina was awaiting us. This was a poignant visit. We named our son Alex after our Tanzanian friend Alex Kibiki, one of the kindest, gentlest and special people one could ever hope to meet. Incredibly sadly, Alex was killed in a road accident three years ago - knocked off his piki-piki (little motorbike) by a lorry as he rode into work in Iringa - and he and our little Alex were never able to meet. Alex’s death still feels very raw and I had been trying hard not to think too much about the moment when we would arrive in Banawanu and he wouldn't be there to welcome us. He is buried, alongside other members of the community, in a little shamba just behind the house, surrounded by maize and shaded by avocado and papaya trees. We visited the grave, and Christina spoke to him and told him we had come to visit, and I just about held it together until we were walking back to the house. Simon came for the wake but this was the first time that I had visited since Alex died. I still feel profoundly affected by Alex’s death, I think partly because he represented to me all that is good about Tanzania - he was honest, hard-working, caring, inquisitive, enormous fun and had the potential to make a real difference to his community - and his death feels like such a waste. He had put himself through four years of agricultural and veterinary training in Arusha, spending months apart from Christina and their three daughters in order to complete his education. On my last visit, he had just established a local veterinary practice in Iringa and we accompanied him on his rounds as he inspected a cow in difficulties and castrated a dog (without anaesthetic – Simon’s eyes still water every time he thinks about it). Alex's death also represents the fragility of life here, and this was brought home to me yet again on this visit with the news that Alex and Christina's daughter, Rose, who is currently at secondary school up in Mwanza, had just been diagnosed with typhoid. She was receiving treatment and was doing ok, but is still very weak. 

Despite the sad circumstances, we had a wonderful time during the three days we spent with Christina. The children were able to sample ugali, mandazi, rice and beans, and fish cooked on a charcoal fire. They absolutely loved bathing from a bucket of hot water - I've never heard Freya giggle so much - and had great fun pretending to serve customers in Christina's little duka, whilst Simon sat outside on the little verandah drinking Safari beer and practising his Kihehe with the locals. We visited one of Christina's neighbours who had offered to give us some milk for Freya's breakfast - and Alex helped to milk the rather surprised cow! We called in at the house in Tosamaganga in which Simon and his friend Jonathan (now Freya's godfather) lived when they were both VSO volunteers. Iringa was much the same, with the exception of a swish new café and bookshop aimed at ex-pats. There were even a couple of mamas in the market who still remembered Simon and Jonathan, which I think was just about the high point of Simon's trip. 

We spent another night in Mikumi on the way back to Dar – this time in Vuma Hills, another of the Fox’s stunning camps. We had a fabulous game drive in the evening, where we spotted lions, crocs and hippos as well as the 'usual' animals. The game drives were notable for the questions they prompted from the children, who were a lot more engaged with the whole experience on the second Mikumi visit. 'Can a hyena run as fast as a lion?', asked Alex. 'Do giraffes sleep standing up? Can warthogs swim?' Not to be outdone, Freya joined in with her own questions: ‘Can a hyena eat a house?’ ‘Can a hyena fly a plane’? ‘Have you ever seen a hyena eat a malaria tablet?’ ‘Do sharks eat carrots?’ ‘Can a lion eat you if you’re sitting on its back?’

We spent our last three nights on the beach at Lazy Lagoon – a wonderful place to finish off the trip, where we did nothing much but play with the children, swim, tuck into delicious meals and read a couple of novels. All was well in paradise until the last evening when Freya jumped on the bed and split her head open on the bed post. Some homemade butterfly stitches seem to have done the trick – let's just hope the wound has healed well enough to take them off by the time she is a bridesmaid next Saturday...

This really was the most fantastic family holiday - it truly felt as if we were making memories. I'm not sure how much the children will remember of their first trip to Tanzania, so asked each of them (and Simon) to tell me what they enjoyed most about the entire experience. And here's what they said:

Highlight of Simon’s holiday: Alex marching up to the Masai guard at Vuma Hills and asking to see his knife; Alex finding a homemade football (made of plastic bags and elastic bands) and wanting to bring it home.

Highlights of Alex’s holiday: Meeting Christina and seeing Alex’s grave. (I totally welled up when he gave that answer).

Highlights of Freya’s holiday: Playing with in the playroom at Sion’s house; sleeping in the little bed at Sion’s house; playing with the pussy cat at Sion’s house (I honestly don’t know why we bothered to take her along).

As for me:

Highlights of my holiday: Playing ‘Happy Families’ in a hammock on Lazy Lagoon; seeing lions on the game drive, drinking tea on the verandah at the Southern Highlands Lodge.