Turn right at the 'Killing Tree!' - another market day...




  

Hazy morning travelling east from Dawakin Tofa towards the Kano - Katsina Road


 Walking into Dawakin from the school last Friday was to be a relaxing end to what had been a busy week. We had been travelling 3 - 4 hours per day back and forth to a science and technical school that seemed designed to harness the heat of the sun and point it directly to wherever I stood in class. Now was the weekend, a bit of food shopping and the weekend would be set up. The whole school goes into the town for Friday prayers at the mosque, so we were greeted by several multitudes of boys on their way back as we were going in the opposite direction. The market was a lot busier than the time before, but we thought that the locals would have got used to our white skins after nearly seven weeks, so this visit would be fine.
It can be quite disconcerting as I've mentioned before, when literally hundreds of people just stop what they are doing, mouths dropping, just because I've walked by! (Checked to make sure my trouser zip was indeed correct...)Anyhow we pass the millet, maize, rice, tomatoes, chillies, onions and oranges and start to take a closer look at some of the more unusual items. There were some amazing dried fish and some mirrors fashioned out of old CD's that had little battery holders for some lights that were also attached. These were selling like 'hot cakes'.
This brings me to the real reason we went to the market, as my colleague Annabelle had taken a fancy to some clay pots that hold hot coals in them. You oil the lid which has some small crater like troughs fashioned in it. After adding your dough, it acts like a little oven. I thought it might work for yorkshire puddings! 
Dawakin is famous for its pottery and as we walked along a path through the market towards the kilns, I noticed that we had an entourage of at least 30 children. We thought if we went into the narrow alley ways of the pottery kilns, the children would disappear. At this moment I was accosted yet again by a ranting old man who was saying I don't know what. This has happened before. A passing staff member from school interpretted that the man was demanding money from me as "all white people are rich!" In comparison to him I must be a billionaire. And like all billionaires, I pleaded poverty and told him the women have all my money... That sorted him out!
We knew we had to turn right at the 'Killing Tree', which is a place one wouldn't want to hang about for too long a time. In every market, each trade has its own 'quarter'. So fast food, meat on skewers etc was prepared by the killing tree as I call it. Underneath its branches, various animals were dispatched, skinned or plucked and cooked! The ground was red with blood stains and feathers flew in all directions. Being a complete coward in this respect... I love to see cows in fields and sheep in meadows and always look for the associate bargain in Tesco's or Sainsbury's on a Saturday. But you show me a poor goat or sheep being led bleating plaintively by the foot and I think being a vegetarian would be the best for all concerned. Having turned the corner, it was out of sight and nearly out of mind...

At the pottery, Annabelle negotiated 100N ( about 40p) for a 4 cake size bowl. The children grew in number to the point where it was uncomfortable and in the end, we beat a hasty retreat. If this is how Peter Andre gets his kicks, I'm glad I'm not a celebrity. The market could have made more money that day, but it seems the novelty of our skin colour has not worn off! No meat and two veg. for dinner either!















Harmattan

Harmattan is the name given to the sub-saharan wind that can blow for days and create a fog of red dust up to several metres high. What looks like a dense fog in the distance is the amount of dust billowing around in that area. If you've ever wondered why regular kids looked caked in dust from head to toe, whilst wondering why their mothers don't make them wash more: now I understand! It's impossible. 
Everywhere around gets covered in dust. It blows under doors so that science equipment looks as if it hasn't been touched for years!!! You hang washing out on a 'clear day' only to find it wasn't that clear after all. All clothes take on a slight rusty appearance, especially after washing...
Then there's the water issue. We've had no water for two days, so Mr Sani took his Indian taxi laden with water carriers to a bore hole in the town to fill. Bless him! Some staff walk the nearly two miles there and back with a small dustbin of water on their heads - around 40 litres worth. Now why would any mother be concerned by a little dust that her 10 year old picks up whilst playing football outside?Think of the water you would have to use! It's not that there isn't water, it's just how far you've to go to collect it.
The Heath Robinson contraption that keeps going on a whim and a prayer pumping water, seems to have given up the ghost. No water in school either. That means 800 boys have been without water to drink or wash with for two days. Nobody seems bothered - only me!

Reciting from the board

One of the Foundation Classes

Home time!

There are different Harmattan's for different times of the year. Nigeria, hopes every election time that a 'wind of change' will happen for the nation's better. We visited a 'model' school and had been warned beforehand not to think all schools were like this, as this was better than most.
The Principal and Deputy were very welcoming and hospitable. The children were splendid and well behaved. The prefects had different coloured hats on depending on what they were prefect for. Some for gardening, sports captain, class monitor etc. We saw neat rows of wooden benches, populated by boys to one side and girls to the other. The rooms were bare and clean - monitors clean the floors of any debris that flies in from outside. They also had a games pitch and field to go to!
We saw some handwriting practice and some Arabic lessons - learning by rote.
The majority of classes had a teacher, some of those without had prefects to look after them. They had a library, and a few computers but without internet access. Occasional children would be invited to learn about the keyboard and mouse operations. It was a very informative visit and showed how the primary phase fits with the secondary in education. It's quite breezy today!

"Some mothers do 'av 'em!"

Don't look now!

One has to avert one’s gaze as you walk from the staff quarters to the school as countless boys will be in the scrub bushes going to the toilet as the school’s toilets are being renovated with a new block planned. Always discrete, they are naturally embarrassed if you happen to trip over someone about their business!

 The boys here are great, they work so desperately hard, knowing that a good education is their ticket to a brighter future.  We like the staff tremendously. All articulate and trying their best at a difficult time for teaching in Nigeria: when they are paid so little. Most teachers need to earn money on the side just to make ends meet.

We will be working with the English department naturally as well as running workshops on teaching and learning to those who are interested. The English department has a ceiling tile missing which gives a large owl living in the roof space access to defecate over books and precious materials. A requisition has been made to the board to fix the tile, but it can take forever for such a trivial thing to be rectified. In the meantime, where can I get a ladder from... ? Local management of schools would rectify this!

The library is one of the better we have seen but still has very few books by any standards. The boys are desperate to get their hands on any English materials to gain a better understanding of vocabulary and comprehension. With little access to T.V.  and most bookshops only to be found in the Sabon Gari  (where the foreigners and Christians live ) district, it also comes down to money as novels are very rare and expensive. Second hand paperbacks can cost as much as ten pounds. This is an obvious area that needs support in their learning. With the help of our school, we might be able to do something about this! The boys come to just talk or borrow a book and check their understanding throughout the day on the weekend or after school during the week. Passing English is their most consuming issue. It’s not so much an issue if you come from a wealthier family.

The new ICT suite will be great when it is commissioned though in the meantime it gathers dust until all the logistics are in place. I have warned of the dangers of treating the computers too preciously. We know from experience that they should be used as much as possible as a tool for learning because they will soon become out of date. The Board will get the best price to put in a suite but the computers often come with no software or just a small pirated copy so cannot be properly upgraded. There needs to be more joined up thinking. The staff have the answers but the powers that be need to consult more when commissioning.

Cooking for 800 boys three times a day is quite a challenge. We saw the outdoor kitchen at work today as the ladies toiled away making broad beans with millet porridge for lunch. I think I’ll give it a miss today. Health and safety at work don’t make me laugh – open boiling cauldrons with babies crawling around! Now where’s that ladder?

Too many cooks?



Mmmm... boiled broad beans - very nutritious

 

"Please Sir, I want some more!"









Are we there yet? A Driver's Tale

I had finished packing my suitcase and thought it time to go down to breakfast. Full of anticipation at what the marketing manager would have organised. My heart sank as I looked about the buffet.  The Nigerian breakfasts are loaded with carbohydrate. There were several doughy options, no fruit or vegetables, hard fried eggs, pancakes and toast without any spread. I opted for a thick pancake which came without any topping. I sat with my cup of black tea to chew the pancake. Breakfast I would not miss but the occasional hot water in the shower and the very noisy air conditioning unit in my room I would miss. I must talk to the marketing manager...

At table our driver was upset because he had received a phone call in the night asking him to keep the partying quiet! And that in future he should not take alcohol into his room. Considering there were over 20 students staying in the hotel one suspected that someone else had got their wires crossed. However for a devoutly Muslim man, he was upset to think someone thought he had been drinking and partying. A colleague went to complain to the duty manager that this had happened whilst I tried to pacify him and get him to eat something, given that we had a long journey ahead of us.

The duty manager apologised, driver happy, tried to check out of hotel... The ensuing power cut meant there was a huge delay in printing off room charges and an hour later we were ready to leave.

It was something of a luxury to have a mini bus for five including the driver, so when we found out the Principal had kindly offered an extra five students attending the training, a lift back to Kano, I knew it was to be a hot and claustrophobic journey.

Abuja has terrific roads, but like everywhere else in Nigeria, road traffic accidents are an accepted part of everyday life. Lorries carry far too much weight and mini buses squash double what they are expected to carry in terms of passengers and speeding helps you make more journeys and more money. If your side of the road is gridlocked then drive on the pavement (!) or the other side of the road. Everyone has to maximise their own profit!

In the newspaper the previous day two small paragraphs of writing stated that 28 people had died in two separate accidents between Kaduna and Katsina and Kaduna and Kano. 10 had been burned alive! Abuja has lovely wide roads; the same as a dual carriageway, except you come across junctions where the lights aren’t working. Imagine if you dare that vehicles travelling at speed come to a crossroads where literally 8 lanes of traffic collide, you understand the excitement of it all. Always carry a spare pair of pants... that’s my motto!

Another point to bear in mind is not to offer an opinion on what direction you should travel in with seven Nigerians in the same vehicle. Well one of them had to be right and after an hour we were just leaving the city having taken several wrong turns, when we ended up pointing in the wrong direction again with a flat tyre! I watched the bags at the back of the vehicle, whilst the students and driver put on the spare. An old man passed and asked where we were going, replying Kano he burst into uncontrollable laughter as he tried to point out the fact that we were headed in the wrong direction. A broken down vehicle is a huge attraction for street vendors who appear out of nowhere at a moment’s notice to sell you...well everything! The students took pity on an old woman carrying a baby on her back and a gigantic basket of Yams on her head. They were a good price so they bought the lot. Now to fit them into the van...

Two minutes later, we were on the move complete with Yams falling around the floor and in the safe knowledge that one more u-turn would see us in the right direction. 50 metres later the driver indicated left and pulled over. What happened next was a bit of a whirl, but basically the van was attacked by two traffic police. One over 6 feet 5 inches tall and the other, a black version of Hattie Jacques. She was shouting and complaining as she forced herself into the van, hitting the driver, demanding to see his licence and threatening to arrest all of us. Pulling the vehicle over, we all piled out with the Principal and students pleading with her for mercy as the driver was unaware we couldn’t u-turn and that they had important guests in the vehicle from England. She was eventually ushered away to a safe distance, looking at us occasionally and was then given what she wanted... a little dash! She demanded an introduction to all the white people and after hitting the driver a few more times cheerily waved us off. I really felt sorry for the driver, it was not his day! Accused of drinking and partying, then abused by a ‘Christian’. We still hadn’t left Abuja’s city boundary. We were supposed to leave at 9am and it was now midday. The next four hours went by in an uncomfortably hot blur...

The driver’s mum had been admitted to hospital a few days before for poor breathing and he was glad that the Principal had acceded to his request to make a small detour of an hour to see how she was. Arriving, he was met by his elder sisters and we followed him at his request, to visit his mother.

Hospitals can now be added to my list of Nigerian experiences. There will of course be state of the art hospitals in parts of Nigeria for the very rich. This was considered a good hospital in the medium price range for those that decide to go. You have to pay first before you are admitted. The Female and Paediatric Ward was near the end of the building and was quite a sorry state. We passed some sick children who were obviously poorly and were being looked after by someone in their family. Luckily, the driver’s Mum looked to be on the road to recovery. We introduced ourselves to her and two more of his sisters and then left them alone for a while after a bit of small talk.  Apparently apart from some ancillary staff the hospital ‘functions’ by a visiting doctor doing a morning call and a visiting nurse in the afternoon. I thought the schools were poor in comparison but...

By 7pm we reached Kano central and after stopping to drop people off and briefly buy some bottled water and a water melon; we arrived back ‘home’ – clothes like wet rags and with a numb bottom.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

Scene 1 Outside the Crystal Palace Hotel, Abuja, 4 VSO Volunteers are waiting to hail a taxi and stand arguing over the price for at least two minutes. White skins carry a premium unless you argue.

“Ah, you are going out tonight!”

“Yes Mma”, I replied.

Silence from the hotel owner who was the spitting image of Mma Ramotswe from the BBC version of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

“Some of these taxis are no good. Ex. Pats and volunteers need to choose carefully”.

“Really Mma!”

“Yes, I am very choosy. Have you eaten?”

“No Mma.”

“Are you going to a restaurant?” Finally getting to the point.

“Yes Mma!” We had to admit. Then came the expected onslaught.

“You know we can do any food you like, just order it up, you do not need to go out to spend your money, we can give you everything at this hotel. “

“Yes Mma!”

She continued. “We have conference facilities and 24 hour internet cafe. I’ve told my marketing manager, anything you want, you can have.”

I was surprised she had a marketing manager at all but thought this was a good development for her hotel.

“Where are you going?”

“’Ketchup’ Mma, but we don’t know the address only the district. We hoped the taxi driver would know.”

“ I will get my marketing manager.”

We let the taxi we’d just secured go away whilst Mma Ramotswe telephones her marketing manager who had already left for home and drags him back to inform us where the restaurant could be found. He explains to the next taxi driver to come along and off we go. Of course what Mma didn’t know was that it was her marketing manager that recommended the restaurant in the first place...

Scene 2. Travelling by taxi in Abuja at night must be one of the most exciting pastimes one could wish for. In the absence of any extreme sports or world class theme park, travelling by taxi comes a close second.

I let my colleagues share the back seat and selfishly accept the front passenger seat as it has more room. Until that is, we set off. Aware that there isn’t a working seat belt, I rue the decision to sit in front and say a few ‘Hail Marys’ for good measure. Often with my eyes closed at Junctions.

Scene 3. ‘Ketchup’ With wall to wall Premiership football repeated continuously (everyone in Nigeria seems to support Chelsea (!)). Had a delicious chicken shwarma with fries and a Chapmans non alcoholic cocktail.

Scene 4. Hotel Lobby. Arrived back at the hotel and discussed with Mma, the merits of having some fruit or juice served at breakfast. I will inform the marketing manager she says and we wave a cheery goodnight!

Scene 5. Hotel Room. Midnight... Violently ill... Thought hotel food might be OK after all!

Teacher Training Workshop - Abuja

6^th & 7^th February 2011

Mr Musa Idris Musa, our Principal with graduates

Having taught for a year as part of the National Youth Training Corps, the assembled 24 or so graduates had elected to continue teaching another year and were having their meagre salary paid for by VSO.

Teaching is still overwhelmingly didactic and poor performance is always the fault of the pupils, not the teacher. Unsurprisingly therefore, our workshop was based on learning. Marianne kicked off with how the brain functions and various learning styles. Annabelle followed with different learning pedagogies. Ingrid (who organised the logistics) covered inclusive education and I finished with what makes an effective learner and the role the teacher needs to play.

The graduates were all enthusiastic, articulate, bright and receptive. It gave one a good feeling that Nigerian children have some potentially very able teachers. It just depends whether it can hold on to them or not.

The graduates were all friendly and engaging and could easily see the links between poor pupil performance and the restricted teaching approaches. What they were being asked to do as having had no previous training, was to go back to school and teach in a very different way to that of their colleagues. A challenge indeed. The hope is that they will apply their new knowledge in a small way and analyse the outcome. Analysis of application, reflection of any kind seems lacking. Having given out e-mail addresses and telephone numbers, we expect a great deal of contact from them. Five graduates are from our own area of Kano State and so we will be visiting them and supporting however we can.

More teachers are I think still needed to come from the UK to model the different approaches and high level of interaction between teacher and pupil. We will undoubtedly be teaching a lot more and so our brief continues to expand in order to support the areas that need us most.

Conversations went on into the night with those graduates who had one question after another to satisfy.

Home and Away



Working at my laptop in lounge area.



Collecting water with Kalif ,a biology teacher.





This is my bedroom with Mosquito net.



1^st February 2011 (Martha’s Birthday)

Today we met up with the boys and staff of Dawakin Tofa, where we are staying to see the first assembly of the year. The Principal Mr Musa Idris Musa welcomed us after the boys had been led in prayer for around 10 minutes and the national anthem had been sung. The Press Club then gave their weekly news roundup including their interview of the three visiting head teachers from England. They outlined the similarities and differences between the school system in Nigeria and UK. There then followed a message about where happiness can be found...

After a final prayer we attended a staff meeting informing the teachers of the problems with the electricity and water. The fact that public schools had their old bills paid off by the state but that the Science & Technology Colleges would not. This gave rise to a heated debate which lasted ten minutes or so, and then the meeting finished without any resolution.

Visited the town market today to buy our usual tomatoes, chillies, onions and garlic. We bought some sesame seed snacks from a little girl carrying them on her head. I liked them, they had a toasted flavour. One old man came up to me and started having an argument about what only heaven knows. People still stop and stare a great deal at us. We have been told that it might be assumed by the locals, that my two female colleagues would be considered as my wives, just because we walk together. This might seem strange to us until I explain that the overwhelming majority of men in this part of Nigeria would have more than one wife! It is very common for a man and wife to decide together that the man can marry a second, third, fourth or even more times. It is an outward sign of his wealth that he can afford many wives and many children.

2^nd February

Visited our first school that we are to be working with. It took nearly two hours to get there! The Principal showed us around his school which is a technical school and specialises in teaching trades to boys such as block walling, carpentry, electrical engineering and agricultural tooling. They have very few resources compared to the other schools we have seen, but the Principal is resolute in looking after what he has. Nigerians are very hospitable and before we left we were given a ‘Malting’ which is a non alcoholic drink that looks like beer but is not. Muslim people do not drink alcohol.

Our next school was south of the city and is similar to the boys school we are staying at. Another boarding school specialising in science. They have had a new ICT suite built which is really fantastic. However it has not been commissioned yet, but will be a great resource. We also learned that even though the government may choose schools to build such suites they do not come with software or internet access or have the electricity to run them. Let’s hope this won’t happen at this school.

3^rd February

Visited our first girl’s school which was great to see. Most girls may drop out of school after the primary age, but more and more are starting to attend secondary schools. There are only a few day schools, no boarding. The girls all wore Islamic dress with white Hijabs.  They all looked a bit like Our Lady or young nuns and had different coloured piping on their clothes depending on whether they were juniors or senior science or senior technical. They have up to 90 girls in a class. 10 rows of 9. They copy a passage from the board in English even if they do not understand English and then learn it by rote. Those that can assimilate the information will go further up the education ladder! We really enjoyed all of our visits and hope to work with the schools over the coming weeks.

We also met some of the NYSC student teachers and will be travelling to Abuja on Sunday ready to give them some training on Monday and Tuesday next week.