Living in Community: Lessons from Africa

Living in Community: Lessons from Africa

On Wednesday afternoon I spoke to the Women’s Alliance at All Souls Unitarian Church in New York City. I called my talk Living in Community: Lessons from Africa.

My friend Marilyn, who was a board member with me of the Unitarian-Universalist United Nations Office, is a member of their Women’s Alliance. She had given a talk for the group recently. When I told her I would like to do that, she suggested that I write to Betty, the board member in charge of programs.

I did. Betty invited me to present to the Women’s Alliance April 20 meeting. She asked me to send my bio and a brief description of the talk several months ago. At the time I was also planning the talk for New Haven on Living in Community: Lessons from Africa.

So I decided to incorporate community building into my talk. Today it was a  combination of very brief Nigerian history, my own story, building blocks of community, and current news, all called “Living in Community: Lessons from Africa.”

I love an appreciative audience, and the women today were certainly that. Peggy, whom I also knew from the UU-UNO, opened the questions and comments part. She said, “I’ve read the book and I highly recommend it.”

That was so gracious of her! I believe she helped the book sales – 8 women out of the about 20 who were there bought books!

Among the women in the audience was another Mount Holyoke alum, another former Peace Corps volunteer, and a former Peace Corps staffer.

I was presented with a beautiful bunch of tulips to bring home!

Tragedy in Cameroon

Our U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, has gone to Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria to meet with civil society, military, and government leaders. She is encouraging use of military force as part of the strategy to defeat the group while at the same time discouraging excessive force against civilians.

US News and World Report carried the story.

Bradley Klapper of the Associated Press tells us that Power said, “All of you who are attempting to fight this terror, the United States stands with you.”

He says this is, “a rare visit by any foreign dignitary, let alone a U.S. Cabinet member, to this parched, dusty landscape dotted by thatched-roofed huts and meandering goats and donkeys.” He was reporting from Cameroon, but it sounds like parts of northern Nigeria.

But tragedy struck when one of the vehicles in her motorcade killed a 7-year old boy. He apparently had darted into the road and was watching the helicopters guarding the convoy.

When Power learned of the incident, she insisted on going back to see the boy’s parents.

The numbers of people affected by Boko Haram are staggering. Klapper says, “The war against Boko Haram has killed perhaps 20,000 people in this decade, and possibly far more. Some 2.4 million are displaced throughout the region. More than 60 percent of these are children. Millions more face dire food shortages.”

There is better coordination between the forces from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and the U.S. now, and Boko Haram has been driven out of urban areas. But they are using suicide bombers more frequently, and many of these are girls.

Boko Haram Escapee

When Boko Haram first kidnapped the girls from Chibok, a few escaped before reaching the terrorist’s destination. NPR’s All Things Considered had an interview on the 18th with a young woman who was one of the escapees.

Sa’a and her friend jumped from the truck carrying them into the forest right after their abduction. She said she decided she’d rather die and have her parents able to bury her, than be taken away by Boko Haram.

She didn’t die. She helped her friend who’d injured her legs get medical attention. Both girls are now studying in the U.S. You can listen to the interview.

Her family is still in Nigeria. She speaks with them regularly. She says they all encourage her to continue with her education. She wants to be a doctor, she said. I hope she succeeds in her ambition.