Fernando
Five-a-side Mpanshya style28th February 2007
Three years ago, St Luke’s bought a second-hand minibus in Lusaka for staff transport. It subsequently broke down on its first journey to Mpanshya. It was towed back to the garage, who failed to repair it, or to come up with a refund, despite the best attempts of Sister Sabina. By the time we arrived last year, everyone had just about forgotten this sorry episode. But inadequate transport for hospital workers remained a huge problem, and so last April, Chas was assigned the task of trying to get the vehicle (or the money) back.
This dispute was not resolved quickly. Chas made many visits to the offending garage, and every time, he came back more exasperated. The proprietor started blocking his phone calls. The lowest point came when he turned up for an appointment he had made with the manager to find that the business had relocated to the other side of the city. I think they thought he would go away eventually. But as any North Ayrshire housing officer who has attempted an illegal eviction of a council tenant during the last five years will tell you, he is not someone who gives up easily. The finale was a stand up argument during which Chas accused the manager of swindling the sisters out of their money. Miraculously, the allegation of cheating members of a religious order worked where threats of legal action had previously failed, and the vehicle was returned in something close to working order.
So, today, Chas and Brendan made the maiden voyage back from Lusaka in the minibus (henceforth known as Fernando). It could not be described as the smoothest-running vehicle in the world – the engine generated enough heat to keep the adjacent sausage rolls piping hot until they reached Mpanshya. But it got here this time, and its arrival feels like a small victory for the hospital.
2nd March 2006
Eva and Maria leave Mpanshya tomorrow after two months of making beds and scrubbing floors. They come round to celebrate the end of their voluntary hard labour with pizza and beer. Tonight, everyone is talking about the arrival of the witchfinder in the village. I have heard nothing about this, but I suppose I am regarded as the local woman of science, and am thus kept in the dark about developments of a supernatural nature. Fortunately, Joost seems to be particularly well informed on this topic. The witchfinder has already identified several people as witches, and they are being kept in his custody until they come up with some kind of payment. (Coincidentally, every one of the detainees is in some kind of paid employment while the peasant farming majority have somehow avoided suspicion.) Everyone in the village who has not yet been accused of witchcraft is now going to see him for testing – a procedure which involves having a white line drawn on your forearm while your guilt or innocence is pronounced. Not to go would be a clear admission of wrongdoing, so no one refuses. As an outsider, it’s quite funny to find yourself living on the edges of this, when colleagues whom you regarded as quite rational start re-enacting scenes from The Crucible. But it’s deadly serious for people here, and I can’t begin to understand it.
Three years ago, St Luke’s bought a second-hand minibus in Lusaka for staff transport. It subsequently broke down on its first journey to Mpanshya. It was towed back to the garage, who failed to repair it, or to come up with a refund, despite the best attempts of Sister Sabina. By the time we arrived last year, everyone had just about forgotten this sorry episode. But inadequate transport for hospital workers remained a huge problem, and so last April, Chas was assigned the task of trying to get the vehicle (or the money) back.
This dispute was not resolved quickly. Chas made many visits to the offending garage, and every time, he came back more exasperated. The proprietor started blocking his phone calls. The lowest point came when he turned up for an appointment he had made with the manager to find that the business had relocated to the other side of the city. I think they thought he would go away eventually. But as any North Ayrshire housing officer who has attempted an illegal eviction of a council tenant during the last five years will tell you, he is not someone who gives up easily. The finale was a stand up argument during which Chas accused the manager of swindling the sisters out of their money. Miraculously, the allegation of cheating members of a religious order worked where threats of legal action had previously failed, and the vehicle was returned in something close to working order.
So, today, Chas and Brendan made the maiden voyage back from Lusaka in the minibus (henceforth known as Fernando). It could not be described as the smoothest-running vehicle in the world – the engine generated enough heat to keep the adjacent sausage rolls piping hot until they reached Mpanshya. But it got here this time, and its arrival feels like a small victory for the hospital.
2nd March 2006
Eva and Maria leave Mpanshya tomorrow after two months of making beds and scrubbing floors. They come round to celebrate the end of their voluntary hard labour with pizza and beer. Tonight, everyone is talking about the arrival of the witchfinder in the village. I have heard nothing about this, but I suppose I am regarded as the local woman of science, and am thus kept in the dark about developments of a supernatural nature. Fortunately, Joost seems to be particularly well informed on this topic. The witchfinder has already identified several people as witches, and they are being kept in his custody until they come up with some kind of payment. (Coincidentally, every one of the detainees is in some kind of paid employment while the peasant farming majority have somehow avoided suspicion.) Everyone in the village who has not yet been accused of witchcraft is now going to see him for testing – a procedure which involves having a white line drawn on your forearm while your guilt or innocence is pronounced. Not to go would be a clear admission of wrongdoing, so no one refuses. As an outsider, it’s quite funny to find yourself living on the edges of this, when colleagues whom you regarded as quite rational start re-enacting scenes from The Crucible. But it’s deadly serious for people here, and I can’t begin to understand it.
posted by june @ 4:51 am
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