Self-Sustaining Enterprises Blog

With all of the animals that wander around loose here, I was wondering why you did not see more roadkill. There are not many wild animals, except for lizards and bush rats, but there are tons of goats, chickens, pigs, cows, and dogs that roam about. You will see a hobbling goat now and then, probably the result of a run-in with a car or motorcycle, but you don’t see any dead in the road. So I asked Ibro and he told me this story:

“I was driving in Bassa one day. About 20 minutes from Jos, I hit a dog crossing the road and killed it. I stopped and as people began gathering around, I asked who owned the dog. One young man said the owner had gone in to Jos and would be back later. He offered to let me pay him 1500 Naira (about $10) and he would see that the owner received it for compensation. Everyone around confirmed the dog’s owner and that he had traveled and 1500 was fair compensation. I thought 1500 was too much and I certainly was not going to trust giving it to anyone except the owner. I told them rather than pay now, I would come back later to talk to the owner so I could also tell him I felt bad for killing his dog.

While they said they would tell him, I am certain the people thought I would not come back. A couple of hours later, I did return and asked around for the owner. I met him and told him I was sorry for killing his dog. He did not seem sincerely upset, as he immediately asked me what I would compensate him for his dog. I offered him 1000 Naira and told him that it really was not my fault, the dog dashed in front of my car. He said it should be at least 1500 for the dog. After telling him that it was a skinny dog and not worth 1500, I again said it should be 1000. He was getting angry and started talking in his local dialect to those around him. Not realizing that my family had come from that area and I understood exactly what they were saying, they discussed among themselves agreeing he could hold out and get more from me. So I decided to have a little fun with them.

I agreed to pay 1500 but I said, “I want my dead dog.”

He asked me, “ Why would you want a dead dog?”

“If I have to pay up to 1500, then this must be a special dog so I would like to have him. Besides if I pay for him then he is my dog,” I answered.

“You cannot have him, because we have already buried him,” looking around at the others who now started to laugh a little bit and were still talking to each other in Rukuba.

“Dig him up,” I told them, only this time I spoke in Rukuba.

Their eyes all got huge as they realized I understood everything they had been saying. So I pulled out 500 Naira, handed it to the dog’s owner and said, “I hope you enjoyed your lunch.” After which I got in my car and drove away.”

So that is why you do not see much roadkill. When it happens, it just means it is time for an unexpected meal.

Sai anjima,

Brian

“Thanksgiving” has a unique meaning here, different from the U.S. holiday.  I can’t say if it’s common throughout Africa, but in Nigeria a family or individual can request a Thanksgiving service to 1) celebrate an occasion like a birthday, anniversary, or recent marriage, or 2) celebrate a blessing; success in an endeavor or good outcome from surgery or illness. There may be one celebrant or several, and depending on time constraints members may be able to give personal testimonies. It’s a custom I would love to see transplanted to my own country. 

In the past year Brian and I have attended a number of thanksgivings.  One was given by a young man in our church who scored the winning goal in the U20 African Cup.  Two were 50^th birthday celebrations for wives of Nigerian friends, and two were widows from Gidan Bege.  They all follow a similar format.  At some point the celebrant is introduced.  He or she walks to the back of the church where friends, family members and invited guests gather.  Special music is played and the celebrant leads the procession dancing to the front.  Sometimes there’s an opportunity for personal testimony to God’s kindness or faithfulness.  Then the whole group troops back to their seats, leaving an offering in a big chest or basket as they go.  The funds are for the church, not the celebrant, and God is given the glory.

The birthday thanksgivings were splendid affairs with catered parties before or after for friends and family members.  The widows’ thanksgivings were on a humbler scale, but more touching.  The first was for Tabitha, who had surgery for a fibroid tumor which Jocelyn paid for from ministry funds.  Tabitha recovered and her thanksgiving was public praise for God’s blessing.  The last one we attended was for Tina, a memorial for her police officer husband who was killed in the line of duty ten years ago.  (She is still fighting with the government for his pension.)

Tina was left with six children.  With God’s help she has so far managed to send them all to school.  (The youngest is now in the third grade.)  Her oldest son is a night guard at the widow’s sewing school, and took a loan under my tenure to pay for his driver’s license fees.  (The ability to drive significantly increases a young man’s chances of obtaining employment.)  Since I have known Tina her mother suffered a severe head injury in a motorcycle taxi accident, spent several weeks in the hospital, and still requires constant care.  One of her nieces accused Tina of witchcraft, saying that she “pressed upon her,” which sent the young woman to the hospital in pain.  Last week Tina’s daughter was struck by a car.  Fortunately she came away with only cuts and bruises.  Even though the thanksgiving service was in Hausa, Tina’s sincere gratitude to God was evident to all.

For me the highlight of the day was seeing Jocelyn and all the widows from Gidan Bege gather to dance forward with Tina.  Two were wearing new dresses I had seen them working on at the sewing school.  The family handed out memorial calendars with pictures of Tina’s late husband, Tina, and all six of their children.  Afterward everyone followed Tina home to her compound, where she and her children share a one bedroom/sitting room with a cement floor.   Drinks and a generous meal were provided. 

I remember Ladi once saying that Nigerians mourn with those who mourn and celebrate with those who celebrate.  They’ve grasped and practice a wonderful precept of community life.

Live from Jos,

Karen

With our trip home on the horizon, those who see us over Thanksgiving or Christmas will notice a slight change; Brian and I have each lost twenty pounds.  We have to say, this is entirely due to “The Nigerian Diet,” which we had no choice but to go on.

If you wish to try it, the underlying premise is that meat and convenience foods are incredibly expensive, and many American staples are either unavailable or don’t taste that great. This makes for a diet which is a bit limited but fairly low-fat.

A typical breakfast is two small bananas generously spread with peanut butter, vitamins, and tea or coffee.  (I splurge and buy real Skippy, which costs $4.30 for a 16 ounce jar.)  Lunch is a bargain, a super-sized Indomie (that’s Ramen for all you former college students) which Brian and I share ($.33), and water.  We choose from a variety of flavors here: chicken. If the budget allows we sometimes have a handful of Pringles, which sell for $2.50 a can.  With afternoon tea we may eat a slice of quick-bread, (banana, zucchini, cinnamon or carrot-walnut, which our house helper Mary loves to bake), or a couple of store-bought cookies. (Actually “biscuits,” as I tend to buy British.  My favorite shortbread sells for $2.50 a package.)  Brian only occasionally takes tea, (or coffee, as the case may be), but I rarely miss it. 

Dinner is our largest meal.  It evolved slowly from one-pot dishes on a kerosene camp burner (before we purchased our stove) to more elaborate meals like Italian spaghetti over pasta, a green salad with carrots and cucumbers, and garlic bread. Over time my cooking has evolved into something that is not really American but not Nigerian, either.  I guess I would call it Mennonite International.  Chili, white chili (with chicken), Nigerian or New Orleans beans and rice, Chinese stir-fry and fried rice, curries and soups are regularly on the menu.  They all tend to be heavy on the vegetables. 

Meat is expensive here, so I use it sparingly.  A small chicken is $8.50.  A pound of sirloin, the most tender cut of beef I’ve found, can be bought for $5.20. Boneless white fish fillets (not quite a pound) sell for $10.  Vienna sausages, our favorite frankfurters, are $6 for eight.  A pound of deli ham is $9.  Minced beef (hamburger) comes in frozen sheets, and at 350 naira each they add up to $7 a pound.  I use one per recipe, which is skimpy but we still get the flavor. I do the same with chicken.  One breast of meat goes into each dish. 

Other than coffee or tea, we mostly drink water.  Juice comes in one-liter cartons for $1.75.  Our favorites are Orange/Mango and Pineapple/Coconut.  Soft drinks, “minerals,” are purchased in glass bottles by flat ($7.00 for 24 after deposit), or in plastic bottles by the dozen ($9.00).  We usually keep them on hand for guests or movie nights.  Aside from the usual suspects (Coke, Sprite, and Orange Fanta), I’m fond of La Casera apple soda, Feyrouz pear and pineapple, and Schweppes Bitter Lemon.   

Food bargains are dried beans, (white, brown, and kidney), and vegetables.  Red onions, green onions, African spinach, cabbage, carrots, green beans, Irish potatoes, white yams, garlic, sweet and hot peppers are readily available.  The cost of tomatoes goes up and down, and you can only find Romas.  Careful searching will sometimes yield lettuce, fresh ginger, cilantro, basil, celery, zucchini, eggplant and beets.  Fruit has been a big disappointment.  We regularly buy bananas, Yellow Delicious apples and sometimes lemons.  Plantains are a new favorite but since we eat them fried, I only purchase them occasionally.  Oranges, watermelon, papaya and pineapple are expensive and usually don’t taste that wonderful.  Mangos were the highlight of the year, but they only come in season. 

I use soya and olive oil sparingly.  Our great extravagance is butter, which sells for $10 a pound.  It mainly goes into baking or Brian’s stovetop popcorn, which is an evening indulgence on movie nights.  We eat very little dairy aside from that.  Cheese is expensive; $2.70 for less than 8 ounces of New Zealand white cheddar, and you must make yogurt from scratch.  Milk comes either powdered or in long-life cartons ($2.50 per liter), and has a funny taste.  That’s why we gradually gave up cereal for breakfast. 

Bread is another staple that has gone by the wayside.  Nigerian white bread is slightly sweet, which I don’t care for.  I tried the wheat loaves at each bakery in town, but they either smelled sour or molded so quickly we couldn’t justify buying them.  Anyway, sandwich options are few since meat is so expensive.  Brian and I aren’t that fond of peanut butter and jelly, and you can only eat so much egg salad.  We like Lebanese flatbread, which we use for burritos and with soups, and will occasionally buy an Italian baguette for garlic bread. 

So there you have it, the secrets of our weight loss.  If you, too, wish to go on “The Nigerian Diet,” my advice is to make no provision for snack foods, other than the few I have mentioned.  Eat plenty of dried beans and vegetables.  Charge yourself these exorbitant prices for meat and butter and bank the difference.  Your savings will grow as your waistline diminishes.

Live from Jos,

Karen