I spent a couple of days working with Taler, who is from Nigeria. His father had a farm in the Edo region. He knows what it is to carry water, to live in a world where plumbing exists somewhere else.
He was sent off to school to become an accountant. He came to the United States to find opportunities. He hopes to return to school to get an equivalent credential in accounting.
I like working as a helper whenever a skilled worker calls on our house. You can learn by working beside another person. And so, as Taler worked, we talked, and I came to understand two things I probably already knew:
• I would flunk a current events test for Nigeria and West Africa. I’m sadly ignorant.
• Not knowing about geography, economics and politics is bad, but worse is the ignorance about the people: how they live, what they value, what they believe.
I could give hundreds of examples, but one must do today. I am a lover of a vegetable, native to West Africa, that I like pan-fried in a dusting of cornmeal. Taler winced when I spoke of “okra.” He calls it “okro” and prefers it in soup.
A more substantial and interesting example of what I don’t know: the idea of ehi, a personal spirit who looks over each living being and communicates with the spirit world on the individual’s behalf.
I’m still thinking, meaning there’s more to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment