Tuesday, November 29, 2005
What I do !
This entry serves as a response to those interested readers who would like to
know what type of work my job actually entails. I hope I can provide this information in a readable if not a somewhat entertaining manner. I can think of no worse blog entry than that which offers a dry job description. Rest assured, there will be no mention of TPS reports or office politics. What follows is a general account of where I work, who I work with and the types of things I do; if I can convey the passion for my work in this entry, it should be a worthwhile read. Enjoy!
I work in an office. I have a computer. I have meetings every day. For better or worse, the Peace Corps can have a reputation for being incredibly exotic and unlike any type of work you might find in the States. There are cases of culture shock and local differences that can make life exotic, but in the end people are working for the same ends that we work for in the America. It follows that the modes of working are not always that far removed from the way we work in the States.
I work for the Union of Artisans of Gormul (U.A.G). U.A.G. is an organization that provides information and resources to all the businessman in the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso(Think of a region about the size of Central Illinois). An artisan is a loosely defined word that translates as almost any businessman. Everyone from Architects, home builders, carpenters and electricians to tailors, soap makers, weavers and restraunteurs are considered Artisans. My Job is to work with these Artisans in two ways:
As a consultant to U.A.G
Work as a business advisor to individual businesses and businessmen who have the drive to make their organization grow.
I am currently conducting an “Etude de Milieu” which means each day I conduct meetings with some of the following groups: staff members of UAG, local government officials, foreign development organizations and different groups of Artisans. After meeting with these groups I gain a better understanding of the business environment and the challenges that they face. I analyze the organization’s Plan d’action (Strategic Plan) and find a way to improve or help make some of their goals come to fruition. I am also learning the capabilities and histories of each organization, thus allowing me to make recommendations.
Here is an example of the challenges that face U.A.G:
For the past 10 years they have been financed by a Swiss NGO (non-governmental organization). They have grown dependant on the money given from the NGO and they have not developed a sustainable infrastructure. UAG is now in a position to become more self sufficient as the NGO is leaving/restructuring their relationship with UAG. There are currently no revenue generating activities conducted by UAG and there is not a cohesive/well functioning membership, thus, the benefits of the union do not reach the people they are intended to reach.
Here are just a few of the topics I cover with individual Artisan groups:
How do they communicate with UAG, Who are their clients, How do they keep records, Do they collect membership fees, Where does the money go, How do they save money, Do they work with the banks and take out loans for investing in their business, Do they market their product, what type of marketing do they use, How many members of the group speak French, how many members are literate, What do they think they need to improve their business. (Money seems to be a popular answer to the last question, but a poor answer that will not lead to a sustainable change in the vast majority of cases) This problem is ubiquitous in many aspects of the society. I frequently use the analogy of sand slipping through ones fingers as it relates to artisans who think their answer is more money. When one simply receives a donation it is like sand slipping through ones fingers. It is easy to think the solution to their problems exists as a grant or a handout from a foreigner. The last ten years have a rich history of guilty white people giving money to people without much planning. The money slips through hands, gets gobbled up in corruption and in the end helps nothing except for conscious of the beneficent giver. Start-up capital is certainly needed, but not without a satisfactory plan to make the money go toward something sustainable. Development is needed not charity.
In short, my job is to improve the way these organizations and businesses work; this is a daunting and perhaps impossible task. I am thinking big but picking reachable goals. I am finding motivated people to work with and I creating action plans. I am under no delusion that my time here will end in anything more than an improvement on an extremely micro economic scale, but I am learning much and I think that I can make an impact on the lives of businessman in Fada.
know what type of work my job actually entails. I hope I can provide this information in a readable if not a somewhat entertaining manner. I can think of no worse blog entry than that which offers a dry job description. Rest assured, there will be no mention of TPS reports or office politics. What follows is a general account of where I work, who I work with and the types of things I do; if I can convey the passion for my work in this entry, it should be a worthwhile read. Enjoy!
I work in an office. I have a computer. I have meetings every day. For better or worse, the Peace Corps can have a reputation for being incredibly exotic and unlike any type of work you might find in the States. There are cases of culture shock and local differences that can make life exotic, but in the end people are working for the same ends that we work for in the America. It follows that the modes of working are not always that far removed from the way we work in the States.
I work for the Union of Artisans of Gormul (U.A.G). U.A.G. is an organization that provides information and resources to all the businessman in the Eastern Region of Burkina Faso(Think of a region about the size of Central Illinois). An artisan is a loosely defined word that translates as almost any businessman. Everyone from Architects, home builders, carpenters and electricians to tailors, soap makers, weavers and restraunteurs are considered Artisans. My Job is to work with these Artisans in two ways:
As a consultant to U.A.G
Work as a business advisor to individual businesses and businessmen who have the drive to make their organization grow.
I am currently conducting an “Etude de Milieu” which means each day I conduct meetings with some of the following groups: staff members of UAG, local government officials, foreign development organizations and different groups of Artisans. After meeting with these groups I gain a better understanding of the business environment and the challenges that they face. I analyze the organization’s Plan d’action (Strategic Plan) and find a way to improve or help make some of their goals come to fruition. I am also learning the capabilities and histories of each organization, thus allowing me to make recommendations.
Here is an example of the challenges that face U.A.G:
For the past 10 years they have been financed by a Swiss NGO (non-governmental organization). They have grown dependant on the money given from the NGO and they have not developed a sustainable infrastructure. UAG is now in a position to become more self sufficient as the NGO is leaving/restructuring their relationship with UAG. There are currently no revenue generating activities conducted by UAG and there is not a cohesive/well functioning membership, thus, the benefits of the union do not reach the people they are intended to reach.
Here are just a few of the topics I cover with individual Artisan groups:
How do they communicate with UAG, Who are their clients, How do they keep records, Do they collect membership fees, Where does the money go, How do they save money, Do they work with the banks and take out loans for investing in their business, Do they market their product, what type of marketing do they use, How many members of the group speak French, how many members are literate, What do they think they need to improve their business. (Money seems to be a popular answer to the last question, but a poor answer that will not lead to a sustainable change in the vast majority of cases) This problem is ubiquitous in many aspects of the society. I frequently use the analogy of sand slipping through ones fingers as it relates to artisans who think their answer is more money. When one simply receives a donation it is like sand slipping through ones fingers. It is easy to think the solution to their problems exists as a grant or a handout from a foreigner. The last ten years have a rich history of guilty white people giving money to people without much planning. The money slips through hands, gets gobbled up in corruption and in the end helps nothing except for conscious of the beneficent giver. Start-up capital is certainly needed, but not without a satisfactory plan to make the money go toward something sustainable. Development is needed not charity.
In short, my job is to improve the way these organizations and businesses work; this is a daunting and perhaps impossible task. I am thinking big but picking reachable goals. I am finding motivated people to work with and I creating action plans. I am under no delusion that my time here will end in anything more than an improvement on an extremely micro economic scale, but I am learning much and I think that I can make an impact on the lives of businessman in Fada.
The American
I have been meaning to write on this topic for quite a while but I have not found the appropriate vessel to carry the my point. The topic is being white in a black country. It would be fair to say that I am a minority in Burkina Faso. There are many shades of black, but I am not one of them.
In the local languages I am referred to as Bonn bonn Pinto (white thing), or nassara (foreigner). I also am frequently called Le Blanc, which is French for The White. While I know the following statement is a blatant contradiction, I would like to claim that it is objectively annoying to be solely identified by the color of your skin.
To be sure, I must take into account the context of the situation. There are older people who don’t know better and for them calling someone a nassara is a sign of respect. There are children who are acting as children and then there are adolescents and educated people who should know better. To be clear, I am talking about someone yelling these terms at you while you walk or ride your bike past them. It happens each day without fail, usually within five minutes of leaving my house and it persists throughout the day. I usually try to make a game of it, when someone calls to me as the white, I respond in kind by saying “the black”, I speak in the local language when I am called the Nassara and I respond to “The White Thing” by saying the “Black Thing” in Garmanchma. It is especially funny and taxing when the person calling you the white thing corrects you by saying he should be called a black person.
Does a rose by any other name not smell as sweet? Should I not be concerned with how people refer to me? Is this discussion of the ill effects of racial monikers merely a reaction to my politically correct, liberally biased education that I received at the communist ivory tower known as the University of Illinois. (sarcasm)
The truth is that I sleep well at night, so far it has not become an all consuming issue. It should be noted, that being described as something that you take no pride in - does, in fact, suck; it does not role off your back and you really want people to understand that there is a much better or more accurate description that can suffice.
Which brings me to the dance competition. The Tour de Faso, ended in my hometown of Fada. To celebrate the end of the Bicycle race, there was a huge concert/party with nearly 7000 people in attendance. There were also a dance competition and three other volunteers who knew of my reputation for sensational dance moves and an insatiable appetite for dance-offs. So, being white in an all black country it was easy to get into the competition. I climbed up a short flight of stairs onto the back of the stage. The Stage was the type you might find at the Heart of Illinois Fair. There was an adjoining trailer that I sat in before my big moment. It had some lovely wood paneling and I had a wonderful conversation with Miss Ouagadougou and the other 17 spokesgirls I was sitting with. When I was introduced, I said I was the American representing for my home sector - sector 1…
I danced like I never danced before, I pulled out all the stops and completely beat my opponent in the hip hop portion of the competition. Next, we danced in an African Style,… which he won, and for a tie breaker there was were several competitions which culminated in a contest to see who could kiss their spokesgirl the most times on the check. Alas, my French was not all that fluent at the time and I mistook him for saying change clothes. Luckily I started with my shoes.
It is funny when I think of the confusion that must have passed through the audience. “I know he is American, but why must he remove his shoes”, one might say.
So I won second place, a tee shirt and a baseball cap. The story does have a happy ending and it does bring the seemingly unrelated first half of this entry together: I made an impression on my community; and now children, adolescents, the learned and the old often replace the racial monikers with the word American. This suits me well.
In the local languages I am referred to as Bonn bonn Pinto (white thing), or nassara (foreigner). I also am frequently called Le Blanc, which is French for The White. While I know the following statement is a blatant contradiction, I would like to claim that it is objectively annoying to be solely identified by the color of your skin.
To be sure, I must take into account the context of the situation. There are older people who don’t know better and for them calling someone a nassara is a sign of respect. There are children who are acting as children and then there are adolescents and educated people who should know better. To be clear, I am talking about someone yelling these terms at you while you walk or ride your bike past them. It happens each day without fail, usually within five minutes of leaving my house and it persists throughout the day. I usually try to make a game of it, when someone calls to me as the white, I respond in kind by saying “the black”, I speak in the local language when I am called the Nassara and I respond to “The White Thing” by saying the “Black Thing” in Garmanchma. It is especially funny and taxing when the person calling you the white thing corrects you by saying he should be called a black person.
Does a rose by any other name not smell as sweet? Should I not be concerned with how people refer to me? Is this discussion of the ill effects of racial monikers merely a reaction to my politically correct, liberally biased education that I received at the communist ivory tower known as the University of Illinois. (sarcasm)
The truth is that I sleep well at night, so far it has not become an all consuming issue. It should be noted, that being described as something that you take no pride in - does, in fact, suck; it does not role off your back and you really want people to understand that there is a much better or more accurate description that can suffice.
Which brings me to the dance competition. The Tour de Faso, ended in my hometown of Fada. To celebrate the end of the Bicycle race, there was a huge concert/party with nearly 7000 people in attendance. There were also a dance competition and three other volunteers who knew of my reputation for sensational dance moves and an insatiable appetite for dance-offs. So, being white in an all black country it was easy to get into the competition. I climbed up a short flight of stairs onto the back of the stage. The Stage was the type you might find at the Heart of Illinois Fair. There was an adjoining trailer that I sat in before my big moment. It had some lovely wood paneling and I had a wonderful conversation with Miss Ouagadougou and the other 17 spokesgirls I was sitting with. When I was introduced, I said I was the American representing for my home sector - sector 1…
I danced like I never danced before, I pulled out all the stops and completely beat my opponent in the hip hop portion of the competition. Next, we danced in an African Style,… which he won, and for a tie breaker there was were several competitions which culminated in a contest to see who could kiss their spokesgirl the most times on the check. Alas, my French was not all that fluent at the time and I mistook him for saying change clothes. Luckily I started with my shoes.
It is funny when I think of the confusion that must have passed through the audience. “I know he is American, but why must he remove his shoes”, one might say.
So I won second place, a tee shirt and a baseball cap. The story does have a happy ending and it does bring the seemingly unrelated first half of this entry together: I made an impression on my community; and now children, adolescents, the learned and the old often replace the racial monikers with the word American. This suits me well.
