I've been slowly and randomly trying to get a pulse on the politics since elections are mere months away. It's in stark contrast to American politics where debates are airing and presidential candidates are popping up by the billions. I haven't heard much in the way of candidates here.
I've half heartedly been keeping my eye on the news. Newspaper stands can be found on every block. They usually resemble a piece of wood with all the options tacked up side by side. There are generally a small crowd of people around reading the day's headlines. You can't turn the page or get inside unless you purchase and so everyone is limited whatever can be gleaned from the cover.
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| The caption for this Ivorienne comic said something like, Hey, you gonna pay for that?! Technically, there's no peeking allowed. |
I'd spent some time considering this, wondering if it affected the layout- from an editor's perspective- and wondering if it affected popular conception of the news (how many people are basing their knowledge of events on the first paragraph of an article?) Actually, there is usually a lot less information included on the front page. There are a lot of photos and many headlines but not a whole lot more. Many of the choices resemble a tabloid magazine to me, offering a mix of the unbelievable, gossipy type 'news' right alongside the current events. I have a hard time figuring out which journals are reputable.
I asked my favorite corner cabine guy about it one day. I asked him about the popular opinion of the president as well. According to him it's time for Ouattara to go but, in true African style, he is considering changing the constitution to allow an extended term. I have no idea how that's going to play out in coming months.
In the meantime, I am wondering how the country will celebrate. I am not sure I even remarked on the holiday last year, aside, perhaps, from realizing a closed store or too- most often the first alert that it is a jour feriere.
Holidays are kind of hard in my house, which is terrible because they were hard in my house as a kid and I hate to perpetuate the cycle. While this post highlights some of the joys and difficulties of parenting alone, no one really mentions celebrations. I find it hard to create a day that feels different from every other day. After all, it's still just us.
A friend in Kinshasa seemed particularly good at creating traditions and hosting activities to make the days seem festive. We decorated candy houses and tried picking up M&M's with chop sticks all in the name of celebrating one holiday or another.
For Mbalia's birthday the boys pitched in with cleaning the house and blowing up balloons. I'd made pizza and cake. We put her in a cute party dress and tried to snap a photo of her in a party hat- which she kept snatching off her head faster than I could press the button. But in the end we still had a sense of waiting. Waiting for someone else to show up and make it feel like a party.
Loud music was fun for a bit. Mbalia loves to dance to pretty much anything- the latest hip hop, Congolese hits, commercial diddies and even the 30 second blip at the beginning and end of the news cast. We are endlessly delighted in watching her moves grow (she has 6 distinct dance moves now) and I love the way she drops everything when the rhythm grabs her. You can see she just can't resist.
Eventually though, our day began to feel like any other day. Abidjan subdued. But maybe that's what happens even on the most extravagent of holidays, though there's really nothing like having some extended family and friends around to cheer things up.
This holiday we've been invited to a new teacher BBQ welcome- kind of a funny way to celebrate Ivoirienne independence. I thought briefly about bringing a green, orange and white cake but.....it's not gonna happen. This signals to me the first event in a line of events that means school is starting. Work is starting. A whole new year is beginning.
Despite feeling a little sad and resistant today, I am trying to remember to view this as a new beginning. So maybe the next holidays will be a little more full of good friends and cheer.
