A book to recommend strongly "SOCIETA 'AFRICAN" (the sub-Saharan Africa between image and reality) by Daniel Mezzana and Giancarlo Quaranta. www.bcdeditore.it
introduction analyzes the clichés and stereotyping that we have the African continent, mainly based on a vision of misunderstandings.
Among the many I want to dwell on a mistake against which I was confronted several times and that in the book is called of appropriate technologies. those technologies that is, that we in the West believe in what we consider appropriate simplicity and backwardness of African societies and then propose a model during the projects and cooperation. Decide what is appropriate for your neighbor is a big responsibility and sometimes be taken lightly.
In practice, I can not understand how some may feel that an African should not expect anything more than a bath without tile. "The brick", looks like a cosmetic detail, but makes the difference between hygiene and easy cleaning ... there seems little!?! Often touted as a luxury instead inulile sull'equivoco create a misunderstanding. Let me explain: in Goma (the city known to be a little 'mishap) I had to see houses whose facade was completely tiled, I peeked inside some rooms of stately villas and I noticed that the coating reaching up to the ceiling. What does this mean? For me it is evident that the "tile" has assumed the role of status symbol, a bit 'as we fur. The absurd thing is that I had to hear people (Italian priests) who cried out against the new rich who had no respect for the poverty of their brethren. The tile is a concept of import, and then some responsibility in all this we should also have it! One detail: in Goma are the tiles but not the glue for the installation! If you ask the question, everyone, tell everyone, whites and blacks, they fall from the clouds and you respond that you do not need and that they have always done without.
last seminar see the newly built bathrooms feel sorry for them, but to look at from outside, lies on the shores of Lake Kivu looks like a beautiful structure. It even recognizes that there have thrown money hand over fist, why save a few hundred euro by not putting the tiles to the bathrooms? Incompetence? Bad faith? I joined the Office of the mobile operator Vodacom (the external facade is insignificant), out of curiosity I asked him to go to the bathroom, were a feast for the eyes, very clean, well-made and equipped, with lots of dryers. Talking about tiles, you run the risk of being mad, but you can not deny that even these seemingly marginal and a feeling that something is wrong, "ambiguity" in Our approach to things African, at least there is little respect for the Africans!
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