Let's Have a Dialogue (I think I spelled that right)

Last week I took a delegation of USAID and NGO people to Bandundu, a river town about 150 miles northeast of Kinshasa. They were to be there for 5 or 6 hours and were kind enough to take me into town with them so I didn't have to wait with the airplane, which is very tiresome.

When you wait with the plane this is what you do: You take out your magazine, which you remember you already read. You watch a guy walk up to the airplane:

"Bon Jour!"

"Bon Jour!"

He says something in French indicating he wants to visit and chat. You say something in English indicating you are unable. He sighs. You sigh. And that is what you do when you wait with the airplane.

So, I was very grateful when they let me go with them. The occasion was an event to publicize the efforts of the Independent Electoral Commision. It was to feature the Minister himself, some of his minions, the American delegation, a riverboat, a band, the male election workers and their bicycles, the female election workers and their dresses with the slogans on them, speeches and lots of little children running about. The delegation and the Minister and his minions were to stand on the boat and address the others who would be on the bank, playing and proclaiming. Everybody made it except the Minister and his most of his minions. So much for that idea. What came in the Minister's place were disgruntled former or current election workers; vocal disgruntled former or current election workers.

There were about 15 of them, men and women and they were upset because they hadn't been paid. They stood on the bank next to the band and chanted. They were good chanters, loud and in sync. The chanting started just after the band stopped playing and was loud enough to keep the remaining minions from speaking. Since they couldn't speak the minions used the microphone to tell the chanters to BE QUIET. That didn't work. One of the delegation took a turn at the mike and told the chanters to BE QUIET. That didn't work either. Then another minion etc. I concluded from this that a group of people standing on a big boat using a microphone to bellow at another group of people standing on the shore chanting back at them does not result in an effective meeting of the minds.

The poor guys on the bicycles were left out of the whole thing and they went home.

Finally somebody on the boat decided to do the obvious and sent for a representative of the group to come on board and talk. A small man with a serious look and briefcase boarded and was escorted to the upper deck. 3 minions immediately surrounded and began to harrangue him. I will never forget the look of surpise, outrage and hurt feelings on that man's face. He was led to believe a legitimate grievance would be discussed and they bushwhacked him. Another ineffective meeting of the minds.

The guy stood his ground though and another representative was ushered on board to back him up. This time they and the minions went below and had a real meeting. Then the whole thing sort of fizzled. The youngers members of the unpaid workers group started to flirt with each other; the chance for high drama had passed. We left shorly thereafter; and, except for some comments about making the whites pay, made to impress each other rather than to scare us, they took no further notice.

The riverboat was very interesting but I'll put that in the next post since I have to go to sleep now so I can get up in the morning and deliver 22 bicycles and assorted bags of rice and things to Monkoto.