Pablo, your story about happy africa remembers me a trip to Cuba in 1990. It was my first trip out using my fresh new german pass. The Bustransfer from airport into the citiy of Havanna was an roadtrip of its own... buildings with colorless fasades all around, but happy people wearing colorful stylish Tshirts with slogans like: born to be styled. You can feel the power of beauty and simple positive thinking especially in the african culture where a smile is a smile. It feels so good, when you come from a saturated western country. Conclusion is, we need to be said everyday in contrast to our livestyle in what a wonderful world we are a part of and not the missing things we do'nt own and can never reach in life. For example: Yesterday evening I ordered 4 cosmetic things from 4 different locations out of germany by internet. I was a little bit angry today, that 1 piece out of 4 was still missing, not arrived in my home today, not yet. This was before I've read your post, That means: you made my day. Thanks. P.S. In between I write this post I got the shipping-message from the vendor of the fourth piece, that it is on the way to me, so I can maintain my beauty tomorrow.
That is a beautiful story Frank, actually two stories in one, one about Havana and the other about the cosmetics today 🙃 Maybe you shouldnstart writing! Welcome to Substack, so good to find you here!!
There was a movie made about a project I was involved in in Northern Senegal. The producer looked at the poverty and lack of material things and asked how I could work without being sad, and I replied that the people were not sad. If anything, they were less discontented than people in the western world who would be among the richest of the rich in Africa. The only time I was sad in Africa was during the 1984 famine in Ethiopia. I've written about that on my substack, if you are interested.
I am, and now that you said I am going to find it and read. I am going back to your blog regularly, finding new and old material, always very pleasant to read and educational.
And re people being happy: I feel it is simply impossible to be depressed in Africa.
Pablo, your story about happy africa remembers me a trip to Cuba in 1990. It was my first trip out using my fresh new german pass. The Bustransfer from airport into the citiy of Havanna was an roadtrip of its own... buildings with colorless fasades all around, but happy people wearing colorful stylish Tshirts with slogans like: born to be styled. You can feel the power of beauty and simple positive thinking especially in the african culture where a smile is a smile. It feels so good, when you come from a saturated western country. Conclusion is, we need to be said everyday in contrast to our livestyle in what a wonderful world we are a part of and not the missing things we do'nt own and can never reach in life. For example: Yesterday evening I ordered 4 cosmetic things from 4 different locations out of germany by internet. I was a little bit angry today, that 1 piece out of 4 was still missing, not arrived in my home today, not yet. This was before I've read your post, That means: you made my day. Thanks. P.S. In between I write this post I got the shipping-message from the vendor of the fourth piece, that it is on the way to me, so I can maintain my beauty tomorrow.
That is a beautiful story Frank, actually two stories in one, one about Havana and the other about the cosmetics today 🙃 Maybe you shouldnstart writing! Welcome to Substack, so good to find you here!!
There was a movie made about a project I was involved in in Northern Senegal. The producer looked at the poverty and lack of material things and asked how I could work without being sad, and I replied that the people were not sad. If anything, they were less discontented than people in the western world who would be among the richest of the rich in Africa. The only time I was sad in Africa was during the 1984 famine in Ethiopia. I've written about that on my substack, if you are interested.
I am, and now that you said I am going to find it and read. I am going back to your blog regularly, finding new and old material, always very pleasant to read and educational.
And re people being happy: I feel it is simply impossible to be depressed in Africa.