a few explanations

Goma is the type of place where you get used to talking about erupting volcanoes, exploding lakes, and escalating war. You get so used to these topics that your conversations are peppered with references to them, assuming everyone lives in the same reality.

So it occurs to me that perhaps my earlier entry about these topics might have been a bit shocking to some of my readers. WHAT!! Volcano erupting??? Lake exploding????

I had a similar experience before I moved here myself. My husband was offered a job here so I innocently plugged "goma" into the search engines. It returned results entitled "living in the shadow of disaster" and "the doomed city". And yet we moved here anyway. Go figure.

There are a lot of very serious realities in Goma, but there is also a lot of hype out there. Truly when you read about Goma you imagine it being this place that is completely off the scale. It is easy to read about erupting volcanoes, exploding lakes, and escalating war, and to imagine that the place must be very strange indeed. Yet what is striking about Goma, besides the fact that it is a disaster in many ways, is the way that life continues as normal.

A kind reader of my earlier entry on the volcano wrote...
"I discovered this news just by reading your blogpost. How are the people in Goma dealing with it these days?"
The local vulcanologist began predicting the eruption of the smaller volcano and talking about the possibility that Nyiragongo will also erupt a few months ago. His quotes are fairly strong, and likely to evoke concern among whoever hears them. These quotes, began appearing in radio broadcast and local news a while ago, although they have only appeared internationally more recently. So the population has been talking about the possibility of an eruption for some time. There is concern, and as Goma hit a hot stretch of weather a couple weeks ago, many people began saying that this was because the volcano was going to erupt. However, again, this is Goma. People fled Goma when it was covered with lava in 2002 only to return while the lava was still steaming. People woke up and went to the markets while rebel soldiers were standing poised to take over the city. Life goes on. You can read BBC's coverage of this issue here . If you read carefully you will notice that they confirm that it is not Nyiragongo but the other volcano which is likely to erupt at this time. This is not likely to affect Goma directly.

Another reader wrote...

"Do you and the Shona craftspeople have a plan to evacuate? If the volcano does erupt, you have time to flee, right? (I mean, lava moves slowly...)"
First of all, we continue to be assured by the international experts that Nyiragongo is not likely to erupt right now. We don't have a plan to evacuate, but we live close to the border and would probably be able to get there quickly. And we would probably be allowed across. However when Nyiragongo erupted in 2002 and Congolese fled to the Rwandan border, Rwanda closed its border for hours, allowing no refugees to cross. I hope that the international community will put heavy pressure on Rwanda to ensure that they don't close their border again in case of disaster.


But what about the methane gas in the lake? How will you know if you have to flee from it? Does it smell? Is it visible? There was a lake in Cameroon with a similar situation. The lake overturned, released the gas, and the villagers living on the shores died in their sleep. THE LAKE IN CONGO IS MUCH MORE STABLE AND MUCH LESS LIKELY TO RELEASE THE GAS. However, again, it would be nice if the world were thinking and acting in advance. In similar lakes in Cameroon they have installed pipes to take the gas out of the lake. They could do something like that here, although they would need many more pipes. The world could push something like this and work to make the lake safe. This is not happening because the methane gas in Lake Kivu is extremely valuable. Rwanda currently extracts small quantities to power their brewery and is in the midst of developing a much larger extraction project. However the pace is very slow because the Rwandan government and the companies involved will not take out the gas until they are set up to use it for electricity. A fine idea, except that it means millions of people will live in the vicinity of a potentially lethal lake for decades to come, while they figure out how to make money off of it. You can read more abou the degassing of the lakes in Cameroon here.

Again, the point is this: A disaster is not likely to occur tomorrow in Goma. However there is ample evidence of the very serious, long-term dangers in this city. They get no attention until the disaster is imminent. Perhaps this is why the local vulcanologist is making such strong statements. Perhaps it is the only way to get people's attention. To really address these dangers would take a concerted international effort prior to the disaster. As in now. I am sure that after something happens relief money will come flowing in. But is this really the way to run our world? If the world wanted to, it could do something now. If there was money in it, the world would do something now.

This is no time to panic

I will not panic.

The volcanoes have not erupted. The gas in the lake has not killed us all. The war has not escalated. The bandits have not arrived at our house. In fact we are all perfectly fine.

It is just that I feel a tad bit stressed. Somehow I started this venture called SHONA without having any idea what I was getting myself into. Which is good, since otherwise I would not have done it. And I usually proceed in precisely this same manner, never realizing exactly how far I have to go. I just work on posting the next item, developing the next product, or writing the next blog.

And look how far we've gotten!

Except that today I looked at too many other people's websites. They all looked beautiful, and highly professional. And then I looked at mine...which is...well...mine. Don't get me wrong there is tons of good info on there and lots of great photos and you should definitely check it out www.shonacongo.com . It is just that, in case you can't guess, I made it by hand. I didn't realize there were google websites and the like, which offer nice prefab. templates. No, I typed the html into "HTML pad pro" and then my free subscription ran out and I typed the rest into a text document. Talk about doing things the hard way, especially when you start out knowing zero about HTML.

So today I started looking at some other very professional looking operations. And it made me a bit panicky. HOW are we ever going to get there??? There are only so many balls that I can juggle on any given day.

But today I refuse to panic. I will remember how far we've come.

I will remember that...

I work with an incredible group of craftspeople.

They have mastered all of our current products and are entirely self-motivated and self-directed, something that I was told was impossible for young handicapped women.

They are working hard to learn math and French, and are becoming quite good at managing their income.

We have a ton of cool new products coming out soon.

We have loyal, supportive customers who make everything possible.

We have a video. Check it out here.

We are on twitter. Join us here.

We are on facebook. Join us here.



So what if none of our "faces" on the Internet are quite as good as I want them to be. We're here. That is what matters right?

Goma, the volcano, and impending doom

Goma is at the base of Mt Nyiragongo, an active volcano which erupted in 2002 and covered 1/3 of the town with lava.

When traveling from Rwanda to Goma, you find yourself happily traveling along scenic paved roads, which wind down the mountains and around the lake, until you arrive at the border of Goma. As you leave Rwanda you will wait fill out the border crossing card on the Rwandan side, and wait in an orderly line. Then you will walk about 500 steps to the Congo side of the border, and in an instant everything changes. That form you filled out in Rwanda...there is none on this side. That orderly line...there certainly is none. However if you are a lucky foreigner you will not have to shove your way through the masses of people. You will be escorted inside the office directly. Where you will buy a visa for 35 dollars, or show your 6 month visa, if you have one. And then you will wonder exactly where you have landed. Because those nice roads are lost forever. And especially if you are traveling in a vehicle you may come to believe that that not a single road exists in Goma at all. And perhaps this is true. Because in all reality, a majority of the time that you are in Goma you are driving not on a road but on lava. There are random attempts to fix the roads or recreate them. These seem to involve either spilling rocks or sand over the lava, or in the sections that are paved the approach seems to be to dig up the pavement. Leaving large gaping holes. I assume that the theory is then to refill those sections of pavement, unfortunately the mysterious funding for road repairs which arrived and inspired this effort of road digging up, always seems to dry up directly after the road has been dug up and directly before any single hole has been refilled.

So here we drive on lava, walk on lava, and for a vast majority of the people of Goma, live on lava. We separate our houses with walls built of lava, and I was told that you can even buy a nativity set sculpted out of lava.

And when you look up during the day you can see the volcano smoking away.

And when you look up at night you can see the warm red glow of the volcano.

And sometimes one feels compelled to ask oneself what kind of people live this close to an active volcano. People of immense faith perhaps? Or people who have greater problems to worry about than natural disasters.

Recently I have received a number of emails from SHONA friends asking about our well-being, in the face of reports of an imminent volcanic eruption near Goma. I continue to be amazed by the concern and generosity of spirit of people who live so far away. I am sure this is not exactly making the nightly news in the US, but so many of you have put in the extra effort to follow events in Congo. Thank you all for your concern.

There are two active volcanoes near Goma. One is Mt. Nyiragongo which erupted in 2002 and had a very serious impact on Goma. The other is Mt. Nyamulagira which erupts every few years. This volcano tend to fill up and erupt more regularly in fairly small quantities and over a sparsely populated area. It does not usually directly affect Goma. There are a small number of people who live very close to that volcano and who are directly threatened by any eruption.

There are also two sets of experts in the region. One is the Congolese vulcanologist, Wafula, who correctly predicted the last eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo and the resulting destruction of Goma. There are also international vulcanologist here, to monitor and advise.

Both sets of vulcanologist agree that the smaller Mt. Nyamulagira is due to erupt anytime. Although this is a concern for the people in the direct vicinity of the volcano it is not likely to affect Goma directly. However Wafula is also reporting that raised temperatures and increased volcanic dust around Mt. Nyiragongo could mean that it is going to erupt as well. This would be of serious concern to the people of Goma. Another eruption of Mt. Nyiragongo could put in danger the hundreds of thousands of people living in Goma, many of them refugees. It is also a concern because there is a high quantity of methane gas trapped in the bottom of Lake Kivu. If this gas were released it could kill everyone in the lake basin. While this is not very likely, any significant shaking of the earth or change in temperature of the lake (for example because of lava flowing into it) could cause this disastrous release. However it is important to keep this in perspective remembering that the large eruption in 2002 did not cause any gas release.


While the local vulcanologist is suggesting that Nyiragongo might erupt again soon, the international vulcanolgists have been holding meetings with international NGOs stating that there are no signs of increased activity at Nyiragongo and that while the smaller volcano will erupt, it is unlikely that Nyiragongo will erupt again at this time.

So while the people of Goma would surely appreciate remaining in your prayers, hopefully the eruption of the closer, larger volcano is not imminent.

The reality is that Goma is a chaotic city, overflowing with refugees and other people who have already suffered more than their share of disasters. Goma is also a city at the base of an active volcano which will erupt again, and at the edge of a lake that has disastrous amounts of methane gas in it. Some people have called it a doomed city. It is quite possible that the local vulcanologist is using the imminent eruption of the one volcano, to draw attention to the very real long-term dangers that exist.

This is not a sustainable city. Sooner or later disaster will strike. The population lives from one day to the next. And the government appears to do the same. In 2002 the local vulcanologist predicted the eruption of Nyiragongo well in advance. The town could have been evacuated and security precautions could have been put into place. Nothing was done. Whether or not Nyiragongo erupts this week, something should be done NOW to address the real dangers posed by having a city of 700,000 people at the base of a active volcano and an exploding lake. Unfortunately, if Nyiragongo doesn't erupt this week, the news coverage of impending doom will quickly disappear. The nature of disasters is that they receive attention after the fact. And everyone acts surprised. But we know better here.

SHONA store is stocked!

Come visit our store and check out our new stock! Summer is here and we have summer dresses, as well as 3 piece outfits, shirts, bags and placemats sets!

For those of you waiting for our new products like aprons, satchel bags, and children's clothing, as well as lots more outfits in Medium, they are coming at the beginning of June. So check back soon.

Thank you all for your support. Truly every purchase makes a difference, so buy something meaningful today!

Victory

Sometimes it is the small victories that mean the most.

Yesterday Argentine (one of our craftspeople) got sick. She and Mapendo (another craftsperson) live on their own. Argentine began violently throwing up and was unable to stand or dress herself. Mapendo dressed her, went out in search of a motorcycle taxi, half-carried her to the taxi and brought her to the hospital. Remember these are two significantly handicapped young women, who struggle to walk with crutches on the best of days.

Hopitals here are family endeavor. In the hopstial there are doctors and nurses to conduct examinations, administer shots, and perform surgeries. They are not there to clean up after you, take you to the bathroom or bathe you. You, as a patient, must bring your own person to take care of you. Your person is expected to sleep at the hospital with you, usually sharing a bed or sleeping on the floor. This person is almost always a member of your family. Likewise there is no food at the hospital. Everyone must bring their own. THis means that the portion of the family that did not accompany you to the hospital will remain at home and cook for you. Daily they will send pots of food to your bed at the hospital. And they will be sure to send enough food not just for you, but for the famiy members taking care of you.

Argentine has no family in Goma except a younger brother whose school fees she is paying.

Yesterday I did not go to the hospital to see Argentine. After being assured that she was getting better I decided to wait, partly because I had too many other things to do. But partly because I wanted to see how Argentine and Mapendo would do on their own.

I arrived today to discover Argentine doing better and a large plate of beans and rice on the table nearby. Roy's wife (roy is another craftsperson) had brought them food and was keeping them company. And all was well.

So let me put it this way. A young handicapped woman is expected to be dependent on her family even when she is not sick. Everyone in Congo is expected to be dependent on their family when they are sick. Argentine has no family here in Goma to take care of her. Mapendo is talented at sewing, but she is young and often unsure of herself. Yet on her own Mapendo dressed Argentine, cleaned up after her, decided to take her to the hospital, and admitted her to the hospital. On her own, Roy's wife (who is neither family nor tribe) decided to bring them food. On their own, the craftspeople of SHONA have taken care of eachother beautifully. And I did absolutely nothing.

Not only that, but Argentine and Mapendo have both been saving money for healthcare emergencies. They will be able to pay her hospital bill themselves.

After three years here in Congo, these are the victories I am most proud of. The ones where I did nothing.

Finally!!

Finally the shipment has arrived! After a ridiculous month of theatrics, DHL has finally coughed up our package. Apparently intact. THis is an amazing feat since the package spent over two weeks in Kinshasa.

So now I have stacks and stacks of shirts and outfits and bags ready to be sold. If only they were posted in our store. You see I was so busy demanding my package, I seem to have forgotten to prepare for it. Or maybe it was just a bit too hard to prepare for a package which I assumed was lost forever. So I have the list of inventory and I have the raw pictures, but getting everything uploaded is no small task, especially on my internet connection.

Thank you to all our customers for patiently awaiting the phantom package, and to all our friends and supporters who kept our spirits up when it appeared the package had taken up permanent residence in Kinshasa. I will be posting our new stock over the next two days. And will post an announcement here when the stock is officially complete.

SHONA video

One of the things that I enjoy about my work with SHONA and about life here in Congo is that I end up doing things I never expected to do. Like making videos.

I am just learning how to do this, and my connection is not good enough to see how it downloads online, so I'd love to hear from you. (I am assuming that everyone has a better connection than me). Please let me know, does it play???