[A Journey to Benin] Culture Happens

[Andrew Searles]

Ok, I haven’t written in a while and I’m sorry about that but now I have some cool things that I can share with you. Firstly, I’m starting classes on the 22 of Oct. That is two like 5 weeks earlier then I thought. I’m trying to work with it. It’s hard to think that I’m going to have to give a 2-hour lecture in French. I don’t know have it will happen but we’ll have to just get through it and see. I’ll probably make a fool out of myself. Also, I’ve decided to get two cats. Mostly because it’s lonely living by yourself. I think I’m going to teaching them English so that there will be someone I can talk to. Plus I think cats might be easier to deal with then a girlfriend.

So, I was in a taxi the other day, and I was sitting in the front seat, which by the way I reached for my seat belt like 5 times because I was pretty nervous about getting in an accident and going straight through the windshield. Anyway, in the back seat were 3 people, which I said hello to in French, obviously because I thought they were Beninese. But as they talked I started to realize that they were use a few English words mixed in their local language. It was weird. I would catch just a few things that were like wait I think I understood that. Turns out that two of the three people from Nigeria and were speaking in English somewhat. They were in Benin to get a traditional marriage here and they were headed back to Nigeria. Well, we had a conversation in English which was cool and the guy who was sitting next to them in the back seat was a Beninese French Teacher and knew very little English but he could communicate with the woman because they both spoke a local language that was very close and they could understand each other. The Nigerian Man spoke a different local language but was still able to communicate with his new wife. Neither of them spoke French and the driver spoke French and another local language. So, we had many conversations in one of the many languages that we know and at one point there were three conversations in three different languages. Weird.

The next story comes with a bit of French that I will publish. I meet this guy standing outside of a Cyber café. He is a student at the National University. He studies linguistics and was chosen to be the representative for this Francophone Festival in Africa. He was very excited and was writing a poem to give at the Festival. So here is his poet. It’s absolutely beautiful.

“Au prés de toi”

Au prés de toi j’ai retrouvé
Mon nom longtemps caché sous le sel des distances
J’ai retrouvé les yeux qui ne voilent plus les fiévreux
Et ton rire comme la flamme trouant l’ombre
M’a redonné l’Afrique du de là des neiges d’hier
Six ans mon amour et les matins d’illusions et les débris d’idées
Et les sommeils peuplés d’alcool
Six ans et le souffle du monde m’a versé sa souffrance
Cette souffrance qui change le présent du goût des lendemains.
Et fait de l’amour un fleuve sans mesure
Au prés de toi j’ai retrouvé le mémoire de mon sang.
Et les colliers de rires autour des jours
Les jours qui étincellent de joies remonvelies.

Dorothée


“Because of you”

Because of you I found my name
Hidden under the salt of distances
I found my eyes that only see desires
And your laugh like the flame’s shadows
It gives me again le show of yesterday
Six years my love and the mornings of illusions
And debris of ideas and the sleep of alcohol
Six years and the breathe of the world
Showed me how it suffers
This suffering that changes the taste of tomorrow
And makes love like a river without measure
Because of you I found the memory of my blood
And the necklace of laughs about the days
The days that sparkle of joyful memories

Dorothy


So I tried to translate it for you. But if I was wrong don’t say anything. Just go with it. I think it’s a lot cooler in French. Although some parts are last on me and soon of the metaphors don’t really work in English. I’m sure you can imagine.

More good news, I found the French cultural center here in Cotonou and I think I’m going to try to get a membership and check out books and audiotapes from their library. And if I have a membership I can use the Internet for free. How cool is that.

Well, that’s all for now I’ll write more when I have more to tell.

Andy

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Posted By Andrew Searles to A Journey to Benin at 10/15/2007 06:09:00 AM