Owl

I spotted the owl perched in one of the trees in our back garden. The owl was quite content to sit in the branches and to take in the world. The Zambians are not fond of the owls, primarily because they are nocturnal and are not easily seen.

One of the interesting things is how cultures view things in different ways. I mentioned that some Zambians eat things that Westerners find off-putting (caterpillars and fried termites) and they find the Western attraction to shellfish to be very strange (crabs, shrimps, crayfish and clams).

Kenya Violence

I am certain that I will watch the news with a greater eye on Africa. The violence continues to escalate in Kenya. A priest was killed yesterday by a machete weilding group of youths and he is one of the hundreds (rapidly becoming 1000's) who have been killed. The situation is very complex and the leadership of both parties appear to be unwilling to compromise.

I am also aware that there are volatile conditions in the DRC (Congo) and they get little notice in the papers. The Lord's Resistance Army continues it's violence in Uganda and in the Congo. And many are watching to see what will happen during the elections in Zimbabwe.

I realize as well that the we against them is not limited to Africa. We do the same in the US with all sorts of our "isms" and our divisions, and sadly the divisions are not confined to the right or the left. Unity is precious but it demands sacrifice, work and a letting go of power.

Baboons

The wildlife spottings have been limited; however, on our way back from Siavonga we did pass a family of baboons along the highway. Zambia does not have gorillas and while there is a chimp orphanage in the north, all the chimps have come in from the Congo.

Odds and Ends

We have had some nights without power and that has created some difficult situations. The national power company is having grid problems, but the outages have damaged motors and left the entire country in the dark. A complication is that the outages are occurring during the Africa Cup games, which keep people glued to their television screens. Zambia won their first game against Sudan so they move forward.

The Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar sent us an information piece for Heikima College, the English speaking Jesuit theologate in Nairobi. Yesterday, the rioting and violence came very close to the college. Pray for a peaceful solution to the violence and political impasse.

Zambia is in the midst of a National Constitutional Convention. The Zambia Episcopal Conference is not participating because they feel that the representation was too limited. In today's newspaper one member of the convention said that the Catholic Bishops were trying to destroy the country and to create war. Fortunately, the Post newspaper, gave a very strong editorial in defense of the Bishops and the history of the Church.

Lake Kariba and Siavonga

Lake Kariba and Siavonga

Lake Kariba and Siavonga

Joe Keaney, SJ and I took a three day trip to Lake Kariba and stayed at a friend's lakeside home in Siavonga. Lake Kariba was formed when the Zambesi river was damned to provide electrical power for south central Africa. Siavonga is about three hours from Lusaka over very good roads (now, they had severe flooding earlier). It was fascinating to pass through changing landscapes until we arrived at the lakeside.

The home was very comfortable and nice and we had a great verandah for watching the lake and the birds of the area. Joe is a birder and so I am far more aware of the great variety of birds in Zambia. Zambia has nearly 700 species of birds and Joe has spotted over half.

The time was not filled with great activity, but with very good conversations. We enjoyed a couple of good dinners and it was fun to have the opportunity to cook. Each late afternoon we took a stroll into Siavonga and watched people and wandered in the market. The people of this area are Tonga speakers and Joe was able to greet people and to surprise the children that he could speak their tongue.

Above this post are a number of pictures from the time in Siavonag.