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Gordon Humphrey of Port Perry recently returned from an adventurous trip to Africa, courtesy of the Rotary Club Inter- national exchange program. Above, he wears a traditional 'African outfit, while below, a few of his souvenirs are dis- played, including a hand-carved mask, a carving, and a child's outfit. For details on the trip, see Gordon's story. by Gordon Humphrey As I sit here with my 2 year old daughter at my right elbow I reflect on the fact that I am now a different individual than I was some 2 months ago. Although the outward appearance is roughly the same, save for a little tan and slightly less hair, my trip to Nigeria has forever altered my perception of the world. Those of you who faithfully read the Port Perry Star will remember an article in early February introducing you to my Rotary sponsored trip. It was a 4 week long excursion with 1 week stopovers in each of 4 Nigerian cities, Accure, Abuja, Illorin, and Ibadan. A rotary club in each of these centers hosted us, and members of these clubs provided us with accommodations and meals. The experiences- were numerous and varied. The 6 members of our Group Study Team were somewhat upset with KLM, having had numerous delays in our trip over. The 13 hours of flying time to Nigeria, were augmented with some 24 hours of waiting. This, though, was only a taste of what was to come. Nigeria is, at present, a military dictatorship, and so there is a large military presence greeting passengers debarking at Lagos. Although we had heard of problems entering Nigeria we ex- perienced none and found entry no more difficult than it is to Canada. : TRAVEL I have lived and taught 2 years in Jamaica but this did not prepare me for what was to greet me outside Murtala Muhammed Airport. Nigeria is truly a 3rd world country. Although I prefer to use the term 'developing,' when referring to what others label as a 3rd world country, somehow this term seems inap- propriate when applied to" Nigeria. It appeared to me that in Nigeria instead of life improving, it is becoming more difficult for the majority of people. Although expectations regar- ding those things which we, as Canadians, take for granted, (potable water, reliable transpor- tation and communication), had been tempered by my Jamaican experience, they were dashed in PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 9, 1989 -- 35 Trip to Nigeria changed Nigeria. I have certainly under- valued these aspects of life in Canada and their impact on my life. Several hours of car travel or wait was often the substitute for what would have taken minutes to achieve here, with a telephone. Car travel is extremely difficult and dangerous. One has to deal with a wide variety of road con- ditions from super highway to broken up pavement with huge potholes, to dirt tracks, coupled with a public widely ignorant of safe driving skills. The toll that these conditions take on equipment is immense, and the cost in time and lost lives incalculable. By far the least ap- preciated, of the above mention- ed, has been potable water. Tens of millions of Nigerians, and I'm sure they're not unique, spend many hours every day hauling water. I saw children as young as 4 years hauling water at all hours of the day. This reality is something which has forced me to think, each time I turn on the tap or stand in the shower. The living history of the people of this "Giant of Africa' was also something which I had not ex- pected. Since civilization has ex- isted in this area of the world uninterrupted for thousands of years, its legacy is evident in all aspects of Nigerian life. As an ex- ample, within Nigerian society, there is a definite class structure from peasants to kings, each level demanding respect, in some form or other, from those below in the social strata. At the top of the order is the King, Emir, or Obi, equivalent titles based on ethnic area, individuals venerated by their subjects for their position and consulted for advice on all aspects of life. LANGUAGE Nigeria, like many others, is a completely artificial country formed by Britain as part of her imperial empire. This history when combined with the recent rapid "development" in much of the world has created possibly in- surmountable problems for Nigeria. We in Canada are con- stantly concerned about the ef- fects of two national languages, in Nigeria at present there is one of- ficial language, English, but 3 major language groups, and within these dozens if not hun- his perception of world dreds of distinct dialects. In effect, within Nigeria's boun- dry there are hundreds of ancient countries with still surviving governments, (kings, chiefs, etc.), customs and languages. If baggage makes travel difficult, Nigeria's historical baggage makes the journehy toward development an arduous one. I am pleased to say that the Nigerians we met were determin- ed individuals. They were an ex- tremely resourceful group, for- ward looking and optomistic about the future. With people who can maintain this positive ap- proach in an extremely difficult situation anything is possible. Witnessing life becoming more difficult for so many people, and reflecting on how I as a Canadian and we as Canadians impact on this process has reinforced my conviction that we have to be much more generous in our giv- ing and thoughtful in our under- takings. We should be concerning ourselves with international cor- porate responsibility when it comes to operations in the developing world, encouraging our government to increase not decrease our international aid and on a more personal note, sup- porting development projects sponsored by such agencies as Foster Parents Plan or our Church Missions. In closing I would like to public- ly thank the Port Perry Rotary Club for their support of my ap- plication to participate in this ex- change. This club continues to work hard for the betterment of our community, at present with their upcoming '"'Artfest'" and "China Gold" draw. Please get out and support these fundraising ventures. I would also like to invite those who are interested in hearing more about my trip to come to the Library Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. for a slide presentation with accompanying discussion, or call me at 985-9459, to arrange for such a presentation to your group. 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