Point d’Interrogation

Guinea is one big question mark for the moment. It’s an exciting and frightening time for the country. I say exciting because Guinea is at a point in its history where it is really defining itself as a country; frightening because Guinea is in the process of defining itself. What will democracy look like here? Well, we have had many a strike and demonstration in the past few weeks, a few violent encounters and a lot of rumors going round. Something that is incredibly frustrating about living in Guinea is the lack of access to information and I imagine something that is incredible for any concerned friends and family of someone living in Guinea is the lack of access to information about Guinea. The articles on the internet are from poor sources and inadequately detail the events that pass, which is why I am here today!

These past two weeks have been filled with interesting events. It all started two weeks ago when some protests in Conakry turned ugly, resulting in some deaths and the destruction of some markets and boutiques. The activity was contained to Conakry until last weekend when there were some events in the Fouta. For the moment things are calm but tensions are high. When things were happening in Conakry we would periodically get texts telling us to avoid Conakry but never explaining what was actually happening and the BBC never seemed to cover Guinean affairs, so it was a very worrisome time for some volunteers. Being in the dark is quite frightening. (I realize that was a very obvious statement but it had to be said!) Most of the information that I got was through other teachers and who knows how much of that was hearsay; tainted with political and ethnic biases. All that I do know: the President has yet to officially declare when legislative elections will happen, ethnic conflicts have been prevalent in certain quartiers of Conakry and circulation/activity in many towns has been at a very low level.

It has been scary being witness to just how quickly information travels and just how often that information is obviously biased. Part of that might be that I am in a majority Peuhl and opposition supporting area. Maybe elsewhere information is more objective, but I have my doubts. With the way things are unrolling people are blaming anything that goes wrong on misgovernance, which may be a slippery slope to go down. But enough of that. Things are calm for the moment and hopefully the political parties in Conakry will come to some sort of agreement on elections and help diffuse the ethnic and political tension that is building up.

The next question that should be addressed is the question mark that is Dalaba. I don’t have school. I don’t have school until school re-opens. I don’t have school until school re-opens which can be soon, in a few weeks, or never. The middle school students went crazy at the beginning of this week, attacking the other schools, stoning buildings, burning documents and even a motorcycle and some computers. The military had to be called in to quell the riot ever since that happened. Dalaba has been a lot quieter than usual. The big question hovering over everything is why. And the answer, no one can be sure (goes back to that whole hearsay, lack of information thing). I have heard 6 different stories for why it happened and none of them are comforting. It is SO easy to plant a seed and then have it take root incredibly quickly. I’ve been trying to keep my head down and my ears closed. I will concede that maybe the students were imitating what has happened in Conakry.

The only thing that I know for sure is that the three institutions on my side of town: the middle school, the high school and the university, are closed for the moment. Damages need to be assessed and decisions for moving forward need to be made. A lot of important documents have been lost at the high school and university. A lot of people are upset that the attack happened and, above all, that action wasn’t taken before the situation was exacerbated. Some people have gotten frustrated to the point of leaving Dalaba. Closest to home for me is that the teachers are very discouraged. This is the third stoning in the last two years, this is the third week where something serious that implicates the middle school students has happened in Dalaba and, frankly, the timing is bothersome. No one wants anything to happen close to home, especially when things in Conakry are a big question mark. So motives are unclear and a lot of people are nervous.

BUT don’t worry about me! I do not feel like I am in danger. Yes, it’s a little stressful that things are tense and some of the things people say cause pangs of panic every once in a while, but I truly, truly, TRULY feel like the event will be put in the past and life will continue. Things may be tense, as is the case in Conakry, but the calm will eventually overtake everything and Dalaba will move on. The most frustrating thing for me is not having school. I feel like I’ve been laid off of work. What am I supposed to do with myself? Of course many people are scratching their heads, thinking that not having to go to school is awesome, but that’s not so my friends. 1 day off from school is awesome; not knowing when school will open is another thing. But patience is my only choice here and so I shall wait and wait.

It’s is really interesting being in a country where protests don’t mean sit-ins or parading through a street with signs and chants. Actions are far more aggressive in Guinea. It makes one think about the evolution of participation in politics that has taken place in so many countries in the world. A century ago, demonstrations weren’t the most peaceful thing in America. America has had its fair share of massacres and fiery destructions of towns, all in the name of political participation. These events are just another marker of how young Guinea is as a country. I think it’s good that people are making their voices heard, even if it’s in a somewhat violent fashion. The only thing I am wary of is things turning into an ethnic controversy. My prayer is that Guineans keep their noses in the history books and learn from the pasts of so many other countries.

I can’t believe that I am here right now, having these experiences, these concerns, these conversations. Was I really just completing my university studies at this time 2 years ago? Were my biggest worries really bhangra and grades? Now I’m worried about the political situation of Guinea?! It’s crazy where life takes us. But in all seriousness folks: I am fine, Guinea is fine. Things are going to happen, good and bad, but every country has to go through a point like this in order to define itself. The only thing I’m not happy with is that school is closed. Until when, you ask? Well, that’s just one big ole’ point d’interrogation.