Time to Go
February 12, 2010

Out of the house by 8:30 a.m., Cindy dropped me at the Warri airport for the short hop to Lagos, an air hour to the west. Out into rush hour traffic in Lagos, I wonder, 'Is it ever not rush hour?'

If you've been following my trip, you might be wondering a bit about where I've been. Nigeria is tucked up into the curve of West Africa. The River Niger comes down from thru Mali and Niger. Its south facing delta fans out to almost 90° as it deposits sand pulled down from the north. Think Louisiana/Mississippi delta to get a context.

Map of Nigeria

I've been in Warri in the western part of the river delta—Delta State to be more precise. Isaba, the building project's site, is SW of Warri; Abraka, the resort with the beautiful river water is due north. Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, is SE, just across the River Niger on the way to Port Harcourt.

Much of the delta is rich with oil deposits. Both Shell and Chevron are heavily invested in the area. Much of the upheaval and discontent in the region has been about the distribution of oil profits and the severe environmental degradation that has occurred since the 70s. The rest is about the tribal regionalism that is endemic. Shifting the paradigm will take time, patience and vigilance.

Abuja, the newly built capital smack dab in the middle of the country, is located at the nexus of the three traditional tribal territories, the place where the devoutly Muslim north meets the devoutly Christian south. Despite these challenges, Nigeria is a country full of lovely, smiling, persevering people and amazing contradictions.

Timeout
February 19, 2010

I've been back for 5 days now and am just beginning to feel caught up. I so loved being in the countryside of Nigeria and I miss the mad, merry Nigerians I met there. What a unique people...

I continue to 'noodle' on the site plan for the leadership institute. There was lots of feedback about the lack of an adequate soccer field. As soon as I get the surveyor's information about the real boundaries of the marshland in the NE corner of the property, I'll do some reworking.

In the meantime, I had the original drawing scanned in. It's only a first iteration, but it's a huge step forward in starting to channel 'Joel's Big Dream' into reality. Tho there's a myriad of details to iron out and steps to be plotted and taken, we are on our way!

The Leadership Institute for Transformation + Empowerment: Africa, v.1

This is an excerpted version of Mira’s Adventures. It will be updated as the project progresses. To read the full text and see other photos, go to: www.mirajeans.wordpress.com