Last weekend Cassandra and I spent a few hours at the “Sunday Car Bazaar” on Ngong Road—a large, dirt parking lot where there are tons of used cars for sale. We had been thinking about buying a car to putt around town with and, seeing as we know next to nothing about cars, we figured this would be a great opportunity to see what was out there. It was an eye-opening experience!
Let me attempt to summarize it with three words and one picture:
Move over, Nairobi-based traditional healers, there’s a new doctor in town! His name is Dr. Eturu and he’s come all the way from West Africa to heal all of Nairobi’s problems. I was walking down Rhapta Road to Westlands with Cassandra and Sammy today, and I cracked up when I saw this guy’s advertisement—specifically that he is from West Africa. It’s not uncommon to see “doctors” from Mombasa or Tanzania, but this was definitely a first.
From what I know about traditional healing, it’s all about where you come from. For some reason the Swahili people have a reputation for being more gifted healers than people from anywhere else in East Africa (except the Kamba people of Kenya, who are also known to have a strong link to the world of witchcraft). Now, I always knew Nigeria had a burgeoning film industry (“Nollywood”), but this is the first I’ve heard of their traditional healing prowess!
I’ve been working at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya for about a year and a half now. The institute is a fine place and all—big campus, green grass, fast Internet, smart people doing good science, lots to learn, etc—but it couldn’t be situated in a worse place (Uthiru). In the words of the security guard in my apartment complex: “Everyone in Uthiru is a thief” (he lives next door, in Kawangware).
Uthiru, just outside the Nairobi city limits, is just like any other small town in Kenya I suppose. Lots of people riding bikes, a roundabout with people playing music and dancing, a good fish and chips joint, etc. I ride in and out regularly during daylight hours with no problems. As the darkness approaches, however, the story changes. I don’t make a habit of leaving work late, but the atmosphere is much different as the evening moves on after about 7 pm. Unless you’re a criminal or a police officer, you probably don’t want to be in Uthiru after dark!