A Load of Croc

Because of transportation and other logistical problems, my week of site visit, where I was suppose to go around the community meeting all sorts of “important” people, including the Fumu (the chief) of the Hambukushu Tribe, was pretty uneventful. I spent most of the time reading, writing, and listening to the constant rainfall from the comfort(?) of my nasty room, or lying in the hammock next to the Kavango River (and being scared by the crocodiles). So on March 12, 2009, when Chris suggested that we go visit a neighboring village, Andara, I jumped at the idea.

We went to visit Lori, the volunteer there, whose group had arrived only 3 months before mine. She showed us around the village and the school she was working in. The village had a really unique feel to it since it was on a church mission, so there were some old brick buildings that are not common in the area. The school was depressing in some senses, the buildings were trashed and dirty, but at least the learners were used to it and it didn’t diminish their spirits much, at least from what little I was able to tell. (I’m not sure if the fact that the learners have adjusted to horrible conditions is a good or bad thing?)

After a while of walking around many long, sandy paths, Chris suggested that we go and visit his friend, the mission priest, Fr Andrew. I thought that would be a great opportunity to meet a community leader since I had failed to meet others throughout the week.

Meeting Fr Andrew was definitely an interesting experience to say the least. When we arrived at his house, we were almost immediately thrown into a crocodile hunt. Earlier in the week I had heard stories of people being taken by crocodiles, and apparently there was one crocodile that had taken a few children in the village. So right away we were told of the situation, and we followed Fr Andrew and a group of men as they raced to the side of the river where the crocodile had been spotted previously in the day.

It was exciting and terrifying at the same time, especially since we had to cross a bridge that was barely above water (I kept imaging Jaws-like scenes where the shark, or crocodile in this instance, jumps out of the water with its mouth wide open, surprising some unaware and careless victim). And then most of the time we were hunting, there was water on both sides of us, causing me to constantly look over my shoulder, fearful of some ambush from behind. We scoured over the area for a while, looking for the animal in question, but apparently it had already fled the scene of the crime before we arrived. All we managed to actually see was a foot long baby crocodile floating calmly in the water.

The hunt was called off shortly after we realized the crocodile was long gone, and we then began to chat with Fr Andrew for a bit. I don’t even know where to begin, I’m clueless as to how to describe, or do justice to what this man is like. All I can say is that I’m appalled that he is stationed there. I think it is sad that this man was chosen by any institution to represent God, to be a leader, to help these people. Every time I have interacted with him I have come away slightly disturbed in some way, and that first encounter was no exception.

It began with simple small talk, and while Fr Andrew was talking, he was smoking and swinging around his loaded shotgun. I HATE guns to begin with, but I felt extremely uneasy with it constantly being swung in my direction. Then slowly cuss words started to just flow freely from his mouth, and it wasn’t just the words, it was the way he talked. He talked with a certain tone and lack of respect that I felt was unbefitting of a leader, let alone a spiritual one.

I remember him telling one man that he should stay away from alcohol and avoid drinking because of the problems it creates. I could have appreciated what he was saying had I not felt that his words were empty and that he didn’t even believe in what he was saying. I just knew deep down that he was a hypocrite and drank as well (a feeling I later confirmed to be true).

All of this I could have merely disregarded as a possible misunderstanding, but then he confirmed the unsettling feelings I had been having since I first met him when I overheard him discussing “business” with a friend. He was talking about a few learners transferring from another school and mentioned something about how he would be making extra money, since their schools fees were more at the previous school and he would be charging them the same, even though the fees were suppose to be less. He was taking advantage of people that had very little to begin with, and that I cannot respect.

I even heard one story about how the learners, who put up with horrible conditions far beyond what we can imagine, and do so on a daily basis, went on strike one day because of the food that the mission was serving them. For learners to react like that, they must have been subjected to absolutely horrible conditions. Apparently, Fr Andrew (or his staff), who constantly has lavish braais (Barbeques), saw it fit to feed the learners porridge (ground up maize) that was infested with maggots.

This man, this “servant” of God is suppose to be serving these people, yet he lives like a king, on a level that rivals the Fumu. He has a huge house by the river, on a very large piece of property, with an orchard and garden and various livestock, he owns several cars, he has servants/workers, and who knows how much money he is skimming and profiting from various things such as charging people for power that is generated for free from the hydroelectric plant on his property.

I know it may not sound like it, but I don’t hate Fr Andrew, I don’t dislike him, and I try very hard not to judge the man for what he is doing. I feel sorry for him because I believe his actions are a result of how unhappy he is in life. And I’m absolutely sure that Fr Andrew has many good qualities, for he has on many occasions been generous and hospitable to me and others. I hope that one day he learns what it means to truly serve your community and is able to be a real leader to the people… but for now my concern is with the people and what’s best for them, and in my opinion, that means this “leader” needs to go.