"Unusual" Scenes from Nigeria

Well, they're not really all that unusual, more typical actually. They still make me chuckle a little everytime I see them.



When I first saw these signs, I thought that there must be a lot of pesky house buyers stopping by unexpectedly all the time. Apparently, it's a popular scam (of course) to break into someones house while they're away and sell their house to someone else. Apparently, someone who breaks into a house, poses as the owner, and manages to sell it is not crafty enough to paint over the sign.

They really like to pack in the cargo vans...

Apparently, the TP doubles as another bumper too.


I can't help but laugh everytime I see this poster.

The Naira is sooo dirty. I guess with the "indecent storage" (top left) and no Naira "spraying" (bottom left), using the Naira in a strip club isn't proper use of the currency.

And everywhere you look, people are carrying things on their heads. It's very practical, although I have no idea how their necks support some of the weight!





Typical rush hour along the path.

The Nigerian Fashion Police

Alright... I knew Nigeria and Africa in general was a more formal society which is why I dragged along something along the lines of 6 button up shirts and business casual shoes and pants. It's a big step up from the chacos and baseball cap I usually wear, but seriously what gives? I've been here for a little over a month and I've already been accosted twice by the Nigerian fashion police, and both times I've had my shirt tucked in!

The first time I can laugh it off as some random foreign country weirdo. My female colleague and I were walking along the street, when some woman started giving her a stern talking to about how she needed to go shopping for me and buy a long muslim robe to wear. And the lady wasn't even muslim herself. Personally, I think it would cause more trouble if I were to dress like I was muslim, but then go off and do non-muslim things like get a beer. Yeah whatever. I don't listen to the crazies in Berkeley, why should I start anyplace else in the world?

It's been a bit on the warmer side in Zaria, so I tried to go swimming at the pool. Apparently, the lifeguards felt that my American swimsuit was "obscene" and they wanted me to wear a Nigerian suit instead. I would post a photo of the Nigerian men splashing around in their swimsuits, but I'd be afraid of this blog getting flagged for obscenity or something. Let's just say that if I took along my 8th grade bright red Sam Brannan gym shorts (circa 1987) along with me, I wouldn't have any arguments with the lifeguards. How my typical American suit covering much more body surface area then the nuthuggers they like here could be more obscene is beyond me...

Signs like this are very prominent at the entrance of the University and hospital grounds. There's a strong community pressure to conform to decent standards. Apparently the guy on the left is "indecent" for having braided hair, which only the women here have. Good thing I took out those cornrows, it would have been a double-whammy for sure.


The other amusing fashion thing in Nigeria, is this trend for short ties. A lot of the male doctors wear these ties that are only half torso. If only I saved those clip-on ties from middle school... I'll get a photo and post it.

"Illiteracy, poverty, and ignorance"

That was the response of one of the villagers who we went to interview for a household survey that I was sent to Nigeria to help with. We had asked him why he thought maternal mortality rates were so high in the area, and he couldn't have been more right (And yeah, talk about going a long way to get a lecture on the fundamental determinants of health. So much for my pricey graduate school education, hah!).

In Nigeria overall, unfortunately, about 100 out of 100,000 women who give birth end up dying. In the US, this rate is about 10. In the northern region, this number balloons to an absurd 1000. Reasons for this vary, but women have no rights, they end up getting married as young as 12 or 13, and most give birth in the village instead of a hospital facility. Family planning is considered by many to be a bad word. So what to do?

That's one of the aspects of the project that I like. There aren't any quick and easy fixes, and any solutions will have to be developed with the communities and the Nigerian medical students and researchers that are leading this project. But the villager was right, illiteracy, poverty, and ignorance all have to be addressed to make any progress.

No Nigerian scams here!

Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been hard to find a decent internet connection here in Nigeria. I can personally guarantee that the Nigerian email scams CAN NOT be coming from here, because I've been online for an hour now, and I've only managed to send 3 messages! Scammers would be broke if they had to send them from here! Photos and updates coming soon...