cameroon log

Here comes sickness...

I get sick and the world bank will be making a visit.

Saturday September 27th, 2003

Today is a sick day. I have been feeling lousy. I am getting hot flashes, the runs, and I am achy. I’m not sure if I have Malaria, or something else, but my day consists of doing nothing much other than listening to music, playing my gameboy, and chilling out. I have some visitors, but not enough to really disturb me.
I do find out that the World Bank, and MINEF are coming on weds night for a Thursday meeting to discuss the portable saw initiative. I have to prepare the video footage for a little ‘virtual tour’ of the site. Apparently some minister is not signing the documents that will allow the wood to be loaded on trucks to be taken for export (so no exporters will even look at the wood until that signature is there). I think that Jaap, in an effort to keep the project alive, has tried to bring in some outside pressure. This is a good idea.
I don’t really think that most people understand that the community forest project, and sustainable logging techniques present a real threat to the status quo. There seems to be this naïve belief that people really want to do some good, and that once agreement is reached, progress will be made on its own. Unless the NGO’s really understand that they are at war here, they will end up doing more harm than good. Giving people the tools to make their own product is less than no good if you don’t provide a market for those goods, especially when the product is fundamentally subversive. The frustration of a half attempt will create more hostility than just neglect alone.. you know, a promise broken, and such.
I don’t really know all of the details, and the players involved, but I pretty much understand that the big lumber interests have been grudgingly going along with this whole community forest project because they know that without education, and legal support, they can buy all of the lumber that they want for even less than before from the villagers directly. Like candy from babies. They supported the creation of said forests for that reason; but they aren’t going to embrace real competition…or even a successful competitive model. Even Jaap (a pragmatist) was talking about how the exporters, and lumber companies would want to take some of the wood from these community forests so that they can look good. I laughed, and said: “They will agree to the publicity, but that doesn’t mean they will actually follow through, and since no one is really watching anymore…”
I’m off to bed early.
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