Tales from the Skies: King of the Birds

A Story from Southern Africa

Main Characters: Eagle, Owl, Kori Bustard, Warbler

"*Gogo?" Thobeka was the first to break the silence around the fire that night.

Gogo looked at the most curious of her grandchildren with a broad smile.

"Yes, my dear one," she answered.

“Gogo, I know that Bhubesi the Mighty Lion, is king of all the land animals. Is he also king of the birds?”

"Ah, that is an interesting question, Thobeka." 

The children sensed a story coming and drew even closer together. 

"You are right when you say that Bhubesi the Lion is the king of all the land animals. 

“As for the birds, well, I will have to tell you about the time they decided to have a leader of their own . . . “

“Kwasuka sukela. . . ." Once upon a time ...

Some time after God the Creator had finished making the beasts of the sea, land, sky, and was busy putting the finishing touch to His work by creating Humans, the great Nkwazi (nkwah'-zee) the Eagle called a meeting of all the birds. And they came: from the Flamingo to the Weaver, from the Warbler to the Owl, they all came.

"Ah-hem," Nkwazi the Eagle began by clearing his throat. The chatter died down as everyone turned their gaze on the magnificent eagle.

"I have asked you all to be here for a very important reason. As you all know, the Great Bhubesi the Lion is the king of all the beasts of the land. 

“But he dare not speak for us, the great winged creatures of the air!” Nkwazi the Eagle continued, “It is therefore my suggestion that we choose from among us a bird to be our leader!" 

The chattering resumed as the birds turned to one another to discuss the idea. 

"Ah-hem!" Nkwazi the Eagle cleared his throat once more; he waited until he had the attention of all present. 

"As I am the most majestic and regal bird present, I suggest that I, Nkwazi the great Eagle, should be chosen as the King of the Birds! No, I insist that I will be!"

A great deal of mumbling began from all parts of the gathering. Then one voice rose above the others, demanding attention.

"Yes, Nkwazi, you are indeed majestic." It was the voice of sKhova (skoh'-vah) the Owl. 

"However, I actually think that I should be the king of the winged creatures. You see, I have the largest eyes of any of the birds. I can see everything that happens, and that makes me very wise. It is wisdom we need in a leader more than stateliness."

Again, a low murmur went through the crowd until a third voice demanded attention. 

"I accept sKhova's wisdom and Nkwazi's regal bearing. However, I would propose that I should be chosen as king of the birds." 

Ngqithi (ng*ee'-tee) the Kori Bustard walked to the centre of the circle as he spoke. "I am the largest of all the winged kingdom. Certainly strength is an important factor in leadership?!"

All the birds began to speak at once. Some threw their support behind Nkwazi the Eagle, others were convinced sKhova the Owl should be the king, while others preferred the Kori Bustard.

Finally, after a long period of arguing, a little voice was heard rising above the confusion.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, please!" It was Ncede (n~ay'-day) the tiny Warbler. He was so small and hardly noticeable that he was easily overlooked. 

Finally, the crowd became silent and allowed the little bird to have his say. 

"If we are going to choose a king of the birds, well, I think it should me!" Ncede the Warbler declared.

Everyone broke into laughter. Surely, this tiny warbler was joking?! Ncede the Warbler, King of the Birds! Unthinkable! Silly creature for even thinking about it!

What, the audacity of this little thing! What arrogance! What rudeness, cheekiness and disrespect!

"And what reason would you give for asking us to choose you as our king?" asked Nkwazi the Eagle, staring into Ncede the Warbler's eyes.

"Well," began Ncede the Warbler, "no real reason, other than to say that I should be given every bit as much opportunity as anyone else!"

While they laughed at Ncede the Warbler's suggestion, all the same, the assembly was impressed with the little fellow's courage!

"What we need is a contest!" Nkwazi the Eagle suggested. "We will have a contest to see who is fit to be our king!" Everyone seemed to like this idea.

It was agreed that on the first day after the full moon, all the birds would gather again. They would meet on the open field when the sun was high in the sky.

When the sun touched the tallest tip of the mountain, the birds would take off and become airborne. The bird who could then fly the highest and touch the hand of God would become the king.

On the appointed day the birds assembled. Patiently, they watched the sun make its way down from the sky. 

At the exact moment when the sun touched the tallest peak of the mountain, all the birds rose into the air. 

It was a magnificent sight to see!

Now, little Ncede the Warbler was there. He was determined to prove that he had just as much right as anyone else to the throne and with it, title of King of the Birds. 

But, he also knew that his little wings could not lift him very high and far. He had therefore come up with a special plan. 

Just before the birds took off, Ncede the Warbler silently crept underneath the wing of the mighty Nkwazi the Eagle. He carefully pushed his way deep down into Nkwazi the Eagle's largest feathers, who was so busy concentrating on the descent of the sun, he didn't feel a thing.

Higher and higher the birds soared. The little ones fell out of the race after only a short distance and, slowly, they drifted back down to earth to watch the bigger and fitter ones. 

Before long, only three of the birds remained in the contest. 

Nkwazi the Eagle, sKhova the Owl and Ngqithi the Kori Bustard fought to see who would claim the prize, and with it, the title of King of the Birds. 

They were so tired, but they pushed on, higher and higher. The strain was too much for sKhova the Owl, and with a resigned "Hoo-hoo," he dived back towards firm ground. 

Now, it was Nkwazi the Eagle and Ngqithi the Kori Bustard. 

Up and up they went, closer and closer to the hand of God. But no matter how much he tried, the feat was too much for the heavy Kori Bustard, the largest of the birds. 

After a final effort with his mighty wings, Kori Bustard called out to Nkwazi the Eagle: "Ah, my friend, it seems you are the winner. I can go no further."

This admission seemed to temporarily strengthen the very tired Nkwazi the Eagle, who gathered his last bit of strength and climbed beyond Ngqithi the Kori Bustard.

"Wheeeee-whee-whee!" The victorious sound of Nkwazi the Eagle's call filled the sky.

“Not so fast, Nkwazi!”, chirped Ncede the Warbler, as he shot out from under the mighty bird’s wing where he had been hiding, “you have not won yet!”

And with that, Ncede the Warbler rose above Nkwazi the Eagle towards the hand of God.

No matter how hard he tried, Nkwazi the Eagle just didn't have the strength left to climb any higher. With a groan, Nkwazi the Eagle allowed himself to begin gliding down to earth.

Now, in the meantime, all the birds below had watched what was taking place and were annoyed by Ncede the Warbler's trickery, and as he returned to earth, he did not find the royal welcome he had expected.

Instead, every bird in the kingdom was ready to pluck the feathers from little Ncede the Warbler's back. But, the quick little bird saw their anger and quickly flew into a deserted snake hole.

"Come out, Ncede!" snapped Ngqithi the Kori Bustard. "Come out and get the prize, or rather the punishment, that you deserve!"

"Yes!" echoed all the other birds. "Come on, Ncede! Where's your brave face now?"

But Ncede the Warbler stayed hidden. 

The birds guarded the hole until long after sunset, waiting for Ncede the Warbler to show his face. All through the night they waited, thinking and hoping that Ncede the Warbler had to come out for food or water soon. In the morning, Ncede the Warbler had still not appeared.

"Listen," said Nkwazi the Eagle, "I am getting hungry. We do not all need to guard the hole. I suggest we take turns until the little joker decides to come out!"

Everyone agreed, most of them terribly tired by now.

"I am not yet tired nor hungry," volunteered sKhova the Owl. "I do not mind taking the first watch. Just make sure that someone comes back in an hour or so to take over from me!"

A quick roster was drawn up and everyone, except sKhova the Owl, went off to sleep or hunt for food. sKhova the Owl was used to being still and waiting for his prey. He waited and waited for what seemed to him forever. 

Finally, he decided to close just one of his eyes. 

"After all," he thought, "even one of my eyes is bigger than both eyes on any other bird and can see better!” sKhova the Owl closed his right eye and peered into the dark hole with his left eye. 

Several minutes later, sKhova the Owl decided to switch and so he opened the right eye and closed the left. This went on for quite a while, until one time sKhova the Owl forgot to open the right eye when he closed the left!

There he was, both eyes closed! And he fell fast asleep.

Now, this was the moment Ncede the Warbler had been waiting for, and before the chance was lost, he shot out of the hole and disappeared into the forest. 

Nkwazi the Eagle, who was on his way to take over from sKhova the Owl, saw the little creature escape, and cried out. 

He went to sKhova the Owl and found the bird in a deep sleep.

"Wake up, you fool!" Nkwazi the Eagle shouted at sKhova the Owl. "You fell asleep and Ncede the Warbler escaped!"

Well, sKhova the Owl was so embarrassed by his mistake that, to this day he sleeps during the day and hunts at night so that none of the other birds will remind and tease him about having been caught sleeping on the job. 

As for Ncede the Warbler, he hides out in the forest, flittering from here to there, never stopping anywhere long enough to get caught.

"So, Gogo," Thobeka asked, when several moments of silence had passed, "who then became the king of the birds?"

"That, my child," Gogo looked at her grand-daughter with a smile, "no one knows. I think they are arguing to this day about the position!"

*Gogo is the affectionate name for ‘Granma’ in the isiZulu and most languages in South Africa.

Notes: * = "q" in Zulu is a "click" sound made by drawing the tongue down sharply from the palate. ~ = "c" in Zulu is also a click sound. It is the sound made when the tip of the tongue is drawn away from the back of the front teeth. Similar to the click of exasperation made in most European countries.

http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/kori_bustard_facts/916/

The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species (ranging from Africa to India to Australia) in the large-bodied Ardeotis genus. In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight.

This species, like most bustards, is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore. Male kori bustards, which can be more than twice as heavy as the female, attempt to breed with as many females as possible and then take no part in the raising of the young. The nest is a shallow hollow in the earth, often disguised by nearby obstructive objects such as trees.

The African yellow warbler is a medium sized warbler in which the whole of the upperparts and tail are yellowish-brown, with a slightly browner crown and yellower rump. The wings have brown feathers edged with yellow. The underparts are bright yellow with an olive wash on the sides of the breast, flanks and lower belly. The bill is pale on the upper mandible and blackish on the lower and the legs are blackish. Females have duller underparts, the juvenile are similar to the males but are buffier. The total length is 13 cm and the birds weigh between 10g and 15g

A Tale of Two Scots (in Africa)

James Bruce and David Livingstone

The characters above in this tale, set on the African continent, lived in two different centuries: nineteen years after James Bruce died (in 1794), David Livingstone was born (in 1813).

Below, are biographies of the two men as extracted from britannica.com:

James Bruce, (born December 14, 1730, Larbert, Stirling, Scot.—died April 27, 1794, Larbert), explorer who, in the course of daring travels in Ethiopia, reached the headstream of the Blue Nile, then thought to be the Nile’s main source. The credibility of his observations, published in Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile (1790), was questioned in Britain, partly because he had first told the French court of his discoveries. Reports by later travelers, however, confirmed the accuracy of his account.

As British consul in Algiers (1763 and afterward), Bruce studied many antiquities of North Africa, recording what he saw in fine drawings. Beginning in 1765 he traveled widely in the Mediterranean region, notably in Syria, and arrived at Alexandria in July 1768. Intent on reaching the source of the Nile River, he left Cairo on an arduous journey by way of the Nile, Aswān, the Red Sea, and Mitsiwa (now Massawa, Eritrea), eventually reaching the Ethiopian capital of Gonder on February 14, 1770.

Despite serious political unrest in Ethiopia, Bruce continued his expedition and reached Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile rises, on November 14. The journey homeward was one of extreme hardship. He arrived at Marseille in March 1773 and returned to London in 1774. Following retirement to his estate, he began writing in 1780 his vivid account of his travels, which is considered one of the epics of African adventure literature. (from Britannica.com)

David Livingstone, (born March 19, 1813, Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland—died May 1, 1873, Chitambo [now in Zambia]), Scottish missionary and explorer who exercised a formative influence on Western attitudes toward Africa.

In 1834 an appeal by British and American churches for qualified medical missionaries in China made Livingstone determined to pursue that profession. To prepare himself, while continuing to work part-time in the mill, he studied Greek, theology, and medicine for two years in Glasgow. In 1838 he was accepted by the London Missionary Society. The first of the Opium Wars (1839–42) put an end to his dreams of going to China, but a meeting with Robert Moffat, the notable Scottish missionary in southern Africa, convinced him that Africa should be his sphere of service. On November 20, 1840, he was ordained as a missionary; he set sail for South Africa at the end of the year and arrived at Cape Town on March 14, 1841. (from Britannica.com)

One aspect of the Story of Africa is the versions of the narrative as presented by the outsider; and these two Scots present two contrasting narratives of their time on the continent. 

The writings of and about both men are now available to download through the Project Gutenberg website.

The contrasting narratives by two people from the same country in Europe about the places in Africa they visited is also worth noting: while the first to visit the continent came across as going with the purpose of seeking knowledge, the other who followed in a later period in history was more interested in what he claimed he was bringing to his hosts.

The place of these two Scots in Africa’s history will be examined in future posts.

Agri Aware’s Dig In! - the Story of Agriculture in Africa?

In November, 2020, Agri Aware launched its latest edition of “Dig In! Learning about Life on the Farm and in the Countryside” [in Ireland].

The resource has been designed and produced for Primary School Teachers, and the four modules are targeted at pupils from infants (junior and senior) to sixth classes. 

Module 1 is aimed at Infant classes pupils: four and five year-olds respectively.

Module 2 is targeted at pupils in first and second classes aged six and seven years respectively.

A page on ‘Food security’, the Lesson objectives of which states: “To introduce students to the concept of food security”. 

The page also points to strands in three subjects in the Primary Curriculum: Science, Geography and SPHE, which links can be made, and a list of the following keywords: hunger, food, healthy, weather, extreme, Africa, Asia, aid.

Additionally, a page and section titled The story of agriculture in Africa can be found on page 40 of Module 1 (please, see below for photo shots of two pages from the resource).

It must be clarified that the lesson about The story of agriculture in Africa is not the work of Agri Aware, but was contributed by an organisation which is identified on the relevant pages in the four modules.

This commentary and analysis also accepts, and is not intended to question, Agri Aware’s bona fides in including the lesson on African agriculture in Dig In!

The lesson on The story of agriculture in Africa raises questions and issues, including the following:

• How accurate is the information about agriculture in Africa which is presented?
  
• The target ages the information is aimed at
• Whether this is the right way to introduce the topic to Irish children

The lesson begins with an answer to the question: What is food security?

This is followed by the question: Does every person have enough food?

In answering this, children are told that in other parts of the world, people have less food to eat, in contrast to Ireland where “people have plenty of food to eat”.

Introducing the term ‘developing world / countries’, this section attempts to explain the link between hunger, nutrition and agriculture.

Weather is also discussed in terms of extreme, harsh conditions: drought or flash flooding, which are given as the reasons for food shortages.

The final sentence under this heading is as follows: “Farming in developing countries is mainly used to feed the farmer’s own family and many small farmers can be left without food when harsh weather conditions arise.”

Module 1: Junior and Senior Infants (page 38)

The story of agriculture in Africa begins with the information below:

"Farming in Africa is tough. Hot climate, poor soils and small plots that must be farmed with very basic hand-tools make it difficult for families to make a living from the land. But they must, because more people in Africa depend on farming for their survival. Did you know that nearly 70% of people in Africa live on small farms?" Module 1: Junior and Senior Infants (page 40)

With regards to the information contained in The story of agriculture in Africa, and the preceding section, it is difficult to imagine how four and five year-olds can be expected to get their heads around information on crops totally removed from their personal everyday experience, as well as the concepts discussed. Also, 70% of how many people in Africa, since there is no reference to the population of the continent?

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) specifies that introducing a non-European context (which would include Africa) should start from third class (eight year-olds), with some units to be taught in fifth and sixth classes (ten and eleven year-olds) only.

Perhaps, the NCCA’s rationale can also be explained by the two quotes in the box below?

The brief information below and images give an idea of agriculture and food-related matters in a school setting in an African context.

Providing children with the right information during their early childhood education, especially about the rest of the world outside their own country, is very important for their future role in society.

Textbooks like those below are examples of what fellow pupils in an African country would use to learn about agriculture and agricultural science.

The next blogpost on this topic will look at food and farming in Africa.

In the meantime, this News2day clip of a visit to a Primary School in Dublin on World Food Day 2019 might also be of interest to teachers and pupils?

Why Racism Is Not A [Straightforward] Black & White Issue

This year marked the 28th anniversary of the assassination of the African National Congress (ANC) politician, Chris Hani.

On 10 April 1993, Chris Hani was assassinated while stepping out of his car at his home in Dawn Park, Boksburg, by Janusz Waluś, who has migrated to South Africa from Poland.

Addressing the nation three days later on the 13th of April, ANC President Nelson Mandela’s said as follows:

“A white man, full of prejudice and hate, came to our country and committed a deed so foul that our whole nation now teeters on the brink of disaster.

A white woman, of Afrikaner origin, risked her life so that we may know, and bring to justice, this assassin.”

According to reports, Hani was shot at approximately 10:20am and died at the scene, having received two bullets to the chest and an additional two sub-sonic bullets to the head. With him at the time was his daughter Nomakhwezi, then fifteen years old. 

A witness was Margareta Harmse, an Afrikaans housewife, who had recognised Waluś and his vehicle and had immediately called the police, leading to the arrest of Waluś and his subsequent  interrogation by 7pm the same day.

The event was one of those ‘where were you?’ moments, as well as the ‘when’ and ‘how’ you heard about it. 

In my case, I was walking along a side street in Dublin and was just about to enter a house when I heard the news on Ireland’s RTÉ Radio 1 coming from a neighbouring house.

The most memorable quote heard on the RTÉ news report, however, was the contribution of ANC official Mosima Gabriel ‘Tokyo’ Sexwale who, in an interview at the scene said:

“We must never forget that while it was the hand of a white man that pulled the trigger, it was the eyes of a white woman that enabled us to catch Waluś."

This ‘white man as perpetrator / white woman as redressor’ paradigm was recalled by Sexwale in a PBS Frontline interview.

Far too often, debates and / or discussions on ‘race’ issues are presented in a polarized manner, and creating the impression that one’s own stance is determined by one’s background.

However, as we have seen time and time again, campaigns and demonstrations against human injustice suffered by one group have involved participants of all ‘races’ speaking with one voice; indeed, the defeat of apartheid in South Africa was possible precisely as a result of different ‘races’ coming together.

Twenty-eight years after Chris Hani’s assassination, one of the ways his memory could be best honoured is to remember Sexwale’s words.

Addressing negative attitudes and behaviour in the twenty-first century must move away entirely from the ‘skin colour’ narrative.

Talking Sh*t? Well, Why Not?

Food, Clothing & Shelter? What About the ‘Call of Nature’?

The poem Death the Leveller (below) by the English dramatist, James Shirley (1596-1666), is one of the legacies of our Colonial education in British West Africa.

THE glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crookèd scythe and spade.

The great dramatist may be right about ‘death’ being a ‘leveller’.

However, may I humbly suggest that before the final call, there is another call: a daily human activity which is the true leveller: answering the ‘call of nature’!

The 'call of nature' is, incidentally, one of those polite phrases we usually prefer to use when we want to avoid using certain words. In this case, the phrase we have chosen to describe our response to necessary human bodily functions.

Words and Phrases We Choose to Avoid

Perhaps, there’s no other word in English (or any other language?) which has more slang or avoidance words than that for the human bodily waste which results from the food we eat! 

There are the English and the Irish who talk of doing a ‘number one’ (front action) or ‘number two’ (back action) to refer to the two kinds of ‘easing oneself’.  

Sometimes, we might even discover to our utter embarrassment, or even horror, that an innocently chosen nickname (or an actual name given at birth) in one language turns out to be something else, and totally unexpected in another language! 

Poor Kaká (real name Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leit) - brilliant Brazilian footballer, former FIFA World Footballer of the Year and with a price tag (in 2009) of £100 million sterling. 

Sadly, ‘kaka’ is also what, one is reliably informed, is the French slang for human waste (of the ‘number two’ kind)! An expensive piece of sh*t, some mischievous French person might say? 

A ‘kaka’ player in France is not exactly, well, a candidate for Footballer of the Year, at world or village level, is he? 

Here’s Belgium’s Menneken Pis (right) doing a ‘number one’.

At this point, I am sure some readers are thinking this entire effort is just a load of sh*t?

Quite right! And that's exactly the point - putting sh*t at the top of the health agenda. 

But, why not? Why not a discussion on toilets? 

Let’s just pause and think about this for a moment: what is one of the most pressing, indeed unavoidable, of the human body’s involuntary responses one can think of? 

 Yes, you got the right answer spot on; I have, therefore, absolutely no apologies to make for raising this important issue.

The only personal experience we all share, regardless of our nationality, gender, family, social or economic background, rich or poor, is the ‘toilet experience’.

This ‘toilet experience’ is also something none of us can ever avoid, as long as we choose to continue to eat or drink. 

It is not voluntary, but a ‘forced’ response to the human body’s demand; has anyone made the futile attempt of trying to hold back when one desperately ‘needs to go’?

One can hardly imagine the subject of toilets being the topic of polite conversation in VIP circles. At the same time, there’s no doubt the location of the toilet would be one of the first places a VIP guest might enquire (or be notified of) on arrival at an event. 

We also seem to have this particularly uncomfortable habit of avoiding a discussion on the human body’s response to our food and drink consumption, and therefore end up neglecting to address the ‘toilet problem’ (in some countries, in any case).

So, why do we have what could be described as a totally unreasonable attitude towards such a vital transformation by our bodies of the food and drink we consume, and the failure to provide the facility to handle what results from this change of state of that food and drink? 

It certainly is this strange, careless and neglectful approach to something which comes out of our own bodies that anyone must find baffling; not to mention the serious risk to health.

Pyramid of Human Needs

Most of us are, probably, also aware of the generally accepted notion that human basic needs are: Food, Clothing (to keep warm, in contrast to the fashion context) and Shelter, in that order.

The same food one has taken into the body turns into something else one doesn’t even want to touch now or stay within a certain distance of.  

Presumably, whoever first came up with that list forgot a most important element in the equation: the need to properly get rid of what becomes of the food we put into our bodies? 

Should we, therefore, not think of the best way to deal with this problem? 

This is where toilets come in.

It could be argued that one can do without clothing, especially in a warm environment, though one would also need to be brave enough and psychologically prepared to go around naked! 

In the same respect, the need for shelter is, arguably, not quite as crucial as to be placed on the ladder of human needs. 

Let’s put it this way: if you live in the tropical regions of the world, keeping warm will not be an urgent issue; the trees would also provide welcome shelter from the sun on hot days?

Food, toilets, clothing and shelter, in that order of importance, would therefore be a more appropriate ranking order on the human needs ladder?

Human Life in ‘Toilet Years’

Apparently, the average 70 year old person would have spent the equivalent of three and a half years of this lifetime attending to ‘toilet duties’! An incredible statistic! 

Yet, we do not seem to give toilet duties the necessary attention it deserves and, hence, to provide the facilities (like the one on the right, perhaps,) to make the experience, well, less stressful. 

Indeed, one could argue, the properly planned and designed toilet is the only place where three and a half years of absolute privacy and time for personal reflection can be found?

Toilets (sorry, ‘Call of Nature’) as a Metaphor for ‘Forward Planning’ 

Toilets can also be a metaphor for ‘forward planning’ - thinking of what will happen to the food one is going to put into one’s body, and how one can properly dispose of what that food turns into a few hours later. 

After all, it has been said that the measure of any civilisation can be judged more from the quality of its toilets or how that society disposes of its human bodily waste. 

The ancient Romans were also reputed to have taken the quality of their toilets very seriously, ... and quite rightly so!

Closer to our own times (in historical terms), the Tokyo Toilet is something which has been taken to a different level as an art form.

“Toilets are a symbol of Japan's world-renowned hospitality culture. Public toilets will be redesigned in 17 locations throughout Shibuya with the help of 16 creators invited from around the world. We invite you to take a look at the uniqueness of each of these facilities.”

The Great Leveller

Has anyone ever wondered whether those we are supposed to be in awe, or even afraid, of that one can think of, ever answer the ‘call of nature’, or attends to toilet duties, as ordinary folks do? 

Indeed, what about all those who wield their power over us mere mortals?

Dear friends, rest assured; all these ‘powerful’ folks have to succumb to the one thing which brings all of us - the powerful and the not-so-powerful, the rich and the not-so-rich, the young and the old - to the same level: the need to answer a call none of us can ever ignore. 

Ex-colonial masters also have to respond to the same life’s requests, nay, demands, as the colonised; they have not been excused from performing that particular duty.

Addressing the Problem 

The United Nations declared 2008 International Year of Sanitation (indeed, the UN should have proposed a Decade of Sanitation). 

Having said farewell to 2008, and long before the SDGs, perhaps we could have focused attention on the most important human daily activity (after breathing and eating)?

Here is an idea worth considering: can citizens of any country with inadequate toilets ask their aspiring politicians and candidates for public office: President, Parliament and, indeed, local Authority, what realistic plans they have to solve sanitation (and specifically, toilet) problem? 

This will sort out the serious politicians from what we could call the ‘jokers’.

The UN’s International Year of Sanitation should also have been a wake-up call by all those countries where this fundamental human need is neglected, and a chance to set up a serious on-going programme to address this shortcoming.

Enter the SDGs

It is for this reason that particular attention be paid to SDG 6.2; in countries where the problem is to do with ‘invisible’ public toilets (too many of us face the “these toilets are for customer use only” sign, whether politely expressed or not!) this should also be put right.

PUBLIC TOILETS: AN ESSENTIAL BUT UNDER-APPRECIATED AMENITY

We urgently need to get directly to the bottom of this toilet problem! Pun very much intended here!

Sorry, I have to go; nature calls, and it is a ‘call’ I definitely can’t ignore. 

Oh, please, don’t ask me if it is a ‘number one’ or ‘number two’; this is strictly a private matter! 

But, don’t worry, I might - indeed, I know - I’ll be back to talk some more sh*t before long.