La Chefferie

This happened a while back, but I forgot to tell you all about my visit to the Chefferie! It was a very interesting experience. Firstly, our training director told us that we were going to go visit the chefferie of Bangangte to thank him for his hospitality during our stay here. So we all pitched money in and bought him several large bags of rice and headed over to the chefferie. We crammed into a small concrete room with a brightly painted ceiling and waiting while the Chefs secretary gave us a little breifing. Finally, the cheif arrived and we all stood up and at the same time we clapped our hands twice, bowed and said "Bello", I have no idea what Bello means it was just what we had to say. Then after that we all stood up one by one and clapped our hands, said Bello and introduced ourselves. I know that it is immature and culturally insensitive, but I couldn't help but giggle to myself at all of us Americans bowing to this cheif and saying Bello. The chief then proceeded to give us his family history. He told us he had 21 wives and "60-something" children (like he wasn't even sure) then he proceeded to tell us that he wants more wives and how he is open to a wife of any race or nationality and proceeded to give the invite. I thought, "Shoot if I didn't have this Peace Corps thing going I would be on that offer like a fat man on a twinky"....not!! Who the crap wants to be some guys 22nd wife!!!?? Then after he left the secretary started lobbying for him and telling us how great it would be to marry the chef. After the chief left we went into another room which was like a mini-museum with all of the chefferie's history. There was a chair in one corner that he said that if anyone but the chef sat in it that they would experience a horrible death. it was tempting, but I refrained from going over and sitting in it.

The chief is a community leader that doesn't techinically have any real administrative power, but he has a lot of power in the community and because of that he works with the official officals. He has kind of a spiritual leadership and I believe that he is so wealthy from a kind of community endownment. He studied in Europe and the US and decided to become cheif after he had had a different job and recieved a vast education. He told us that the community needed him so he came back. People come to him as a kind of parallel justice system as well, although I am not sure how it works exactly.

Well, it was interesting if very foriegn to me. All is well, one week of training left!! Ekks! I am very excited though. Hope all is well aux Etats-Unis!!
Autumn