DESTINATION AFRICA PART 1

HAPPY 2008 to all!! While crazy summer is rocking in RIO and wintertime is freezing all of Europe, Castelinho38 is off discovering Africa. We started the New Year in Nairobi, Kenya, which was quite an adventure...if you happen to watch the World Head Lines News you may see two Italians wandering amidst the riots that engulfed the city after the most recent presidential election.



Luckily we are staying with our friends, Nilvo, a UN officer, and Ana, a Folha de SP journalist, so we are following all the UN safety instructions and the latest news reports. Don’t worry about our safety, we are doing fine! For now, as we wait out the riots, we have been stocking foods and gasoline. As the riots continue, the prices of goods are rising fast and certain items are difficult to find.



We have talked with a few locals, and they all seem very concerned about the situation. Nairobi is a hot-bed of conflict; election robbery, ethnic fighting, deteriorating economic and political situation. It was impossible to merely witness the mounting conflict—we had to help. We have been assisting Ana as she does her research and interviews about the city, which has certainly been an eye-opening experience.



This experience has greatly affected us. We will never forget the locals we have met, and the events we have witnessed. We are extremely grateful for our hosts, Ana and Nilvo, whose life work continues to be an inspiration. We are looking forward to the next step of our trip, but our thoughts and prayers remain with those who are left behind.