Dearest friends,
Jean left Nairobi, Kenya, on June 30th. The following day, the mayor and councillors of the city of Thika gracefully handed him a commemorative plate. On July 12, he spends the night at the Sisters of St-Francis' mission, in Timau and Sister Joanne writes: "You can't imagine what excitement it brought to our school compound for Jean to have spent a night here in Timau. In the morning he visited the various groups of students including St. Elizabeth's Pre-School and Catch-Up School. What an inspiration towards determination for our children." The Timau Catholic Mission is situated 7200 feet on the slopes of Mount Kenya and Jean will have to ascend to 9000 feet before dropping down to sea level in Isiolo. While he was still in Nairobi, there had been a lot of discussions with friends on finding the most secure road for him to travel toward Ethiopia and he had to abandon the route he had projected for another one that was hardly surer. He was told it was without danger until Isiolo. Past this city, situated north of the majestic Mount Kenya, he was not allowed to circulate alone and even less on foot. Policemen organized convoys to cross these zones, dangerous because of the presence of deserts, bandits, lions and elephants and also of land mines. He had, therefore to conform to orders and reached Moyale, on the Kenya/Ethiopia border in record time.
In Moyale, on Ethiopia's side, he had his small chariot sign translated in Amaric, one of the 80 official languages of this big country and undertook the long climb toward the capital, Addis Ababa. Ethiopia possesses a culture that he found different from all the other countries of Africa that he had crossed. He saw nests of termites there with a strange architecture, dined with German and Austrian travelers. He admired the ruins of the "Fortino di concillor" that dates back to the Italian invasion, the big dromedaries that are less dangerous than the lions, thank God and met Allan, an Australian of Chinese origin who walked during 2 days with him and made him a gift of a charming pair of socks manufactured in China with Australian lamb wool.
The landscapes are magnificent and the omnipresent children follow him continually for some kilometres. Some of them never saw a white man before, so imagine their excitation! Some children even possess a rich collection of scarabs! On August 1st, in Dila, he visits the orphanage of the Don Bosco Mission where he tries to make himself somehow understood by the young boarders.
He visits, by vehicle, some of the places out of his road, of which the archaeological site Taddebe with its monuments in the shape of phalluses. In Shashemene, he attends the dominical religious procession. Ethiopia is one of the big coffee countries and contrary to a lot of other producers, the Ethiopians consume a lot of their production. Instant coffee made by western multinationals doesn't exist and to prepare and drink a cup of coffee is a sort of ritual.
Shortly before Mojo, about 75 kilometres to the south of Addis Ababa, Jean meets Alebachew Teka, animator of a very popular broadcast show who drives him by car to the capital. In Addis, he is received by Daniel Tsigue, a kind Ethiopian he had met in a village in the South of the country. Daniel will guide him to reach the Canadian embassy, to find a place where he can obtain a little money, all these coercive but indispensable errands one has to do. The stays in the big cities are always very active and exciting. Alebachew Teka recorded a beautiful report with Jean in the streets of Addis Ababa and also in an orphanage of the capital.
After a few days, Jean returned south to walk the 75 kilometres that he had made by car and after having gotten his visa for Sudan, he leaves Addis Ababa in direction of Khartoum.
Since Kenya, contacts by Internet are rare and distant but we succeed in maintaining the communication.
Big news: the first volume on Jean's long walk is in development and we intend well to finish writing it toward the fall of 2005. Will remain to find a publishing house that will accept to publish it, then. If someone among you knows of a few things on the way to proceed about the edition and the publication of books, we thank you to let us know because we are complete beginners in this domain.
Till next time...
Luce