While I was standing in the queue waiting to check in for my Enugu-Lagos flight, I was informed of a delay of 2 hours by a suave 6.2 foot gentleman and his bemused American companion. The lightness of the moment was interrupted by a fracas at the Air Arik counter. Deep voices resonated across the small departures hall. When the reasonable request was made that we be checked in, in order to escape the debilitating heat, the refusal was countered with a shouting match that ranged from accusations (‘you treat us like animals’), incredulity (‘who is the man, what is his position? what is his authority?!’) and threats (‘my fare pays your job; you can lose your job’). We were checked in but when I commended my compatriots on their intervention, my tall neighbour informed me that the check-in clerk was on his way anyway. The scene was unnecessary.
Enugu is an attractive city; hilly and green currently undergoing mass road infrastructure upgrades. The layout is conventional with many squares punctuating its gridiron monotony with large heroic figures celebrating independence and less reassuringly…military rule. The military is very present in Enugu; their base is one of the first things you see on the way from the airport. They are present at the entrance to the University, the airport and at strategic points around the city. Their guns and uniforms echo the unease one feels when observing the statues of steel featuring guns, knives and soldiers. My Igbo colleagues shudder at the associations; the dread experienced under military rule was not that long ago.
In the shadow of showy public sculptural 
displays, the real Enugu reveals itself. I am told the East is known for its traders and this is evident. Streets are lined with small business at a relentless density, some with shop fronts not more that two meters wide. Computer dealers, business centres, artists, artisans play their wares and trade with a busy intensity that defies the hot sun. Tailors and dressmakers are in abundance. Their products are modelled on the street where brightly clad ladies delicately balancing baskets on their heads pass men wearing intricately lace detailed West African suits. I was presented with a beautiful suit tailored in a day, immaculately made, a gift that bears testimony to an inherent creativity, craftsmanship and propensity for hard work. This is what builds the city, this quiet tenacity and focus. No need to shout.
displays, the real Enugu reveals itself. I am told the East is known for its traders and this is evident. Streets are lined with small business at a relentless density, some with shop fronts not more that two meters wide. Computer dealers, business centres, artists, artisans play their wares and trade with a busy intensity that defies the hot sun. Tailors and dressmakers are in abundance. Their products are modelled on the street where brightly clad ladies delicately balancing baskets on their heads pass men wearing intricately lace detailed West African suits. I was presented with a beautiful suit tailored in a day, immaculately made, a gift that bears testimony to an inherent creativity, craftsmanship and propensity for hard work. This is what builds the city, this quiet tenacity and focus. No need to shout.
No comments:
Post a Comment