The BBC is buzzing with news of the new crown prince. It’s such non news that the reporters are reporting on what other reporters are wearing….”The Norwegian news reporter is wearing a light and summery white dress” and “the FOX news reporter is wearing a bright orange outfit”. When the news is so slight that we are being told about the outfits worn by competing reporters it really is a non news event. And being this far away from any power center makes it even more ludicrous reporting. However we are seeing our own changes here. It’s tree shearing time here in Angonia. The trees are being brutally shorn by machete wielding young men who flail away at the acacias lining most of the streets as well as the lane running in front of our house. The leafy branches are hacked off and left in drifts beneath the trees so that the tree gleaners…women and children wielding machetes…can remove side branches and harvest bundles of poles which are carried on mom’s head to sell at the big market on the edge of town. In the last few weeks most trees were whitewashed from four feet down to the roots making an eye catching line to the vanishing point on most streets. There are two explanations given for this civic project. One is that the whitewash deters insects from boring into the tree bark. The other is that it has always been so and must continue. The first reason falls apart when one notices the rocks and brick edgings are also whitewashed and it is unlikely that aphids are grazing in the stones.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 05:38:28 +0000