Two separate events from my West African journey( 1982 - 2000 ), which were lessons ( amongst many ) in giving value to people and avoiding ' talking down '
At an airport in Eastern Nigeria I engaged a car to go to my destination , a nearby town . Just outside the airport premises the car stalled . The driver opened the bonnet and there was a burning smell
Me : (In my best pidgin ): " Eye dey hear burning smell O! "
Driver : "Oh you too percieve the odour of burning Sir ? "
#mistake to misjudge his level of communication based on a prototype in my head
The other was an encounter with a ' village idiot ' the likes of whom are to be found in most villages in the world - an unkempt figure dressed in rags who goes around without purpose being ridiculed and pelted with stones by village urchins
I was part of a timber export operation ( one of the many sins I am atoning for ) which needed trucks loaded with felled logs to cross a small bridge built by us over a rivulet on their path out . One section of the bridge collapsed and the required spare beam had to be moved into place to fill the gap. My team of sturdy musclemen were in a sweat but could not move it !
Dusk was fast setting in and the line of trucks lengthening and hiring money mounting . I was standing in the good section scratching my head when along came the ' idiot ' laughing his head off ! My discomfited team was hurling choice abuse and I was sceptical !
In the local language he said " Float it to the point under and prop it up ! "
With all my schooling I had forgotten Archimedes ! A most unexpected person had remembered !
We were out of there in less than an hour !
Just sharing and if you see the message please take it on board !
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