I visited with a friend who runs a food outlet in Nairobi today. I listened to horror stories of regular harassment by bully city council employees who descend like vultures on her business soliciting bribes on threat of arrest for violation of obscure city bylaws she knows nothing about. I left really angry at all the roadblocks that stand in the way of small businesses, in Nairobi, as if it isn’t hard enough to survive without the system tripping you up all over the place. I was frustrated in particular, because I wanted so badly to do something about it but I couldn’t think of anything I could do that would make a difference.
Then, as I was leaving, I found someone had double parked behind me and gone off to I-don’t-know-where. I had to manoeuvre my way out through this really narrow space between this big-bodied car on the one side and an intimidating protruding cement structure on the other side.
As I braced myself to attempt the feat, passers-by, seeing my predicament, gathered around me and without my soliciting their help, began to guide me. Through the rear view mirror, I saw a young woman approach my car and paused to give her way. She declined to pass, offering to be my eyes instead, to help me steer through the narrow space.
It was an intense five minutes or so, with much wincing and many sharp intakes of breathe. But, I made it. Eight or so Kenyans, strangers to me, stood around, smiled their relief, cheered, and then went their merry way on to their business.
Nairobi makes me so mad sometimes I could throttle it with my bare hands. And then again, I love love love Nairobi.It's my window, but I don't own the view.
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What An African Woman Thinks
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The Worst of Nairobi, The Best of Nairobi Posted: November 10th, 2008, 12:30pm EST