Kids are always sweet. Their cloth are normally really torn out and they don't wear shoes, but their smile is always really blight.


子供達はどこの国でも可愛い。ぼろ切れのような服着て基本裸足、それでも眩しいくらい無邪気に手を振って来てくれる。



Not only kids, people always gave me warm greeting, especially when men on old chinese bike with a lot of things on the back smiled to me as they passed by, I always felt really warm.
These days, one thing keeps staying in my mind, it doesn't go away.

大人は大人で山ほど物を積んだ中国製の安いポンコツ自転車ですれ違いざまニコニコっと親指立てて挨拶してくれる。
こんな生活をずっと続けていて、最近よく考える事がある。



Many people dominated the image of Africa as poor, unhappy, unfair etc.. all kind of negative perspectives.
However, since I have been cycling Africa for quite a while and communicated with many different families and people, I started feeling that the image of Africa I had might have been wrong.

Do they actually have decent happiness or peace as African?
What people do to Africa is just self satisfaction, isn't it??

In our measurement, of cause African's life is hard and sentimental. But actually this is Africa, what we as people from developed countries thought to be hard or sentimental is nothing special, really normal life for African.


「アフリカ人＝物が乏しくてかわいそう」というのが世界一般的な感覚。でも最近それが疑問に思えて仕方が無い。彼等は彼等である程度幸せな生活を送れているんじゃないの。そもそも「かわいそう」という感情は我々先進国にいる人間が自分の物差しを元に勝手に感じた感情で、彼等にとっては我々がかわいそうと勝手に思った生活は当たり前で普通なのではないか。



Now, there are many organization and individual have been helping African countries.
What I've seen for African was that help or supports by others became very common in Africa. It seemed people were expecting somebody's help. They don't try to do things by themselves.
For instance, now many schools and hospitals have been established, but the skill and motivation of teachers and nurse are very poor. They don't try to improve education or medical level of their counties because U.S. aid, JAICA, World Vision, whatever will support.


そをな事を思い始めたのはやはり民泊を何度もして彼等の生活を見て来た事が大きい。
勝手に「かわいそう」だと感じて勝手に支援を始め、勝手に彼等に物や金をを与えたりした結果、アフリカ人の多くが支援慣れしているように感じる。
学校が沢山できても先生が育たない、病院ができても看護婦が育たない。そんなのも良い例なのではないか。


Support is easy if you just send some money or things. Of cause as African, if someone gave them things for free, it's the best. However, just giving things will make people spoiled.
If someone really want to support, they should help to educate how they make money or things. Do things by themselves.

勝手に支援をしてくれて、アフリカ人は迷惑なのではないか。
アフリカ人にはアフリカ人のペースがある。タダで何かをもらえるのは誰でも嬉しい。でも支援の仕方によっては国や人をダメにする。本当に支援をするのであれば、物や金では無くて彼等に物や金を得る方法を教えて、彼等のペースで物事を進めさせるのが大事なのではないかと思えて仕方ない。


It's hard to explain in English but it was what I was thinking.
Cycling Africa gives me many ideas and things. I think it was right choice that I chose to come Africa.

久々に真面目な内容になってしまったけれど、アフリカを走っていると、考えさせられる事が本当に多い。ここにいるだけで彼等からたくさの事を学ぶ。この旅のゴールをアフリカにして良かったと最近良く思う。