From Mzungu to Rafiki (Blog #7)

The first time I met Solomon, he screamed and cried at the sight of me because I was a mzungu (for the purpose of this story, I will be a mzungu… for now J ).  Solomon is a 2 ½ year old boy that lives in Bogoro, one of the villages in which we are working.  His mom’s name is Charlye and I met them through Miriam and Rutha who also live in Bogoro. 

Today Solomon smiles and is excited to see me.  It is amazing to see a child that was frightened by the thought of me and who would not come near me with a 10 foot pole, now come up and give me a hug.  He went from telling me bye to get rid of me to not wanting me to leave.  This relationship, however, this took some time and some convincing.  After a couple of visits Charlye convinced Solomon that I was not a mzungu and she compared my skin to his, saying, “Look she is brown like you.”  She also helped by modeling behavior for him.  She shook my hand and laughed and talked with me.  Each time I would visit, Solomon became more comfortable with me and moved closer and closer, after the initial shock wore off.  Eventually he touched my skin and saw that it was like his and he even held my hand.  To him, I am no longer a mzungu, I am a rafiki (friend).

Next step was to build a relationship between Solomon and Scott and Stephen.  I was able to use my newly developed relationship with him (and the fact that Scott had a hammock and a soccer ball) as a bridge to connect them.  When Scott first walked in the local shop with me Solomon greeted me and then started crying when he saw Scott.  I showed him that Scott was my rafiki and that there was nothing to be afraid of.  He calmed down as far as crying but would not come near Scott.  Then the magic happened!  Scott pulled out the hammock.  His hammock has been a big hit with the kids in Bogoro.  I told Solomon to come with me and he trusted me and came.  I showed him the hammock and Scott demonstrated how you lay in it.  There was a sparkle in his eyes as he watched, yet still from a distance.  He let me pick him up and I put him in the hammock but he was scared so I got in with him.  His frown quickly turned to a smile as we glided back and forth in the hammock.  He also enjoyed having pictures taken of him and wanted to see them on the camera.  What really put the icing on the cake though, was the soccer ball.  As soon as Scott pulled out the soccer ball it was all over.  Solomon had a new best friend.  He quickly joined Scott and 2 other boys in kicking around the ball.  He got so excited and clapped every time he kicked the ball.  Now when I see Solomon he asks me where the mzungu is (aka Scott) and of course he wants to play soccer. 

Whether I am working in a small village in Congo or working in a school in Atlanta, relationships have been one of the most important aspects of my job.  For our projects here in Congo, they are essential.  We cannot succeed without building and strengthening relationships within the communities.  That includes our relationships with each other as co-workers and friends, our relationships with village chiefs and pastors, our relationships with parents, teachers, coaches, leaders and even our relationships with little 2 year old boys like Solomon.  These relationships are the heart of our work and I am blessed to be able to foster the relationships with the people I have met so far.