Africa Naïve Dreams
2007-03-12 02:51:00
Africa Naïve Dreams
Lome, Togo West Africa
Sunday, March 11, 2007
There are naïve dreams, fantasy, expectations and belief about places.
When I read about Africa, I am amazed at the prehistoric ways the world imagines Africa. Africa can be very modern. The difference between reality and what is portrayed by the news, people, documentaries and other sources we would consider or believe to be reputable is interesting. The major problem is what is interesting is not what is common, therefore why would a person make a documentary about what is the normal life in Africa, why not show the exotic and make money selling fantasy or hard to find instances.
Well, in the reverse, converse African people have naïve dreams, fantasies and expectations about people from the USA, or Europe.
The situation is this, some girl will walk up to me and enter in intelligent conversations, well spoken, clear, then suddenly will comment or say something like,
- Do you love me, will you marry me? -
Real or unreal is not important, it the idea that it is continually, consistently asked very quickly and without remorse with you marry me.
I am wondering if this is how Brad Pitt feels, do girls just walk up and make wild propositions, and how does a movie star deal with comments that are so far out of reach, they become difficult to answer. What can you say to a person that just asked you to marry them, a person you met five minutes ago. I normally have said, I have five wives already and you can be number six, this is sort of preposterous answer to a preposterous question, and in a preposterous way it works for an answer.
However, where the line between fantasy, reality and respect for people is drawn is interesting and refreshing, there is a simple pleasure in talking to person with perspectives that are different.
Africa Naïve Dreams