You ever been in one of those situations where you enter the scene and immediately you know that something’s gonna go wrong. It’s like stepping on a landmine in the bush, and hearing the click of the detonator right before your leg is blown off. Just enough time for a bunch of neurons to fire in your brain, and for you to realize what’s happening and what kinda shit is about to hit the proverbial fan. It’s that moment you say “Oh S…”, but before you can even finish the explosion of smoke and fire swallows you whole and your own foot kicks you in the face.
Yep, that happened today…when I almost took down the entire project. Allow me to give an overly-dramatic reinterpretation of what happened today during a meeting I had with the District Administrator of Montepuez about the Bridge. I’m gonna go ahead post the e-mail I wrote to our Country Director, as well as a few other Peace Corps Chefe’s running the show in Maputo.
Prep yourselves. This is a long one.
“
Hi Everyone,
I’m writing you this e-mail in regards to a meeting I had today with the Administrador do Distrito de Montepuez in Cabo Delgado. You may have already heard, but I will summarize the events of the meeting below (as well as why I had the meeting in the first place) so that everyone is clear, just in case.
Background:
Over the past few months, I’ve started working on an exciting secondary project. I’ve partnered with three small communities just outside of Montepuez with the goal of building a pedestrian bridge over the Rio Montepuez. Together we will plan, design, and build a 35 meter Bridge with the purpose of not only providing a safe means for crossing a dangerous, crocodile-filled river all year long, but to also stimulate the local economies. Strong enough for people, animals, bicycles, and even motorcycles, a bridge in the proposed location would allow farmers to use the fertile land on the opposite side to continue their subsistence farming, and start profiting from cash crops like cotton as well. Additionally, it would also provide those living on the far side of the river with convenient access to a hospital and specialized medical posts, secondary schools, a diverse market and the main transportation hub.
In addition to the three communities, I’ve managed to put together a small team of 4 additional people who are helping with various tasks. These counterparts include: 1.) Alan - an American Missionary fluent in the local language (Macua), active in the beneficiary communities, and serving as a liaison between the team and the communities; 2.) Armindo – my former language tutor, turned project assistant, who is well connected in the city, knows how and where to get materials, and is very knowledgeable about all things Mozambique; 3.) Anna – My wonderful sitemate who has recently come aboard to assist with state-side fundraising, material procurement research duties here in Moz, and general support; and, 4.) Undukkus – the most recent addition to our team and a first year student and leader at the local Universidade Pedogogico who is assisting with local fund-raising activities, has an expansive network both here in Montepuez and in Pemba, and is serving as our liaison with the local government.
In trying to realize this project, I’ve had to interact with the local government quite a bit. Armindo and Alan have been particularly useful in this regards often pointing me in the right direction and even accompanying me to some of the meetings. Up until today, every single government employee that we’ve talked to about the project (Chefe’s included), have been extremely helpful, and often both excited and interested in the project too. In developing the project, we came up with a plan of attack of who we would approach in terms of seeking approval for the project and when we would talk to them. We all agreed that the first people we needed to talk to (after the villages of course) were those at the Escritorio dos Servicos Urbanos do Distrito. They are in charge of infrastructure projects, and it seemed to us that this type of project fell right into that label. We met with the Director and a Technico, described the project to him, and then discussed his thoughts and our next move. He told us that the next step would be to write a letter to the Administrador describing the project and seeking approval. In this letter, he told us that it would be necessary to include a cost estimate, and in the meantime while it was being prepared, he said that he would contact the administrator, tell him about the project and to expect a letter from us.
Producing an estimate for the bridge is not an easy task due to the complex nature of the project. In order to produce an estimate, we needed to do a site survey and take measurements. Once we had that information, I would be able to produce a basic design and material estimate. I have a background in Civil Engineering, so I was excited to take up this opportunity to do some real field work.
In trying to figure out how we could do this survey, I began to search the city for some of the tools I needed. I went back to the Escritorio dos Servicos Urbanos do Distrito to see if they had any equipment I could borrow, and was then told to visit the Escritorio dos Servicos Urbanos do Municipio. While there, I spoke with the director and discovered that the city Technicos had a Total Station, an advanced surveying machine that would allow for us to make the precise measurements that we needed. I was told that borrowing it would not be a problem so long as I got approval from the President of Montepuez. So, I went back home, wrote a Pedido, and returned the next day to ask the President of the city if I could borrow their Machine. As it turned out, rather than just dropping off the letter, I was invited into the President’s Office and had the opportunity to speak with him directly about my request. The President was extremely enthusiastic about the project and approved my request immediately, wishing me good luck with my project and saying that he hoped we would succeed so that we could continue doing more projects just like this one. I returned to Servicos Urbanos a few days later to pick up the machine, and then went to complete my survey. Using the collected data, I was able to produce a basic design and put together a rough budget for the project, the same budget I submitted with my PCPP Grant Application. That brings us to the present day.
Present Day:
This morning, Undukkus and I went to the city with the intention of scheduling a meeting to sit down with the District Administrator so that we could deliver the letter and tell him about our project. As it turned out, his secretary told us that was available to talk right at that moment, and so, if we wanted to, we could talk with him today. Thinking this was a good chance to introduce ourselves and give him some basic information about the project, we decided to take the meeting. This turned out to be a big mistake.
Even before we started the meeting, both Undukkus and I could tell that the Administrator was already in a bad mood. We started off the meeting with formal greetings, before Pedro went into some of the details of our project. Undukkus barely had a chance to say anything of substance before the Administrator began an angry tirade about how this was his district, how this wasn’t the mission of Peace Corps, and how he hadn’t received any of the proper documentation (from the Pedagogical University, from the American Embassy, from Corpo da Paz, from anyone…). He refused to let us explain, was not interested in seeing any of the pictures we brought along, and was not willing to continue the meeting without any of his required documentation. It was obvious that he wanted us to leave when he closed his notebook and stood up. We both did the same, and as he walked us to the door of his office, I tried to respectfully despedir (to say goodbye). I thanked him for his time, apologized for the inconvenience, and then assured him that we would arrange all of the documents that he requested. I then stuck out my hand to shake and close the meeting. He looked at my hand, and after a few very awkward seconds passed, he grabbed it and literally forced me out of the room in a very aggressive manner. He then slammed the door behind me and kept Pedro in the room. After two or three minutes, Pedro emerged just as confused and taken aback as I was. He later told me what happened once I had left. The Administrador, still angry, turned to him and asked “Who are you? Who do you think you are coming here? Do you have any idea what you are doing?” Pedro tried to respond in a calm manner, but the Administrator cut him off again, explain: “We have problems here in this country and you are trying to do this? Get out of here.” He then kicked Pedro out as well. We were both shocked.
The Aftermath:
Reflecting back on the events of today, I’ve tried to understand what happened and why he reacted the way he did. I’ve come to a few conclusions. First and foremost, I realize that he should have been the first person we contacted in regards to this project, and not doing so was a big mistake. We probably should have written him to ask for permission before doing any work at all. I regret not doing that. Secondly, I believe that he is concerned about me being an American and, judging by what he said to Pedro behind closed doors, he may believe that I have ulterior political motives. He has every right to think that. He fought with FRELIMO during the Civil War, and as Marcelino mentioned to me on the phone today, he was actually a high ranking official in the Military prior to moving into office. He is probably aware of who the US backed during the Mozambican Civil War, and as a result, may not be very trusting of Americans. Additionally, as strange as it may sound, he may also believe that I am spying for the American Government (this wouldn’t be the first time that American’s living in Montepuez have been accused of spying by a district administer, it happened to the Missionaries upon their arrival here ten years ago).
As far as I am concerned, I’ve put it behind me. I have no intention of abandoning this project, and if anything, it has only motivated me even more to succeed. Both Pedro and I feel that have something to prove, and would like nothing more than to show the Administrator that we are capable. Personally, I look forward to the challenge of changing his opinion of me and my country.
“
So yeah, that happened. And even though it’s a pretty significant happening, I believe it’s something we will be able to overcome. We’ve got a plan of action that our head honchos in the capital have approved and we’ll now follow it to resolve this issue. Essentially, we’re gonna give this guy exactly what he wants. The Country Director is writing a letter that will be signed and stamped that includes information about Peace Corps, my role as a volunteer (Professor, Representative of the US, Pursuer of Secondary Projects, etc.), and that he approves and supports my undertaking of the bridge-building project. Pedro, meanwhile, is working on getting the same exact type of letter from his university.
Now I may not be able to secure a comfortable space on the Administrators “Good Side,” but that’s not really my goal right now. I’ll give him what he wants, and if he approves, then we’ll show him a bridge. Has the CIA spy ever done that?
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