Au Mi-Chemin...

Sooo started at CACIT (Collectif des Associations Contre l'Impunité au Togo) on Monday, wrote a report Monday night on a talk the director had given at the univeristy on Monday morning, then on Tuesday was informed - "there's an open doors week at another organisation, and you 're going to manage that." !! Luckily, because we're in Togo, it's not until the beginning of June - but still!
Since then have been starting with promoting CACIT's communication - major aim is to get journalists, possibly international, properly involved with CACIT and not only writing articles about what we do, but being themselves Human Rights defenders. So, the YouTube clip below is an audio of an interview the director of CACIT did on the attack on a journalist involved in the demonstration on Independence Day here. Not a brilliant audio sadly, but it's better than nothing. The website of CACIT itself is www.cacit.org if you all want to look at that too! Below should also be the Facebook group so if anyone's got any spare time have a look round and read of all of that - Twitter account coming soon!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002215617806

YouTube audio of the executive director of CACIT

Ok, publicity over. Apart from CACIT, haven't done much revolutionary since last weekend. Helene who was living with me has left, and a new boy has come in her place - half French half English who's also working at CACIT. Lucie, a volunteer who was here for 6 months, left yesterday which means that I'm now the oldest volunteer! (Not in age though, in age I'm almost the youngest...) The extra lessons on Thursdays are still going, and this week we did a little of the history of England - the Royal Family and a massive timeline stretching from 43AD the Roman invasion to today! Next time we're going to do some more detailed work, but wanted them to chose periods that interest them - however they know nothing of English history apart from what we did yesterday so not quite sure how that will work but we'll make it go somehow. Will try to put up as soon as I can a little thing we did a few weeks ago.
Basically, I wrote a couple of poems using the "I am" structure. This is a structure which helps children to approach poetry-writing in an easier way, and basically is a set of line-beginnings which they fill in as applicable to whoever they are describing.

So - my poem as a tourist started
"I am a stranger everywhere I go,
"I wonder where I will be tomorrow,
"I hear people talking in a language I don't understand..."

So I then asked them to write a poem in the same structure, only using 5 or 6 lines, describing themselves. Sadly, only one girl actually did it - I had a few others telling me they'd forgotten it, or left it at home, etc etc - but what she wrote was actually quite good considering, and I think it shows some potential. She added to it as well, to make it longer, so the next time I can get hold of her I'll try and get it so I can put it up on here and you can all read it. Hopefully some others are going to have a go too, so maybe I'll have more than one!

Exciting news for next week - a maternal visitation; as from Tuesday for 6 days, I will no longer be the only Snow in Togo! Will let you know how that all goes...! :)

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