The River of Consciousness

I have to admit that today was an intense day. We first visited the Rio San Nicholas and the two surrounding neighborhoods referred to as New Building and Samu. My first thought when I saw what was before my eyes: absolute shock. Here was this beautiful river, moving so seamlessly between the neighborhoods, and all I could really see or more so focus on, were the heaps of trash piled up inside and along the edges of the river to the point that some stretches of the river were congested, obstructing the free flow. We delved deeper into the situation and crossed the bridge to walk along the raised edges of the river and saw that the situation only got worse and worse as we advanced down the path. People, unable to access any other form of waste disposal due to their financial and economic circumstances, needed to utilize the river as a means of throwing out their trash. In addition to that, the river was their main source of water so many of the families would have their wells connected to the flow of the river and use it as drinking water. Keep in mind that the sewage system is also connected to this river so what they are drinking is essentially waste water. It was really heart-wrenching to see such an injustice and how much poverty can impact the health of the people living in those areas. To witness how nothing can really be done without incentive or money involved even when the children are surrounded by such pollution and the ever-present risk of contracting malaria due to the state of the water was so disturbing and truly hit me hard. At one point, we saw children throwing bags of trash into the river as if it were part of their normal routine. I’m the type of person who can’t hide the shock on my face if I see something in public so here I was, with my mouth gaping open staring at these children. They saw my expression and looked absolutely confused as to why this foreigner was watching them. In that moment, I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to hide my emotions better.

Since we couldn’t see the end of the river flow, we also took a short trip to the area around the General Hospital, where many people go to since they cannot afford to go to the private hospital near Sapopo, to see the outflow of the Rio San Nicholas. It was equally terrifying because you could see how the movement of the water would carry out all the trash into the ocean where it would remain to pollute the marine ecosystems surrounding the areas. Although seafood doesn’t seem like the primary food source for most people here in Equatorial Guinea, it still affects the population here since seafood is in fact, a food source made available to the public. To be eating food contaminated in such ways is an injustice in itself and for the government to not play a role in even attempting to help in these areas of the city really infuriates me. Right next to the river and across from our view was the infamous Black Sand Beach Prison and right next to it, was the starkly contrasting view of the Presidential Palace areas. Even from afar, you could see that it looked well-kept and luxurious and then, here was this river and the neighborhood that it was flowing out of. How can someone who says that he speaks and advocates for the people, sit in his unnecessarily lavish palace and do nothing for his people? How can someone stand for a democratic government and still go to sleep at night knowing that his people are suffering in such conditions?

I can’t pretend to know the history of Equatorial Guinea at this point. Although we’re taking classes to learn more about her history and the culture of this country, I still have so much more learn and absorb. I’m hoping that by the end of this term, I might not only be able to better understand the sensitive political situations, but also be able to take a step back so I might better perceive the realities of the situation from an unbiased standpoint.