Mary Ann and Jim are in Nigeria!: Turner's hometown

Note: A good bit of this was covered in my entry of 5/8, but was minus pictures. So this will provide a clearer picture, hopefully of the previous text.

Jim's sister Miriam is married to Turner Timinipre Isoun, of the Ijaw ethnic group in Nigeria. Turner grew up in a small riverside village, Odi, in what is now Bayelsa state. You can't Google the village, but you can Google Yenagoa, Nigeria and get an idea where it is.

In our drive from Yenagoa to Port Harcourt last week, we stopped in Odi, a town of about 10,000 people. The traditional commerce in town deals with fish and the river in general, with lots of local foods produced or harvested. The main street through town is a two lane road, with shops close to the shoulder, so it feels quite close! But it was a lively scene - Sunday morning about 10 AM - with many people dressed up and going to / coming from church. The southern part of the country is heavily Christian, with all denominations represented. And Sunday is the day to go. We walked the street, and Turner greeted lots of people who know Odi's contribution to the growth of the nation! It was fun. We slipped into a side alley to stop at the home of a dear old friend, Ishmael, who was the first to have Miriam into his home when she first visited Odi 43 years ago! And he served her oatmeal and fruit! Ishmael is over 90, and showing his age, but was still very animated and enthusiastic. An amazing old gentleman with a twinkle in his eye. We talked of the village, and activities. The whole time, there was a small contingent of young people around us, who had been there with him before we arrived. A sort of spending quality time with an elder. Ishmael was a friend of, and travelled now and then with, Turner's father. In the course of those travels, Turner's father worked as a baker, while Ishmael got work as an assistant to a British colonial judge, in Ghana, I believe, where he stayed for a number of years. Met all sorts of dignitaries, and has great stories to tell. But as he got older, he moved back to Odi, where he remains. He has always maintained a phrase to live by on his home, which you may be able to read in the picture below if you look carefully - "Mind Your Business". Good advice.

We stopped by the school where Turner got his first years of schooling, and which continues to educate kids today. We also visited Miriam's and Turner's home in town, which they had constructed a number of years ago. Without going into all the details, it was destroyed 6-8 years ago in a government military incursion following the killing of some policemen by unknown assailants. Only the shell remains, but it was obviously a fully functional, nice home, with open ventilation, a tile bath and kitchen, and "mother-in-law" quarters on the other side of an open courtyard. We felt respectful of the place, and what they had tried to do, and it was really quite sad. And yet, behind the house, a large tree remained that they had planted, and had several jackfruit hanging from it. Large! We took two to Port Harcourt, where we tried it - the inner flesh was a bit like a pineapple in flavor, though blander, and had a tendency to fall apart into slivers when picked up, but not bad. A favorite of Indians and Filipinos, who use the whole thing, including some ping pong ball sized seeds. So it was a bit like something of their history at the house remained.

They had had a small house built a few years ago adjacent to the gutted one, for use by my sister Martha for an extended stay. The house is interesting, in that it was built of a solid interlocking block, made locally of concrete and a local material. No mortar is required, though a bead of caulk / sealer is frequently applied before setting a block in place. But construction is straightforward, and goes quickly. Add a metal roof, an you are ready to go. It is now rented to a local researcher. The fence as clothesline is very common.

Our impression of a village environment such as this might be overly critical if one didn't understand the situation. People walk alot. People buy and sell to their neighbors, and are very much a part of a community. Things are close, so as to be convenient. A family may own a lot in the community, which may include a home for older folks, the current family, and children. A home is a place to live as well as do business.

One story to tell - did I tell this already? - we stopped to visit a nephew of Turner's, a retired Navy guy, at his home. We had breakfast and talked, the whole time with CNN in the background. Just before we left, what should come on CNN but John Stewart, the international version. Small world.