Teriya Bugu
Teriya Bugu is a village founded by a french clergyman promoting tourism as a way to greate employment and support local people. The proceeds from the hotel business - managed by an association - is used to fund the local school and dispensary. The place is lush and green, which is unusual in this part of the world, and dozens of colourful bird grace the place.
We were kindly invited to attend the school fair on our second day in Teriya Bugu, an offer we quickly accepted as our experiences with kids in West Africa have always been great occasions. This one did not disappoint. The school fair started rather formally with speeches from the headmaster and the president of the parents association, followed the raising of the national flag and a visit of the school rooms. This was followed by songs and a play. Interestingly the message everyone was trying to hammer home was: “Send your children to school. It is their right!”. In such rural areas, illiterate parents often struggle to understand why they should send their kids to school rather that get them to work on the land. Even in Teriya Bugu where the French association of the ‘Volontaires du Progres’ has been working for years, the battle is yet to be won.
Teriya Bugu est un village cree de toute piece par un pere missionaire. Les profits generes par l’activite touristique (hotel, visites guidees, etc) servent a financer, entre autres, l’ecole et le dispensaire. Ici ils appellent ca du ‘tourisme solidaire’. L’endroit est vert et boise, ce qui est rare dans ce coin du monde, et des dizaines d’oiseaux colores chantent dans les arbres toutes la journee. Le pere - et ses succeseurs ont reussi a creer un vrai petit paradis.
Le deuxieme jour nous fumes invites a participer a la fete de l’ecole de Teriya Bugu. Une invitation immediatement acceptee car c’est toujours un plaisir de rencontrer les enfants d’ici. L’affaire commenca de maniere plutot formelle, discours, montee des couleurs, visite de l’ecole. Ensuite, une petite chorale et une serie de sketchs vinrent detendre l’atmosphere. Pourtant le message commun a tous les discours, sktechs, chants et autres, etait on ne peut plus serieux: “Ils faut envoyer vos enfants a l’ecole. C’est un droit !”. Dans ces contrees rurales, les parents analphabetes on souvent du mal a comprendre pourquoi ils devraient envoyer leurs enfants a l’ecole et se priver de petites mains bien utiles aux champs. Meme a Teriya Bugu ou l’association des volontaires du progres travaille depuis plusieurs annees, la bataille est loin d’etre gagnee.
School as a human right
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Teriya Bugu school
