No News is Good News

My friend Allison e-mailed yesterday to check up on me. She’s obviously been following the news reports about Kenya, and must have read the last post where I described my illicit petroleum procurement activity.

I know that if Allison had been here, girlfriend would have been so TOTALLY down with me on my quasi-adventure. In fact, I’m positive that in the 3 years I’ve known her, Allison’s absolute fearlessness and REALNESS have rubbed off on me. She has a “Take me as I am,” take-no-prisoners attitude about life that I find totally disarming.

I met Allison at National Public Radio, where she walked up one day, said she had heard all about me and immediately added me to the after work drinks list. Before I could catch my breath, Allison was inviting me to plays and other events, or stopping by my desk every day, to make me howl with laughter during our our various insider, “keepin’ it real” sister-girl conversations.

I can admit it now…..Allison’s mad cool, real-deal natural hairstyle and highlights are the reason I’m happy and nappy today. I was wearing braids when we met, steadily anguishing over my receding hairline. I knew I needed to stop using extensions 'cuz they were tearing my hair out at the roots, but after 12 years, I just couldn’t kick the habit.

Rolling with Allison helped ease some of my “non-extension apprehension” about what people would think, or their opinions about how I’d look if I went natural. She made the phrase “nappy and happy” spring to life for me.

Anyway, I thought it was kinda sweet that Allison was checking up on me. Mostly because she has a good reason to. Every day, I read the local papers and watch BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera religiously, to keep up with what’s going on in Kenya. As much as it absolutely breaks my heart, I find I’m fixated on knowing the latest. And not just because rioting in Kenya means no diesel in Uganda.

I think I’m becoming much more worldly about news. Not that I’ve been an inarticulate dolt about current events thus far, but monitoring the news while living in another country instantly adds about 50 points to a person’s Global Issues IQ score. Now, I won’t launch a diatribe against the American media here, mostly because I spent 20 years of my life involved in it before coming to Uganda. I believe there’s as much right about US media as there is wrong.

Still, one of the BIGGEST things that’s messed up IS the inward focus. I’m fully convinced that American media don’t cover the world adequately because a bunch of frighteningly rich and powerful white guys in Manhattan, Chicago and LA have concluded that most Americans are too fat, stupid and lazy to care much about what happens beyond our borders. I mean, I know they do focus groups and stuff, but I believe they’ve decided their target demographic is the cast of “Hee Haw.”

Which leaves a lot of folks completely out of the news consumer profile. I mean, what about the millions of immigrants who live and work in America? Maybe they’d like to know what’s happening back home. And so what if some blue collar guy drives a garbage truck in Memphis? What if, just maybe, he’s fascinated by Middle East politics and would love to have a more constant source of features and profiles about Arab nations, to help him develop a more informed opinion?

All I know is I can feel my brains growing every day in every way, thanks to a plethora of international news sources available to me through my completely bitchin’ 29 inch Samsung flat screen. When there’s electricity, of course. These days, I’m focused on Kenya, and just how much her people have suffered….and will continue to suffer…during these next few weeks.

There was a time when I would have avoided following the rioting and bloodshed on TV newscasts like the plague. Back in DC, I spent many a night sluggin’ it out on my microfiber sectional, flipping between TV Land and Turner Classic Movies, trying to will myself back to an era much less fraught with geopolitical horror than today.

But now, I feel obliged to understand what’s happening in the world. I need a better grasp on simple concepts, like why an African leader would unleash genocide in his allegedly beloved homeland just to stay in power. I need to understand just what in the heck he calls power, when it comes at such a demonic cost.

Anyway, Allison reminded me that I need to stay in better touch with my peeps these days, so I’m grateful. After all, diesel and petrol aren’t the only things affected by the Kenya crisis. Thousands of refugees are fleeing to Uganda, which creates a range of health, nutritional and housing issues. And the insane tribalism that’s making people chop each other up is obviously not unique to Kenya.

But God and the Archangel Julie willing, I’ll be okay. I AM okay. In other words, when you don’t hear from me, 9 out of10 times it means “No news is good news.” Trust me on that one.