We have now seen the milk factory and the packaging process, went to the market were Peak Milk products are being sold and talked to the people there, went to Apappa Harbor where the ships with milk powder arrive & filmed pretty much all we need at this stage. In two days we will be in a truck that will take us to the north again. Hopefully we will be able to get a nice GPS track out of that too.
Posts Tagged ‘nigeria’
In Lagos - 3
Thursday, December 14th, 2006In Lagos - 2
Thursday, December 14th, 2006I was very uncomfortable with this way of transportation. This is a not-so-cool way to move around in this city. In my view it only draws more attention and creates more distance. At one point, a busdriver that didn’t move aside quickly enough was threathened by the armed guy right on the streets…. Luckily Esther was able to persuade these men to turn off their sirens the 2nd day.
In Lagos -1
Thursday, December 14th, 2006Tuesday, Esther and I arrived in Lagos by air from Abuja. We were in the same plane as LL Cool J and his entourage… The arrival at the airport went smoothly, we were picked up by people from WAMCO company (producer of Peak Milk and Three Crowns Dairy products). Our car was accompanied by a security car with 3 people, one armed, and blasting sirens, assigned to us by WAMCO, who had arranged all.
New pics from Nigeria!!
Friday, December 8th, 2006Just a dump of some of the most interesting pics from the last few days in Shonong, a rural area south of Jos where we have stayed for a few days. Sorry for the grungy quality, I have done it the easy way because uploading each image in its original quality takes too long from here.
Hilltop in Bachit where we made a stop to call to NWO for the Co-Ops launchs. THis was the best place for reception.
Esther pointing at some maps that hung from the district chiefs house whom we visited.
Esther, Sadik Balewa and Ab at Dini & Jaap’s place
Talking to the Berom chief under the Mango tree and explaining our purposes in the village of Shonong
Ab, ElHadj Masseia and John talking about routes
Ab, ElHadj Masseia and John talking about routes and drawing a map on the ground
Fulani Woman in Shonong preparing my first nonno (yogurt drink)
Another Fulani woman after having prepared my second nonno at the market of Makera. Here Fulani Milk and Peak come together - see the cans in front!!
Ya’u milking a cow. I followed some Fulani men with their cattle for a day in the field.
Ya’u, Isa and Hassan with fresh milk. Hassan is wearing the GPS device I gave him. He has walked a really nice trail that I hope to post later.
Hassan and Ya’u in front of their hut, near where the cows spend the night, and they too
Ya’u, Hassan, Isa
More Fulani boys show up, with their own herd
Oldest brother Maikudi has a closer look at the GPS device Hassan is wearing
Who said being a herdsman is hard work…?
Everything I wrote down caught the immediate interest of everybody. The Fulani are very keen on mediation! 
The making of Fulani milk
Maikudi killed a viper in the field. The Berom farmer cut off its head and tail, let it drip empty, skin it, and dry it. The next day he told me he had a nice chopchop!
Again, everything I photographed or filmed was very interesting to the men
The Fulani men I went walking with are looking at the pictures I made with Esther’s camera. So I took a picture of that with the cellphone. How meta!
One of the things that struck me most during that day was the close interaction of agricultural life and semi-nomadic pastoralism. As soon as fields were harvested, the Fulani could access the land for their cattle to graze. The cows both strip the land clean of remaining plants and shit on it, so it is fertilized again. Here sorghum is harvested.
Hassan on his favorite cow. Maikudi behind it.
And after a hot day in the field, I saw a large can of Peak Milk standing near one of the houses of the family of Ahmadu Idris (the father of Maikudi, Ya’u and Hassan)!!
OK, tha-tha-tha-thatsallfolks!