Photos: I dried the yard dried thoroughly. Photo One: End of August.  Photo Two: Daniel, More Than One Month Later: "Nataka pesa"

Yesterday, more than one month later the top ranking of the immortal Kiswahili lines was again spoken to me: Nataka pesa, "I need money". I want to explain Daniel that he agreed by contract to build a dhow for $ 13 000, he has received $ 9 000 already, the dhow is not at all in the corresponding state of 75% ready, that I have, as agreed, $ 500 ready for the rig, $ 1 000 for floor, decks and hatches, and $ 2 500 to pay after final delivery, and if that seems little to him, this is because I already four times honoured his requests to shift advance payments to earlier dates, as a result of which the remains of his $ 13 000 has now shrunk to $ 4 000. That the dhow was ordered in December 2004, that he said he would build it in three months, and now we are approaching December 2005 without even being near to a finished hull, which has been paid for months ago. Of course, al this thoroughly illustrated with the graph of the Line of Perfect Inertia. But it is not as simple as that. Daniel reads just a little, does not really write, has an African idea of written language as used in contracts and agreements, is weak in calculation and has the African idea of time, what westerns would call: no idea of time - all that does not exclude the very real possibility that this months teasing pace of building is meant as a nataka pesa-statement to the customer - which the customer is, of course, NOT going to honour. In short, I fully understand the cultural problem (after all, after recently having published the book Knowledge Cultures as an issue of a prestigious philosophy of science series I am now considered to be an expert), but my Kiswahili is not good enough, and I lack confidence in practically bringing the necessary drying process to a good end. Indeed, the huge carcass that might some time become my dhow impresses customers. Every week I see the building of a new small boat started, hopefully not using my mninga. Anyway, Daniel should be informed in unambiguous Kiswahili that this hull should be finished, painted and launched now, and only afterwards het can get more pesa.

I had The General in mind to help me with the job but for two weeks his cell phone is answered by people who say he is "traveling", "not in", "has not yet come home", neither does he call back, though he said to be in need for jobs, hence I am probably talking to thieves of his cell phone. That number is all I have so, The General is lost. Just to meet my present feelings, I decide to go for an Indian. The Kirala (South West tip of India) manager of Hotel Tilapia, in whose office I regularly plug in my notebook to the internet, may be could bring me in contact with a fluently Kiswahili speaking Indian who knows how to put the screws on my good friend Daniel. For such a guy I am ready to pay a good sum now!

Meanwhile I looked sadly at the present state of inertia (click here for explanation).

There is one line about which I'd rather not think. That is the Expectations Trend Line (here, a five points moving average). Because of its depressing consequences is does not deserve to be seen very clearly. That is why I coloured it in inconspicuous grey. This line comes from under the Line of Perfect Inertia (!!!) and seems to head for delivery somewhere mid 2007. That would come true if expectations keep moving as the thus far did. But we will not allow this to happen, we are going to change Africa just a little bit!

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