On our second full day in Niger, I had the privilege of meeting the Chef du Canton. This is the Chief of the village I am staying in and the surrounding smaller hamlets. Every village has an elected mayor (marie) and a mayor’s office that works directly with the district, regional, and national government. The Chef position is (I think) more symbolic than anything else. While the Chef himself informed us that the position is a democratically elected one, he also explained he was eligible to run because his family was one of past Chefs. His duty is to listen to disputes within the area and resolve them as best he can.
Meeting the Chef du Canton was a pretty surreal experience and so far one of my favorites since arriving in Niger. All the trainees sat on mats in front of the Chef, who sat in a chair, with an aide on each side and a guard behind him. The scene was both splendid and incredibly intimidating. The guard was carrying a sword and dressed in traditional Tuareg attire completely covering his whole body. The only parts of his body not covered by clothing were the eyes-- which were hidden behind aviator sunglasses. It was awesome.
The Chef and his aides spoken French fluently and in addition to welcoming us to the village and offering their assistance with anything they could, told us a little bit about themselves. One of the Chef’s aides told us he had studied in the U.S., in the former USSR, and also mentioned he had just gotten back from a trip to Spain!
When the Chef remarked how interesting it was that the US does not have chefs or a monarchy, his aid remarked in French: “America is a mosaic of immigrants”. I realize this is a ridiculously broad statement and you could analyze this a million different ways. When I first heard it though, I it made me think a lot about my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and the mission of the Peace Corps to not only train men and women in developing countries meet basic needs, but also encourage cross-cultural exchange. I am really proud to be working for the Peace Corps and hope to further all three facets of this mission.
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