International News

News from outside Mozambique rarely makes it to our little town. The only stories people here try to pick out of a broadcast, which to locals is usually just background noise letting people know that someone is fortunate enough to own a TV or radio, are those related to top tier European football. Our town experienced a brief hiatus from its provincial ways during the build-up and execution of the South Africa World Cup 2010, when people all of a sudden showed great interest in world geography, wanting to know why there are two Koreas, or which continent is bigger, Africa or America. Since then our town has lacked any semblance of an international orientation. We stay in touch with the world's biggest stories via the BBC, but the freedom revolutions across the Arab world, the disastrous earthquake/tsunami and nuclear scare in Japan, the formation of a new country in South Sudan, the Royal wedding, all of the biggest global events impacting people's lives across the world have failed to make any impact here. This month has been the big exception, we have not stopped hearing about the killing of Osama bin Laden. It makes sense since Obama and Osama are the two most recognized names here. There's even a bread named after them. Originally the fluffy white roll came to be called “Osamas,” people claiming they looked like the stereotypical turban associated with him or that they were as sought after and difficult to find in rural communities as bin Laden in his mountain cave hideout. Subsequently when Obama was elected president of the USA locals swept up in all the Obama-mania, which saw Obama's face adorning everything from Tshirts to chewing gum wrappers, just switched the name of their favorite bread from Osama to Obama. Obama is so adored and renowned that most people here outside our circle of teacher friends and town bigshots actually only know about America because of his fame and Africa connection. The night the news broke we were with other Peace Corps volunteers celebrating the workers day holiday weekend, we were tipped off by several near simultaneous international texts at about 5am. Americans across the world were placed on alert status, and even in the absence of any danger or possible anti-American reprisals in our corner of the globe, Peace Corps did the same. Mainly Mozambicans were very happy and excited for us. We have been asked countless times to tell them the “good news.” At first we were confused as to what they expected from us, were they hoping to see us dancing in front of our house waving our American flag? Actually, they just wanted us as Americans to tell them the real story. Not surprisingly considering the muddled news clips and gossip most our neighbors rely on for information, most people were highly confused; we had three students wanting to know why Bin Laden was living in a house under the sea. Several times at school after polling students for questions about the French or English material we presented during class they have asked us to tell them what really happened to Osama. Even our school principle called us in to his office, of course it was nothing related to school business, he just wanted to share his theories on the events. He had imagined several scenarios explaining how the world's most wanted man had eluded justice for so long mostly focused on how Osama must have been using “Super Black” on his beard, a hair dying product commonly used here. Now that a couple of weeks have passed the hysteria has died down although we still get occasional comments. Our community has reestablished its self-imposed news quarantine, with curiosity rarely breaching the confines of walking distance from home.