Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1994

Abstract

In 1992 I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach in the Law School at the University of Nairobi during the 1992-1993 academic year. Since returning to the United States, whenever I am asked to describe the year and some of my experiences, I am tom between doing a travelogue and doing the report of a (very informal) fact-finding mission. The dilemma is this: On one hand, this was and could easily remain the adventure of my life-complete with breathtaking sights, endless anecdotes about people, local food, cultural idiosyncracies, and funny (some not-so-funny) things that happened. On the other hand, I genuinely care about development in what used to be called the third world. 1 In particular, I have a long-standing concern for conditions of human life in sub-Saharan Africa. In this regard, my overall observations were, at best, disheartening-so much so that talking about animals and local foods seems frivolous? So usually, I end up doing a little of each: describing the adventure and "thinking out loud" about how bad conditions are, how much worse they could get, and what might result. That is what I will attempt to do in this Essay: describe my trip, make some observations, and express some serious concerns.

Comments

Originally published in the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review at 27 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 1299 (1994).

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