When high school students start talking on Facebook about the price of bananas, I know that the prices must be extremely high. I'm not the hugest fan of bananas myself, I didn't eat them at all from the time I was about 8 till recently, and as you all know from last weeks blog that was almost 22 years. However I have found that here in Uganda I don't have the same repulsion as I used to (I could even taste banana in tropical juice mixes, I so hated the taste) and that I even enjoy eating the very small bananas that I assume are the equivalent to Lady Finger Bananas sold in Australia.
Now I didn't do business maths at school and the word economics makes me feel sleepy and wary at the same time. I have a very basic understanding of the word inflation and when I say basic I mean BASIC. Inflation as I understand it means that if there is a low percentage rate of inflation, prices of goods are low or at least increase at a slower pace and a high inflation rate means commodities are priced high - basically that the prices of things are inflated. I also know that there are many contributing factors to the rate of inflation and governments can do a certain amount to contain the rate of inflation. This, I think, is the bounds of my knowledge on the subject. For all you economists out there feel free to correct me and my limited understanding of the economic world.
Now I'm not entirely sure that you can say that inflation is the cause of the high price of Aussie bananas. I'm pretty sure that the reason behind the $14 kilo price tag lies solely at the feet of Cyclone Yasi. On the other hand the current estimate in Uganda is that inflation is at a rate of up to 18%. Again, this is a little out of my league, but I can see on the ground what this means. It means that weekly prices of goods are going up. Maize flour costs more, rice costs more, matooke costs more, fruit and vegetables cost more, charcoal costs more, sugar and salt cost more. For example at the moment there is a shortage of food in the country due to the bad harvests of the last two seasons. Included in this shortage is sugar, which about 4 months ago was selling at 2400UGX (0.88AUD), two weeks ago was selling at 3500UGX (1.28AUD) a kilo and now that same kilo of sugar is now costing anywhere up to 7000UGX (2.56AUD) depending where you live.
Posho, made from a coarse maize flour into a stiff mix like polenta, is a staple here. It is fairly flavourless but is filling and along with beans is 'student food' in boarding schools. This, for instance, is the main meal that all our boys eat. In April 50kg of posho was selling at 25 000UGX (9.15AUD). Now it is up to 130 000UGX (47.5AUD).
The trouble is that for those struggling to afford the staples, it is now not a matter of cutting out certain foods, it is a case of cutting out a meal. Here in Uganda around 35% of the population lives under the poverty line. It's a long way from the poverty line to the point where I live with a flushing toilet, running water and electricity. And this is by no means limited to Uganda. I saw in the news this week that inflation in Ethiopia is at 39%, I'm not entirely sure but I think that is bad. Across Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia life is more than tough.
Then I look at the news again and I hear that the US credit rating has been dropped, that countries in Europe are on the verge of bankruptcy, that there are riots in London. The world out there has its share of problems too. And if countries that are meant to be okay are not okay, then what does that mean for the countries that were already on the bottom of the ladder? When the countries that provide aid are in trouble themselves I imagine that one of the first things that happens is that they look even more inward. When things become tougher, isn't the tendency to look after oneself first? This is human instinct. To protect and care for one's own. However as Christians (so I'm talking to a specific group of people now) we are called to live a life that is different from that. To look outward. To live with a different worldview. That God is our provider. That HE is all we need to focus on. To be givers not getters.
As I was writing this I was thinking about Matthew 6:25-34, then I looked it up in the Message bible. Wow! What a challenge. A new view on a passage of scripture I know quite well.
I know that I am called to see life differently and live life differently from those who don't know Jesus. Otherwise Jesus isn't who he says he is. So when I see and hear that the world around me seems to be crumbling into chaos, I have to believe that Jesus, who says he is the way, the truth and the life, is indeed those things. That by looking at Him I see my way through the storm, that by hearing Him I hear the truth and that by living in Him I have real life. This takes faith. The incredible thing is though, that as I walk this path, clinging to Jesus, I am constantly aware of the difference that He is making in the world around me. I see His hand in so many circumstances. And I am amazed at this God who calls me his friend.
If I see with eyes that are my own I see chaos and confusion, if I see with eyes that are focussed on Jesus I see purpose, future and hope.
So for those Aussies that are out there lamenting the price of bananas, just remember to be thankful for the other fruit and veggies you can afford. For those of us who are Christian, let's remember to fix our eyes on Jesus, so that we are not alarmed by the nightly news. And for those who see that they are able to make a difference in the world, get out there and do it!
Bless ya all
Bron
Ps - don't forget that I am here volunteering for Australia HOPE International and that if you want to know more about what we do then you can check out the link.
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