Ethiopians and Ugandans seem to spend their lives in close proximity to animals. While on the way down town, we had to wait for a herd of goats to cross the way. While driving to the office my host dad almost ran over a chicken. While waking up near the center of the capital city, I was awoken by a rooster. City life in East Africa seems to be still very different than city life in the West. While thinking more about it, what seems strange is that the only life we see in the West is other humans. The rest of the world is surrounded by a biodiversity that reminds them of their place in the organic kingdom. I wonder if living so close to other animals reveals certain insights. Does a mother chicken leading her little chicks reinforce the prominent in West African expectation that children are the sole responsibility of women? Do goats following in herds; reinforce the notion of going with the group? I wonder if Americans would think differently about social relations if we had a closer relationship with animals.
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